Why do cruise line refuse to deal with and stop the issue of chair hogs?

[kathe]

Sorry ,we are elite 31 crruises we do not give free laundry nor can we find a chair at the pool .New elite perk a place at the pool.Kathe

[MHMarkL]

We just book a balcony and there is always a couple of chairs available to us any time we wish.

[stretchcruz]

Big problem is the only adult pool with shade is the Lotus Spa pool, since they opened the covered pool to children. 10 chairs at the Lotus Spa pool. Chair hogs who show up before 7 AM to claim their place. Enough said....someone needs to enforce the rules. I have removed things and sat down in a chair (for over 2 hours)....to be confronted by the "owner" of the chair making a scene when they came back. It would have been helpful to have a pool attendant at such times, but the attendants do not routinely staff the Lotus Spa pool.

[4cats4me]

Sorry ,we are elite 31 crruises we do not give free laundry nor can we find a chair at the pool .New elite perk a place at the pool.Kathe

 

I agree with this. When we were on Royal Caribbean a few months ago,

I thought it was a great idea how they had a tiny section roped off

for Diamond plus members at the pool. It was only a tiny section, maybe

12 chairs out of the many hundreds of chairs that exist and the chairs

were in a very nice area. Of course, Princess kind of has this, but it's

called the Sanctuary and you have to pay for it.

Way to go Royal!

Royal also roped off a small section in the showroom for Diamond Plus members as well as a small section at the ice skating rink.

After all, those who are Elite have shown their loyalty to the cruise line

by spending a lot of money to cruise a lot of times, so why shouldn't

Elites get a few extra perks?

[gymjunkie]

I agree with Kahulatoo...move the towels and say you don't know what happend... there were a couple lounge chairs available, and we took them. Have walked across the pool deck to the gym at 7 am, and seen most of the choice spots already marked with towels....my wife and I watch chairs for a few minutes, and if no one come claims the chair, we move the towels....

The general consensus amongst most cruisers is about a 20 minute grace period...

if no cruise line supports the 'no saving lounge chairs' policy, then the Princess crew certainly will not tell you that you cannot have that chair......

[Woobstr112G]

I'd throw the towel away and deny all knowledge if they came over wanting to know where their towel is and why i'm in "their" seat

Or of course pretend to be asleep....

 

He He

 

I like the "pretend to be asleep" .....:):):)

 

Bob

[stellalimelight]

I have never had a problem finding a chair. Of course, sometimes it is not too close to the pool. So when that happens it just takes me longer to get to the pool. Of course I have also decided once to claim a chair that was left unattended for over an hour. I moved the towel. No problem when the owner came back. Of course if they had, I am not shy about saying that it was left unattended. Must be the Irish in me.

[1 HappyCruiser]

It would have been helpful to have a pool attendant at such times, but the attendants do not routinely staff the Lotus Spa pool.

 

The attendants must be responsible for other places besides the Lotus pool area. Possibly for cleaning up the upper levels as well? It's just to small an area to dedicate to one person. They do occasionally stroll through to clean up towels lying around & check the chemical balance in the pool & spa's.

I agree with this. When we were on Royal Caribbean a few months ago,

I thought it was a great idea how they had a tiny section roped off

for Diamond plus members at the pool. It was only a tiny section, maybe

12 chairs out of the many hundreds of chairs that exist and the chairs

were in a very nice area. Of course, Princess kind of has this, but it's

called the Sanctuary and you have to pay for it.

Way to go Royal!

Royal also roped off a small section in the showroom for Diamond Plus members as well as a small section at the ice skating rink.

After all, those who are Elite have shown their loyalty to the cruise line

by spending a lot of money to cruise a lot of times, so why shouldn't

Elites get a few extra perks?

 

In theory it sounds like a good idea but I've got a real problem with dedicating seats for any level since they go unused waiting for people to arrive and may not be filled at all some days. It still doesn't keep people from saving a chair for long period of time or how about holding seats in the show lounge?

You can see that it's been a while since we last cruise RCI and their solution may be working. How do they keep people from sitting in the reserved sections- by asking to see each of their cards or just honesty ?

[BruceMuzz]

What are the Deck Attendant for? I know, not to watch each chair, but it is obvious when a chair is left for hours. Some cruises lines do remove items after 30 minutes.

 

Deck Attendants have many responsibilities - including policing the chairs.

 

Unfortunately the vast majotiry of these Chair Hogs do get very confrontational.

This includes retaliating against the employees who are trying to do their jobs.

The chair hogs often try to get the deck attendants fired, by lying about their behaviour.

Unfortunately, the cruise lines corporate offices are more likely to believe the passengers' stories than the employees' explanations.

 

The employees learned long ago that if they want to keep their jobs for any length of time, they should stay away from misbehaving passengers.

[Bob++]

Require a number for a chair. You check in on deck and take the number attached to a chair and give it to a deck person in charge. He logs your name and reminds you that you can't leave a towel and go away for more than 30 minutes or the chair automatically ebcomes available. Perhaps an automated system might work, somewhat like a credit card swipe.Maybe even a fine automatically charged to your room if you are found to violate the policy

 

Gotta love this - Why not make us book them in advance and pay by the hour as well. I know - they could have a special area fenced off for those who want to pay to reserve a lounger - Oh! silly me; they already do....:confused:

[JerseyGuys]

I have never had a problem in over 21 years of cruising.Either get up early,i always do at 5-6 am and am up until midnight and can have pretty much any chair i want to.If i am on tour and return in the afternoon,i just hang around wherever i want a spot and when someone leaves for an hour,i toss the towel and put my stuff.Never had a problem.Some people look for problems,i think.

There is a chair somewhere on the ship anyway or i can go to my 9 ft x 9 ft balcony,if i choose.

:)

 

 

I agree.... I have sailed on at least two sold out cruises and never experienced a problem getting a chair. But I get up early to get my choice of seats and I keep my self planted there. If I'm back from a tour, I might not be able to find a seat in the exact location I want, but I always find a seat somewhere. Do I see people saving seats,,yep, do I let it bother me when I'm on vacation ...Nope...I don't know why this topic causes so many people so much grief, enjoy your vacation.

[JEH]

It never bothers me to occupy a chair left guarded by a towel. On windy days the guarding towel gets tossed to the deck by the wind and on calm days the old Gee my towel looks just like yours excuse works. Another one of my favorites is " I asked an attendant and he said it was OK to sit here as no one else was, Which one the guy from Romania."

[Ima Cruiser]

Cruise Lines do not want to create any dissatisfaction amongst passengers. They try to please everyone regardless if that passenger is right of wrong. They don't want to deal with valid issues. This applies to:

1. Dress Code

2. Dining Options (Anytime Dining reservations)

3. Smoking

4. Kids running up and down the hallways in the middle of the night.

5. Noisy passengers

Just to name a few.

I am sure that others can add to this list.

 

Let me count the ways....also:

 

Drunk and disorderly passengers

Getting the internet cafe manager to trouble shoot problems when they're off duty

Underage drinking

Buffet line scuffles

Cue jumpers

[scranger]

Let me count the ways....also:

...

Cue jumpers

 

Yes, it hasn't happen often, but we've seen several show performances marred by cast members muffing their lines;)

[BruceMuzz]

Yes, it hasn't happen often, but we've seen several show performances marred by cast members muffing their lines;)

 

Then there are the cue jumbers at the pool tables on NCL and RCCL ships.

Very difficult and dangerous to jump over those cue sticks.

 

But I also object to the QUEUE jumpers.

[Nylsor]

When we were on the Grand in February the deck attendants did remove towels / personal items from chairs as the day progressed. A small table was set up by the pool with a notice saying 'Removed Items' and I noticed on several occasions that it contained books / towels / sunscreen, etc. There were also lots of empty chairs but the ones near the pool on Desk 14 were always littered with items ( but not people) when we passed them on our way to breakfast in Horizon Court before 9.00am. One morning we were sitting reading near a very pleasant elderly couple with whom we exchanged a few words. They got up to get lunch and had only been gone for about ten minutes when a couple appeared, and without a word cleared all the items on the chairs on to the deck and sat down. I very politely told them that the other folk had just gone to lunch and that they were quite elderly people. I was snarlingly told ' They're not the only g****m people who have paid for this cruise.' I felt embarrassed and we left and found other chairs.

[1 HappyCruiser]

When we were on the Grand in February the deck attendants did remove towels / personal items from chairs as the day progressed. A small table was set up by the pool with a notice saying 'Removed Items' and I noticed on several occasions that it contained books / towels / sunscreen, etc. There were also lots of empty chairs but the ones near the pool on Desk 14 were always littered with items ( but not people) when we passed them on our way to breakfast in Horizon Court before 9.00am. One morning we were sitting reading near a very pleasant elderly couple with whom we exchanged a few words. They got up to get lunch and had only been gone for about ten minutes when a couple appeared, and without a word cleared all the items on the chairs on to the deck and sat down. I very politely told them that the other folk had just gone to lunch and that they were quite elderly people. I was snarlingly told ' They're not the only g****m people who have paid for this cruise.' I felt embarrassed and we left and found other chairs.

 

Why did you leave? You should have stuck around to tell the elderly couple that their chairs were confiscated by the the people sitting there only 10 minutes after they left. :mad:

I could understand people removing items from a chair if they feel it was abandoned or left for a long time but to claim a chair when someone tells you it's being used is a little much. I often go in the water for longer than 20 minutes at a time. I guess I'd better keep watch on my stuff from now on. ;)

[Whoo]

Why did you leave? You should have stuck around to tell the elderly couple that their chairs were confiscated by the the people sitting there only 10 minutes after they left. :mad:

I could understand people removing items from a chair if they feel it was abandoned or left for a long time but to claim a chair when someone tells you it's being used is a little much. I often go in the water for longer than 20 minutes at a time. I guess I'd better keep watch on my stuff from now on. ;)

 

Perhaps those people ran into the woman we encountered on the Emerald in January. We asked a woman on one side if anyone was using the loungers with the towels on them, and she said no one had been in them for 3 hours, so we sat down, saying we would leave if they came back. The woman on the other side said "these are my friends' loungers - they just left to go get breakfast!" The first woman again stated that no one had been in the loungers for 3 hours. The other woman started in on us, saying if we wanted a lounger, we should have gotten up at 6 am like she did. We just left - we didn't feel like arguing over a chair on our vacation.

 

So perhaps the "chair-nabbers" were tired of seeing people leaving chairs unattended for hours at a time, or others saving chairs. Were the elderly people going to the MDR, or just to get a snack at the burger place? If they're just gone for 20 minutes that's one thing - but if people go to the MDR they're going to be gone for at least an hour and it that case should take their stuff with them and allow someone else to sit out by the pool.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Perhaps those people ran into the woman we encountered on the Emerald in January. We asked a woman on one side if anyone was using the loungers with the towels on them, and she said no one had been in them for 3 hours, so we sat down, saying we would leave if they came back. The woman on the other side said "these are my friends' loungers - they just left to go get breakfast!" The first woman again stated that no one had been in the loungers for 3 hours. The other woman started in on us, saying if we wanted a lounger, we should have gotten up at 6 am like she did. We just left - we didn't feel like arguing over a chair on our vacation.

 

So perhaps the "chair-nabbers" were tired of seeing people leaving chairs unattended for hours at a time, or others saving chairs. Were the elderly people going to the MDR, or just to get a snack at the burger place? If they're just gone for 20 minutes that's one thing - but if people go to the MDR they're going to be gone for at least an hour and it that case should take their stuff with them and allow someone else to sit out by the pool.

 

Some people are funny about sitting down even if there told that the chair has been vacant for quite a while. Last year we were sitting by the lounge chairs by the Lotus pool (lower level) and a couple came in fully dressed & put their beach bag on a chairs directly opposite us & left. I started my watch timer just to see how long they would be gone & it was over two hours. I told at least 3 or 4 people it was vacant but they all refused to remove the beach bag and sit down.