Towels And Sun Loungers?

[smagni]

We (me/wife/daughter14/son12) are on the IOS 15th May

 

What is the score regarding towels and sun loungers around the decks/pools?

 

I have read somewhere that towels are provided but if they go missing you are charged a whopping fee. Can you use your own beach towels?

 

As for sun loungers I believe that there is a policy of removing towels from them if they have been empty for half an hour, which gives you very little time to go and have a leisurely lunch?

 

Guidance as ever much appreciated

 

Steven

[waterbug123]

What is the score regarding towels and sun loungers around the decks/pools?

 

I have read somewhere that towels are provided but if they go missing you are charged a whopping fee. Can you use your own beach towels?

 

As for sun loungers I believe that there is a policy of removing towels from them if they have been empty for half an hour, which gives you very little time to go and have a leisurely lunch?

 

There is a towel station on the pool deck. They swipe your Seapass, and you can sign out however many towels you need. When you turn them in, they swipe again so they are removed from your account. $20/towel if you do not turn them in by the end of the cruise. You can trade wet ones for dry ones thoughout the week. It's really very easy. You can bring your own if you like, if you have room in your luggage; however, you will find very little space in your cabin to hang them to dry.

 

As for leaving them on your lounge chair while you enjoy lunch...if you really wish to have a leisurely lunch, the courteous thing to do would be to vacate your chairs so others can use them. You can set yourself up in new chairs when you return to the pool deck. :)

[Paul65]

You are charged $20, if you don't return a towel you have checked out. I suppose this could be considered a "whopping" fee for a used towel, but towels don't regularly "go missing."

 

As for the leisurely lunch, you are absolutely correct. They don't allow you to keep your deck chair "reserved" with a towel (or anything else, for that matter), while you go have a leisurely lunch.

[smagni]

Thank You For the swift reply Meg and Paul!

 

Have I said something wrong, referring to my lunch as leisurely?

 

I intend everything I do on this holiday to be as leisurely as possible!

 

:)

[CleoPat]

So exactly how long can you leave your towel on the chair. I'll be on Liberty and was wondering if there is a pizza/burger place right near the pool in the solarium and then tables and chairs also. Could I do that to have lunch and not worry about my chair:confused:

[Paul65]

So exactly how long can you leave your towel on the chair. I'll be on Liberty and was wondering if there is a pizza/burger place right near the pool in the solarium and then tables and chairs also. Could I do that to have lunch and not worry about my chair:confused:

 

Really, I don't think they want people reserving chairs at all. It's one thing to be able to take a dip in the pool or take a few minutes to use the bathroom, but IMO, if you go off to have lunch, your former chair should be available to people who actually want to be in the pool area at that time, rather than set aside for you. That said, the compromise is that they usually allow 30 minutes. So, if you're gone less than a half-hour, you should be OK.

[cb at sea]

It's fairly obvious (at least, to me) when someone is using the chair, as opposed to "hogging" it....towels draped across chairs at 8am, and never sat in are being "hogged". Folks who are at the pool, using the chair, even if they're swimming, in the bathroom, talking to someone a few chairs down, getting a bite to eat to bring to the pool deck....look different from the hogged chairs! And, you can always tell the folks sitting next to you that you'll be right back, if your entire party is vacating the chairs for some reason...

 

This whole pool chair thing gets so blown out of proportion! There are PLENTY of seats....it's just that they all can't be within spitting distance of the pool!

 

The towel-thing has me flummoxed, too....how in the world does one "lose" their towels??? Don't bring towels from home...once wet, they'll NEVER dry. The pool towels on a ship are done just like most hotels...you have to show your key to "check them in and out"...not a big deal.

 

If you intend to take an hour for lunch, then do relinquish your lounger, and find another one later. If you're just going to the WJ to pick up something to bring back to the pool and eat, have at it. It's all good!

[mo&fran]

Really, I don't think they want people reserving chairs at all. It's one thing to be able to take a dip in the pool or take a few minutes to use the bathroom, but IMO, if you go off to have lunch, your former chair should be available to people who actually want to be in the pool area at that time, rather than set aside for you. That said, the compromise is that they usually allow 30 minutes. So, if you're gone less than a half-hour, you should be OK.

But how rigid can 30 minutes be? After all, I can't imagine someone with a timer watching each chair to see if someone is gone for 30 minnutes.

[Paul65]

But how rigid can 30 minutes be? After all, I can't imagine someone with a timer watching each chair to see if someone is gone for 30 minnutes.

 

They do have employees monitoring the pool area, but how closely they watch could vary from ship to ship (as with most things).

[CleoPat]

Quote: There are PLENTY of seats....it's just that they all can't be within spitting distance of the pool!

Well, I'm going with my 83 year old mother and plan on getting to the solarium pool in the morning and I know she would want to sit as close to the pool as possible to be able to go in and out of the pool without a big deal made out of it, so figured those days we would eat poolside so as not to be gone from the chairs for a long time.

[smagni]

Didn't realise that you could go to Windjammer and bring back food to poolside. That puts a different perspective on it all.

 

Thanks

 

Steven

[Ashland]

Quote: There are PLENTY of seats....it's just that they all can't be within spitting distance of the pool!

 

Well, I'm going with my 83 year old mother and plan on getting to the solarium pool in the morning and I know she would want to sit as close to the pool as possible to be able to go in and out of the pool without a big deal made out of it, so figured those days we would eat poolside so as not to be gone from the chairs for a long time.

CleoPat have a great time ..sounds like you will have no trouble at all..most people are considerate..but a few...YIKES :eek:

[Paul65]

Didn't realise that you could go to Windjammer and bring back food to poolside. That puts a different perspective on it all.

 

Thanks

 

Steven

 

Absolutely, you can! And they usually have at least one or two poolside buffet events during a week-long cruise.

[Ashland]

Absolutely, you can! And they usually have at least one or two poolside buffet events during a week-long cruise.

INDY March '09 & '10 8 night eastern caribbean..No poolside buffets during the day..and when they do have them there's one late at night("Surf's Up Buffet 11:30pm-12:30am))..Eastern Caribbean may be different than the UK but I doubt it...

[cruie4ever]

We sail both Celebrity & Royal .However ,we have never had our S&S card swiped at the pool area for a towel on Celebrity . There are many reasons why we prefer to sail Celebrity if the itinerary is available & not just the pool towel issue ;but ,there are times when we sail Royal because the intinerary is more to our liking .

[cruisenfever]

Just returned from a consecutive cruise on Serenade. We had no poolside buffets during the day..........most probably because both weeks were so port intensive.

 

Not all ships doing a 7 week itinerary have poolside buffets at lunch. The do have them later in the evenings.

[CleoPat]

I've only been on one that had a poolside buffet during the day. The rest were in the evening. I'm thinking of bringing my own towels. Do you think they wil dry on the balcony??

 

AND how many bathing suits do you all bring for a 7 day Carib cruise?

[Ashland]

I've only been on one that had a poolside buffet during the day. The rest were in the evening. I'm thinking of bringing my own towels. Do you think they wil dry on the balcony??

 

AND how many bathing suits do you all bring for a 7 day Carib cruise?

CleoPat..I wouldn't waste the space in my luggage to bring towels..JMHO...They may or may not dry..Why not have a fresh clean towel or two daily..I usually bring two bathing suits but always seem to really need one..A personal choice....Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.....Enjoy !!!!

[waterbug123]

Thank You For the swift reply Meg and Paul!

 

Have I said something wrong, referring to my lunch as leisurely?

 

I intend everything I do on this holiday to be as leisurely as possible!

 

:)

 

No, you said nothing wrong. It's your vacation, so by all means enjoy a leisurely lunch. Just vacate your chair when you do. On the other hand, if you just want to go to the Windjammer to fix a burger and fries to bring back out to the pool, then it shouldn't be a problem to leave your chair as is with your towel and other things on it.

[mechcc]

I'm thinking of bringing my own towels. Do you think they wil dry on the balcony??

 

Another rule is that you aren't suppose to leave anything on your balcony. One reason for it is if there is a stray ash from anywhere it could start a fire. Another reason is that it could possibly blow off and go into the ocean.

[MarkSeattle]

I've only been on one that had a poolside buffet during the day. The rest were in the evening. I'm thinking of bringing my own towels. Do you think they wil dry on the balcony??

 

AND how many bathing suits do you all bring for a 7 day Carib cruise?

 

I've been on balconies on 2 other lines, and they didn't want you leaving things out there, they are very likely to blow away anyway. I wouldn't mess with your own towels. If they do choose to pick things up, they'll take away your personal towels, book, sandals, whatever people put on chairs to pretend they're around when they aren't. (I've seen this rarely happen, and usually just after hours of "saving" a seat). I wouldn't worry about lunch, just tell the people around you you're going to lunch and it may take a little longer with your mom.

 

I take a different bathing suit for every day I'm going to wear one, a real minority for guys especially, lol. But the ones I prefer, and wear in Greece, Brazil, or just hanging out in PV are a little more revealing than I'd wear around the pool on most ships, and ones you wear on the beach can get sandy, sunscreen on them, etc. and I don't wear underwear more than one day either! :)

[CleoPat]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'll leave the towels home then as they certainly won't dry in the cabin. Everyone thought I was crazy to bring 4 bathing suits for the cruise. I don't have 6! I guess I'll bring five and hopefully the one I wore on the first day that I've washed out will be dry by then:rolleyes: