Etiquette on excursion coaches.

[Ashland]

So many people here are saying the seats are first come first serve and they are not saved. I could not disagree more.

 

When you are on a motor coach with multiple stops, people tend to leave belongings, bags, etc, at their seats so they don't have to carry them off every time. Proper etiquette is to return to the seat in which you originally sat. First come first serve is for the first time boarding only.

 

Of course, I know some will disagree. But the question was about proper etiquette.

I agree completely with this....Proper bus travel etiquette explained in it's simplest terms...Not hard or should be for "most" to understand.

[Ashland]

On our tours it was also "remain in the same seats". I guess these companies have had bad experience with seat switching.

 

My advice-if seats are REALLY important to you, make every effort to get on the bus early and select the ideal seat for you.

 

Late comers have to take what's left..IMHO...

And those "late comers" need to stick to the seats they ended up with at the beginning of the day tour.

[paul929207]

We were on a cruise a couple of years ago, where one group of 8 from a large Eastern Europe country would sneak out of the excrusion lounge at every port. They got on the bus for thier tour and took the first two rows. If there were handicapped sign on a seat, it was thrown back to the third row. If the guide had stuff if a front seat, it was also tossed back. One time some people got there before them and took the front rows. These people went to bus 2 and took the front rows even though they were on bus 1. They refused to move and the ship did nothing.

[Karysa]

In St. Lucia last month we took a tour on a catamaran and then a few shorter trips in a van. We chose this tour to avoid long hilly ride as one of our daughters gets severe motion sickness. Everyone on the tour agreed that she should sit in the front seat on the hump as nobody wanted to A) sit on the hump and B) have her sit in the back with them:eek:

One couple kept crawling in the backseat even though me and my other daughter offered to sit back there a couple of times.

 

If you leave things on the seat then ya go back to that seat but otherwise I think switching seats is fine. Kind of like switching seats in the MDR. Some folks think that they always deserve the best view there to.

Edited April 3, 2013 by Karysa

[sail7seas]

I would think common good manners might suggest to those who had a prime seat they might share on the return trip and give others an opportunity to enjoy the better seating.

 

"Special Bus Etiquette"?

Basic good manners, IMO

 

Does it require a special set of rules? :confused:

Society is so wrapped up in me, me, me that a bus driver needs to direct no changing seats? That belongs on a bus full of kindergardeners who are just learning their manners. One would hope adults would know better than to need a bus driver to make such a rule.

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2013 by sail7seas

[mexico8]

I would think common good manners might suggest to those who had a prime seat they might share on the return trip and give others an opportunity to enjoy the better seating.

 

"Special Bus Etiquette"?

Basic good manners, IMO

 

Does it require a special set of rules? :confused:

Society is so wrapped up in me, me, me that a bus driver needs to direct no changing seats? That belongs on a bus full of kindergardeners who are just learning their manners. One would hope adults would know better than to need a bus driver to make such a rule.

 

 

 

Well said and I agree totally. Being fair to all is good etiquette.

[tigercat]

I have a mobility problem and require a walker. I may be at the front of the pack at the staging area but by the time we get to the bus I am at the back. My husband has to help me on the bus and get my walker settled so he hasn't run ahead to get good seats. Good seats for us are something at the front as trying to move back on the bus is difficult. On one tour when I was by myself by the time I got there the only seat available was in this small bus's very back. No one else would move even though the driver asked. I did finally get to the back but at each stop it required a lot more time for me to get on.

I wish that I could go back a couple of years ago and not need the walker and then I wouldn't have to worry about what seat is "good" for me.

tigercat

[paul929207]

At times, I have seen people with mobility problems arrange to have a seat at or near the front reserved for them. Have you tried talking to the tour organizer?

[Azure Moon]

I would think common good manners might suggest to those who had a prime seat they might share on the return trip and give others an opportunity to enjoy the better seating.

 

"Special Bus Etiquette"?

Basic good manners, IMO

 

Does it require a special set of rules? :confused:

Society is so wrapped up in me, me, me that a bus driver needs to direct no changing seats? That belongs on a bus full of kindergardeners who are just learning their manners. One would hope adults would know better than to need a bus driver to make such a rule.

 

(Who quoted the post above made by sail7seas, then said): "Well said and I agree totally. Being fair to all is good etiquette. [/Quote]

 

I totally agree, and well said! First thing that came to my mind at the beginning of this thread was kindergarten behavior - or younger (think 2 year old :( )

 

I do think and feel that people with mobility issues should be at, or very near the front, but think anyone traveling with them should consider taking a turn in another seat, if possible, for one of the times on the bus.

[cruisemom42]

I have a mobility problem and require a walker. I may be at the front of the pack at the staging area but by the time we get to the bus I am at the back. My husband has to help me on the bus and get my walker settled so he hasn't run ahead to get good seats. Good seats for us are something at the front as trying to move back on the bus is difficult. On one tour when I was by myself by the time I got there the only seat available was in this small bus's very back. No one else would move even though the driver asked. I did finally get to the back but at each stop it required a lot more time for me to get on.

I wish that I could go back a couple of years ago and not need the walker and then I wouldn't have to worry about what seat is "good" for me.

tigercat

 

I'm appalled that no one was willing to move for you. I certainly would have done so and would do the same for anyone who had obviously difficulty walking.

[varoo]

When booked on a coach excursion that it involves a long journey, what do you/would you do when others decide to take your seat for the return journey especially if you were sitting with a young child for the outward journey?

 

We just go with the flow.

We have never had assigned seats for coach excursions.

 

On some excursions, people returned to the same seats they had originally.

On others, they would just sit anywhere.

 

We have been on some excursions where the guide asked people to rotate seats, and on other excursions where the guide asked people to keep the same seat for the entire trip, and on many excursions where the guide said nothing about seats at all, so wherever you wanted to sit was fine.

 

Usually people will move to let a parent and young child sit together, especially when it is someone who does not want to sit next to your young child. ;)

[fotog303]

I have two different thoughts on this... if it is a tour that you make multiple stops and the driver is talking about what's going on and such and you only get off for a few minutes at each place... then a seat is a persons for the rest of the tour.

 

But if it is a bus that does nothing but take you to the tour, people should be able to sit in different spots when they come back.

[Putterdude]

As DW has MS and brings along a folding wheelchair we are normally seated at the front of the bus or van. From general observation most folks return to the seat they had when they they first boarded the bus but that can vary from tour to tour.

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

How about the people who are sitting at the back of the bus who bolt for the front of the bus to get off first before said bus has even come to a stop?

 

A couple people tried this on our bus to the ruins in Belize. They were running over other people. My husband, not a small person, stepped into the aisle to block them. There were some older folks at the front of the bus who could have been hurt by these morons trampling over them to get off the bus first.

[OCruisers]

Seems we've found:

 

On tours with multi stops and/or things are left in seats ... people go back to their seats.

 

On tours when we are dropped off for the day .... people do sit in different seats returning.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[grand isle joe]

..next time find a toddler on the ship and pack two stinky diapers in plastic bags. As you get off the bus place the used diapers on the seats. I bet those seats will be 'reserved" when you return.

[sail7seas]

..next time find a toddler on the ship and pack two stinky diapers in plastic bags. As you get off the bus place the used diapers on the seats. I bet those seats will be 'reserved" when you return.

 

 

That plan is likely to clear the whole bus. :eek:

That's pretty awful.

Edited April 4, 2013 by sail7seas

[grand isle joe]

That plan is likely to clear the whole bus. :eek:

That's pretty awful.

 

.......but the key is to keep them in the plastic ziplock bag.......just the look will deter action towards moving them......;):D

[LittleMissMagic]

My mother is an etiquette teacher, and according to her and her books, on a long trip on a charter bus or the like, the seat you choose is the seat for the rest of the journey. Taking someone else's seat without asking (especially when there are carry-on bags and luggage involved) is considered rude, whether the seats are "reserved" or not.

 

That being said, it would be just as rude to impolitely tell someone to get out of your seat. You could politely ask if you could sit with your child. I think that most people would gladly allow you to have the seat if it was the only way a parent and young child could sit together. And if the person says no, then just politely say thank you and split up. Maybe in the process, someone else will have heard and offer you their seat - you never know.

 

Personally, I'm a fan of confrontation rather than whining about what someone did that affected you after the fact. In many cases, I would think that whoever rearranged seats didn't know they were preventing a child from sitting with their parents. Unless you politely make them aware, they aren't going to know that they are affecting you. So get up the courage to ask nicely!

[beachchick]

Very interesting points of view. For me, this just reinforces one of the many reasons my hubby and I have never taken bus tours unless there is no other option and this tour is something we don't want to miss. Of course, it's not really an option now because of our current physical disabilities. There is no way, just no way, that he could physically tolerate a bus tour of any kind.

 

beachchick

Edited April 4, 2013 by beachchick

[navybankerteacher]

..next time find a toddler on the ship and pack two stinky diapers in plastic bags. As you get off the bus place the used diapers on the seats. I bet those seats will be 'reserved" when you return.

 

I used to share a three-person seat on a commuter train with a nutty friend. I usually had the window seat and he'd be on the aisle. He put down a realistic plastic "throw-up" from a novelty store on the middle seat -- and nod towards it whe it seemed someone was about to take the seat: it worked.

[artypharty]

I think some people just feel they are more entitled than others. ...drives me nuts! On a recent excursion, we were first in line with the tour guide. Up comes Mr. & Mrs. Entitled. Americans but speaking fluent Spanish they immediately started talking to the guide in Spanish. (Yep, I was really, really impressed with them!) During the "parade" to the bus, they wormed their way in front of us. Of course they plopped themselves in the front seat, across the aisle from the tour guide. Once underway, they started to monopolize the conversation with the tour guide...in Spanish. I'd had enough and politely asked "in Spanish" if they could please speak English so everyone on the bus could understand what they were saying about our destination.

 

I loved the excursion but would have gladly slapped them silly, their over inflated ego's never waned the entire excursion and it was almost too much for me. :o

 

In general our bus excursions have always been pleasant experiences. This was a first with Mr. & Mrs. Entitled! Hopefully we'll never run into them again (yeah, right!!!):D

[Laurie S.]

My parents and I took several American Express bus tours through Europe and South America in the 1970s. On every one, the tour director established the rule the first day that we kept the same seat arrangement we were in the first day, but every day we moved back a row so that everyone rotated through the seats. Always worked great.

[wassup4565]

On every one, the tour director established the rule the first day that we kept the same seat arrangement we were in the first day, but every day we moved back a row so that everyone rotated through the seats. Always worked great.

I really like that!

 

Here's my problem. More than once, we've arrived last, through no fault of our own, usually because the bus was gathering people up from several different starting points. As the last on, we got the least desirable seats - everybody else had the chance to stake out the better spots. So are you telling me it's good etiquette that those who had the advantage in the first place get to hog their good seats throughout the entire trip? We all paid the same amount for the trip, after all.

 

And no, I've never had the experience of anyone saying to me, "Gee, you've been stuck in the back of the bus by the toilet for the last two hours. Would you like to exchange seats with me so you get a good view and some fresh air for awhile?" Nah, never happens.

 

As for a tour guide who orders people to stay in their original seats, if I was stuck in a bad seat, I'd be pulling that guide aside and having a conversation, believe me.

[jamessemaj]

I really like that!

 

Here's my problem. More than once, we've arrived last, through no fault of our own, usually because the bus was gathering people up from several different starting points. As the last on, we got the least desirable seats - everybody else had the chance to stake out the better spots. So are you telling me it's good etiquette that those who had the advantage in the first place get to hog their good seats throughout the entire trip? We all paid the same amount for the trip, after all.

 

And no, I've never had the experience of anyone saying to me, "Gee, you've been stuck in the back of the bus by the toilet for the last two hours. Would you like to exchange seats with me so you get a good view and some fresh air for awhile?" Nah, never happens.

 

As for a tour guide who orders people to stay in their original seats, if I was stuck in a bad seat, I'd be pulling that guide aside and having a conversation, believe me.

 

Oh, no. Those people who followed the schedule and got on the bus before you, and waited for you to board, should ask you (politely, hat in hand), if you would prefer their seat. Are you joking?