ABOARD THE QUEEN ELIZABETH, WHERE YOU SIT IN THE DINING ROOM ON THE FIRST NIGHT IS YOUR TABLE FOR THE REST OF THE CRUISE, AND MIKHAILA FRIEL DIDN’T REALIZE THIS, SO SHE HAD TO EAT ALONE EACH NIGHT.

Friel had never been on a cruise before boarding the Cunard Queen Elizabeth in October 2021, and she made the usual error during her first dinner there.

She had originally planned to eat alone the first night and then choose to sit with a group once she had made acquaintances. That wasn’t the situation.

Instead, Mikhaila ate dinner alone every night. Fortunately, she was able to become friends with the people at the tables next to her, albeit it was occasionally a little awkward because their food would arrive at various times.

Read more: Six things first-time cruisers should bear in mind that I wish I had known before boarding a ship.