Please tell me, no chair hoggers?

[willcruiseanythyme]

We will be sailing on the Oosterdam next October to the Mexican Riviera.  I haven't sailed on HAL in many years.  Can anyone tell me if the chair hogging/saving has gotten any better since that time?  I absolutely hate getting up to get a lounger next to the pool by 8:00 AM or I miss out.  They always seem to be saved yet no one is sitting in them.  It's vacation, I'd love to not have to get up there so early.  Thanks!

[Mary229]

I sailed last week and though the loungers were full at prime lounging time you could usually find something.  There are lots of notices to not hog and it seems many are playing fair.   There seemed to be more loungers too.  Same in the theatre.   One time there was one person I saw hogging but another cruiser quickly resolved that.  

[canadianbear]

What we observed were people just plain lazy and leaving towels on their loungers when they left.   If we saw nothing but a towel on a chair (no personal stuff) and didn’t see a free lounger, we’d remove the towel, put it in the used rack and sit there.  

 

It can be difficult on a sea day finding a lounger at prime time.  We usually didn’t go at prime time though.  

[gigianne]

We were on the Eurodam for 28 days - people are not only hogging loungers - they hog the tables and chairs as well and go back and forth between the two all day long.  I spoke to several of the staff about it but nothing was ever done.  Very inconsiderate.  They even brought enough clips to attach the towels to the chairs around the table. 

[CruiserBruce]

It varies on every cruise. It is not predictable.

[Saphire]

This a tough subject. My husband and I are early to the pool and find a spot in the first row by 8 a.m. There are often chairs 'saved' by that time, people come by and drop a few items, then leave. The problem is, often they are gone for hours!  Signage says they may be saved for only 30 minutes.

 

I found it frustrating watching people come by early looking for a chair,  knowing 'saved' chairs had been vacant much longer than 30 minutes.  By the time we leave around 11:00 a.m., we would always find someone in search of a spot and our places were scooped up quickly.

 

I know the 'chair hogs' don't admit who they are, but I find it so impolite and selfish to drop a book and a towel first thing in the morning and not return for hours. And, where are you? Did you go back to bed? Rude!

 

[ithaca gal]

I second the comments about the chair hogs on the 28 day cruise on the Eurodam.  The same people put their things (towel and a book) on chairs before 7 a.m. and didn't come back until almost 10 a.m.  I complained to Guest Relations and they said crew members were monitoring and removing items.  Absolutely not true.  The same people were doing this every day.  Every day.  No shame whatsoever.

[jimmy2x]

I generally ask a nearby lounger occupant if they have seen anyone occupying the lounger last 45 minutes or so. If the answer is negative I have no problem with disposing of the towels and using the lounger. In 18 cruises I’ve never been confronted about it one time. 

[Copper10-8]

The house rule is "30 min. unoccupied" and whatever is being used to "save" that particular lounger can be removed. I've seen it posted in the daily program.Make sure you note/remember the time you started the "30 min countdown," ideally have someone else witness it

 

If the owner of those items (books, slippers, towels, small microwaves, etc.) returns and proceeds to advise you that the lounger "is theirs", reinforce/explain that same "30 min rule" and refer them to Guest Services. If they start making a stink, have someone call Guest Services (the Lido plus Seaview bars both have house phones) and request security to respond so they (security) can reinforce the "30 min rule" - Some of these fine folks completely abuse this rule

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yes, the chair hog people exist.  And sadly the rules are not enforced especially on sea days.

[hubbard53]

off the NS last week - chair hogging was the worse I've seen. I need shade, which is a rare find, and they were never available as they were being occupied by a magazine or flip flops. It is definitely frustrating when all loungers are "occupied" and there are but a dozen people in or around the pool. 

 

Our usual line, DCL, actively removes books, shoes, etc. from long-unoccupied loungers and the other guests are vehement about the "no saving" rule and will often move stuff themselves - like the lady who was sitting by my wife and I. We were reading, decided to cool off in the pool, and as soon as we did she starting moving our stuff!! 

 

it's a fine line - you should be able to leave your lounger to cool off in the pool, get a drink, etc. without having to guard it. But you shouldnt be able to save it all day while you go have lunch, play trivia, etc. 

[Tapi]

4 minutes ago, hubbard53 said:

Our usual line, DCL, actively removes books, shoes, etc. from long-unoccupied loungers and the other guests are vehement about the "no saving" rule and will often move stuff themselves - like the lady who was sitting by my wife and I. We were reading, decided to cool off in the pool, and as soon as we did she starting moving our stuff!! 

I have never seen chair hoggers as aggressive or out as early as on DCL. I would walk around the ship before the sun even came up and there would be people reserving large blocks of chairs for their entire group or family. To make things even more aggravating, some even had custom made chair covers with their names embroidered on them as well as other elaborate and decorative chair hogging devices. It was like a competition to see who had the most creative and over the top way to hog chairs, along the same lines as the cabin door decorations that a lot of people display on this cruise line. As much as we enjoyed sailing on DCL, I couldn’t stand some of the cruisers that sail on this cruise line. A bit too “look at me”, fanatic, and entitled for my taste.

[Homosassa]

12 hours ago, gigianne said:

We were on the Eurodam for 28 days - people are not only hogging loungers - they hog the tables and chairs as well and go back and forth between the two all day long.  I spoke to several of the staff about it but nothing was ever done.  Very inconsiderate.  They even brought enough clips to attach the towels to the chairs around the table. 

 

We had the same problem on our last cruise. We sat down at a table with our Dive In burgers and were promptly yelled at by a woman that was on a lounge chair nearby that it was her table (there were two books sitting in front of one of the table chairs).

 

Being an experience cruiser and having dealt with hogs in the past, I told her that it wasn't possible to occupy two spaces at the same time. I asked her if the books were hers, she glared at me and refused to answer, so I picked them up to give to an attendant. She then claimed the books.

 

Being sociable folks, we shared the table with other Dive In folks, and as we got up to leave, make sure another couple with food took our chairs. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

I've pretty much given up on getting a lounger on a sea day. That's why I book a balcony. At least I can find somewhere to sit! 

 

I did sit by the Lido pool on K'dam on a few port days when I was staying on board. I was able to get one of the curved sofas on the second level, so I had a good view of both levels. Because these were port days, there were always some loungers available. But there were also lots of books and bags "reserving" loungers for people  I never saw. I was there for at least four hours one day and never saw crew "harvest" anything. 

Edited April 12, 2019 by 3rdGenCunarder

[hubbard53]

6 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I've pretty much given up on getting a lounger on a sea day. That's why I book a balcony. At least I can find somewhere to sit! 

 

I did sit by the Lido pool on K'dam on a few port days when I was staying on board. I was able to get one of the curved sofas on the second level, so I had a good view of both levels. Because these were port days, there were always some loungers available. But there were also lots of books and bags "reserving" loungers for people  I never saw. I was there for at least four hours one day and never saw crew "harvest" anything. 

 yeah, crew doesnt remove anything. . . my son was in  the pool so I had to be close by. I had a 2nd row lounger and had towles over my legs to block the sun (bad sunburn on day 1) - I was watching for space under the deck 10 overhang - in those nice chairs by the windows... but they were all occupied by books & shoes. I have NO IDEA who owned the stuff b/c there were only kids in the pool. I assume that those physically in the loungers also had the chairs. I was there for almost 2 hours and finalyl asked a crew member about it - he pointed at the books & shoes and simply said it was occupied... 

[wyobean]

We are early risers. We usually have our loungers by 7:00 or 7:30. I like the morning when there are very few people there. We do not leave them unoccupied. We eat in the Lido for breakfast so just take turns as I eat very little breakfast. We start looking for a table about 11:30 or 12:00. Grab one when it opens up and leave our loungers open for someone else. If we choose to go back to a lounger later, I have no problem watching for ones that are left for more than 30 min. and removing items. 

[jr8934]

This news is very disturbing to me. I am mobility challenged and need an end lounger as I can't crawl over the chairs. I'm crossing my fingers that I can find a place to sit where I can access the seat.

[Fouremco]

On the K'dam, we watched an older couple alternate between a pair of chairs in the sun and another pair in the shade. After a few hours, they left books and assorted other items on all of the chairs and wandered off for a couple hours. Probably for lunch, given the time of day, and possibly snooze as well. They then returned to their four chairs and continued their morning routine of alternating between sun and shade.  

[dundeene]

Oh my, I must really be a bad guy!  I simply look for an open lounger and if all are loaded with books, towels, flip flops. . . I wait to see if someone is connected to the lounger. If it remains empty over 30 minutes (which is the rule) I simply fold the towel neatly and place all items on top of it, then place it under the lounger.  If the person were to come by and request their spot, I would simply stand up and relinquish it;) 

I usually enjoy the sun and a margarita/daiquiri for an hour or so. I then dispose of my towel and place the previously found items on top of the lounger. After more than a dozen cruises no one has asked me to move.

I do not believe in "saving" spots for future use. I think this issue would be very easy to solve. The cruise lines should place small timers near the beach towels. If you are using a lounger you simply grab a timer and towel. The timers should default to 30 minutes. If you wish to take a dip in the pool, use the restroom, get a drink or snack. . . you place the count-down timer on your lounger.  Anyone approaching will see that the lounger is currently in use.  If the timer counts down to zero, the chair becomes available again. This is a low cost, low labor cost, solution to a problem that seems to be discussed year after year.

[Copper10-8]

12 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Yes, the chair hog people exist.  And sadly the rules are not enforced especially on sea days.

 

The "chair hog" rules are not enforced because the only crew working around the two pools (or upper deck lounge chairs) are beverage stewards and they don't get paid to enforce chair hog rules (along the same lines as HAL not employing lifeguards to enforce pool rules).

 

If you want those types of rules enforced, call or go to Guest Services. If you can't get any satisfaction, a la Mick Jagger and the Stones, request a supervisor, and then a manager. The more complaints Guest Services gets, the more rapid these things get handled

[TAD2005]

Along the same lines as the lounge chair hogs,  I have a problem with table hogs in the Lido pool area, and also in the Seaview bar area.   From early morning and all afternoon, no problem.  But between 11:30 AM and 2:00 PM, especially on sea days, there are many people looking for a place to sit and eat their Dive-In burger around the Lido pool and their NY Pizza in the Seaview Bar area.   But all you see at many tables is one person, either sleeping or reading a book, with their feet up on one of the 4 chairs and bags and other personal stuff on the remaining 2 chairs, and they stay there all through the very busy lunch hour.  If you ask to sit and eat your lunch, they give some lame excuse that they are waiting for friends that never show up for hours.  The problem is made even worse by HAL's private Lido Cabanas on some ships that remain mostly empty,  but tie up desperately needed table space in the Lido pool area.  There are loads of quiet, cool places around the ship to sleep or read.  The Lido Pool area and Seaview Bar non-smoking side are fine, but not during the busy lunch time, especially on sea days.    If you want to sleep or read, pick anyplace, but not the Lido Market, Lido Pool area and Seaview Bar area during the busy lunch period.  Or at least take your feet and other stuff off the chairs so others can share "your" table for a few minutes to eat their lunch.

[FredT]

One of the reasons I like HAL is their "unique" itineraries.  On them, we see far fewer problems like this, and far fewer passengers who are as "fixated" on roasting in the sun all day.   Just one more reason I like the smaller ships and more experienced "mature" passengers!

[willcruiseanythyme]

Thank you all for the replies. Sigh...I guess not much has changed. I wish the cruise lines would place VERY visible signs stating the no saving rules with times. Then it would be easier to point it out to the joggers.  Oh well.

[ithaca gal]

5 hours ago, FredT said:

One of the reasons I like HAL is their "unique" itineraries.  On them, we see far fewer problems like this, and far fewer passengers who are as "fixated" on roasting in the sun all day.   Just one more reason I like the smaller ships and more experienced "mature" passengers!

We only sail in HAL. They have plenty of chair hogs. Mature in age but not necessarily in behavior. 

[RedneckBob]

On 4/11/2019 at 9:09 PM, gigianne said:

We were on the Eurodam for 28 days - people are not only hogging loungers - they hog the tables and chairs as well and go back and forth between the two all day long.  I spoke to several of the staff about it but nothing was ever done.  Very inconsiderate.  They even brought enough clips to attach the towels to the chairs around the table. 

 

Hi gigianne,

 

I was on this cruise and had no problem getting a lounger or chair as long as I arrived by 4 AM . Just kiddin'. It was not good so I relaxed on my balcony most of the sea days.