Chair hogging-how do you know?

[Newby58]

Given that the preponderance of passengers find chair hogging the number one complaint I find it really odd that the cruise lines don't do more to curtail the practice. Have heard that Carnival has implemented procedures but haven't heard on what the impact, if any, it has had.

 

 

I was on Voyager for a sampler cruise and witnessed more than once where crew removed towels from vacant sun chairs. Yah!

[gerif]

On the Jewel in January, I looked all over for a vacant chair. Went everywhere there might be a chair and nothing. Finally on my last walk around I spotted a woman leaving. I politely asked her if she was leaving - her response "why yes I am but no you can't have my chair because I MIGHT decide to come back later. And, my husband is still sitting in the next chair so I'd want to sit next to him IF I come back". I looked at her and smiled, shook my head and walked away. An hour later she was still not back and her chair was still saved by her husband! Just gotta love rude people.

 

I would have parked my butt in the chair and told her IF and WHEN she returned, I would vacate the chair (not).

[papaflamingo]

I don't sit by the pool, and never have a problem finding a chair, I just look on my balcony. :)

I usually go to the gym early in the morning. While walking back one day (about 7 am) I saw two women in robes, fuzzy slippers, and hair in curlers putting towels on chairs. Wonder when they decided to show up.

Yeah.... sometimes it's pretty easy to spot the chair hogs. Fuzzy slippers don't do well on wet pool decks.

[Jenjer]

We where on Freedom, in the kid area. One family was using 6 or more chairs. They started packing up to go. So I walked over and sat in one chair that they had removed everything from.

 

They told me they where "putting the baby down for a nap and wanted their chairs when they came back". I said, "since your not using it now so I will. If I am still here when you come back, I will move. But I can not see my son from any other available chairs." They put a flip flop on 2 chairs a magazine on another maybe a book and walked away. 1 hour later I watched the time someone asked if those chairs where taken. I said they left 1 hour ago ask the attendant.

 

Attendant came over and I told them they left a hour ago to put the baby down for a nap. why it took 4 people to put baby down for a nap I don't know. They said they would be back but no one has been by. He removed their stuff.

 

A hour later it was time for my son and I to go...I still did not see them. after showers and lunch so 3.5 hours after they had left it was now 2 pm. 2 of them came strolling up. Shocked that their chairs where gone......it was quite funny. I saw them thru the week but avoided them. They left a chair hog guard from then on. But on at least one occasion he gave up on expecting them and left.

 

Chair hogging is a cruise spectator sport for my family and me. Leaving for a hour or less is not hogging its using. Since we are early risers we walk by and point out the chairs hogs.

[BillOh]

One funny activity I thought of, but never actually had the guts to do myself, is to remove a chair hog's stuff from their "reserved" loungers after their 30 minutes is up, go sit nearby, wait for someone else to grab the loungers, thinking they must be the luckiest people in the world to get a prime spot at such a late time, and then wait for the original hog to come back to "his" lounger and see what happens.

 

Would that be a bad deed or a good deed?

 

I've seen it done, well, perhaps not by a cruiser, but I have seen royal remove stuff and have someone occupy the chair. On a couple of occasions another passenger has come back hours later and raised hell. The person on the receiving end was very intimidated and distraught. I was about to get up and let the person know the crew removed it, but that person stormed off first.

[Baby_Bear]

Question - I know some of the RCL ships have reserved seats pool side for suite guests. Does anyone know if Rhapsody does that or is it just the bigger ships?

 

We are not big sun worshipers but if we did want to hang out by the pool a couple of times, it would be nice not having to deal with chair hoggers. If not, we may just go and get drinks at the bar and hang out on our own balcony :D

[BillOh]

haha loving this thread. I really wish that the considerate people who post here were the majority of the people who are on the ships! ...

 

I sincerely believe we are, but this is one of those cases the majority get noticed because of their actions.

 

My next cruise will be on Oasis and as things stand now that includes 3 sea days. My wife will probably spent 3-5 ours pool side (beach pool) each day. The first day I will probably spend 2 hours at most beside her and then give up my seat. The last Sea day I may spent a lot more time with her, but I'll be off doing other things, including hopefully a sequel to the legendary MEET THE ALLURE CHAIR HOGS thread. Stay tuned, coming in May '16

Edited August 3, 2015 by BillOh

[John&LaLa]

I sincerely believe we are, but this is one of those cases the majority get noticed because of their actions.

 

My next cruise will be on Oasis and as things stand now that includes 3 sea days. My wife will probably spent 3-5 ours pool side (beach pool) each day. The first day I will probably spend 2 hours at most beside her and then give up my seat. The last Sea day I may spent a lot more time with her, but I'll be off doing other things, including hopefully a sequel to the legendary MEET THE ALLURE CHAIR HOGS thread. Stay tuned, coming in May '16

 

Love the beach pool, we were there every day until around 1:00.

[Tunkhannock]

I've seen it done, well, perhaps not by a cruiser, but I have seen royal remove stuff and have someone occupy the chair. On a couple of occasions another passenger has come back hours later and raised hell. The person on the receiving end was very intimidated and distraught.

 

I would laugh in the chair hog's face. What's he going to do, other than complain and moan?

[paluni]

Just find a likely chair, with a "vibe" of not being used by a chair hogger who is gone for hours, and occupy it. A big clue is when there are two together like that. Put the towel on the ground by the chair. If they come back, just say, with total innocence, "Oh, I didn't know this was being used." You could even sweetly say the towel was just lying on the ground (true, after you put it there). Sweetly hasten to get up. Should be no problem. Then find another chairhog-abandoned chair and repeat. Why accord these people the respect of not using their chairs when they're gone for hours. You're rewarding and enabling their hogginess.

[woodyren]

I will probably get flamed for this but my take on the matter is that people who get up early to get lounges in the pool area or tie up lounges all day by never leaving except for the said "acceptable reasons" for leaving are almost as inconsiderate as the chair hogs. These people obviously know that chairs are difficult to come by.

 

Why not just use them for an hour or 2 at a time and give everyone a chance to have a dip, lie in the sun possibly another swim and then move away until you feel like a swim again.

 

Now that would be considerate and stop the frenzy for the prime seats.

[Tunkhannock]

I will probably get flamed for this but my take on the matter is that people who get up early to get lounges in the pool area or tie up lounges all day by never leaving except for the said "acceptable reasons" for leaving are almost as inconsiderate as the chair hogs.

 

I won't flame you, but I do disagree. If somebody is "actively" using the chair, I have zero problem if they want to sit in it the entire day.

 

There's a big difference between somebody using the chair for a long period of time and somebody "reserving" a chair for their exclusive use that they (maybe) eventually plan to come back to after a long period of time, letting it sit idle and unused.

[cruiseclues]

As Chair Hog posts go...this one was more interesting than the few I've seen in the past...especially with the photos of the Chair Hog Brigade keeping watch. :):):):)

[Capella Black]

Never had a difficulty finding a seat, but that may be because I'm very forward about asking current loungers how long "reserved seats" have been empty for, and very forward about then asking crew to clear them.

 

On the odd occasion irate people have then come and yelled, I have obliviously answered that the chairs were cleared by staff according to the policy, and they should redirect their anger there (which they never do, because by that point they are realising how excessive they look). To be honest, the initial encounter rarely even happens - I'm only ever there for about an hour, and the "hogs" are normally still away.

[John&LaLa]

I will probably get flamed for this but my take on the matter is that people who get up early to get lounges in the pool area or tie up lounges all day by never leaving except for the said "acceptable reasons" for leaving are almost as inconsiderate as the chair hogs. These people obviously know that chairs are difficult to come by.

 

Why not just use them for an hour or 2 at a time and give everyone a chance to have a dip, lie in the sun possibly another swim and then move away until you feel like a swim again.

 

Now that would be considerate and stop the frenzy for the prime seats.

 

That is the most ridiculous thing I have heard to date. Of course the prime seats are hard to come by so I park my but in one and enjoy the day by the pool. We do leave after 1:00 and always make sure to try and let someone know we are leaving.

 

My advice to you is get there before 9 and enjoy your vacation.

[LMaxwell]

I will probably get flamed for this but my take on the matter is that people who get up early to get lounges in the pool area or tie up lounges all day by never leaving except for the said "acceptable reasons" for leaving are almost as inconsiderate as the chair hogs. These people obviously know that chairs are difficult to come by.

 

Should people drinking give up a seat at a bar? Should people gambling give up a seat in the casino if they are playing?

 

Why do they "obviously know that chairs are difficult to come by"? It would seem to me that if they are USING the chair that the only thing obvious is they are enjoying themselves. Creating an obligation for people to vacate after a certain amount of time of PHYSICALLY OCCUPYING a chair is absurd. Your whole premise is absurd.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

I will probably get flamed for this but my take on the matter is that people who get up early to get lounges in the pool area or tie up lounges all day by never leaving except for the said "acceptable reasons" for leaving are almost as inconsiderate as the chair hogs. These people obviously know that chairs are difficult to come by.

 

Why not just use them for an hour or 2 at a time and give everyone a chance to have a dip, lie in the sun possibly another swim and then move away until you feel like a swim again.

 

Now that would be considerate and stop the frenzy for the prime seats.

 

How do you figure? This post makes me laugh - you can't tell people how many hours they can spend somewhere enjoying themselves.

 

I get up early, eat a light breakfast, do a few laps, and go to the pool and swim/layout and listen to the music. From morning until mid-afternoon. That is how I enjoy most of my sea days. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

Maybe we should make people leave the machines in the casino, too, if they're staying too long.

 

Makes no sense.

[SA Mom]

We just returned from our very first cruise on Navigator. The Pool area was crowded and finding a chair was an issue. One thing that would help is if they would provide some sort of cubby holes for teens. They spend all their time in the pool and just need a place to put their stuff. I told our 14 year olds to share a chair since they didn't sit in it. When we were by the pool, they put their belongings on our chairs.

 

Then there is the grandmother that is guarding 5 chairs that go unoccupied for hours while another more elderly grandmother stands to the side watching her grandchildren. Ugh!

 

I finally said to the guard, "This lady is standing here and needs a chair, you have five. Would it be alright if she just sits until your family returns?" She agreed. Sure enough, no one returned to those seats before the older woman left for her cabin.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

We just returned from our very first cruise on Navigator. The Pool area was crowded and finding a chair was an issue. One thing that would help is if they would provide some sort of cubby holes for teens. They spend all their time in the pool and just need a place to put their stuff. I told our 14 year olds to share a chair since they didn't sit in it. When we were by the pool, they put their belongings on our chairs.

 

Then there is the grandmother that is guarding 5 chairs that go unoccupied for hours while another more elderly grandmother stands to the side watching her grandchildren. Ugh!

 

I finally said to the guard, "This lady is standing here and needs a chair, you have five. Would it be alright if she just sits until your family returns?" She agreed. Sure enough, no one returned to those seats before the older woman left for her cabin.

 

That was nice of you. I really don't know how you fix rudeness, it's a problem.

 

I don't feel the way to go is Ruling everyone to death, either.

 

Cubby holes are a good idea, I think...

[woodyren]

Yeah OK. Fair enough and certainly not a very well thought out post. As one who doesn't spend a lot of time at the pool it is difficult at times on sea days to even find a spot to put your stuff to catch a quick dip.

 

I was drawing thought from a situation that happened on Quantum. I wanted to have a quick look at the RCL website in the computer room next to the library. There were only 3 maybe 4 computers there and they were being used at the time. When we arrived there were a number of people waiting in a row of seats and I asked them if they were waiting to use the computers. They said yes. One lady said that she had been waiting for over 40 minutes by then. Those using them were well aware of this but continued to use them for close to a hour at which time I gave up and left.

 

If that was me using the computers at the time even though I had got there early and had a reason to continue to use them I would have been aware of taking up a limited resource and stopped what I was doing in a reasonable time to give others a chance to use them.

 

As I said earlier probably not a similar situation though. No offense meant to the pool lovers. :):):)

[Peeker28]

I love this thread!!

[clawmachine]

We just returned from our very first cruise on Navigator. The Pool area was crowded and finding a chair was an issue. One thing that would help is if they would provide some sort of cubby holes for teens. They spend all their time in the pool and just need a place to put their stuff. I told our 14 year olds to share a chair since they didn't sit in it. When we were by the pool, they put their belongings on our chairs.

 

Then there is the grandmother that is guarding 5 chairs that go unoccupied for hours while another more elderly grandmother stands to the side watching her grandchildren. Ugh!

 

I finally said to the guard, "This lady is standing here and needs a chair, you have five. Would it be alright if she just sits until your family returns?" She agreed. Sure enough, no one returned to those seats before the older woman left for her cabin.

 

as I have read through so many of these "chair hogging" threads, the cubby idea always comes to my mind too! Frankly, I really don't enjoy just "laying out" in the sun, so I honestly don't need a chair. Nor do any members of my family. We would just be in the pool the whole time and then go back to our cabin. What we do need is a 'safe" place to put our stuff where it won't get kicked, stepped on, or soaked. Cubbies would be perfect for us. Royal, we want cubbies!

Edited August 4, 2015 by clawmachine

[insulationbabe]

With the newer policy regarding returning towels I find it hard to remove a towel from a chair without anything else on or below the chair.

 

I began doing it on our last cruise and no one returned. I like the idea of no returning towels but it makes it hard to figure out sometimes if there is an odd towel on a chair with others sitting nearby. If there are a string of chairs available with towels left on them, I simply remove one and sit. It's kind of a catch 22 situation sometimes.

[2time_cruiser]

on our last trip in aug 2013.

we had now problem finding a chair. has in become more difficult situations since then?

 

Sendt fra min GT-I9295 med Tapatalk

[biomedbob]

Probably no more difficult, but makes better press on a slow news day! :)

Edited August 4, 2015 by biomedbob