Seabourn Sunbed Timer

[SKP946]

I just spotted this on another site, about time.

[raphael360]

OMG what a good idea!!

I hope SB makes this a reality.  

[florisdekort]

I keep reading about sunbed hogging on the mass market cruise lines’ forums, but have never ever had an issue finding a free sunbed on Seabourn, at any time of the day. There are plenty. 

[SKP946]

5 hours ago, florisdekort said:

I keep reading about sunbed hogging on the mass market cruise lines’ forums, but have never ever had an issue finding a free sunbed on Seabourn, at any time of the day. There are plenty. 

 

Not on Encore and Ovation on a warm sea day.

There are  plenty of sunbeds  but people reserve them, I watched people reserving them on the way to breakfast and they’re still unused at 11 am ! 🤬

 

[Pendle Witch]

We have watched one couple with three sets of two sunbeds saved, they just moved from one to another depending on whether they were in the sun, in the shade or by the pool. They left belongings on each for most of the afternoon and were never challenged, even though there were few spare.

[Isklaar]

32 minutes ago, Pendle Witch said:

We have watched one couple with three sets of two sunbeds saved, they just moved from one to another depending on whether they were in the sun, in the shade or by the pool. They left belongings on each for most of the afternoon and were never challenged, even though there were few spare.

 

I've seen the same couple doing this. Or perhaps there are other people that do the same thing. The couple that I saw also liked to save a table at the Patio from around 10am until they had their lunch 4 hours later.

 

I do believe that bed hoggers should be challenged however that's a difficult one as I know of at least one crew member who was reported to their superior for trying to challenge. Their superior then went on to publicly admonish the crew member. I witnessed it and it was most unedifying.  Senior staff needs to be supportive of crew dealing with this. 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Isklaar

[ab21au]

5 hours ago, SKP946 said:

I watched people reserving them on the way to breakfast

 

..... and I took photos but did nothing with them because I didn’t know what to do at the time 😗 

[Isklaar]

8 hours ago, SKP946 said:

 

Not on Encore and Ovation on a warm sea day.

There are  plenty of sunbeds  but people reserve them, I watched people reserving them on the way to breakfast and they’re still unused at 11 am ! 🤬

 

 

I missed this one earlier, but agree with this, certainly our experience on Ovation with regard to space on the pool deck or deck 5 aft was so bad that we would be very reluctant to sail on either E or O on a sunny itinerary in future. It seemed particularly problematic on the new ships because there is so  little shade. 

[Ithikan]

3 hours ago, Isklaar said:

 

I've seen the same couple doing this. Or perhaps there are other people that do the same thing. The couple that I saw also liked to save a table at the Patio from around 10am until they had their lunch 4 hours later.

 

I do believe that bed hoggers should be challenged however that's a difficult one as I know of at least one crew member who was reported to their superior for trying to challenge. Their superior then went on to publicly admonish the crew member. I witnessed it and it was most unedifying.  Senior staff needs to be supportive of crew dealing with this. 

Unedifying says it all.

We won't be sailing Azamara again following our 2 cruises this summer, and have been looking at a Seabourn itinerary.  This nonsense about an officer - or "superior" - publicly admonishing crew for attempting to monitor some chair hogs is very bad news.  I had hoped Seabourn could be an improvement over Azamara's slippage toward mass-market tendencies, but this story gives me pause.

[LEESRE]

4 hours ago, Isklaar said:

 

I've seen the same couple doing this. Or perhaps there are other people that do the same thing. The couple that I saw also liked to save a table at the Patio from around 10am until they had their lunch 4 hours later.

 

I do believe that bed hoggers should be challenged however that's a difficult one as I know of at least one crew member who was reported to their superior for trying to challenge. Their superior then went on to publicly admonish the crew member. I witnessed it and it was most unedifying.  Senior staff needs to be supportive of crew dealing with this. 

Yes we have seen this on our last Odyssey cruise, one couple each day had four sun beds two in the shade and two in the sun, they were never challenged even though we brought it to the attention of the pool staff.

People were looking around for beds, we even saw a large tip being given, so I suppose they would not be challenged

Don't now how Seabourn will address this situation but something should be done.

Edited August 6, 2019 by LEESRE

[dalliowner]

We had couple who would come to the Colonade early in their gym clothes  put something on a table for two outside then go to the gym for a hour back to their cabin for a shower and then to their reserved table .  HELP!!!!!

[markham]

I have brought the circumstances around sun bed hogging including the identities of the perpetrators to the attention of the Hotel Director for remediation. It is really up to him to dictate ship policy regarding common courtesy due all passengers. This is too tricky for staff down the line to manage on their own given the defensiveness and rudeness some passengers display - which sadly we have witnessed on Seabourn and other lines all too often. The HD can call the perpetrators in for discussion.

 

For what it’s worth, and we travel to experience things that may not be familiar to us and then try to appreciate what we find, in some countries and cultures the early risers at hotels and on cruise ships will reserve the chairs and no one will be surprised or irritated. I guess the majority are disposed to tolerating it and may do it, too. For the majority heretofore on Seabourn this is just plain not the case! Are times a’changing? I hope not... there are not sufficient chairs for everyone all the time for people to claim but not use them.

 

Also, and about some officer/supervisor remonstrating with a junior person in public, this is plainly unacceptable. I would make a big deal about such counter-productive bullying to the HD pronto.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[Isklaar]

1 hour ago, Ithikan said:

Unedifying says it all.

We won't be sailing Azamara again following our 2 cruises this summer, and have been looking at a Seabourn itinerary.  This nonsense about an officer - or "superior" - publicly admonishing crew for attempting to monitor some chair hogs is very bad news.  I had hoped Seabourn could be an improvement over Azamara's slippage toward mass-market tendencies, but this story gives me pause.

 

 

I have many nights on SB and have never before or after seen anything like this. Of course it happening just once was awful but it's absolutely not the norm. I reported it to the HD and he was aghast. So let's hope he took some action. 

[wripro]

Why even give it a second thought? Simply remove the stuff from the sunbed and take it. 

[Bobal]

6 hours ago, Ithikan said:

Unedifying says it all.

We won't be sailing Azamara again following our 2 cruises this summer, and have been looking at a Seabourn itinerary.  This nonsense about an officer - or "superior" - publicly admonishing crew for attempting to monitor some chair hogs is very bad news.  I had hoped Seabourn could be an improvement over Azamara's slippage toward mass-market tendencies, but this story gives me pause.

 

I'm a little confused by this. I understand what this thread is all about - and agree with the sentiments regarding chair hogging and indeed with the poor show regarding the officer admonishing the crew member. But what does this have to do with Azamara, or with your opinion of them?

Edited August 6, 2019 by Bobal

[markham]

Wripro,

 

The more I think about it the more I like your idea of moving their clobber. But to throw the hoggers off the scent I think it would be smart to take further action to alter the crime scene. Yes, shift the lounger a few centimeters or inches a tad, thereby confusing the circumstances they will encounter when they happen to show. Or shift it further away even and leave their clobber where the lounger was originally. Or shift it to another location well away. You've got choices, you're seated you are happy with your location. Them? Who cares. They can always complain to the HD.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[2SailingNomads]

We have also seen people (one couple from Mexico a couple of cruises ago in particular who were also rude to the crew) who would put out their stuff on beds every morning around 7 a.m. or so (I'm usually not out that early but my wife often is) and on port days go off the ship and not come back to the "reserved" beds until 2 p.m. or later.  We have witnessed others remove peoples stuff and confrontations ensued.  

On our last cruise, we left our bed one day to go to lunch at the patio grill - where I had a full view of it - and 40 minutes later a bar waiter, who I had not yet encountered and did not start his shift until 30 minutes after we had left removed our stuff.  As I had a clear view - and we were finishing up lunch and nowhere near the "1 hour" I went back and politely asked to see what measurement of time he used, he said he asked the people sitting next to us - who would disappear for hours at a time - but wanted their friends to sit next to them.  So it is a tricky dance.    

[markham]

2SailingNomads,

 

Are you saying that you should be able to reserve a lounger for an hour? For 40 minutes or 30 minutes? Do you think that anyone can deny anyone else the use of a lounger when you intend to be away for 30 minutes or longer?

 

This can be cleared up with signage and enforcement of common sense rules for everyone. Isn't there signage on deck and notification of policy in the Herald already?

 

I would think that 10 minutes is more than enough for you to swim or change or get a drink and return. If the HD takes this position then a 20 minute removal process would be manageable for the bar waiter. Why should staff get caught up in this pettiness anyway?

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[rols]

5 hours ago, markham said:

2SailingNomads,

 

Are you saying that you should be able to reserve a lounger for an hour? For 40 minutes or 30 minutes? Do you think that anyone can deny anyone else the use of a lounger when you intend to be away for 30 minutes or longer?

 

This can be cleared up with signage and enforcement of common sense rules for everyone. Isn't there signage on deck and notification of policy in the Herald already?

 

I would think that 10 minutes is more than enough for you to swim or change or get a drink and return. If the HD takes this position then a 20 minute removal process would be manageable for the bar waiter. Why should staff get caught up in this pettiness anyway?

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

It's a bit of a tough one Markham because whatever rule is imposed is never a substitute for gracious behaviour. Or perhaps it's more nuanced than that and what one person feels is perfectly fine another feels uncomfortable with. The extremes are fairly easy, if you have a 10 minute dip in the pool near your lounger, it would feel a little churlish to throw your stuff off it, it's a pool deck. At the other extreme, tossing two library books on loungers on the way to breakfast and expecting them to be still reserved when you return from a tour at 3pm strikes me as something most people would think a little unfair; but unfortunately not all. 

 

Oddly enough I often feel the most draconian rule ends up being the fairest. If you leave the pool deck, you take your stuff with you and when you come back you find an available lounger. This means loungers are either being actively used, or they are explicitly free .. and that .. if practiced universally .. ensures maximum availability for all. I fall short of this egalitarian standard. 

[wripro]

On 8/6/2019 at 10:32 PM, markham said:

Wripro,

 

The more I think about it the more I like your idea of moving their clobber. But to throw the hoggers off the scent I think it would be smart to take further action to alter the crime scene. Yes, shift the lounger a few centimeters or inches a tad, thereby confusing the circumstances they will encounter when they happen to show. Or shift it further away even and leave their clobber where the lounger was originally. Or shift it to another location well away. You've got choices, you're seated you are happy with your location. Them? Who cares. They can always complain to the HD.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

I like the way you think.

[2SailingNomads]

18 hours ago, markham said:

2SailingNomads,

 

Are you saying that you should be able to reserve a lounger for an hour? For 40 minutes or 30 minutes? Do you think that anyone can deny anyone else the use of a lounger when you intend to be away for 30 minutes or longer?

 

This can be cleared up with signage and enforcement of common sense rules for everyone. Isn't there signage on deck and notification of policy in the Herald already?

 

I would think that 10 minutes is more than enough for you to swim or change or get a drink and return. If the HD takes this position then a 20 minute removal process would be manageable for the bar waiter. Why should staff get caught up in this pettiness anyway?

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Markham,

 

Actually on that cruise the policy was posted in several places, including every few days in the Herald as follows, from the Feb 13th, 2019 Herald of the Ovation:

 

Please do not "block" or reserve sun loungers.  Guests are reminded that any belongings left on the sun loungers for more than one hour will be removed and placed in Seabourn Square.

 

So to answer your question, I was playing by the rules, and to be honest I am surprised you have not seen this policy for yourself as I have seen it on other cruises the past couple of years.

 

Cheers!

 

 

[SLSD]

2 hours ago, 2SailingNomads said:

Markham,

 

Actually on that cruise the policy was posted in several places, including every few days in the Herald as follows, from the Feb 13th, 2019 Herald of the Ovation:

 

Please do not "block" or reserve sun loungers.  Guests are reminded that any belongings left on the sun loungers for more than one hour will be removed and placed in Seabourn Square.

 

So to answer your question, I was playing by the rules, and to be honest I am surprised you have not seen this policy for yourself as I have seen it on other cruises the past couple of years.

 

Cheers!

 

 

I have to admit that I am a bit relieved that I am not a sunbather and don't have to worry about proper etiquette with the sun loungers on Seabourn ships.  I think a really good rule of thumb though is to always think of others and how your actions are affecting your fellow passengers.  I would be a bit embarrassed to be enjoying my Napa Burger at a shady table around the pool while my "things" were reserving a sun lounger.  It just doesn't seem right to me.  You cannot be two places at once, so it doesn't seem so gracious to be reserving a sun lounger that you have already enjoyed while you sit at a table for lunch.  It might be better to remove your things from the lounger, enjoy your lunch, and then take your chances on finding another suitable spot to sit in the sun.

 

Yes, you can play by the rules, but I would ask, what it the right thing to do?   

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by SLSD

[2SailingNomads]

REALLY???

"I would be a bit embarrassed to be enjoying my Napa Burger at a shady table around the pool while my "things" were reserving a sun lounger.  It just doesn't seem right to me."

"Yes, you can play by the rules, but I would ask, what it the right thing to do?  "

 

I initially responded agreeing that people were NOT playing by the posted rules, and even when I did someone removed my stuff, BTW at many high-end beach resorts where they have time limits (supposedly but almost never enforced) an exception is ALWAYS made during the lunch time hour - and now you attack me?

I am so glad to know - because in many of your posts you do tell how wonderful you are, you would give up your location, maybe even if you had to use the restroom.  

 

And the point which you seemed to have missed above is many people do HAVE 2 places, one in the shade and one in the sun, which we never do - that is a bigger problem, not someone who has one place and leaves it for under the stated amount of allowable time. Why don't you instead of criticizing me look at the 5th and 6th post on this thread and reply to that behavior???

[SLSD]

4 minutes ago, 2SailingNomads said:

REALLY???

"I would be a bit embarrassed to be enjoying my Napa Burger at a shady table around the pool while my "things" were reserving a sun lounger.  It just doesn't seem right to me."

"Yes, you can play by the rules, but I would ask, what it the right thing to do?  "

 

I initially responded agreeing that people were NOT playing by the posted rules, and even when I did someone removed my stuff, BTW at many high-end beach resorts where they have time limits (supposedly but almost never enforced) an exception is ALWAYS made during the lunch time hour - and now you attack me?

I am so glad to know - because in many of your posts you do tell how wonderful you are, you would give up your location, maybe even if you had to use the restroom.  

 

And the point which you seemed to have missed above is many people do HAVE 2 places, one in the shade and one in the sun, which we never do - that is a bigger problem, not someone who has one place and leaves it for under the stated amount of allowable time. Why don't you instead of criticizing me look at the 5th and 6th post on this thread and reply to that behavior???

I'm not attacking anyone.  I did say how I would feel about having a lounger reserved and taking up table space at the same time.  I'm only speaking for myself--not telling anyone else that they would have to do it my way.  I'm glad I'm not involved with this issue for real.   You can certainly do as you please.  We are just having a general discussion here.  

Edited August 9, 2019 by SLSD

[markham]

I am surprised that the Herald and signage talks about reserving sunloungers for more than an hour. I do not remember ever seeing a one hour limit and I do remember something like 20-30 minutes. So yes, within an hour is playing by the rules.

 

It also shows that this policy is at the discretion of the HD. Maybe one hour appeases those who need more time to do whatever they do when they are not seated? Is that a good call? That's the HD's concern. Who knew that best practice in ergonomics had to be applied periodically and routinely on Seabourn ships regarding sunloungers?

 

Of course we can all agree that denying someone else the use of a sunlounger for more time than is necessary is inconsiderate, and that exercising self-awareness and consideration for others is always smart, and that reserving 2 in the sun and 2 in the shade for two people is unacceptable since that obviously denies other people usage when 2 people can only use 2 loungers at a time. I recall a couple that did just this on a sunny and hot weather cruise everyday starting early morning. They had 2 sunloungers on deck 10 overlooking the main pool. At the rear of deck 5 they reserved 2 loungers in the shade and even had the nerve to shift them to where it suited them which happened to be on the path of those who took walks on the U around both sides of the deck. The color to this story is that they were a sanctimonious and pushy  couple. The husband was known to push people in his way in the main pool and also verbally insult people he did not care for. My take was that they thought they owned the ship- and that they got away so long with the 4 loungers business may have given the impression that everyone else deferred to them. It did until it didn't; I hear they have not been back for a while and I hope they stay away. Maybe the last reprimand they received and/or the cumulative effects thereof worked.

 

What goes around comes around seems to apply.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!