Combating the Chair Hogs

[Phaedrus78]

So it seems as though the “rule” is an hour. Cool, good to know. 

 

Im not so much worried about being right by the pool. But I have what I like to call a fine alabaster complexion, and it doesn’t take much time for me to pick up a trip-ruining sunburn. I apply high SPF sunscreen liberally, but it’s still best if I can find a shady spot if possible. 

[DCP]

We just always book a balcony room, no fighting for a place in the sun.

[Jasonmom]

Where can I find NCL policy on chair hogs?

[PATRLR]

22 hours ago, newbe dave said:

I think that the chairs should be rented by the hour.  If people want to pay so "their" chair can be unused all morning, let them. 

NCL does this.  It's called Vibe.  

 

 

[newbe dave]

38 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

NCL does this.  It's called Vibe.  

 

 

The Vibe sells out so fast, most people have no chance of getting it.  Sounds like a money making opportunity for NCL. 

 

My point is that people are going to be so rude and unconcerned for others that they will reserve chairs at 6AM so that their group can use them at 11AM, charge them money. Enforcing the rules is either not working or not being done. So find some other way that a large percentage of NCL customers can better enjoy their cruise by using a chair for a little while when they want. 

 

And don't give me the usual rant of "I get up early and plant my butt in a chair for the entire day".  Good for you. You are following the rules and this discussion of Chair Hogs is not about you.

 

Every cruise I have been on has had at least half of the chairs in the main areas sitting idle at 7AM with towels or some knickknack. And they remain idle for well over an hour. This thread's ranting (myself included) has happened here for over a decade. If it is such a problem, cruise lines should try to fix it and charging money is one way to deal with it. 

Edited January 13, 2019 by newbe dave
making it more clear

[GUEST71919]

At this point I assume that I am the most beloved cruiser in the world, or should be, since in all the cruises that I have ever taken I have *never* used a single lounge chair on a cruise ship! 😬

 

Lynn

[Barb Nahoumi]

I was going to suggest a sign stating, "BE RIGHT BACK."  but the personal alarm is better.

 

 

 

[vpearlkc]

1 hour ago, 2Beeze said:

At this point I assume that I am the most beloved cruiser in the world, or should be, since in all the cruises that I have ever taken I have *never* used a single lounge chair on a cruise ship! 😬

 

Lynn

I can't top this but on our last two cruises we have not used public lounge chairs, only the ones on our balconies. Great to sit out there with our free sparkling wine or unopened beers snagged from a bar and some snacks.

 

I am a barstool hog though and have left a coaster or napkin on top of my beer while using the restroom.

[Vyhanek]

I don't know what some of you are talking about......"You can find a chair but it will e away from the pool".     This is completely false.  You aren't cruising on any sort of peak season or you wouldn't say this.   It's just completely incorrect.   I've been on plenty of NCL cruises where there wasn't a lounger available.   Not not he pool deck, not on the upper deck, not around the sports courts.   If there is one, it will be 100 yards away from eh next available lounger.   

[erdoran]

9 minutes ago, Vyhanek said:

I don't know what some of you are talking about......"You can find a chair but it will e away from the pool".     This is completely false.  You aren't cruising on any sort of peak season or you wouldn't say this.   It's just completely incorrect.   I've been on plenty of NCL cruises where there wasn't a lounger available.   Not not he pool deck, not on the upper deck, not around the sports courts.   If there is one, it will be 100 yards away from eh next available lounger.   

One of the very many reasons DH will only sail haven is precisely this!  We’ve come out to the pool/sun deck after breakfast and there wasn’t a single chair anywhere at all.  We ended up on the upper sundeck toward the front and I don’t think there was even anything there - this was on Carnival several years ago.  Can’t comment on NCL, I think I did a single non-haven cruise, discovered Haven and never looked back.

[cathi007]

10 minutes ago, Vyhanek said:

I don't know what some of you are talking about......"You can find a chair but it will e away from the pool".     This is completely false.  You aren't cruising on any sort of peak season or you wouldn't say this.   It's just completely incorrect.   I've been on plenty of NCL cruises where there wasn't a lounger available.   Not not he pool deck, not on the upper deck, not around the sports courts.   If there is one, it will be 100 yards away from eh next available lounger.   

Well I will be sailing on a full Escape in 7 days, so I hope you are wrong. Other cruises I have sailed on I have never had a problem finding a lounger somewhere on a sun deck (not by the pool). Hopefully It'll be the same this time around. I will report back 🙂

[Two Wheels Only]

5 hours ago, Jasonmom said:

Where can I find NCL policy on chair hogs?

 

The dailies state that items left unattended will be taken (by the staff) to Guest Services after 1 hour. If a person goes for a 20 minute swim followed by a 20 minute trip to the bar, that person has NOT violated NCL policy and is NOT a "chair hog".

 

If a person puts items on a chair and leaves for more than an hour, THAT person is a "chair hog" and NCL staff is permitted to remove the items so that the chair can be used. Guests are not permitted to move items in either of the 2 above scenarios.

 

If a person sits in a chair and reads a book for 6 hours, that person is NOT a "chair hog". People will complain that the reader can go anywhere (including the stateroom) to read and that the reader is "hogging" the chair but the reader is doing nothing wrong.

[erdoran]

So how would folks recommend dealing with the “chair police” who grab your chair if you leave it for less than an hour, whose rationale is “you left your chair!  No saving chairs!”

 

And...how does this fit with people who hold chairs for others, who are on their way and will arrive in less than an hour?  

 

The person who sits in their chair 6 am - 6 pm is “hogging” in a sense but if they want to sit there all day they have as much right as the next guy.  Is that any better or worse than the person who throws a towel on a chair at 7 am and comes out at 7:59 to sit in the chair all morning?

[Two Wheels Only]

15 minutes ago, erdoran said:

So how would folks recommend dealing with the “chair police” who grab your chair if you leave it for less than an hour, whose rationale is “you left your chair!  No saving chairs!”

 

Probably in the way that it was handled here...

 

On 1/10/2019 at 8:04 AM, thistimeplease said:

 

I agree with you.  Last cruise dh and I got our chairs by the pool about 8 am next to a couple with a baby.  The mom went to change the baby and the dad went to get coffee.  They were gone about 10 minutes when people came over and started to remove all their items. My dh explained that they just left and the people didn't want to hear it, needless to say there was a confrontation when the mom and baby came back.  Attendants came and made the new people give the chairs back to mom, dad and baby.  

 

...which was to get the staff involved. The mom and baby did not violate any policy. The people who started to move items were wrong and did not get those chairs. 

 

 

[Two Wheels Only]

20 minutes ago, erdoran said:

And...how does this fit with people who hold chairs for others, who are on their way and will arrive in less than an hour?  

 

If "less than an hour", there shouldn't be a problem. 

 

22 minutes ago, erdoran said:

The person who sits in their chair 6 am - 6 pm is “hogging” in a sense but if they want to sit there all day they have as much right as the next guy.  Is that any better or worse than the person who throws a towel on a chair at 7 am and comes out at 7:59 to sit in the chair all morning?

 

Deciding "better or worse" is a matter of opinion. What matters is whether the person is within NCL's policy or not. 

[NLH Arizona]

41 minutes ago, erdoran said:

So how would folks recommend dealing with the “chair police” who grab your chair if you leave it for less than an hour, whose rationale is “you left your chair!  No saving chairs!”

 

 

I just let the folks around me know that I'm going to the restroom, etc. and could the please watch my lounger and I've never had an issue.

[OceanBlueWaters]

Chair Hogs are obnoxious and they will never go away.  Just like the same rude people who make us bleed at the buffet!

I have no desire to retain a chair near the pool, but I would like to see some reinforcement of "Policy/Rules".

On Deck 16 on the Escape, the Wave Pool had signs posted FOR ADULTS ONLY.  The deck plans (for what I could see) does not mention "Adults Only". There were kids everywhere...

However, the fine print by NCL states: "Yes. Some ships have pools that are adult-only. This means that all children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. All regular pool rules also apply."

So that is why there was an incredible amount of tweens in "Adult Only" Pool!  LOL!

I do not want to derail...just FYI

:)

 

 

[erdoran]

I agree 100% about rude chair hogs, but I have to say that the rudest people I have ever met on cruises are the self-appointed chair police!  I’ve found them to be nasty, confrontational, belligerent, and as disrespectful of cruise line rules as chair hogs.  The story about the family from twowheelsonly is one example, my experience about being kicked out of my chair when I went for a 10-min swim is another, and I’m sure others have stories too.  And it’s no fun to enjoy sitting in a lounger on a sundeck and be afraid to get up for more than a very quick bathroom run!

[cathi007]

It's funny the only time I have witnessed the "Chair Hog" problem was when my family and I went to a beach resort in South Florida. We sat on our balcony one morning and watched people wait for the gate to the pool be opened, then the people who were waiting scrambled to put their items on as many chairs as they could grab, and most left. I was astounded and disgusted!!! Some people are so selfish it makes me cringe

[DKane]

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 5:34 AM, momofmab said:

 

Agreed.  It's unlikely to get any better, short of the cruise lines charging for a dedicated chair (which I'm sure will come soon).  Your choices are:  1. get up early enough to find the number of chairs you want, in the location you want; 2. be flexible about where the chairs are and be happy sharing one or two chairs, if that's all you can find; 3. move someone else's stuff and have a confrontation.

 

I noticed on my last cruise that the times that people got up to claim chairs got earlier and earlier as the cruise went on.  People clearly realized that coming on deck at 9am and trying to find 6 chairs together (or even 4) wasn't going to happen.  By the last sea day, the chair hogs were up there in the pitch black!

I'd like to add a #4, if you see chairs that have been unoccupied for quite a while, just tell a deck hand and they will remove whatever was put on the chair(s) to hold them.  They will do this, you just have to ask.  I see it all the time.  Some mornings, I take a walk around deck and see towels holding many chairs.  After coming from breakfast, the same chairs are still unoccupied but still held.

[GUEST71919]

5 hours ago, vpearlkc said:

I can't top this but on our last two cruises we have not used public lounge chairs, only the ones on our balconies. Great to sit out there with our free sparkling wine or unopened beers snagged from a bar and some snacks.

 

I am a barstool hog though and have left a coaster or napkin on top of my beer while using the restroom.

I have also not used a single bar stool! At least you don’t have to worry about me either way 😋

[Relax@Sea]

1 hour ago, 2Beeze said:

I have also not used a single bar stool! At least you don’t have to worry about me either way 😋

Well at least on a bar stool if you need more places to sit just turn it upside down and the is room for 4 to sit

[Phaedrus78]

4 hours ago, erdoran said:

The person who sits in their chair 6 am - 6 pm is “hogging” in a sense but if they want to sit there all day they have as much right as the next guy.  Is that any better or worse than the person who throws a towel on a chair at 7 am and comes out at 7:59 to sit in the chair all morning?

 

I don’t understand this comparison. If you’re actually using it, you should absolutely feel free to use it as long as you like. If you’re off doing other things then you’re not using it, you don’t have any right to deny someone else from it. And no, I’m not saying you can’t go do other stuff for a bit, but I think it’s the whole concept of reserving something well before you intend to use it that rubs me the wrong way. 

 

By by the way, I feel like the same thing applies to shows. If you show up right when the doors open, then yeah, you get the best seats. If you send one person to reserve the seats for the rest of your group, that’s rude in my opinion. 

[dcruiser50]

The cruise lines should just set a layout for lounger and charge for them like theater seats the closer to the pool the higher the cost. You could even reserve on line. Might stop all this bickering

[clean1owner]

On 1/10/2019 at 12:48 AM, Two Wheels Only said:

It depends on how someone defines "chair hog". 

 

Yes, there is a policy but most people (with or without chair) don't know or care what it is. 

 

This thread will probably turn into "...get your own chair before others get theirs..." vs. "...just move their things and take the chair after a few minutes...".

 

 

That can be applied to both of the above quotes. 

 

This is how I define Chair Hog