The issue with subeds on Britannia.

[tankmc]

Hi all. I am booked on Britannia in March and seen loads about people hogging sun beds. I am really concerned about this and don't perticually fancy getting up at 6am to fight over a sunbed.

 

What is P&Os policy on this? Can I remove a pool towel that is left on a sunbed unoccupied? I don't perticually want to be paying to the retreat everyday because one person has saved two dinners for themselves after paying already for my holiday.

 

It is very converting and the more and more I read and watch online the less exited I am about this trip.

[Millers]

We have come across this many times, people who save two lots of sun beds, in the shade and round the pool.

[tankmc]

We have come across this many times, people who save two lots of sun beds, in the shade and round the pool.

 

What can you do about it? Can't the staff remove them? If someone just left a towel, which is P&Os property, can't a passenger just remove it?

[the english lady]

What can you do about it? Can't the staff remove them? If someone just left a towel, which is P&Os property, can't a passenger just remove it?

 

This is not just Britannia its across all cruise lines.

If a bed has been empty for a while , say 1/2 to 3/4 hour, you could remove, and sit there, and face the ire of the selfish people when they return.

On most ships it seems to happen around the pool. If you don't have to sit around the pool I am sure you could find beds elsewhere.

I don't think the staff on P and O remove them, but notes are put in horizon saying not to reserve beds.

[PORT ROYAL]

Hi all. I am booked on Britannia in March and seen loads about people hogging sun beds. I am really concerned about this and don't perticually fancy getting up at 6am to fight over a sunbed.

 

What is P&Os policy on this? Can I remove a pool towel that is left on a sunbed unoccupied? I don't perticually want to be paying to the retreat everyday because one person has saved two dinners for themselves after paying already for my holiday.

 

It is very converting and the more and more I read and watch online the less exited I am about this trip.

 

Friends told us the Hogs start at 06.00 by the pool and even in the "Quiet Zone". Book the "Retreat"

 

Then fun in the Theatre. Do the Mathematics, 3000 pax and the Theatre holds 600, half of which has a poor view.

Edited January 23, 2016 by PORT ROYAL

[kruzgal]

We were on the Xmas/New Year Britannia cruise. We went to the theatre most evenings, typically the later performance, and never had an issue getting seats. We got there early to start with, having read on the forums there might be an issue, but found it wasn't necessary as there were plenty of spare seats and all had a perfectly fine view.

 

The sunbeds were a different matter and I do think they need some pool butlers, as I have seen on other cruise lines, to clear towels away if beds are unoccupied for a specified length of time.

Edited January 24, 2016 by kruzgal

[jaceyar]

Always got a Theatre seat. Go in on Deck 6. Everyone sits in the aisle seats and leaves gaps - just get past them and hear them tut!

[bee-ess]

 

The sunbeds were a different matter and I do think they need some pool butlers, as I have seen on other cruise lines, to clear towels away if beds are unoccupied for a specified length of time.

 

Yes, I'd agree with that, but I think it has to managed by the staff not the passengers. I think if you remove towels yourself you are going to get confrontation and that's the last thing you want on holiday.

[jeanlyon]

I removed books and towels from two sunbeds on Azura. The passengers had not been there for 1.5 hours. We put the items on a table. We then sunbathed for half an hour. They then returned and swore black was white they had been gone for 20 minutes. We ignored them and luckily two other passengers told them they had been gone for 2 hours. So we stayed where we were. I would do it again too. Don't seem to have the problem on Oriana or I haven't yet.

[Scriv]

Always got a Theatre seat. Go in on Deck 6. Everyone sits in the aisle seats and leaves gaps - just get past them and hear them tut!

 

Yes, anybody sitting in the aisle seats has to expect to and be prepared to stand up and let others through.

 

We have never found this a problem and people have always been very pleasant but we did have a Mr and Mrs Misery on the last cruise. It just meant we really enjoyed disturbing them. ;)

[tankmc]

Our last cruise was Disney and they are incredibly strict on sunbed saving and seat saving in the theatre. They will tell u to not leaves gaps and find you a seat if you can't find one.

[sapphire4]

We had two holidays last year on the Britannia and although we had a balcony cabin we very often went up on deck for a sunbathe. The main family pool was always busy, however the adult pool at the back of the ship was a lot quieter with sunbeds free and there are various hot tubs up and down. We found lots of other areas that were free it just depends what you want? We were quite prepared to pay for the retreat but quite honestly didn't feel the need. We preferred to be away from the noisy crowded family pool and holidayed outside school holidays in April and September. There were frequent reminders in the daily magazine not to hog the sunbeds. I would just go with the flow and enjoy. Its a beautiful ship and the deck areas are well set out with lots of nooks and crannies to find.

[kruzgal]

Yes, I'd agree with that, but I think it has to managed by the staff not the passengers. I think if you remove towels yourself you are going to get confrontation and that's the last thing you want on holiday.

 

I agree entirely. I would not remove towels and possessions myself as, like you, the last thing I want on holiday is a confontation. There are cruise lines who employ pool butlers (they even wear t shirts with the words 'pool butler' on them in large print so everyone knows what they are doing) to do this and there are messages in the daily news sheets to say they will remove things from beds if left unattended for a given length of time and also where to collect your belongings from if they have been removed.

[dsrdsrdsr]

You can always remove the towels and claim there were none there when you arrived. Besides, if it's only towels, then you can dump them in the laundry.

[jeanlyon]

Hee hee, very true, hadn't thought of that. I don't do confrontation, I just remove the items and relax :-)

[groovechick]

Unfortunately the sunbed hogging on Britannia is not confined to the main pool area - we tried several other areas, including the adult only area around the Serenity pool and I would say upwards of 75% of sunbeds were reserved by people who did not turn up for, quite literally, hours. Another problem was people adjusting the position of sunbeds to follow the sun and/or the toast the bits that hadn't already been toasted, which resulted in access routes being blocked and them taking up much more deck space than if the beds had remained in their rows. Was witness to a very unpleasant altercation about that. All P&O does is put notices in Horizon and the odd sign about not reserving sunbeds, which they then fail to police and everyone ignores.

 

We went to more shows on this cruise than we ever have before and sat in all different parts of the theatre and found the view to be universally excellent. The seats are very uncomfortable though. We never had a problem getting seats even if we turned up 5-10 minutes before the show started and P&O did have people showing people to seats and pointing out where there were spaces. It was only a problem when people refused to be guided and insisted on trying to find seats in prime positions where there were none.

[tankmc]

Unfortunately the sunbed hogging on Britannia is not confined to the main pool area - we tried several other areas, including the adult only area around the Serenity pool and I would say upwards of 75% of sunbeds were reserved by people who did not turn up for, quite literally, hours. Another problem was people adjusting the position of sunbeds to follow the sun and/or the toast the bits that hadn't already been toasted, which resulted in access routes being blocked and them taking up much more deck space than if the beds had remained in their rows. Was witness to a very unpleasant altercation about that. All P&O does is put notices in Horizon and the odd sign about not reserving sunbeds, which they then fail to police and everyone ignores.

 

We went to more shows on this cruise than we ever have before and sat in all different parts of the theatre and found the view to be universally excellent. The seats are very uncomfortable though. We never had a problem getting seats even if we turned up 5-10 minutes before the show started and P&O did have people showing people to seats and pointing out where there were spaces. It was only a problem when people refused to be guided and insisted on trying to find seats in prime positions where there were none.

 

Well this is promising I must admit reading all the reviews and complains over the weekend had me thinking "why did i book this". You made me feel a little more exited about the holiday now! lol.

[groovechick]

Well this is promising I must admit reading all the reviews and complains over the weekend had me thinking "why did i book this". You made me feel a little more exited about the holiday now! lol.

 

tankmc, as has been said before, go with an open mind and you will have a fantastic time. It's your holiday and it's what you make of it. It would be silly to pretend that there isn't a problem with sunbed hogging, but as we did not mind where we went, we always managed to find a sunbed somewhere. With regard to the altercation I witnessed - it was just handbags at dawn, but one of the parties was being more than a little unreasonable.

 

I personally found the theatre seats uncomfortable and I'm not particularly large/don't have mobility/back problems, etc. Just a personal observation. We had a fantastic holiday and met some lovely people, were well cared for by our steward, enjoyed mainly very good entertainment, delicious food and of course simply stunning destinations. I had the same doubts after reading reviews about Azura 2 years ago, we went on her and had a brilliant holiday.

Have a wonderful time.

[twopoint]

Hogging of beds is easily solved. If unattended for more than 15 mins then they are fair game. I never hesitate to take a bed if they are clearly being reserved. Pussyfooting around the offenders is what keeps this practice going.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[Clodia]

The sunbed hogs seem to frequent the bigger ships: I've experienced it on Azura and Ventura but not on Oceana, Oriana or Aurora.

A group of us complained to Reception on Azura about a particular herd of hogs who got the same beds EVERY day and left them until the afternoon. For one day only, the staff policed the hoggers and towels etc were removed with a note left to tell them where they could reclaim the sunbathing books or sunglasses!

The next day, back to normal. When I asked why I was told that staff had been "in tears" after being confronted by the Hogs and had said they wouldn't do it any more. Talk about letting the bullies win!

I have sometimes taken off towels and books, but agree with others who say that you're on holiday. I don't want threats and swearing on holiday!

[bee-ess]

Hogging of beds is easily solved. If unattended for more than 15 mins then they are fair game. I never hesitate to take a bed if they are clearly being reserved. Pussyfooting around the offenders is what keeps this practice going.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

I agree - but 15 mins is a bit too short time I think.

[Henderson1]

Leave a copy of the Horizon paper with big circle round 'no reserving of sunbeds' they won't know who's left it!

[insanemagnet]

Hogging of beds is easily solved. If unattended for more than 15 mins then they are fair game. I never hesitate to take a bed if they are clearly being reserved. Pussyfooting around the offenders is what keeps this practice going.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

A couple of years back on Ventura I saw a very unpleasant situation where someone thought their reserved bed had been taken, and literally tipped the woman onto the floor.

 

I saw the situation from two floors above, but all those around the woman just ignored the thug.

 

On the same cruise, P&O had decided to get the staff to place cards on beds not occupied for 30 mins, and then if no return soon after would take any belongings into safe keeping, freeing up the beds.

 

I had been sat in the same spot for 90 minutes or so, and had watched two empty beds have cards put on them and then have the belongings removed after being empty for over an hour. When the couple who's belongings had been removed, due to the raised voices you could hear them claiming they had only been away 5 minutes. It was very unpleasant for the member of staff, with the couple threatening to get them into all sorts of trouble.

[twopoint]

Two great examples of inconsiderate behaviour that we holiday makers have let happen by not challenging those responsible.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[AnnieC]

I agree - but 15 mins is a bit too short time I think.

 

Why? It's enough time to pop to the loo. Are you one of those who think they can reserve a bed while they plod off for a leisurely lunch? In my book, bums reserve seats.