Millie 3//6/2005 - I Was Given A Tongue Lashing By a CHAIR HOG!!!

[joramrose]

How do you like this scenario?

 

Me, sitting in the sun by the pool, getting a lovely tan, not at all concerned that I had had to move a towel and a book before making myself comfortable.

 

Loud Voice - You've got my chair!

 

Me -- looking up at an angry woman and smiling sweetly. "Oh I am so sorry. I just couldn't resist flopping down here. I just slipped out of quarantine to get a bit of sun hoping it will kill all those bad old germs that are giving me the trots.

 

Loud Voice, sounding more uncertain == Well, this is my chair, and where is my towel and my book?

 

Me, still sweetly and weakly rising -- I AM sorry. Would you like for me to go get you some Lysol spray before you sit down? After stealing your chair,I would hate to leave my germs behind too. You know how contagious they are.....

 

Suppose that would work? Sweetness and germs make a pretty good combination, right?

 

love

joan

[hollym]

And when confronted by TCH, immediately slip it beneath yourself as you get up, profusely apologizing for any inconvenience...:D

[donnaw]

Gail, You know I've got to kill the cute chubby guy that tags along! Now all the MSC prices have gone way up. We were supposed to do that before you did and he balked because we had just gotten back (whenever did he get the idea that that was important). Can't kill him till he finishes the kitchen though! Sounds like you really enjoyed MSC and didn't miss the chair hogs one little bit!

 

Joan, we are going to have way too much fun in October! That script is great!

[tuggers]

DonnaW,

 

The prices have gone up? Guess everyone is getting let in on the secret, huh?

 

Definitely wait till AFTER the kitchen is done! LOL! But he's got to lighten up here and stop losing out on all the BARGAINS!!!

[brigittetom]

Geez Tuggers. I hope you at least gave her some sort of a reply.

 

I sat down at a table for 5 by the pool while the other 4 were at the bar getting drinks. While I looking in my purse for a cigarette two ladies grabbed the other 4 chairs and moved them to their table. Needless to say, I wasn't the one chosen to sit down first for the rest of the cruise.

 

There was an incidence where one table was constantly saved with tees and towels and no one would come for hours. Tom mentioned it to the Pool Butler and was told (very nicely) that they were not allowed to do anything but Tom should feel free to say whatever he wanted when he saw the people. That was a mistake because everytime he was sitting at the poobar and noticed that no one had been at that table for more than an hour he would remove the items because it gave him satisfaction that within a minute some other nice folks would be occupying it. All this nonsense stopped after 4 days. :D

[gkm]

Brigitte, I'm in love with Tom! He's my kind of man! Shhhh. Don't tell Bob.

 

Garry

[joramrose]

I think that is what all good Cruise Critics should do from now on out.

We'll show them!

 

Everytime you pass by the pool on the way form here to somewhere, pick up all the abandoned towels, books, sunglasses, suntan oil, etc. on unoccupied chairs.

Then continue on your way. Somebody will get an unexpected front row seat to the pool, and someone else may learn a lesson.

 

Or go on. Have a little fun. Don't just remove the saving objects. Mix 'em up. Put 'em on another chair, one here, one there.

 

Or hey! Make some signs boldly printed JESUS SAVES! Who are YOU? Nah, that borders on the blasphemous.

 

love

joan

 

That suggestion about the Baby Ruth -- Diabolical!! I like the way you think, girl.

[brigittetom]

Garry, Yes, that's what Tom does and accually I would also if I were there in time. But of course I'm always late.

 

Joramrose, I'm behind. We did have an actual wonderful crruise...... Any questions?? I would be more than happy to answer them.

[boten]

BT, No wonder I couldn't find my stuff on that table! Tell Tom next time they'll be soiled :eek:

 

Tuggers, No chair hogs on MSC? I'll check that in a month or so. Sailing out of Venice I think they won't be hogs, they'll be Prosciutto

[L11]

You guys are wonderful. I am definitely going to use those suggestions next time.

 

But i am never going to look at a Baby Ruth quite the same way...

 

Linda

[tuggers]

BT,

 

Why did it stop? Tom just get tired?

 

There are lots of lovely chairs on MSC. There are also LOTS of nice Europeans who wear bikinis and speedos well into their 80's!! Sometimes it was a bit much!

And were do you get a XXXXL bikini? Not that I'm looking for one, mind you, just curious!

 

I like the mixing it up suggestion, but, hey, I like the JESUS SAVES idea so don't let me decide how to handle it! LOL!

[Renorita]

This is a really funny thread! I have this vision of telling someone who comes up and tries to reclaim a chair that had been vacant for some time: (In a real loud voice of course) "Oh I am so glad you finally showed up" "I have heard so much from the Cruise Boards about what a Chair Hog looks like, and now I have finally seen one in Person" "In fact, I am so excited that I am afraid I just pee'd my pants" "Oh don't worry I will try to wipe it off before you sit down" :D

[joramrose]

This is a really funny thread! I have this vision of telling someone who comes up and tries to reclaim a chair that had been vacant for some time: (In a real loud voice of course) "Oh I am so glad you finally showed up" "I have heard so much from the Cruise Boards about what a Chair Hog looks like, and now I have finally seen one in Person" "In fact, I am so excited that I am afraid I just pee'd my pants" "Oh don't worry I will try to wipe it off before you sit down" :D

 

Renorita, now 'fess up.

 

Would you really say that?

 

I'd like to be sitting next to you, apparently absorbed in a book, just to see and hear what transpires.

 

Oh yeah, you say it is a vision.

 

Just teasing.

 

love

joan

[TPKeller]

This is a really funny thread! I have this vision of telling someone who comes up and tries to reclaim a chair that had been vacant for some time: (In a real loud voice of course) "Oh I am so glad you finally showed up" "I have heard so much from the Cruise Boards about what a Chair Hog looks like, and now I have finally seen one in Person" "In fact, I am so excited that I am afraid I just pee'd my pants" "Oh don't worry I will try to wipe it off before you sit down" :D

Even better?

 

Take your camera... when they show up, snap a picture and say "I'm on assignment from CruiseCritic.com to get a picture of an actual Chair Hog in action... congratulations! Check the web a couple days after we get home!" :D

 

Theron

[TPKeller]

Or even better yet?

 

Let's send ChesterH out with his video camera to capture the whole thing on tape!!! :D

 

Theron

[barbon2]

Got quite a few chuckles out of this post. As I have stated on many "hog" posts before, I just wish the cruiselines would give out tags to all guests (1 per guest) to place on their chair. No, it would not prevent someone from coming out at 6 am and saving chairs, but they could only save enough chairs for their party if one tag was given per person with a cabin number on it. Another "hog" problem I have in addition to the one above is the people that not only hog a group of chairs in the (e.g.) shade but also hog another group in the sun. Now they are holding two sets of unoccupied chairs. I have seen this done many times. And yes, people would probably hang a tag and not use the chair for hours, but at least lets say a party of 4 would only be holding 4 chairs in one place rather then that same party holding 8 chairs in two places. I don't think you can ever resolve the problem, be atleast having a marked chair could alleviate some of the "hogging"!

Barbara

[tuggers]

My fave's are those people who go from the shade on a chair they have been holding for 6 hours to the chair in the sun they've been hogging for 8 hours! Ya gotta love 'em!

[Sunnystone]

Is there a standard of time which makes one a chair hog vs someone who went to get a bite to eat prior to returning to their chair? I am a little scared that we may be chair hogs and not know it....................

[Ma Bell]

Sure, if you've actually been there the people around you will know and will tell someone you just went to eat.

[ccletzgo]

I think Parking Cops should go through with there big white marker and just mark the tires! Come back in a half hour, and ticket them!:D

[Renorita]

Renorita, now 'fess up.

 

Would you really say that?

 

I'd like to be sitting next to you, apparently absorbed in a book, just to see and hear what transpires.

 

Oh yeah, you say it is a vision.

 

Just teasing.

 

love

joan

 

Joan, I probably wouldn't say the last part unless I had just finished a Martini, then look out! :D The first part, I probably would. These people need to quit thinking that they can do whatever they want, and as long as the crew doesn't want to enforce it, we have to make a stand!

 

Boy don't I sound brave! :p

 

heh heh, Rita

[lproots]

I am about to embark on my first ever cruise on Millenium next week. Should I be stressing about the chair thing? Will I NOT be able to find chairs if I wait until I know I want one? It sounds like I might have to throw some books down and risk being called a chair hog, else I will have to take another chair hogs chair and risk a confrontation!

[joramrose]

Rita

'When is your next cruise?

 

We could work as the Chair Hog Police Team, you going up aft side and me down port side and then vice versa.

We would be known as the dread Chalk Girls. That would teach them!

 

LProots

Don't worry too much. Usually the situation is not as bad as it sounds.

However, if you have a chance to strike a blow for freedom from chair hogs, wade right in. We on these boards salute you.

 

love

joan

[98Charlie]

DH & I were on the Horizon early this month when we actually were awake and on deck early enough to see the Pool Butlers going around the deck placing a fresh beach towel over the arm of every deck chair, supposedly as a convenience to passengers.

 

Alert message went instantly to our brains. 'Cuse me - chair hogs don't even have to bring their own towels? only move towel from lounge chair arm to lounge chair seat? then go off to gorge themselves in buffet or take another nap in cabin and come back to have a reserved seat?

 

We've never noticed this happening before and Horizon was our 11th cruise.

 

Did notice on NCL Majesty in November that pool butlers were making regular sweeps of the pool area scarfing up pool towels that were just laying on lounges with nothing else there to reserve a place. I mean they were picking up towels often and smiling while they carted them off to the laundry.

 

Majesty is a small ship but probably had as many open lounge chairs on an hourly basis as the larger ships have. Have to commend whoever was in charge of the pool butlers on Majesty. They had it down pat and didn't worry about who was saving a chair for whatever hour they were to appear.

 

Celebrity - take a lesson. Don't encourage chair hogs by leaving a towel on the chairs in early morning. At least make the chair hogs walk to the towel hampers to get their own. Then take a walk around the area every half-hour or so and pick up towels on chairs that aren't being used.

 

Your clientele will not only appreciate your service, they'll probably give pool butlers a tip for the services.

 

Dianne

[Renorita]

Joan

 

Next (first on Celebrity) will be the 6 night North Pacific Cruise from Vancouver down to San Francisco on the Infinity. Really looking forward to it and the Martini Bar! :) Not a lush, in fact if they are as big as I have heard they are, one may be too many! That was what I was thinking about if I carried out the "second" part of my vision! :D

 

If we use Dianne's suggestion, we can be known as the Dreaded "Towel Girls"

"Hide your towels, those Towel Women are making their rounds again!" "Oh

No! its worse then we thought, they each are carrying a Martini with them!" :eek: