Chair Hogs ?

[latebloomer56]

Hi All,

Don't generally start a post but wondering about the Blue Dot topic? Last year this item was posted and hashed about then nothing? My sister is a pool person and hopes to find a seat for a few hours each day this Sept. I talked her and her friends into NCL, because she can't fly.

Also for some who would like to know my co-worker just came back from her yearly cruise RCCL and told me they inforce the chair hog issue. They have somebody put cards on seats with towels etc. and if the card is 30 minutes old when they come back they remove the items. Her and her husband loved it. They had a seat every day took their things went to lunch then found seats again in the afternoons. Wonder if NCL handles this issue as well. Just curious we don't go to the pool area.

Thanks

[bakerintn]

I'm sure that it varies from day to day and ship to ship on NCL, but I have not heard anything lately about real enforcement of the NCL policy.

 

I would think that we here on CC would hear a lot about it if there was any change.

 

It appears to me that the Blue Dot trial was not continued.

[Real_Raven]

What was the "Blue dot Trial" . I hate...repeat...hate chair hogs. The fact that they think they are somehow entitled to save a chair for the day is beyond me. On RCL a few years ago I saw two fistfights...two...on a cruise over chairs. The crew SHOULD enforce the rules.

[wilson2579]

What was the "Blue dot Trial" . I hate...repeat...hate chair hogs. The fact that they think they are somehow entitled to save a chair for the day is beyond me. On RCL a few years ago I saw two fistfights...two...on a cruise over chairs. The crew SHOULD enforce the rules.

 

I totally agree with you. I hate going round looking for a lounger and to see they all have towels on them. It is something I have never done but it looks like I might have to do it on my next cruise.:o

[bakerintn]

What was the "Blue dot Trial" . I hate...repeat...hate chair hogs. The fact that they think they are somehow entitled to save a chair for the day is beyond me. On RCL a few years ago I saw two fistfights...two...on a cruise over chairs. The crew SHOULD enforce the rules.

 

Last year it was reported here that there was an attempt to control chair hogs on one or more NCL ships by having staff place "blue dot" stickers with times on them on unoccupied, "reserved" loungers by the pool. Then, they would walk around and look for those that had been there unoccupied too long, and remove the passengers items to make the lounger available to others. That is when many CC'ers added the blue dot support thing to their signature to indicate support of the idea. We have not heard about the dots in several months.

[um5xno1]

...on the Epic we saw no blue dots.

 

The captain was very emphatic on his sea day morning messages about chair hogging, but he was very long winded and made the longest messages we have ever heard on a cruise before. Becasue of this, I feel most tuned out before he finished.

 

In one instance I witnessed, a chair sat alone next to me for over an hour with a towel on it, and the party on the other side of the chair who wished to use it, asked the pool attendant to remove the towel for thier use.

 

He asked to have the chair monitored for an additional hour, and placed a yellow dot on the towel with the time it would be relinquished. It turns out the family who had the chair was on the opposite side of the pathway, so when this went on, they simply sent an exisiting sun-bather over to use that chair and removed the sticker. No additional user showed up, they just simply re-arragned to appease the sticker time.

 

For sure, not the spirit or the intention of the excersice, but the party asking to use the chiar chose to not make a scene and drop the situation.

 

Bottom line, they will try to enforce if you call attention to it, but we did not see any pro-active stickering. All cruise there were plenty of chairs to be found in some areas, but as you all know, if you choose to come to the pool at 10am on a sea day, you will have a hard time finding a few together within eyeshot of the pool.

[markadele]

We cruised on Carnival in January this year and they where putting stickers on chairs on every sea day . That is about the only thing we liked about Carnival :) If everyone would just use the chair when they are there and take there stuff when they leave there would be plenty of chairs to go around. NCL PLEASE START ENFORCING THE BLUE DOTS

[JerseyGrl85]

I never witnessed the blue dot phenomenon however I am a supporter of the concept. Seeing as on vacations I need to make it a point to wake up at 7am. Grab a Chair for me and my husband. Grab breakfast. eat on the chair. run down at 9 wake him. run back tot he chair and "relax". it is more work then needed if you think about it. If they would inforce the rules maybe I could sleep in lol

[mizLORInj]

Rampant problem on most cruiselines. It was abundantly obvious on Celebrity Equinox last week too. Most chairs occupied, but not with humans.

Glad to hear Carnival's finally enforcing it. NCL!?!????

[bigwally]

ncl please start enforcing the blue dots

 

+1!

[latebloomer56]

+1!

 

Plus us that would be 12 more :D. But not a pool person will tell my sister to just let the attendant know if they need seats at the pool. Who knows maybe NCL will follow RCCL and CCL and inforce this as it would appear to be needed.

[valleyvillage]

I bet if everyone wrote a snail mail to Kevin Sheehan, some light would shine on this issue.

[EnsignPulver]

I do quite a few cruises and see numerous people coming out and putting towels on pool chairs at 9:00 AM and then not showing up until after lunch. Sometimes saving loungers for their kids that are only in them for 5 minutes per hour. My biggest pet peev while cruising. It is nothing else but rude.

[H&J]

We were on the Dawn just over a month ago. ncl enforcing "blue dot" ? ya right. That's why be book a suite and don't have to put up with the rabble in backwards baseball caps and mustard stained "wife beaters". ncl is going the way of carnival.

[itravelalot]

I've never seen any control on "chair hogs" on any cruiseline.. I know some are now trying, but not NCL that I have experienced. :)

[brianosaur]

Can't stand it!

 

Was on the pearl two weeks ago and 50% of the chairs had people and the other 50% had towels.

 

Here's was I did the first day after 15 minutes of standing there.

 

1. Found two loungers with towels. (one had a pair of sandals)

2. Spoke up in a loud voice, "Is anyone using these chairs?"

3. Just got a bunch of looks back.

4. Folded up the towels neatly.

5. Put them on 'other' towel occupied loungers.

6. Put the sandals nicely on top.

7. MOVED my free chairs a few feet over.

8. Sat down and enjoyed the sun.

 

Eventually, some folks came strolling back about a half hour later.

They looked around, mumbled to themselves and moved on.

Not sure if they knew I was the horrible, malicious & disgusting chair thief or not :D

 

Another day I tried the same thing, but stupidly forgot to ask if anyone was sitting there.

Soon as I moved the towels, two old Italian ladies jumped up and said, "AAY! Whadaayado? Dees ones are taaken!"

Their husbands were in the pool. :o

 

I apologized and pleaded my case as to there was no place to sit but all open chairs have towels.

I nicely asked if I could 'borrow' them for a bit - just until their husbands got out of the pool.

They quickly retracted there aggressiveness and said, "You take, you take! He can standup!"

 

By the time one of their husbands got out, my DD was begging me to get up a go swimming, so we gave one back.

They didnt even care about the other chair, and they dragged the ones they were using over to us when they left and said, "Forryou!" ...with a smile

 

Unless you want to sit for a very long time:

-Sit in a chair.

-Be courteous and friendly if the 'owner' comes back shortly.

-State your case apologetically as to there are not chairs because they are all 'toweled'.

 

Most people I believe would be understanding if you are kind and sincere.

You get what you give.

[pyrrhus]

I hate the chair hogs and have a wife who tends to just read and I like to be in the pool so it is nice to be next to her. I do understand reasons for wanting to a lounger close to the pool, but really is it that necessary unless maybe you have kids that are too big for the kiddie pool, but too young to be left alone in a regular pool? There are usually chairs on some of the other areas a little further from the pool.

[sdmike]

Some levity to this thread...

 

Most creative hogging to date:

 

[GateGuardian]

Was on the sun in January and they did not use the blue dot. However, my cruise didn't really have that many chair hogs

[English101]

We cruised on Carnival in January this year and they where putting stickers on chairs on every sea day . That is about the only thing we liked about Carnival :) If everyone would just use the chair when they are there and take there stuff when they leave there would be plenty of chairs to go around. NCL PLEASE START ENFORCING THE BLUE DOTS

 

I agree!

[penguinscott]

Chair hogs. I don't wait for cruise staff. If a chair I want isn't claimed within 30 minutes, I have absolutely no issue removing the towel myself and claiming a seat. At least I'm always only seeking chairs in the shade, as demanded by the melanoma the doctors removed from me a few years ago.

[sdmike]

We were on the Dawn just over a month ago. ncl enforcing "blue dot" ? ya right. That's why be book a suite and don't have to put up with the rabble in backwards baseball caps and mustard stained "wife beaters". ncl is going the way of carnival.

 

Congrats on insulting most of the people on this board that don't sail in suites

[doctorindy]

Was on the Epic last week. Apparently people were out as early as 6:30 am "reserving" chairs with towels and other paraphernalia. Nearly all chairs on at sea days were 'taken' by 8 am.

 

We did see some workers putting yellow stickers with a time written on them on some of the chairs. But we never actually saw them confiscate the towels.

 

One guy claimed he put stuff out before 7 am, and it was gone when he returned at 9 am.

[russianmom]

Some levity to this thread...

 

Most creative hogging to date:

 

 

I don't even really care about sitting in the sun but I am TOTALLY going to do this next month on Gem!!!!!! :D:D:D

[Laszlo]

We were on the Dawn just over a month ago. ncl enforcing "blue dot" ? ya right. That's why be book a suite and don't have to put up with the rabble in backwards baseball caps and mustard stained "wife beaters". ncl is going the way of carnival.

 

LOL

Last time we were in a Haven Suite you couldn't have paid me to use the pool there after seeing (2) 1 year olds swimming around naked. I guess their parents didn't give a dam about anyone else using the pool