Pool Chair Savers - Watch Out

[Straughn]

The story about moving the chair out of the sun reminds me of an experience we had several years ago. There was a large group of Europeans who spoke a couple of languges, but French was the primary. They felt it was their god given right to send a couple of teenage boys out to the pool to save about a dozen seats of prime pool real estate- not on one side of the pool, but a set on each side so they were in the sun regardless of the time of day. When the chairs weren't occupied, one of the teens was with each set of chairs. As you can imagine, this really ticked off other passengers when they figured out what was going on. There were enough complaints, that finally one day, the pool attendant can over around lunchtime and started to clear off one set of the chairs. DH and I were sitting about 5-6 ft away as this occured. The teenage boy starts shreaking in French, which the pool attendant doesn't understand. But DH is fluent in French and he starts to laugh. The gist of the translation is that the teen would be punished if he didn't save the seats. Finally, after several minutes of the pool boy trying to speak broken english and the kid screaming in French (full of obscenties, by the way, mostly having to do with the pool boy's parentage) DH gets up, walks over to the kid and, in street French, tells the kid to shut up or he (DH) will find security and have the kid and the family banned from the pool. The kid literally gasped for air, grabbed all the personal belongings off the chairs and ran away, opening up a dozen seats. DH got a round of applause from the people in the surrounding chairs. For the remainder of the cruise, we never saw the seats being saved again.

[Lois R]

The story about moving the chair out of the sun reminds me of an experience we had several years ago. There was a large group of Europeans who spoke a couple of languges, but French was the primary. They felt it was their god given right to send a couple of teenage boys out to the pool to save about a dozen seats of prime pool real estate- not on one side of the pool, but a set on each side so they were in the sun regardless of the time of day. When the chairs weren't occupied, one of the teens was with each set of chairs. As you can imagine, this really ticked off other passengers when they figured out what was going on. There were enough complaints, that finally one day, the pool attendant can over around lunchtime and started to clear off one set of the chairs. DH and I were sitting about 5-6 ft away as this occured. The teenage boy starts shreaking in French, which the pool attendant doesn't understand. But DH is fluent in French and he starts to laugh. The gist of the translation is that the teen would be punished if he didn't save the seats. Finally, after several minutes of the pool boy trying to speak broken english and the kid screaming in French (full of obscenties, by the way, mostly having to do with the pool boy's parentage) DH gets up, walks over to the kid and, in street French, tells the kid to shut up or he (DH) will find security and have the kid and the family banned from the pool. The kid literally gasped for air, grabbed all the personal belongings off the chairs and ran away, opening up a dozen seats. DH got a round of applause from the people in the surrounding chairs. For the remainder of the cruise, we never saw the seats being saved again.

 

Hi Pat:D if I could give applause on here now with sound?

I would....BRAVO....BRAVO.....BRAVO....:):):):):)

[DSJ28]

Bravo Celebrity!! I think the card should be placed in the chair after 30 minutes, and the items should be removed following another 30 minutes.

 

I think the cruise lines should develop a sort of smart chair with red and green lights to signify if it has not been occupied for 30 - 60 minutes (whichever the cruiseline decides is appropriate). Staff should be monitoring the chairs and moving items in green light chairs.

 

There should also be an option to reserve a seat for 2 hour intervals at a cost set based on demand. There should be a limited number of 'reserve' seats.

 

Anyway - I'm just thinking out loud. I definitely think this is a step in the right direction.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Bravo Celebrity!! I think the card should be placed in the chair after 30 minutes, and the items should be removed following another 30 minutes.

 

I think the cruise lines should develop a sort of smart chair with red and green lights to signify if it has not been occupied for 30 - 60 minutes (whichever the cruiseline decides is appropriate). Staff should be monitoring the chairs and moving items in green light chairs.

 

There should also be an option to reserve a seat for 2 hour intervals at a cost set based on demand. There should be a limited number of 'reserve' seats.

 

Anyway - I'm just thinking out loud. I definitely think this is a step in the right direction.

 

I want to go on record as being the first to propose the 30 minute/one hour rule (at least on this thread), so I expect royalties when Celebrity adopts this policy and their bookings double as a result.:rolleyes::cool::eek::D

 

I wonder if it would be cheaper to install smart chairs with motion sensors and lights than it would be to have a crewmember constantly monitoring the time on each individual chair. Add a yellow warning light for 30 minutes to replace the card. With lights, a crewmember just has to come around once an hour, like a meter maid.

 

That leads to the next step-- parking meters for the chairs. For the free ones, anything being put on the chair sets the meter for an hour. Any motion resets the meter. If you come across an empty chair with time remaining on the meter, it's like finding an empty parking space with time left on the meter. For the primo ones that people can reserve for two hours, swipe your Seapass card, and for one to five dollars, depending on the location, that lounger is all yours, whether your keister is in it or not.

 

I'm just thinking out loud, too, but somehow I doubt parking meters are a step in the right direction. I like the idea of lights, if it could be implemented at a reasonable cost.

[Jobeth66]

How about this.

 

Number all the chairs. When you get to the pool deck, you find a chair you want, put your stuff on it, and go tell the pool steward your number. They swipe your SeaPass card and enter your name next to that chair number. You now "own" that chair for 2 hours (or however long). Every 2 hours, you have to renew your "ownership", or the pool steward removes your name from the list, and removes any items from the chair, freeing it up for someone else. The advantage here is that they've swiped your SeaPass, so they know who the stuff belongs to, and can have it returned to your cabin.

 

They can walk around and do it, or you can go up to their station and do it, whatever.

 

That way, no one can drop stuff and walk away for hours on end, and it's non-confrontational. It doesn't require any special equipment other than a way to keep track of the chairs, and they ought to be able to do that with the same sort of software they use to keep track of tables in the dining room.

 

Sees like this wouldn't be a costly thing to implement, and it would do away with the animosity from those guests who don't feel the same "entitlement" some others do.

[Cruiseorr]

Princess already has the idea to rent chairs in an area called the Sanctuary. I guess they figured that if they couldn't stop chair hogs, then why not make a profit off them.

What they didn't (or maybe did :confused:) count on, and what any of us could have told them, was that the chair hogs don't want to pay for that exclusive possession. On the Star Princess, which offered the Sanctuary, chair hogs around the pool and solarium were still very much ruling the roost.

On our cruise with Azamara in 2007, the staff was very good about enforcing the time limits on loungers around the pool, and it made for a very nice, even unusual, experience.

Way to go Celebrity.

[psyfi]

Wonderful--I hope they keep this up!

[APDMOM]

Remember to go vote on this poll... Currently only 5 people voted against removing personal items... So far about 96% of people want the cruise lines to enforce the rule :D

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1232850

[MFJune]

Celebrity you have a lot of fans on this one.

[bellebud]

I voted in the poll, and someone else mentioned kitchen timers on the chairs... seriously... cheap timers attached to the chairs (up by the head, down by the feet??), that the passenger sets themselves. Maybe a one hour timer. If you get up from your chair for any reason (pool, bathroom, etc), you set the timer for the hour... you then have an hour to get yourself back in the chair. If the chair is truly being used, the person should be around for a moment every hour to reset that timer... if they're not, then they're not really using the chair. I think hoggers would get annoyed with having to come back each hour to reset a timer - I think very few would bother to do it.

 

The timer could have a cute saying on it "chair reserved... I'll be back in a few minutes"... but if the timer times out, the cute saying automatically goes to "chair available, please ask attendant to remove any left items".

[gloce]

bob, i agree with you.i had a similar situation a few years ago.chairs were left unoccupied for more than 2 hours.i removed the towel and sandals and placed them nearby.the lady returned and threatened to get her husband.i said get him.when he saw me,he thought twice about a confrontation.i'm in super shape and by my user id says i don't back down.

Tom

 

 

love that!:d

[avp1234]

Honestly, if they had chair rentals, we would pay for that service. I've only been on two cruises, both Carnival, and every morning we could never find a place in the Serenity area or the aft pool area. Lots of towels on empty chairs all over the ship. One reason we are trying Celebrity is for a different overall experience...including the chair hog thingy. We still had a good time, but...it was annoying. Hate to hear it is that way on Celebrity too, but glad they are doing something about it!

[jagoffee]

Honestly, if they had chair rentals, we would pay for that service. I've only been on two cruises, both Carnival, and every morning we could never find a place in the Serenity area or the aft pool area. Lots of towels on empty chairs all over the ship. One reason we are trying Celebrity is for a different overall experience...including the chair hog thingy. We still had a good time, but...it was annoying. Hate to hear it is that way on Celebrity too, but glad they are doing something about it!

 

If this is really a high priority for you, you might want to try a Princess cruise on certain ships. They have a Sanctuary area where you can reserve a particular very comfortable chair for the complete cruise for an extra fee. It is very nice and relaxing.

 

I am glad that Celebrity is trying to do something about this situation. In my opinion when someone "reserves" a chair for an hour or more they are stealing from others their right to use the unoccupied chair. If you want to leave the area for lunch then bring your stuff. If you want to have lunch in your chair then good for you, otherwise ... The only chair that you should reserve without a fee would be the one on your private balcony.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

How about this.

 

Number all the chairs. When you get to the pool deck, you find a chair you want, put your stuff on it, and go tell the pool steward your number. They swipe your SeaPass card and enter your name next to that chair number. You now "own" that chair for 2 hours (or however long). Every 2 hours, you have to renew your "ownership", or the pool steward removes your name from the list, and removes any items from the chair, freeing it up for someone else. The advantage here is that they've swiped your SeaPass, so they know who the stuff belongs to, and can have it returned to your cabin.

 

They can walk around and do it, or you can go up to their station and do it, whatever.

 

That way, no one can drop stuff and walk away for hours on end, and it's non-confrontational. It doesn't require any special equipment other than a way to keep track of the chairs, and they ought to be able to do that with the same sort of software they use to keep track of tables in the dining room.

 

Sees like this wouldn't be a costly thing to implement, and it would do away with the animosity from those guests who don't feel the same "entitlement" some others do.

 

Best suggestion I've seen so far, though I still would like to see something in an ejection seat.:rolleyes: Still seems overly complicated for something that should be a matter of simple courtesy, but if that's what it takes...

[shelbird]

Love this thread. DH and I aren't pool or lounge chair users but often sit at the tables near the pool reading or playing cards. Now we can play an entire new game of "Chair Hog", picking out reserved lounges and betting on how long they remain unoccupied. If we're lucky we'll be entertained by confrontations or near ones. Yet another fun thing to do on our cruise.:D

[ljk76]

You do have to wonder if anyone who hadn't cruised would still consider doing so after reading this thread. We do pack ourselves in like sardines around the pool, especially on sea days. Luckily, for the most part there always seems to be plenty of space elsewhere. And the pool deck is so delightfully empty at night!

 

Good for X for taking a stand on this issue, and I hope they do on all their ships.

[vickykay]

Great idea Celebrity! I hope that they also use this policy in the open pool area as well. I have often seen parents "save" many chairs for their kids who spent the entire day in the pool and never used the chairs. Two hours seems more than reasonable before one's things are removed. It's fine to leave your things on a chair while at lunch - we usually do as well, but after than two hours the chairs should be available for others. Thanks Celebrity!

[Andym]

On Century last year, we were looking for loungers on a very busy deck. A lady told us that 2 by her had been unoccupied all morning, we moved the 2 books onto the side and laid down. These chairs were in the shade. 5 minutes later a lady came across and told us that the chairs were hers. I wasn't up for an argument, so we got off and she sat down. As soon as we had strolled away, I saw her get up and put the books back on and go and lay down on a bed in the Sun !!!!

 

the cheeky mare had a sunny chair and a shade chair, well not for long. I took her books and walked across to the sunny chairs and gave them to her. We went and laid back on the chairs and started to read, the argument I was expecting never came.

[Ma Bell]

With all the evidence of skin cancer and premature aging, you'd think people nowadays would have enough sense to spend a limited amount of time by the pool. As some of the posters have said, if everyone would just take their things when they're not actually there a chair would always be available. It's just common courtesy.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Great idea Celebrity! I hope that they also use this policy in the open pool area as well. I have often seen parents "save" many chairs for their kids who spent the entire day in the pool and never used the chairs. Two hours seems more than reasonable before one's things are removed. It's fine to leave your things on a chair while at lunch - we usually do as well, but after than two hours the chairs should be available for others. Thanks Celebrity!

 

I'm glad that you agree that it's good that they're cracking down on chair hogs, but I think you'll find most of the people here would disagree that two hours is reasonable and/or that it's okay to leave for lunch and expect to have the chairs when you come back. If Celebrity sticks with the current reported procedure, a two-hour absence would be covered, since they're putting out cards after an hour, clearing chairs after two hours, but please remember that the posted limit is thirty minutes.

 

This is a little like drivers who drive at a little different speed that you-- ever notice that anybody who drives a little slower than you is an idiot, and anyone who drives a little faster than you is a maniac? It's best to keep in mind that, to the idiot, you're the maniac, and to the maniac, you're the idiot. (No, I'm not calling you either one!;)) It's all relative, but I think the consensus is pointing to a one hour limit as reasonable, not two.

[Jobeth66]

Andym, that's a wonderful story. :)

[lipping larry]

i remove items and place them on a table. if the person comes back i tell them that the person before me said it was OK to have the chair:)

[Woobstr112G]

On Century last year, we were looking for loungers on a very busy deck. A lady told us that 2 by her had been unoccupied all morning, we moved the 2 books onto the side and laid down. These chairs were in the shade. 5 minutes later a lady came across and told us that the chairs were hers. I wasn't up for an argument, so we got off and she sat down. As soon as we had strolled away, I saw her get up and put the books back on and go and lay down on a bed in the Sun !!!!

 

the cheeky mare had a sunny chair and a shade chair, well not for long. I took her books and walked across to the sunny chairs and gave them to her. We went and laid back on the chairs and started to read, the argument I was expecting never came.

 

Godd for you.....:):):)

 

bob

[lysolqn]

About 1 1/2 hours after DH and I sat ourselves on two empty lounges on Constellation last winter, an older couple came by and the wife quite rudely told us to get up because we were sitting in their seats. We politely told them the seats were empty when we sat down at least 1 1/2 hours earlier but the wife insisted the seats were theirs, said she would prove it to us by showing us they had left "very important papers" on the lounges so people would know they were taken, and then accused us of stealing their papers. She then reached under the back of the cushion on my lounge and pulled out a many times folded copy of the daily schedule. Frantically waving the paper in my face, she said she had proven the chairs were theirs and we "had better" get up. I very politely told her that if those "very important papers" of theirs were in fact so very important, they shouldn't have left them unattended for 1 1/2 hours. Then DH and I tuned her out and went back to reading our books. They stood there staring at us for at least a minute or two and then walked over to some other folks not far from where we were sitting, made the same accusations, gave them the same tongue lashing and pulled another daily out from behind one of their seats! We tagged them them VIPPs - very important paper people - and watched them pull the same stunt many more times during the course of the cruise. Come to think of it, we never did see them actually sitting; perhaps that was because it was the hunt rather than the kill that gave them their jollies.

 

Kudos to Celebrity for finally addressing the chair hog problem.

[ORV]

Chair Hog; "Uh, I left my stuff here on this chair. "

 

Me; "Yes I know, I moved it for you."