Pool Chair Savers - Watch Out

[shipshape sam]

For those passengers who put belongings on a pool lounge chair early in the morning then disappear for hours at a time

– YOU ARE ON NOTICE!

 

On our recent cruise aboard the Eclipse we noticed that this problem is being addressed.

 

In the Solarium, if a lounge chair had been unoccupied by a body for over 1 hour a card was placed on the chair by a senior crewmember. If after another hour had passed (2hrs total) and it was still unoccupied then the belongings were placed in a clear plastic bag by the same senior crewmember and a pool butler. The bag was sealed, tagged and taken to Guest Relations.

 

When the ‘guilty party’ returned they were informed of the situation and had go to retrieve their belongings.

 

I was not close enough to read the card(s) so I cannot relate the content. We should keep in mind that there are several signs posted indicating that lounge chairs not occupied for 30 minutes will have items removed.

 

It was too cold to use the outdoor pools/space on our cruise so the Solarium was in high demand. The crew of the Eclipse was more than generous allowing so much time to pass before removing items.

 

 

THANKS CELEBRITY!

!

 

 

ABOUT time!

[NSBFloridaRetiree]

For those passengers who put belongings on a pool lounge chair early in the morning then disappear for hours at a time

– YOU ARE ON NOTICE!

 

On our recent cruise aboard the Eclipse we noticed that this problem is being addressed.

 

In the Solarium, if a lounge chair had been unoccupied by a body for over 1 hour a card was placed on the chair by a senior crewmember. If after another hour had passed (2hrs total) and it was still unoccupied then the belongings were placed in a clear plastic bag by the same senior crewmember and a pool butler. The bag was sealed, tagged and taken to Guest Relations.

 

When the ‘guilty party’ returned they were informed of the situation and had go to retrieve their belongings.

 

I was not close enough to read the card(s) so I cannot relate the content. We should keep in mind that there are several signs posted indicating that lounge chairs not occupied for 30 minutes will have items removed.

 

It was too cold to use the outdoor pools/space on our cruise so the Solarium was in high demand. The crew of the Eclipse was more than generous allowing so much time to pass before removing items.

 

THANKS CELEBRITY!

!

 

About time. All cruise lines should do this.

[cruise47]

About time. All cruise lines should do this.

 

We agree 100%.

[A Sixth?]

Chair hoggs weren't as prevalent on our Summit cruise this past May as they can be... but then again it was a spring cruse to Bermuda and fewer people were vying for positions by the pool.

 

I for one have seen the Pool Police clearing stuff off chairs on a number of lines as of late. Princess and NCL both have stepped up their effort and I'm glad "X" is as well.

 

We cruise with friends and their young son every January and it is very frustrating when the Boy wants to spend much of the day in the pool and half the sun beds are 'reserved" so mom and dad can't get a spot close enough to watch him. One or the other ends up 'perching" on the pools edge for safety sake.

 

Regular clearing of "Hogg-crap":p off the beds is not only a convenience it's a safety issue for them.

[jackdiamond]

We have no problem with chair hogs, since we use the pools for exercise and our balcony for lounging. As a matter of fact, when I go to a pool for exercise, I do not utilize a chair for my belongings.

[Calico Jack Sparrow]

Those who know me know about my chair-hog story... I've posted it several times under various chair-hog threads so I won't post it again.. :)

 

Bottom line... you do NOT need to tolerate it. And you owe it to society not to tolerate letting these inconsiderate, selfish people reserve deck chairs all day while they're out-and-about doing other activities aboard the ship.

 

Make an appointment, immediately, with the Hotel Director. It takes only a 5-10 minute chat. Inform him/her of exactly what you've witnessed, that it is inconceivable that these people would show such blatant disregard for the ship rules, upsetting many, many passengers, and that you're SURE that you (the Hotel Director) would naturally want to know about this and want to do something immediately to rectify the situation.

 

It works. Trust me.

 

I guess before I try being mischievious, I should be an adult about it. Then, if no one takes me seriously I can be twisted. LOL.

I wonder what RCCL would respond to this issue. Sent them an E-mail.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Regular clearing of "Hogg-crap":p off the beds is not only a convenience it's a safety issue for them.

 

I hereby nominate the term "mucking" for the act of the clearing "Hogg-crap" from the chairs.:D

 

ps-- I meant to apologize; for some strange reason, I called you Larry the other day. I think I was thinking about lsimon. Sorry!

[B-Anne]

I agree with your assessment of what is quick and what is not.

Another way it could be quick (without eating at your seat) would be

to go to the buffet, get your food, eat it:D and then go back to the

pool....takes about 23.5 minutes;)..of course if there is a long line

then you would have scrap that plan.

 

it takes me much longer than your 23.5 to 30 min. to check out the buffet, see what I can or cannot eat, then get in line, get my lunch, get my drink, get a table and then get back to my pool chair ( if it's still available after 30 min.), because I'm a slow eater!!

 

Another alternative would be to have the padded loungers on the topside deck and not

just on the pool deck. I, for one, and I'm sure other seniors would definitely appreciate this. I love to sit in the sun for a limited period of time, and would go topside if the loungers had pads on them. I'm sure others feel the same way. Not everyone has to be poolside!! Some of us love to be bar side!!

[Lois R]

it takes me much longer than your 23.5 to 30 min. to check out the buffet, see what I can or cannot eat, then get in line, get my lunch, get my drink, get a table and then get back to my pool chair ( if it's still available after 30 min.), because I'm a slow eater!!

 

Another alternative would be to have the padded loungers on the topside deck and not

just on the pool deck. I, for one, and I'm sure other seniors would definitely appreciate this. I love to sit in the sun for a limited period of time, and would go topside if the loungers had pads on them. I'm sure others feel the same way. Not everyone has to be poolside!! Some of us love to be bar side!!

 

That is the whole point:) It probably takes most of us longer,

and I was trying to inject some lightheartedness into the thread.

If the cruiser knows it will take an hour to do all you mentioned

then they need to take their items with them and free up the

chair;)

I agree with whoever said, a quick lunch is getting something from

the grill and bringing it back to their lounger.

[Can'tstopcruising]

it takes me much longer than your 23.5 to 30 min. to check out the buffet, see what I can or cannot eat, then get in line, get my lunch, get my drink, get a table and then get back to my pool chair ( if it's still available after 30 min.), because I'm a slow eater!!

 

Another alternative would be to have the padded loungers on the topside deck and not

just on the pool deck. I, for one, and I'm sure other seniors would definitely appreciate this. I love to sit in the sun for a limited period of time, and would go topside if the loungers had pads on them. I'm sure others feel the same way. Not everyone has to be poolside!! Some of us love to be bar side!!

 

 

Good idea! Those who would like this should mention it in the suggestion box.

[lori68]

What about all of those people who plunk themselves down on the pool chairs, but leave one chair between them and the people beside them? Theres nothing worse than not being able to find two empty chairs together, when there's dozens of single empty chairs scattered all over the pool deck. It's too bad that there is no fix for this!

[outerspaceguy]

Theres nothing worse than not being able to find two empty chairs together, when there's dozens of single empty chairs scattered all over the pool deck.

 

I guess Lori and I are very different people. I'm a really, really independent sort. I can think of a great many worse things than not having two pool chairs next to each other...

[lori68]

Ha,ha....I figured my post would be met with some sort of sarcasm (as will this one, I'm sure!) Since we work our butts off all year, we vacation so that we can spend some time together - we prefer to sit beside each other on the pool deck. It makes conversation with each other much easier than having to yell to each other from across the deck! :)

[PartyAllDaTyme]

What about all of those people who plunk themselves down on the pool chairs, but leave one chair between them and the people beside them? Theres nothing worse than not being able to find two empty chairs together, when there's dozens of single empty chairs scattered all over the pool deck. It's too bad that there is no fix for this!

 

In that situation, I think it's acceptable to nicely ask someone to please move down a chair, if they're occupying it. I would imagine that empty chair, sandals, empty chair, book, empty chair would be uncommon.

[Rick-cruiser]

Lori, you are WAY too nice..

[Can'tstopcruising]

What about all of those people who plunk themselves down on the pool chairs, but leave one chair between them and the people beside them? Theres nothing worse than not being able to find two empty chairs together, when there's dozens of single empty chairs scattered all over the pool deck. It's too bad that there is no fix for this!

 

I would seek the help of the pool attendant, point out to him that there are 2 empty chaises, not next to eachother. I am sure he will set them up for you.

[phoenix_dream]

45 minutes is pushing it, imho, why should someone be able to "reserve" the chairs for blocks of time to do whatever they want. If one leaves they roll the dice when they come back to find a chair......Just my personal thoughts and I do understand your point of view.

 

Bob

I agree wholeheartedly. If you leave for lunch you are leaving. Period. If the chair rules and timeframes were enforced you should have no problem coming back and finding other chairs. As it is, it sounds like in the end this person intended to park themselves in that chair all day. Maybe they need to think about giving someone else a shot at a good chair. Kinda goes back to that book of several years back - something about everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten. I seem to remember taking turns being one of the things I learned:)

[phoenix_dream]

I think this post gives an interesting psychological insight.

 

I'm willing to guess most chair-hoggers don't think of themselves as chairhoggers. However, if someone has had two chairs for three-and-a-half hours already, then the fair thing to do would be to free up those chairs when they leave for lunch, and look for others that are available when and if they return.

 

There aren't pool loungers for anywhere near the number of people who would like to enjoy them, so once someone has had 3-1/2 good hours, it seems only fair play to free up the chairs and let others have a turn. If everyone did this, there probably wouldn't be a problem.

 

I'm sure I don't know why some people think they deserve to nail down "prime real estate" for a whole day. If there were 30 children in a park with 12 ride-on toys, would it be fair for 2 children to "hog" two of those toys for the whole day? Would their parents think that this "me-first" behaviour was justified or acceptable? I doubt it. I brought my children up with the good British concepts of "turn-about is fair play" and "share and share alike", and I doubt very much if they have turned into chair hogs as adults.

 

Agree. agree. agree. Whatever happened to sharing, and thinking about someone other than yourself?!?! Fact - there are not enough lounge chairs on cruise ships. Fact - many people try to grab and hold onto chairs all day, with or without using them. What about showing some consideration and some manners, and maybe, just maybe, being nice? Is there anything wrong with being nice anymore!? I know there are many who disagree with me, but I think if you hold a chair all day (even if you are using it) you are being selfish with a commodity that is scarce on cruise ships. Yes, it is your trip and yes, you paid for it. But so did the other cruisers who cannot get a lounge because you have decided that you not only deserve it, you deserve it all day and the heck with everyone else.

[Leesie6351]

I totally and wholeheartedly agree about "chair hogs". I have waited for hours for a lounge chair to open up and usually just give up. Some "chair hogs" who are absent but leave their belongings to show "possession" of the chair, may possibly just be using the chair as a place to leave their towel, book, belongings etc while they swim, sauna, etc. not realizing they are preventing others from actually "using" the chair. One solution might be to install several rows of cubbies or shelves or even lockers with keys for people to leave their belongings instead of taking up a lounger.

 

Thoughts??:)

[digital_curator]

Yes, it is only a couple of hours, but for the late arrival, it is the ENTIRE movie that they must sit in that front row. I makes no difference to them that in a couple of hours the premium seats will be available again - they will have already seen the movie.

 

 

 

It's not my fault that I sat down earlier than you and am now using that chair when you finally arrive!

 

If your read the comment being made about giving up a chair to "share" it, and my reply to it, you will see that we were both talking about giving up a chair to a late arrival to give them a chance to use it. Neither of us were commenting about leaving a chair for extended time peroids but still claiming ownership while not using it. Whenever I find a chair, whether in the early morning, or later in the day, I will use it as long as I want - as long as I am using it. I see no valid reason to give up a chair that I am using in order to give someone else a chance to use it. Another analogy - I book a cruise one week prior to sail date and the only cabin left is in the most undersireable location of the ship. Should a person who booked months in advance in order to secure their favorite cabin location give it up after a certain amount of days just so I can enjoy this "premium" cabin too?

 

Actually, I was talking about "saved" seats. If someone actually has their butt in a chair, they can use it 24 hours a day as far as I'm concerned.

[BananaAnna]

......One solution might be to install several rows of cubbies or shelves or even lockers with keys for people to leave their belongings instead of taking up a lounger.

 

Thoughts??:)

 

I like the idea of cubbies! Back when I used to play in the pools I would carry my stuff -towel, sunscreen, etc inside a tote. I would look around and find someone poolside that was guarding the chair beside them with their life. When I asked if someone is sitting here, they'd say yes my (whatever) will be right back, I'd say "great I'll just put my stuff right here", toss my bag under the foot of their chaise and head for the pool. Nobody ever gave me grief.

[farsight]

Bottom line here is that this probably won't affect me as I will be quite busy with the multitude of activities provided. If I were to have problems finding a table in the buffet after loading a plate, I might go back and sit on a lounge that has a book etc. on it if I couldn't find an empty one. If someone came back to claim it while I was eating, I would most hurriedly give it up with the explanation of why I was using it. If they had attitude, I probably wouldn't give them the satisfaction of taking the bait. I would just smile and wish them the best cruise possible. I'd probably even mean it.

 

I don't care for the chair hogging mentality. I have definite opinions and can conjecture/fantasize what I might do. The above paragraph is probably as close as I will come to having a problem in this area, and I hope that the cruising spirit lifts me into a most gracious response!

 

I was raised to share and be considerate of others. If I do those things, it makes me feel good about myself. Not everybody was raised the same way or gets the same sense of satisfaction from these behaviors. That is the reality, and I may not like it, but I accept it for what it is.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I like the idea of cubbies! Back when I used to play in the pools I would carry my stuff -towel, sunscreen, etc inside a tote. I would look around and find someone poolside that was guarding the chair beside them with their life. When I asked if someone is sitting here, they'd say yes my (whatever) will be right back, I'd say "great I'll just put my stuff right here", toss my bag under the foot of their chaise and head for the pool. Nobody ever gave me grief.

 

A few well placed banks of cubbies would be great - many times I want to go for a dip/hottub and feel guilty placing my pool bag/towel on any type of chair or table as I have no intention of using them for anything other than storage. I don't like to put my stuff on the pool deck as at anytime the pool could go "slosh" with the ships movement and all my stuff would get drenched!!!!! With cubbies I could stow my stuff, ensure it stays dry, AND not use a chair that I have no intention of sitting in :D

[Calico Jack Sparrow]

I decided to go ahead and email RCCL about their policy regarding this problem. I recieved a very lengthy voicemail, which I will paraphrase as best I can.

 

Basically, RCCL also views this amongst the most common complaints it gets, and they take it seriously. There is a regularly scheduled rotation to check on unattended chairs. The executive office was not able to define the timing of the rotation. They did indicate that if you could not find an empty lounger you should ask someone around the pool area to help and they would assist in locating a free one. If you should notice unattended chairs, if you call that to the attention of a crew member they will attend to it.(or should). It is not advisable to move someone's unattended belongings as it my create some "hard feelings" as people may mis interpret your intentions.

 

So, if you are cruising RCCL, just locate a crew member on deck if you see unattended lounges.

 

The diplomatic way! Just like momma taught me. Not as much fun as the "twisted mind" method, but what the heck...we're on vacation!;)

[Can'tstopcruising]

The new ships they are building are larger and larger. I have yet to be on one. Is there an improvement on the ratio of chaises to pax? Is the pool large enough to accomodate so many?