Seems like Royal threw in the towel on their seat saving policy in the Main Theater

[storm1of4]

Much of the blame has to lie with RCL for not building a threatre with enough seating to begin with. They know of a problem and yet build bigger ships without attention to this detail.

 

 

Please dont blame the cruise ship for people's bad and rude behavior!

Build a theater for a million people.....you'll still have people who show up late and want to bully their way in to a great seat. And you still have the obnoxious seat savers! Of the hundreds of polite peope it just takes one or two impolite folk to taint it.

[DonnaK]

When we were on the Caribbean Princess in 2008, the activities staff were scattered throughout the theater enforcing the "no seat saving" policy. (They did allow you to save a seat for a few minutes for your spouse to use the rest room). They also had people slide over to leave no empty single seats between parties. It was wonderful!!!!

 

However, when we were on the same ship again in 2010, the activities staff were no longer on crowd control duty in the theater, and it was chaos as usual.

[mo&fran]

Nice part about being D+ (or if you are in a suite) is that RC saves the seats for you. Of course, they do open them up before the show for everybody, but you do not have to get there so early.

[windjamming]

Why can't people just show up on time together?

 

This is the part I don't get.

 

So often I see groups (4 or more) traipse into Studio B at the last minute obviously having just come in from the pool and plop down in their saved seats.

 

What is so important at the pool? It's not like the time of the show was announced at the last minute. And why can't people doing the saving just tell their family to show up on time or else risk not having seats?

[akcruz]

Much of the blame has to lie with RCL for not building a threatre with enough seating to begin with. They know of a problem and yet build bigger ships without attention to this detail.

 

No, the theatre can pretty much accomodate all that want to see the show. The problem lies in that everyone cannot sit in the front row, or rows, there is a limit to how many of those seats you can have in one place.

 

Personally I don't like the front row, so always find a nice seat, just get there ahead of time, not as the show is starting.

[Eng23]

I wonder if the "discourage the saving of seats" will also apply to pool chairs? This terminology may let the "chair hogs" run wild!

[SkaterJasp]

On the Liberty of the Seas last month and we saw a guy saving 2 seats. Than a lady came up, the guy told her that the seats were taken. The lady yelled at him and basically said thats there is no saving of seats but in a really rude way. Than she proceeded to sit in one of the 2 seats being saved. Than she started telling people that she's saving the 1 seat next to her. She also was putting one of her hand on the empty seat and waving her other hand to who ever she was traveling with. Than someone else that had observed what was going on, went to the open seat and sat down. The same lady than yelled at him saying that the seat was being saved. Than everyone around that had saw what happened yelled back at once "You can't save seats!" Than she got up and stormed off. The 2nd guy went back to his original seat and the first guy got his 2 seats back for his family.

 

It was hilarious!

[Langley Cruisers]

What this sounds like to me is that they do not want to put their staff in the way of what could be a physical altercation. They are protecting their employees.

 

Do it like some venues, make people fill the seats up row by row when entering leaving no gaps....

 

I understand why you would say that but for someone like myself who has crowd issues, this would be a nightmare. I need to be on the end of a row near the exit. It just works better for me to have my choice of seat.

.

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[Erik101]

So you don't ever want to see any show on any ship?

 

 

We're going to try to see a show or two while there but it wouldn't bother us if we miss them due to max capacity, cancellations, refusal to fight a seat, etc. There's a lot more things to do on a ship that's equally as fun!

[derf5585]

This terminology may let the "chair hogs" run wild!

 

[windjamming]

And while we're on the topic of poor seat etiquette, how about those who show up 10 minutes late to a show and insist on sitting in the seats in the middle of the row (saved or not) and don't even say 'excuse me' or 'sorry' before barging in?

[yogimax]

And while we're on the topic of poor seat etiquette, how about those who show up 10 minutes late to a show and insist on sitting in the seats in the middle of the row (saved or not) and don't even say 'excuse me' or 'sorry' before barging in?

 

As well as those who show up ten minutes late, walk to the front of the theatre and cross over in front of the stage!

[Phillies14]

How about

While seat saving is discouraged, no more than 1 seat can be saved! :cool:

Sounds more than reasonable.....

[Phillies14]

Are these shows even worth it to fight seats for??? The last show I saw on Navigator (and we didn't have a hard time finding a seat) was the ice show and it was awful! The people sitting around us agreed! I remember one performer taking a hula hoop and using it as jump rope while on ice-skates....yeah, I was impressed...NOT!! So the question is...why would anyone fight a seat over this or any show? I would have thrown in the towel immediately and said "See ya!!"

 

I have found that one of the biggest advantage of being in a huge ship is that there's so much to do, day and night! So find something else that you enjoy doing and let the seat hoarders duke it out....Jerry Springer style! :p

Can you jump rope on ice skates????:rolleyes:

[Phillies14]

Please dont blame the cruise ship for people's bad and rude behavior!

Build a theater for a million people.....you'll still have people who show up late and want to bully their way in to a great seat. And you still have the obnoxious seat savers! Of the hundreds of polite peope it just takes one or two impolite folk to taint it.

Well put, that about nails it right on the head...K.O. Near Philly:)

[sr5242]

:confused:WOW!! I have never been on a cruise,booked on S of the S in Oct I can't wait to go to see these shows they must be brilliant if grown people have to fight over seats.LOL:)

 

that's exactly what I was thinking. I have never seen any show, broadway or otherwise, that I care that much about to start a fight!

[Erik101]

Can you jump rope on ice skates????:rolleyes:

 

You know, now that I think about it, that required a lot of talent! LOL!! :rolleyes:

[Canusa02]

I know I was a jerk this night but about two years ago a man asked me and mine to move down 2 seats so his family could sit together. I san "no thank you sir I arrived early and waited in line and hand picked this seat expressly for me!" I refused. My God I got the ugliest looks from him and his wife. Was this petty of me...yes...... But I might have moved if he was more polite but he acted entitled....this unerved me.

I certainly did not come early to save this late comers seat.

 

We had the same thing happen to us a few years ago. We were in aisle seats on the third row (about a half hour before the show started). A few minutes before the show, a couple came up and wanted us to slide down, as there were a few middle seats open. We refused. They were able-bodied, and they just wanted the seats that we came early to use. They acted like we were in the wrong.

[cecelia0613]

just don't see the need to fight over seats but it is rude when people come in late and expect others to accommodate them. What bothers me in the shows is the idiots who hear the announcement about no flash photography or videoing of the shows yet they keep doing it. TURN YOUR DARN FLASH OFF!

 

I think part of the problem now with the shows relates to the various dining options. Back in the day when you had two dinner seatings specific shows were designated for each dinner seating group and most people stuck to the schedule. Nowadays folks eat at various times and the earlier shows tend to be more crowded. Don't know what the answer is, but I am not getting into any fights to see a show!

[critterchick]

Do it like some venues, make people fill the seats up row by row when entering leaving no gaps. Groups would have to show up together if they want to be together.

 

That would never work - there would be too much resistance and then you'd have passengers going off on the staff even more than they already do. Besides, they would need a lot of staff to direct traffic, and if they were going to dedicate people to the theater, they could empower them to enforce the no saving of seats rule.

 

On some ships (Monarch being one), I have seen staff find empty seats and escort people to them as the theater is filling up. I've never seen anybody insist that the seats were saved...

 

Are these shows even worth it to fight seats for??? The last show I saw on Navigator (and we didn't have a hard time finding a seat) was the ice show and it was awful! The people sitting around us agreed! I remember one performer taking a hula hoop and using it as jump rope while on ice-skates....yeah, I was impressed...NOT!! So the question is...why would anyone fight a seat over this or any show? I would have thrown in the towel immediately and said "See ya!!"

 

I have found that one of the biggest advantage of being in a huge ship is that there's so much to do, day and night! So find something else that you enjoy doing and let the seat hoarders duke it out....Jerry Springer style! :p

 

I didn't like the ice show on Navigator, either, but the show on Liberty was fabulous. So you may want to give it a second chance.:)

 

We had the same thing happen to us a few years ago. We were in aisle seats on the third row (about a half hour before the show started). A few minutes before the show, a couple came up and wanted us to slide down, as there were a few middle seats open. We refused. They were able-bodied, and they just wanted the seats that we came early to use. They acted like we were in the wrong.

 

I've had that happen on airlines. "Honey, why don't you just slide over into the middle seat - it would be easier than me climbing over you." Nice try, but I'm happy to stand while you get yourself seated in the middle.:rolleyes:

[seafoy]

It seems this problem could be easily solved if they just numbered the seats and the tickets were reserved in the same way as any other show or concert. RCI allows you to book the tickets early on line. They could easily have a seating chart, just as the concert venues do, and allow you to choose your seat. First come, first serve. That way people have tickets to specific seats, so no need to save seats or get there early. Any left over seats can be given away before the show or throughout the day prior to the show. If there are only single seats left, then you will have to sit apart from your party.

[davekathy]

My wife and I always get to the theater early to pick out the seats that we like. No way are we going to move to accommodate those coming in later or with a heard of their friends and family that think they all need to sit together. We’ve only been asked once if we would move. I was polite and said “no we prefer these seats”. In our opinion it’s rude and inconsiderate to even ask.

[Eng23]

Nice! Do you have a bunch of these that you take on cruises and award the chair hogs? :D

[storm1of4]

On the Liberty of the Seas last month and we saw a guy saving 2 seats. Than a lady came up, the guy told her that the seats were taken. The lady yelled at him and basically said thats there is no saving of seats but in a really rude way. Than she proceeded to sit in one of the 2 seats being saved. Than she started telling people that she's saving the 1 seat next to her. She also was putting one of her hand on the empty seat and waving her other hand to who ever she was traveling with. Than someone else that had observed what was going on, went to the open seat and sat down. The same lady than yelled at him saying that the seat was being saved. Than everyone around that had saw what happened yelled back at once "You can't save seats!" Than she got up and stormed off. The 2nd guy went back to his original seat and the first guy got his 2 seats back for his family.

 

It was hilarious!

 

 

How I love it when the crowed joins in and admonishes the obnoxious ones.......!!!!

[bajathree]

It seems this problem could be easily solved if they just numbered the seats and the tickets were reserved in the same way as any other show or concert. RCI allows you to book the tickets early on line. They could easily have a seating chart, just as the concert venues do, and allow you to choose your seat. First come, first serve. That way people have tickets to specific seats, so no need to save seats or get there early. Any left over seats can be given away before the show or throughout the day prior to the show. If there are only single seats left, then you will have to sit apart from your party.

 

I don't think that would work.....to involved....you would have to have an actual ticket then and you would have to have ushers to both assist and make sure folks are sitting in the right seats....then of course you would have to have the passengers cooperation that they wouldn't just move into empty seats....if they couldn't even enforce the no save seat policy I don't ever see them being able to enforce as assigned seat policy.