Towel police and placing stickers on unattended towels with time noticed... good idea

[Zam]

Really like the idea of a chair police but understand why they can't do it. Got up early one morning (7am) and all chairs around the pool had already been "reserved" by towels and various other personal items (shoes, books etc.) There were a total of 13 people already sitting there but all the other chairs had already been claimed! I was kinda of pissed but redemption came when it rained and all that personal stuff got wet as there was no one ther to save it. We stayed on our veranda and stayed dry and got sun when we wanted it.

[bplazo]

I guess we don't get to go to lunch just to keep our spots. Doesn't make much sense to me. But I guess that's that way it is. Too bad, as we have not had many issues over the years on land vacations, but if this becomes an issue on a cruise that would bother me.

 

Well, my routine is that I have an early breakfast, go to restroom and then find a lounge chair for a couple hours and then leave with my stuff and do what I have to do and later come back and find another chair. I would never leave my personal belongings and save a chair that someone else might need. If everyone did this there would be enough chairs for everyone.

[sarahc78]

I guess we don't get to go to lunch just to keep our spots. Doesn't make much sense to me. But I guess that's that way it is. Too bad, as we have not had many issues over the years on land vacations, but if this becomes an issue on a cruise that would bother me.

Couldnt you each go individually and make plates from the buffet and come back with the food? We did that on our cruise, I would make a little munchie plate while hubby sat and sun tanned and vice versa.

[Chitown12562]

I guess we don't get to go to lunch just to keep our spots. Doesn't make much sense to me. But I guess that's that way it is. Too bad, as we have not had many issues over the years on land vacations, but if this becomes an issue on a cruise that would bother me.

 

I just go get food for both of us for lunch while Sweetie finishes her tan. If we both want to go somewhere else to eat we just take our stuff with us so others can use the chairs.

 

Why is that so difficult?

[Freecall]

 

As to lunch, unless we're just grabbing a burger to eat there......

 

 

I agree, I think that part of the problem is that the hoggs don't know that they are hoggs. I would never dream of 'reserving' a chair while I go off to lunch. :mad:

 

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[PS90]

I agree, I think that part of the problem is that the hoggs don't know that they are hoggs. I would never dream of 'reserving' a chair while I go off to lunch. :mad:

 

.

 

Yeah, I totally agree. How did the whole "dibs on chairs" idea ever get started on cruises? How could someone possibly think it's okay to lay claim to a bunch of chairs that they don't own, and then go do something else? :confused:

[porsena]

We were recently at a resort with a neat way of addressing this problem. At check-in, the desk provided each of us with a room key card and a towel card. The towel card was exchangeable for a beach towel at just one place by the main pool. A used towel could be exchanged there for a new towel or a towel card. At checkout, you had to have either a towel card or a towel to avoid being charged for the cost of the beach towel.

[ORV]

As a couple of posters have stated earlier the attitude tends to come from land based resorts. I recently stayed at an All Inclusive that the management doesn't really have a policy concerning saving beach loungers or palapas. The system of reserving is the accepted way to do it at many of these. You get people with this experience coming on cruises and simply think this is the way it's done. As has been pointed out, they don't see what's wrong with it.

 

Then of course there's the I, Me, Mine mentality.

[sarahc78]

We were recently at a resort with a neat way of addressing this problem. At check-in, the desk provided each of us with a room key card and a towel card. The towel card was exchangeable for a beach towel at just one place by the main pool. A used towel could be exchanged there for a new towel or a towel card. At checkout, you had to have either a towel card or a towel to avoid being charged for the cost of the beach towel.

That is the same thing RCL does and it is horrible. People go to take a swim and come back and their towls are gown... then they are charged $25. Saw it happen several times.

[MiaS13]

So, anyone here ever get into a fight with another passenger over a saved seat? I mean, let's say I were eying a lounger that had been empty for about an hour with nothing but a towel on it.... and just moved the towel and took it over...

Has anyone ever seen or experienced a passenger come back hours later and pick a fight over having their chair repossessed???

And if you were to take the fight to the ships' staff, whose side would they take??

My point is that the majority here thinks that leaving for a sit down lunch or etc and reserving a chair is rude... what if we just ignored the "rental" and reclaimed the seat?

Of course I would not want to start a war anywhere about pool loungers... :-P

[PS90]

So, anyone here ever get into a fight with another passenger over a saved seat? I mean, let's say I were eying a lounger that had been empty for about an hour with nothing but a towel on it.... and just moved the towel and took it over...

 

Has anyone ever seen or experienced a passenger come back hours later and pick a fight over having their chair repossessed???

 

And if you were to take the fight to the ships' staff, whose side would they take??

 

 

My point is that the majority here thinks that leaving for a sit down lunch or etc and reserving a chair is rude... what if we just ignored the "rental" and reclaimed the seat?

Of course I would not want to start a war anywhere about pool loungers... :-P

 

I guess that would depend on big you are. Or maybe how good you are at Martial Arts...

[Aber]

You run the risk of making the mistake of taking towels from people in the pool or the rest room, unless you make some kind of notation. So the sticker plan may be the answer. But such a waste of paper......could we find another medium?

 

It will certainly give the CHAIR HOGS the idea!

And......this forum is the perfect place to define the "CHAIR HOG".

[A Sixth?]

You run the risk of making the mistake of taking towels from people in the pool or the rest room,.....".

 

If someone is in the rest room for over 45 minutes I believe I speak for everyone.... :p

 

Don't let those people anywhere near a pool!!! :eek::D

[MiaS13]

Because really...

 

At the end of the day, this ends up being our (anti-hoggers) problem, not theirs (hoggers). We're the ones that get annoyed and frustrated and grumble to ourselves and our spouses and perhaps even a cruise comment card, tainting an otherwise good vacation.

 

The hoggers, on the other hand, none the wiser, come back to their chairs 3 hours later happily enjoying life, unaware that the rest of us were seriously upset.

 

Maybe we need to create a movement where chair hogging is no longer tolerated by turning a blind eye... empower everyone who has manners to reclaim those seats that have been empty for hours.

 

Aren't we enabling the hoggers by not doing anything?

 

We need to raise awareness that leaving the lounger for a leisurly meal or some casino time - at sea or on land - is not cool!

 

Where's my "empower" emoticon???

[Tucker in Texas]

So, anyone here ever get into a fight with another passenger over a saved seat?

 

When my boys were younger, I wanted to be near the pool to keep an eye on them--mostly to make sure they were behaving. When I couldn't find a lounger nearby, I would pull up a chair and eyeball "reserved" but unused ones. After an hour at least, I would remove things from an unoccupied lounge and sit. The few times they returned (and it was usually another hour later) and started in about how that was their lounge, I would politely say "Gee, the guy who just left said he was through with it and I could have it." Then I would go back to "lifeguarding" or book ignoring any follow-up from them. As husband has said, it takes two to argue. I chose not to participate. I have witnessed some ugly confrontations, though, but never one that came to blows.

 

Tucker in Texas

[BroncosFan2010]

As long as I can have a seat in the Solarium, I am happy!!

[clampsa]

When my boys were younger, I wanted to be near the pool to keep an eye on them--mostly to make sure they were behaving. When I couldn't find a lounger nearby, I would pull up a chair and eyeball "reserved" but unused ones. After an hour at least, I would remove things from an unoccupied lounge and sit. The few times they returned (and it was usually another hour later) and started in about how that was their lounge, I would politely say "Gee, the guy who just left said he was through with it and I could have it." Then I would go back to "lifeguarding" or book ignoring any follow-up from them. As husband has said, it takes two to argue. I chose not to participate. I have witnessed some ugly confrontations, though, but never one that came to blows.

 

Tucker in Texas

 

I was just about to say the same thing! I take great pleasure in observing empty chairs and eventually removing towels. Most of the time I just take the towels away and leave them as available. I see myself as the doing a community service..perhaps I'm a vigalante!

[Aber]

If someone is in the rest room for over 45 minutes I believe I speak for everyone.... :p

 

Don't let those people anywhere near a pool!!! :eek::D

 

 

Oh Noooooooo!

[MiaS13]

When my boys were younger, I wanted to be near the pool to keep an eye on them--mostly to make sure they were behaving. When I couldn't find a lounger nearby, I would pull up a chair and eyeball "reserved" but unused ones. After an hour at least, I would remove things from an unoccupied lounge and sit. The few times they returned (and it was usually another hour later) and started in about how that was their lounge, I would politely say "Gee, the guy who just left said he was through with it and I could have it." Then I would go back to "lifeguarding" or book ignoring any follow-up from them. As husband has said, it takes two to argue. I chose not to participate. I have witnessed some ugly confrontations, though, but never one that came to blows.

 

Tucker in Texas

LOVE the idea :D

[Miss SeaBee]

I guess we don't get to go to lunch just to keep our spots. Doesn't make much sense to me. But I guess that's that way it is. Too bad, as we have not had many issues over the years on land vacations, but if this becomes an issue on a cruise that would bother me.

 

I think the point is that you are not entitled to the same chair for the entire day. Why would you think that you are? :confused: When you come to the pool area, find a place to sit. Period. The first place you sit down in the morning is not "your" chair for the day.

[digital_curator]

We were on the Millennium in January and while it wasn't TOO hard to get 2 chairs together, we saw lots of chair hogging.

 

Our last sea day was particularly bad. We went up to the Solarium after lunch and there were lots of unoccupied seats, covered with various personal items. We couldn't find seats, so we went in one of the whirlpools until 2 seats opened up.

 

They weren't the best seats, right at the end of the pool in a fairly hot, wet spot but we were happy to have something. What drove me nuts for the whole 3 hours that we sat there was that the 3 seats next to ours were only occupied by books for the entire time.

 

I finally told my husband that I was going to take the books when we left, leave a little note for the chair hogs on the inside cover, and take them down to the lost and found. Just as we were leaving, a man came up and gathered all three books, already dressed for dinner.:mad:

 

So I totally vote for the stickers or any other way to time the absent! In my opinion, anything over 1/2 hour should definitely lose "their" seat.

[Seapoint]

I totally agree that a chair should not be left for hours.

But if I set my alarm and get up at 8am so I can get a chair in the shade, and then go for breakfast later in the morning, I do not agree that I should lose that chair to someone who gets out of bed at noon. The early bird catches the worm;)

[Mr. Luckytoo]

 

Nuff Said!

[A Sixth?]

I totally agree that a chair should not be left for hours.

But if I set my alarm and get up at 8am so I can get a chair in the shade, and then go for breakfast later in the morning, I do not agree that I should lose that chair to someone who gets out of bed at noon. The early bird catches the worm;)

 

Hope you only go for twenty or thirty minutes tops. :cool: Other wise your claim is null and void. Behinds not towels and junk are for sun beds.

 

Early bird gets the worm is trumped by possession is 9/10ths of the law. The other 1/10th is your belongings at lost and found.

 

(and Better not sit at my reserved breakfast table. :rolleyes: ;):D)

[Gurley Cruiser]

Sounds good in theory, but what if we have a nice spot we enjoy and then it is gone when we return. Not my idea of a good vacation.

 

If there are plenty of chairs available in good locations (sun, shade, quiet, etc) then this is not an issue. It only becomes an issue when I return from lunch and find my chair gone.

 

I don't like those that abuse the system, but unfortunaltly, all suffer for those that abuse the system. Why punish the innocent?

 

That's the point of this survey, you're part of the problem.