Would you pay to reserve a lounge chair?

[English_in_Spain]

Surely allowing people to reserve a chair is just legalising, and making money out of, chair hogging.

Just think of it as putting a $20 bill instead of a towel :rolleyes:

[sandinmypants]

No way I'd pay for a chair. And I also like the idea of "cubbies" or something like that, for people that don't want chairs to just stash their stuff so it won't get wet/stolen.

 

I try to pick a place that's out of the main path, good for people watching, but where I can still keep at least one eye on my 9yo in the pool. Quiet enough that I can read my book, but enough action that I can have a little "people entertainment" now & then. :D I can't remember our last cruise, what the pool situation was like - but at resorts this has been pretty easy to do. Hopefully it will be easy to find just the right spot on the ship also (we're up with the chickens, so it shouldn't be too hard!)

[Bookish Angel]

I have never had a problem finding a lounger - probably because I like to go in the late afternnon/evening when the sun is not so intense.

[luvscruising2007]

No, I would not pay for a lounge chair.

[estoyer]

I was reading the chairhog thread , and it got my wife and I to talking and she says , I would pay to reserve a chair by the pool . It would give me a lot of flexibility .

 

Now we don't spend extra on the fancy dinining rooms or suites , we ususally book an E1 or 2 balcony . She just loves her pool time but likes to leave to each lunch and whatever and she doesn't like getting up at the crack of dawn to get a chair she just wanders out and gets whatever and by then gets a decent place but not near the pool.

 

 

Saying this she's pretty tight with a buck, so what she would pay , she was thinking $20 a day. The cruise line would ask for double that if they thought she would pay that.

 

Any thoughts. :)

 

Great idea! They should tag the chair with your name/cabin number and you should be able to lease the chair out.

 

Earl

[flbeachmom]

I was on the Crown Princess last year and the have a beautiful section(check out photos on their site) Called the Sanctuary. You can rent a large and comfy lounge chair by the day, half day, or week. We rented for half a day one sea day. Well worth the money for a quiet spot. You can choose sun/shade spot and they have a wonderful staff up there (of course this ship had the best service of any other we've been on).

 

Now if you have to be in the action by the pool say if you are playing lifeguard to your little ones this won't work for you. Living at the beach in FL I know the danger of sun and always pick a shady spot.

 

So my answer would depend on where the reserve section was.

[foxesden1]

No I wouldn't pay it. We sit above the pool deck and don't require the prime real estate.

 

A primary reason I am against it is that there are parents of small children that need to be camped out there, close to the pool to keep an eye on their swimmers.

 

well said

[denamo]

I too agree there are some with younger children who truly need the "prime real estate" close to the pool. Charging for a lounger near the pool just seems like another way to "nickel and dime" cruisers. With the specialty restaurants, drink and photo packages, specialty coffee, ice cream, or sweets, there is already enough of this happening.

 

I do like the idea of "cubbies' around the pool being available. That makes perfect sense rather than having to take up a lounger, as a place to hold stuff, from someone who really wants to soak up the sun. Maybe rather than attempting to have "lounger security", there could be a check in holding area. OK...now I'm paying for that! :p As I am writing I am shaking my head at me. :) I don't think the chair hog dilema will ever have a truly agreeable solution. ;)

 

Going back to just reading the boards......

[johneeo]

I too agree there are some with younger children who truly need the "prime real estate" close to the pool.......

 

Sorry.

 

If you have children that are in the pool in need of watching, a prime real estate chair is NOT the place to be. You need to be in the pool or on the edge of the pool.

[cruisegirl1]

I would NEVER pay for a chair. If your wife needs just one chair, sort of near the pool, that is generally NO problem as folks generally leave a chair between where they sit and the folks nearby. Getting two together by the pool area can be a little more of a challenge.

 

There are plenty of chairs in other areas.

 

 

M

[katiel53]

Years ago, when I first started cruising, we did need to pay for a chair. I loved it. Every day we had the same chair and knew it would be available to use whenever we got there. Our names were put into a little slot on the back of the chair.

 

The deck people would face them toward the sun in the morning and when it changed position, they would face them a different way so that they were still in the sun.

 

I think the cost was maybe $10 or so for a week. Not a lot of money, but they were great and well worth the money. I wish they did charge for the chairs today. There would not be the problems there are now with people putting their stuff on them and leaving for hours.

 

I think for the people who don't want to pay for a chair, and need a place to put their things, the cubbies would be a good idea. I don't go to the pool often as we have a pool in our back yard, but when I do want to go, I notice how many chairs just have things on them and how many people are in the pool. Big difference in numbers!

[Bakincakes]

Years ago, when I first started cruising, we did need to pay for a chair. I loved it. Every day we had the same chair and knew it would be available to use whenever we got there. Our names were put into a little slot on the back of the chair.

 

The deck people would face them toward the sun in the morning and when it changed position, they would face them a different way so that they were still in the sun.

 

I think the cost was maybe $10 or so for a week. Not a lot of money, but they were great and well worth the money. I wish they did charge for the chairs today. There would not be the problems there are now with people putting their stuff on them and leaving for hours.

 

I think for the people who don't want to pay for a chair, and need a place to put their things, the cubbies would be a good idea. I don't go to the pool often as we have a pool in our back yard, but when I do want to go, I notice how many chairs just have things on them and how many people are in the pool. Big difference in numbers!

 

 

So would pax be "waitlisted" for chairs?

 

I think the hogging issue is a bad one..pax have taken to being the deck police and things are going to get nasty and escalate..:( There are already stories if physical exchanges, between pax, over saved chairs at shows.

 

I would pay for a chair if they had very buff, young guys in thongs, delivering drinks and fluffing my lounge towel for me while I was in the pool.:D

[frito58]

I was on the Crown Princess last year and the have a beautiful section(check out photos on their site) Called the Sanctuary. You can rent a large and comfy lounge chair by the day, half day, or week. We rented for half a day one sea day. Well worth the money for a quiet spot. You can choose sun/shade spot and they have a wonderful staff up there (of course this ship had the best service of any other we've been on).

 

Now if you have to be in the action by the pool say if you are playing lifeguard to your little ones this won't work for you. Living at the beach in FL I know the danger of sun and always pick a shady spot.

 

So my answer would depend on where the reserve section was.

 

Sounds like we need to give Princess a try:):) I like the sound of that.

[IWORK2CRUISE]

No, if only because I'm not one to lay out in the sun all day...I kind of like the idea of "cubbies" or similar..

 

Another thing I was thinking about the other day...there are what, 20-25 maybe 30 chairs tops on either side of the "stadium" seating that's reserved for platinum and above, I believe...what happens when all those are taken? :eek: With the volume of people headed for platinum and beyond, there will come a day when that becomes D/D+...and I can hear the battle cries now!!

I believe that those areas are reserved for suite guests only. We are Diamond and know that we cannot sit there because we don't book suites. We witnessed a D+ on Explorer yelling at the attendant because they were not allowed to sit there. He was shouting "I am D+ and you will hear about this!"

Sorry, guy but the rules are the rules.

[CruiseyWoman]

We should not have to rent a lounge chair.

[cruiserbryce]

ooh...ohh...this is an easy answer...I wouldnt (pay for a lounge chair)

[zebra36]

I did back in the early 70's on the Greek Line ships that were sailing the Caribbean then. A deck steward would place your name on a deck chair and you would have the same location throughout the cuise. Not much of a sun worshipper now so would not likey do it today.

[klingoncruiser]

NO! Bad idea!

[bigque]

NO! I still don't understand why it is such Prime Real Estate to sit right in front of the pool! I think the upper deck above the pool is better spot anyway!

[davekathy]

no! I still don't understand why it is such prime real estate to sit right in front of the pool! I think the upper deck above the pool is better spot anyway!

 

Ditto.

[Philly Steve]

Splash zone pool deck chair rental? Nope.

 

Renting a favorite bar stool? Now, THAT's another matter entirely! :D

 

[katiel53]

So would pax be "waitlisted" for chairs?

 

I think the hogging issue is a bad one..pax have taken to being the deck police and things are going to get nasty and escalate..:( There are already stories if physical exchanges, between pax, over saved chairs at shows.

 

I would pay for a chair if they had very buff, young guys in thongs, delivering drinks and fluffing my lounge towel for me while I was in the pool.:D

 

There weren't waitlists then and I guess, just like many other things in life, first come, first served.

 

I do have to say that the men who were the chair men (no pun intended) were all young, nice looking and they did fluff up the cushions and bring new towels as needed. There were servers for drinks too! My first cruises were on Home Lines Oceanic, Doric and Atlantic with all Italian crews. Such good service, food etc.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Nope, dont think so!

 

:cool:

[negc]

On our very first cruise, thirty years ago on Costa's Carla C,there was an option to pay a fee to reserve a deck chair by the pool. We passed on the opportunity then and would pass on it now if it were offered.:)

[flbeachmom]

I was on the Crown Princess last year and the have a beautiful section(check out photos on their site) Called the Sanctuary. You can rent a large and comfy lounge chair by the day, half day, or week. We rented for half a day one sea day. Well worth the money for a quiet spot. You can choose sun/shade spot and they have a wonderful staff up there (of course this ship had the best service of any other we've been on).

 

Now if you have to be in the action by the pool say if you are playing lifeguard to your little ones this won't work for you. Living at the beach in FL I know the danger of sun and always pick a shady spot.

 

So my answer would depend on where the reserve section was.

 

Forgot to say this was an adults only area, and they would bring around cold wet towels with lemon for your face ect, to cool you off. They also had a water stand that was yummy as the water had fruit in it..