Towel hogs

[itzmered]

Honestly, in Horizon court you need to send a child, friend or spouse to sit at the table while the other half of the party gets their food other wise you will be walking around for hours before you get to eat. The problem in the buffet is that they have too many large tables and not enough tables for four. There were many times that my family of four was forced to sit at a table for eight. That makes me feel like a hog.

 

Walking around for hours before getting to eat :eek: I think that is stretching it a little. We never had a problem asking people at large tables if it was ok if we sat with them. Met some very nice people that way.

[Iamcruzin]

Walking around for hours before getting to eat :eek: I think that is stretching it a little. We never had a problem asking people at large tables if it was ok if we sat with them. Met some very nice people that way.

 

Yes I was exaggerating but the point I was trying to make is that at busy times you can't always find a table without walking around aimlessly. This can be a difficult situation if you are traveling with children or elderly passengers. I also don't have a problem with anyone sitting with us at a large table but for some reason I get the impression that most like to eat breakfast privately. I welcome company but wouldn't impose myself on others.

[Iamcruzin]

Wow, it does sound crowded. :eek: Did you consider calling ahead for reservations?

 

No need to call ahead. One child and one spouse is all I need to reserve a table... ;)

[DrSch]

I always got my food at Horizon in the morning, and walked back to Caribe to sit and eat. There were always empty tables back there.

[gooch47]

On a recent post about children in Adult's Only pools, a police officer (I believe it was anyway) warned about the danger of starting personal confrontations.

 

Has anyone ever been threatened or even physically assaulted over a pool chair?

[vinoblanco]

Sorry. I know it's no joke, but reading this thread has made me giggle!

 

Is it a big problem on Princess Line or does it happen on all ships?

 

We didn't have a problem getting a sun chair on NCL or HAL, could always find somewhere sunny to sit at any time of day.

 

Being a sun worshipper, I'll be miserable on 2 sea days if there's nowhere to sunbathe.

 

Can anyone recommend a sunny, but quiet spot on board Emerald please.

[gooch47]

I think most of the problem is that people want to be right next to the pool. I've seen chairs in other places that are easily available.

[Toddy709]

Wouldn't it be great if Chair Hogs would sometimes cop to their behavior on these boards? Hmmm....wonder why you never see a post saying, "I leave my towel on a chair for hours at a time and this is why..."?

 

Either no one on the CC boards EVER hogs a chair (which is unlikely considering the amount of people who post on these boards and the amount of chair hogs there obviously are), or they just don't admit to it because they know how FREAKING obnoxious it is but they just don't care!

 

Come on, SOMEONE reading this thread IS a chair hog! Post a reply and try to redeem yourself! I dare ya ;)

 

I actually read on CC recently where one poster said it was her "right" to reserve a chair. She accused the ones complaining about chair hogs of being "too lazy" to get up early enough to get a good chair.

 

I was pretty shocked but never went back to that thread to see the flames! I can only assume it deteriorated to the point of disappearing!

[Morgsmom]

On a recent post about children in Adult's Only pools, a police officer (I believe it was anyway) warned about the danger of starting personal confrontations.

 

Has anyone ever been threatened or even physically assaulted over a pool chair?

 

What is one supposed to do, then? If the Princess deck attendants would respond then we would have a course of action. They should be alert and enpowered to resolve such incidents. I'd be curious to see that thread.

[NJRonbo]

I think most of the problem is that people want to be right next to the pool. I've seen chairs in other places that are easily available.

 

You beat me to the response.

 

That's exactly the problem.

 

I have a confession to make. My very first

cruise I was one of those chair hogs. I had

no idea what the rules were.

 

So, I would get up at 7am, go out to the pool

and put towels on 3 chairs for myself and friends.

I would then go to breakfast and come back.

 

I learned my lesson the hard way. A woman

sitting not too far from me was complaining as

I was making my way back to the chair. At first,

I was angry, but kept my mouth shut. I pretended

I didn't even notice her complaint.

 

From that moment on I no longer reserved a chair.

When I got home and started reading this message

board, I realized what I had done and how much

people like me were frowned upon.

 

On future cruises, I began to see other people who

were doing exactly as I had done previously.

 

Now I just book Sanctuary. It's quiet. I have the

same chair everyday. Best of all, it's close enough

to the adult pool that I just go down a set of stairs

and there I am.

[moniquet]

Emerald was our first Princess cruise and we have never encountered chair hogs to that extent on all of the other cruiselines we have sailed on. Even on Port days the majority of loungers had towels on early. I presume they "reserved" them before going ashore for the day:mad:

 

We too have walked around the buffet and done the long trek to Caribe to find a seat. Practically impossible to find a seat anywhere on the ship when anything was happening. That ship is far too overcrowded.

 

I want to relax on holiday and having to remove towels myself and face the aggro is not my kind of thing. Sanctuary may be fine....unfortunately that was full too:D

[willycruise]

I just hop in the pool, and then use their towel to dry off.....they come back from their port lecture/show/lunch/whatever,,to their nice saved chair with a now wet towel....HA

 

BK

[gooch47]

I just hop in the pool, and then use their towel to dry off.....they come back from their port lecture/show/lunch/whatever,,to their nice saved chair with a now wet towel....HA

 

BK

 

Now that is a great solution!

[1 HappyCruiser]

I just hop in the pool, and then use their towel to dry off.....they come back from their port lecture/show/lunch/whatever,,to their nice saved chair with a now wet towel....HA

 

BK

 

I don't know how much good that would so since if it were my chair I would simply get some dry towels & sit down.

There is no easy solution. :cool:

[JEH]

I have never had a problem with using a chair with someone elses towel on it. Most of the time the reserving person never shows up and the few times they did I excused myself and went elsewhere to sit. No problems.

 

Security does repond to confrontations promptly so if somone bullies you get security involved imediately.

[vinoblanco]

Oh wow, started off thinking this was funny, but now realise it is not.

 

I would be really teed off if I couldn't find a place to sit and relax in the sun with my book on "at sea" days, but, would hate any confrontation with fellow passengers, after all we are all here to relax and enjoy ourselves.

 

What is the solution?

[DrSch]

Oh wow, started off thinking this was funny, but now realise it is not.

 

I would be really teed off if I couldn't find a place to sit and relax in the sun with my book on "at sea" days, but, would hate any confrontation with fellow passengers, after all we are all here to relax and enjoy ourselves.

 

What is the solution?

 

 

As for me, on my next cruise, I am planning on printing up some stickers that say the following:

 

"I'm so glad your towel and book were able to enjoy one of the chairs by the pool"

 

or

 

"Next time, can you just use me to reserve your chair by the pool for 4 hours?"

[Woobstr112G]

Hi There

 

Do the deck hands still walk about putting tickets on chairs with towels on them

 

 

yours Shogun

 

Shogun;

 

On my recently completed cruise on the Golden, I never saw the deck attendents doing anything about towels left unattended on chairs.

 

Bob

[DrSch]

Shogun;

 

On my recently completed cruise on the Golden, I never saw the deck attendents doing anything about towels left unattended on chairs.

 

Bob

 

 

On my recently completed cruise on the Emerald, I never saw the deck attendents

[Times Prince]

Darn, I'm going to have to bring more books, towels, hog notices, T shirts and other junk with me next time I go swimming.

 

Last cruise I saw people reserving tables on deck by putting a towel on it like a tablecloth. I just hope the same towels haven't been used as a towel beforehand.

[itzmered]

On our cruise on NCL last year you were given a beach towel per person in the room. You could exchange it for a clean one anytime you wanted but you were only given one per person. If you lost your towel or kept your towel you were charged for it. This really cut down on people leaving towels on chairs to save them. Never had a problem finding a chair by the pool that no one was sitting in for hours.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Princess doesn't bother checking on how many towels are given out. I suppose they never had a problem with them missing.

[llabws7]

With some envy, a day in the sun for all you leatherskined humans equals a few days of radiation pain for me. This chairhog issue actually annoys me more now than it will when we're on the Emerald next month.

 

My wife and I prefer stairs instead of a 5 minute wait in front of a crowded elevator. We also prefer sitting in a row of empty seats 200 feet away from the airport gate instead of being packed in with other tired travelers.

Be like you'd like the world to be!

That being said, I'd pay some kid 10 bucks to see 9 towels picked up and dumped on the 10th.

[kyounge]

Hi everyone. I know that it can be extremely annoying when you can't find a pool-side chair, but I'm not sure that all these passive aggressive responses (leaving a sarcastic note, getting the towel all wet, angrily confronting the other passenger) really help to resolve the issue in the least stress-inducing way. Passengers should be allowed to get up for a few minutes (i.e. 5-10) and keep their chair. Since there is no way to know how long a certain chair has been empty, you can always ask someone nearby, or just wait 10 minutes and take one that has been empty the whole time. That way, you are waiting at most 10 minutes. There are always chairs in the back far from the pool where you can sit to wait.

 

Once you do move into the spot you want, chances are extremely good that whoever left their towel there will not come to confront you about it. However, if they do, you can calmly let them know that since they were gone for a while, you moved their things. Most passengers aren't looking for a confrontation, just like you aren't. If you don't come off like you are angry and upset, they probably won't either. If they do, even after you have been nice, then that really is their problem and not yours.

 

That said, some people are just not kind when interacting with strangers. One time I was waiting in line for embarkation, and the Princess rep came over and moved my party to the front of the line because we had elite status. The people behind us spent the next twenty minutes discussing with each other how we were too good to wait in line with everyone else. By the time we got through I honestly wanted to smack the woman behind me.

 

ANYWAY...

 

Be kind and give people the benefit of the doubt. It will make you feel much better than thinking they are selfish towel hogs.

[DrSch]

Hi everyone. I know that it can be extremely annoying when you can't find a pool-side chair, but I'm not sure that all these passive aggressive responses (leaving a sarcastic note, getting the towel all wet, angrily confronting the other passenger) really help to resolve the issue in the least stress-inducing way. Passengers should be allowed to get up for a few minutes (i.e. 5-10) and keep their chair. Since there is no way to know how long a certain chair has been empty, you can always ask someone nearby, or just wait 10 minutes and take one that has been empty the whole time. That way, you are waiting at most 10 minutes. There are always chairs in the back far from the pool where you can sit to wait.

 

Once you do move into the spot you want, chances are extremely good that whoever left their towel there will not come to confront you about it. However, if they do, you can calmly let them know that since they were gone for a while, you moved their things. Most passengers aren't looking for a confrontation, just like you aren't. If you don't come off like you are angry and upset, they probably won't either. If they do, even after you have been nice, then that really is their problem and not yours.

 

That said, some people are just not kind when interacting with strangers. One time I was waiting in line for embarkation, and the Princess rep came over and moved my party to the front of the line because we had elite status. The people behind us spent the next twenty minutes discussing with each other how we were too good to wait in line with everyone else. By the time we got through I honestly wanted to smack the woman behind me.

 

ANYWAY...

 

Be kind and give people the benefit of the doubt. It will make you feel much better than thinking they are selfish towel hogs.

 

 

We are distinctly talking about people that go up to the pool at 7am and throw towels on chairs, and then don't return until 11:30, since they have now reserved their seats, and have been known to say, hey.. my stuff was on that chair.

 

This is becoming all too common on the ships.. that's what this post is about.