Cabin mate matching by agency

[Pat Hagan Singles Editor]

Could any of you share your experiences--good or bad--with being matched with a cabin mate by the agency sponsoring your singles cruise?

And if you had problems, what were they and how did you resolve them?

[showcat]

My first singles cruise I had no one to go with. I thought well I will make the best of whatever my situation is. I got matched with a great lady. She was married but booked through the same agency that did the singles cruise. We got along great. It was pure luck. She was very laid back and down to earth. She gave me two closets to use for all my clothes, and wasn't an anal neat freak, neither am I. She didn't mind occational piles of clothing while rushing off to the next show or event on the ship. She even offered me the 3rd closet.

I was originally supposed to be matched with an older uptight lady. I know that would have been a disaster as I spoke with someone who roomed with her on another cruise. Im a night owl too, with allergies so I have to wash my hair after being in the smokey disco, my cabin mate didn't complain about the 10 minutes I had to blow dry my hair when she was in bed.I can't go to bed in the airconditioning with a wet head and the only outlet is in the center of the cabin on the vanity.

She even offered alone time in the cabin if I met a guy. I would never had the nerve to ask that of anyone. As I said it was pure luck nothing more. Im so happy I took the chance, we are still friends and I took her out in my city when she came to town. By looking at the two of us one would never suspect we would have a thing in common but we really do. We are both open minded and non judgemental people, who can laugh at life. Im very happy I decided to take that cruise. Now I cruise with other ladies I met on other singles cruises, each time I travel my circle of friends expands.

I do know that it helps to be honest and try to talk about what type of person you are and your habits. I wish single agencys would do a simple personality profile to better match people. I think this would not guarentee a match but would increase the odds that one would find someone with similar habits.

[Pat Hagan Singles Editor]

So glad to hear your positive experience sharing with a stranger, who, it appears, quickly became your friend. I wish everyone could be so lucky.

And your idea for agencies to do a personality profile for matching is great, but they will not take the time to do it.

[showcat]

I know I think they don't want to hear complaints if the cabin match doesn't work but I imagine they get them anyway. I did write and suggest this to Vacations to Go and Crusing for Love neither has done this. Too bad more people don't use the Seeking cruise compainion forum to find cabin mates on Singles cruises not just regular ones.

Too many men want to cruise with women they don't know, and share a cabin. This is not a good situation and most smart women would avoid it. Im sure it can work out sometimes, but if if didn't it could be a disaster.Sexual harrassment or rape cases. For this reason people should seek same sex cabin mates unless they know them personally. Liabilty is the reason Singles companys always match same sex cabin mates.

[Beetlegator]

Originally Posted by showcat

. . . Too many men want to cruise with women they don't know, and share a cabin. This is not a good situation and most smart women would avoid it. Im sure it can work out sometimes, but if if didn't it could be a disaster.Sexual harrassment or rape cases. For this reason people should seek same sex cabin mates unless they know them personally. Liabilty is the reason Singles companys always match same sex cabin mates.

Unfortunately Showcat, many men have fantasies of their female cabin mate having sex with them which is NOT the case. They see a shapely sex starved single woman begging for intimaticy during the long and lonely voyage that he can have access to while going after the other single women on the cruise which is not the case. I would also question the woman on why would she be tie up with one man during the entire cruise keeping herself out of the running knowing her male roommate will get upset if she did get hooked up with another man.

[Angelgal]

I traveled for many years with a singles group that did matching of roomies.
My first experience was fantastic. My roomie was so sweet and nice. She got up early in the morning and when I woke up I found her sitting on her bed all dressed ready to go out but was waiting for me to wake up.
I rushed to get dressed and we became fast friends.
I had many sucess stories of being matched with compatable roomies.
I remember once.... a lady that was supposed to be my roomie asked me if I smoked and I said, "No". So she made that excuse to get a cabin with a smoker. I felt she didn't like me because it doesn't bother me if roomies like to smoke. I was assigned a nice roomie.
After a while I would ask for certain gals to be my roomie.
I once had a roomie talk bad about me to her friends on the trip. I was surprised because I thought we were getting along. But she was okay as a roomie.
It was on my final cruise with THAT Singles group that had gone down hill in attracting nice people on their cruises... when I got a roomie that was super jealous of me. I was in my 30's and kept my mouth shut when she would say mean things to me. I kept the peace and after that I decided not to be assigned a stranger as a roomie.
IT ONLY TAKES ONE BAD EXPERIENCE for me to get my own cabin.
I have seen that most of the time being matched has worked out for singles but it only takes one bad apple to ruin a cruise. That is why I have become a "nervous nellie" and choose my own roomies.

I also remeber that when the singles group didn't approve of some cruiser they were not allowed to join us in the future because they were trouble makers. The group leader would eliminate them from the mailing list of travels.

VTG has said to me that they also eliminate any trouble makers from future cruises. They have to be serious trouble makers to be eliminated but quirky cruisers are kept. Some cruisers have hang-ups that people can live with so they are kept.
The worse case I have heard is a crazy lady being assigned to an alcoholic roomie. The crazy lady talked to herself and the alcoholic was super mean to her. They survived the cruise but the crazy lady said she would never cruise with the singles group again. So roomies beware!!
I hate it when an alcoholic is assigned to a non drinker. Their should be a questionaire that asks the questions, "Do you smoke" Do you drink daily".
Then they can be matched up. Two drinkers get along really well together. I have seen that on a cruise where two gals had fun drinking every day. They had a great time.

[Pat Hagan Singles Editor]

You are so right when you say it only takes one bad experience to make you swear off rooming with a stranger forever. That's what happened to me five years ago, and I have stuck to my vow, regardless.

[Angelgal]

There will be times when I will need a roomie because the cruise and air will be expensive. That is when I will ask a friend to be my roomie.
I also plan to interview gals to be my future roomies when I cruise on the VTG Singles cruises. I met a gal who was very nice and" I asked if you would be my roomie in the future" and she said" ,"Yes".
We talked on the telephone and she was a very nice lady except she has some serious medical problems......like heart problems, weakness in her arms, she must drink only bottled water, and plus she was on a strict diet and said she would be packing cans of tuna.

Humm.....so I thought she is a very nice lady but what if she has a heart attack, I would most likely be the one to carry her bottled water and bag when walking around on a tour, the cabin would smell like tuna whenever she felt like having a snack of tuna.
I decided I didn't want to be her roomie.
Next time I plan to interview the gals and ask them if they have any medical problems before I invite them to be my roomie. If it is something I can live with then I will invite them to be my roomie.