On my last cruise, I took my book to breakfast in the buffet area, set down my book and water glass on a table for two that was near an empty table for four. To my surprise, I returned to find an entire family seated at the table for fouro and then the seat across from me. I *should have* excused myself and found another table for myself, but I felt like I should be polite and stayed. The entire family acted as if I was joining their table instead of them taking over my table 🙂 We did make conversation - I would stay silent sometimes, listening to them, and sometimes they'd include me in the conversation. They were a very nice family - and I kept running into them around the ship! They really wanted to make sure I was okay.
I'm not much of a morning person so staring out at the water, reading my book, and enjoying my coffee is the best way for me to wake up without words! I'll be on a cruise in a few weeks and will need to remember to protect that alone time at breakfast 🙂