AIBU to dread sharing my cruise with a clingy colleague?

[InkyOctopuswithLegs]

Just found out someone i work with is going on the same MSC cruise as me.I am polite and always say hello but this person is someone I wouldn't want to spend time with. They are clingy and talk non stop, if they see you in a communal area they will make a bee line for you and start telling you about what they are doing, boasting mostly.
They told me yesterday about the cruise and I was speechless🤣 in didn't let on i was on the same cruise but I'm gutted and don't want this person chasing me around the ship🤦‍♀️

I'd have to deal with this now as I wouldn't want it hanging over me ruining the holiday.
Just have a quiet word and say you've realised you're on the same cruise but to forgive you in advance as you and your husband have booked it to spend time together as you've had a difficult year (look sad/be vague) and won't really be socialising.
As it stands it will just look really odd if she does spot you and you've said nothing.

You probably won't even see her. I've bumped into people at tiny hotels abroad before and we only saw each other when we pre-arranged it.

Love some of your comments😆
Im hoping her DH will drag her away if we see them. Both our DH's have seen each other at the odd function but that's about it.
Im really hoping I dont even see her but sods law says I will.
We have open dining so can pick and choose our meal times, and last cruise we had no problem getting a table for 2
If we do see them I plan to just say oh fancy seeing you here, have a great time and I'll see you at work next week. I think her DH is much quieter than her.

It’s hard enough to bump into people you are trying to find on cruises! So hopefully you won’t see her at all

If she starts to cling to you tell her your husband can be very difficult and therefore you need to spend time alone with him as that’s the purpose of the cruise. Tell her you know she will understand because she’s so kind and empathetic.

Then just nod and give a small smile if you meet her.

This happened to me with an AI holiday in Turkey. We never bumped into each other until the day before we were due to go home thankfully.

I would pop on a sunhat and large sunglasses and hope for the best. If you do bump into her try and get away ASAP and never let on which restaurant you dine in or which bar is your favourite. Give her dumb info - "oh, we're thinking about joining the bingo later might see you there..."

When you bump into her, show surprise, make a few comments, then say "Oh best get off. Enjoy the rest of your holiday" then continue with similar every time she approaches. Don't agree to eat with her, to go on a trip with her or meet her for drinks. If pressed tell her "sorry I'm not very sociable on holiday".

Oh just a thought, will you be on the same flight as her too?

@knittyknotty we are driving down to the cruise terminal so no flight for us!

I said to DH, of all the people I'd want to bump in to she is near the bottom of the list!

Omg. Worst nightmare. The phase “holiday friends” invokes a sense of dread.

I saw a school mum on holiday who I know by sight. We had a “what a coincidence” chat and talked about the places we had both seen on the trip. No more interaction after that bar polite smiles. Nice sensible woman.

They are going to think you booked after they told you they were going on it. They will think you did it on purpose and will want to be best friends

He must cruise on very old fashioned lines as this is not a thing on modern ships, you are sat with your party only unless you specifically request not to.

Upgrade to Yacht Club, the rest of the ship can't get in those spaces!

Broach it at work before you go.
Tell her it’s a special treat for you and your husband to spend some alone time together- away from work we prefer to keep ourselves to ourselves. We’ll give you a wave if we see you though!

If see her look absolutely shocked, then explain you aren’t there with your husband and this is SO awkward.
She will hopefully avoid you the rest of time whilst you’re having your illicit affair 😂

A colleague of mine once met another colleague on holiday by chance. He was blindsided and agreed to dinner. His wife was furious ( colleague 2 is a grade A prat) and said she would deal with it.

She told colleague 2 he needed to understand they were having marital issues and had to to spend one to one quality time as a last ditch attempt to save their marriage so unfortunately they couldn't meet up. She added she was only confiding in him so would be very grateful if he could keep it all hush hush.

Worked a treat - I was most impressed with her ingenuity.

Ahem have you had the scary thought yet…. You could be room neighbours. Or do you know if she’s booked inside and you’re outside.

Pretend you’re your own identical twin if she spots you?

To be honest they are so many bars/restaurants on MSC the chances of being stuck with her are slim. Your dining is set but if you are unlucky enough to be seated near her you can ask to change to another table/another time. You could always say this is a romantic break and ye want to spend quality time together

So she told you about her cruise... but doesn't know you're on it? What if she sees you and thinks you booked it because she's going and that you're a CF copycat 😱😱😱😱

I'm imagining her mumsnet thread now... 😉

And a false moustache!

Get yourself a big pineapple badge, and wink at her theatrically.
She'll avoid you for the rest of the cruise.

Find out what package she has. If it's not Aurea, upgrade. You'll have a separate sun deck and bar that she can't access. If you're both already Aurea, use the main pool to avoid her.

Been in this situation a few times and the max I've seen them is 2-3 times. People are creatures of habit so if you see them in a certain place more than once, avoid it!