Cruising Companions

Susan Spano’s article about single women on cruises (“Going Solo on a Cruise Shouldn’t Be a Ticket to Loneliness on the High Seas,” Her World, Oct. 17) interested me.

On a Los Angeles-to-Acapulco cruise in the 1970s, I asked a woman who was by herself whether I might join her for breakfast. I learned she was married and her husband apparently was busy doing something else. I told her that I was planning to go to a dance class and mentioned that this was not always comfortable for a single woman because male partners were scarce.

Would you believe it? As the dance class was about to begin, she walked in with her husband and said to me, “Here, I brought you a partner.” Not many married women would be as generous.

Thanks for bringing back some pleasant memories.

MARY A. LANGE

Euclid, Ohio

I recently returned from a beautiful 12-day cruise tour of Athens, the Greek Isles and Istanbul. My concerns involve the serious physical disabilities of some of the seniors on the tour, specifically those requiring the use of wheelchairs and those elderly who could not walk steadily without a cane.

Most tour company brochures state that a particular trip should not be undertaken if one is not in good health and reasonably mobile. These people need more individual attention from the tour director and generally slow the group down.

I realize that we are all entitled to our own “pursuits of happiness,” but please, fellow travelers, not at the cost of depriving the majority of theirs. I would hope that once we enter our twilight years, we can objectively evaluate our capacity to participate in global travel unselfishly.

EDNA M. TOBIAS

Hermosa Beach

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