IS THERE ANY CRUISE LINE WITH NO CHAIR HOGS ?

[morpheusofthesea]

I would like to find a cruise line that does not tolerate selfish behavior. I think they no longer exist. Years ago Home Lines, Atlantic and Homeric, had a great deck chair monitored and attended policy. It did exist, but now a days ?

Edited March 11, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I would like to find a cruise line that does not tolerate selfish behavior. I think they no longer exist. Years ago Home Lines, Atlantic and Homeric, had a great deck chair monitored and attended policy. It did exist, but now a days ?

Unfortunately, cruise lines do not require references before booking passengers - so there is always the chance of running into schlubs and yabos.

 

However, the better lines generally have more common areas and facilities available per passenger - meaning that there is less crowding.  In my experience, NCL is the worst in that they seem to have very limited common areas, so they can sell “elbow room” (and the likelihood of getting deck chairs) to those willing to pay more.  Of course, it is obvious that the only way they can make that extra space available is by taking it away from their regular passengers.

[Hlitner]

The short answer is no, but the luxury lines generally have enough chairs to handle most days.  And some of the mass market lines have places (called the Sanctuary, Retreat, etc) where some passengers pay extra money for a reserved chair/cabana.  I should also mention the "ship within a ship" areas on several lines such as MSC (the Yacht Club), NCL (Haven Suites), QM2 (grill Suites), etc. where those willing to pay for the more expensive accommodations have dedicated deck areas with plenty of loungers/chairs.

 

Hank

[morpheusofthesea]

What just prompted my inquiry was Doug P of Cruise Radio's post of his photo on board the NCL Norwegian Getaway of the Haven chair hogs today. Reports of Retreat guests also finding accommodations due to Retreat and YC venues being filled to capacity by move-ups and sometimes free upgrades to these venues. Just thought that the 'more' premium lines had a 'more' considerate clientele?

[Pyrate13]

Just because some people may pay more it doesn't necessarily make them more considerate. Just saying. Jerks are jerks no matter how much money they may have.

[Hlitner]

21 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

What just prompted my inquiry was Doug P of Cruise Radio's post of his photo on board the NCL Norwegian Getaway of the Haven chair hogs today. Reports of Retreat guests also finding accommodations due to Retreat and YC venues being filled to capacity by move-ups and sometimes free upgrades to these venues. Just thought that the 'more' premium lines had a 'more' considerate clientele?

We have taken 3 MSC cruises (49 days) in the YC and never had a situation where there were not plenty of empty chairs on the YC's sundeck.  On all of our cruises the YC was at 100% capacity.  I imagine there can be some crowded moments but it has never happened to us.  It is true that on cruise lines that sell special reserved space (like the Sanctuary on most Princess ships) these areas sell-out!  In fact on most Princess cruises one has to use a good strategy if they want to book the Sanctuary for the entire cruise (it quickly sells out within hours on that first day).  By the way, the Retreat on some Seabourn ships sells for $250 per person/day (sea days) which is an interesting factoid.  I think Princess sells their Sanctuary for about $40 per person/day.   As to MSC's Yacht Club you might consider that while many folks on the ship are paying as little as $100 per passenger day those in the YC are paying $350+ per passenger day.  Like many things in life you sometimes get what you pay for.

 

I agree that the luxury/premium lines do seem to have a different clientele but not sure "considerate" is the proper word.  What happens on the upscale luxury lines is folks pay more money (sometimes a LOT more money) to be on a ship with an amazing "space ratio" and where nothing is crowded.  Consider that some upscale ships have a space ratio in the 70-80 tons per passenger while mass market ships are generally less than 40 tons per passenger.  Luxury lines also attract and fewer children.  Many seniors do not like sitting outdoors (especially in the sun) so this is also helpful (and before anyone flames me....I am a senior who does like to sit in the sun).  I should mention that COVID has resulted in some interesting cruising.  On our last Seabourn cruise (October) we 133 passengers (the ship had 450 person capacity) and 360 crew!  Needless to say that service (always great) was simply fantastic and one never had to fight to get a seat....anywhere!

 

So what to do if you are on a crowded mass market ship in hot weather?  Get yourself out of bed early and go find your deck loungers and then sit!  It is no different in most all-inclusive resorts.  If you want a chair in a prime location you need to get up early!  That is just the way it works.  I do not think of those early risers as "chair hogs" but simply as smart folks.   The "chair hogs" I dislike are folks that simply toss a few things on a lounger and then leave.  But that is up to the cruise line to deal with that kind of thing (many do not).

 

Hank

[Flatbush Flyer]

Every cruise line has its butt heads. But, it is correct that premium/luxury lines tend to have far better space ratios. One of the things I like about Oceania is that the pool crew will remove stuff that has been sitting on vacated chairs for periods usually exceeding a half hour -particularly when pointed out by someone looking for a chair. 
 

Though due primarily to reduced capacity this past January, here’s what O’s Riviera looked like on a nice day in the Caribbean.

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Flatbush Flyer

[morpheusofthesea]

35 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Like many things in life you sometimes get what you pay for.

Yes, indeed,  You, sir are a wealth of information. I read many of your posts some years ago and because of your high praise of MSC YC we booked. Has become a favorite of ours in YC.Just thought we would 'branch out' so as not to become complacent. Back in 90's went on a Princess Caribbean cruise and could never find a 'unsaved' deck chair, so never booked again. Spending now too much money on suites with large balconies but shade/sun is 50/50 and still need suite deck which for others has been a chore finding a lounge on a sea day. Thanks, we like the added charge for a reserved lounge on deck. Did not know of this before. Will have our TA always check before booking new cruise lines. MSC includes the lounge only for their top suites and only on a couple (?) of their ships. Thank you.

Edited March 11, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[George C]

We totally loved MSC yacht club, everything about it was great , loads of nice lounge chairs by pool , celebrity edge class also has private area for suites with pool both have a restaurant outside but MSc has the better outside restaurant one day chef cooked pasta with clam sauce there. But celebrity has better restaurant for suites.

[Mike981]

1 hour ago, Pyrate13 said:

Just because some people may pay more it doesn't necessarily make them more considerate. Just saying. Jerks are jerks no matter how much money they may have.

 

Sing it Pyrate! I will say some of the biggest jerks I have met are/were rich. The worst are people who were not rich and decent people, but then came into money and felt the need to change.

[morpheusofthesea]

Au contraire mon amie...... "Money makes you more of what you already are.".. (Google this saying).

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

Wouldn't one consider the notion that not having lots of money would make one more of a "chair hog" ? For a considerate person would not "chair hog" ( the act of putting ones property on any available chair and walking away for a period of time) no matter how much money they had. More so the considerate cruiser with money has the option to purchase (now?) on certain cruise lines a reserved spot.

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Au contraire mon amie...... "Money makes you more of what you already are.".. (Google this saying).

 

Money allows a person to be more of what s/he already is. It can’t make the choice for us.

[Cruzaholic41]

I’ve never been on a cruise line that didn’t have chair hogs. 
 

I could take a photo on any cruise line of empty chairs either early morning or in port- like the photo above - and try to claim my favorite line is soooo good at clearing chairs, but it would be a lie (like above). It’s hit or miss whether it’s enforced, and that is true for all lines. 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Cruzaholic41

[morpheusofthesea]

21 minutes ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

I’ve never been on a cruise line that didn’t have chair hogs

Is this true of Regent, Seabourn, Cunard, Silverseas, Viking, Oceania, and Holland America ?

[Cruzaholic41]

36 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Is this true of Regent, Seabourn, Cunard, Silverseas, Viking, Oceania, and Holland America ?

Yes. I’ve sailed all and it is true of all. 
 

But aside from deck chairs, if you are considering those lines, I highly recommend Viking and Silver. 
 

I cruised the Silver Muse last year and there were always empty chairs. But then again, it was an Alaska cruise so I won’t try to fool you with photos of the empty chairs. 😉
 

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Is this true of Regent, Seabourn, Cunard, Silverseas, Viking, Oceania, and Holland America ?

 

We spent 4 months on a Viking ship and I walked early morning every sea day. I do not recall seeing any pax out claiming chairs, as was a regular occurrence with a similar cruise on Princess. However, I expect chair hogs exist on some Viking cruises.

 

The mitigating factors are they have lots of deck loungers and lots of Deck Attendents clearing off used towels, etc.

[BruceMuzz]

Windstar Ships have more sun loungers than they have beds.

Never a problem.

[Mike981]

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Au contraire mon amie...... "Money makes you more of what you already are.".. (Google this saying).

 

 

Thank you my friend.

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Every cruise line has its butt heads. But, it is correct that premium/luxury lines tend to have far better space ratios. One of the things I like about Oceania is that the pool crew will remove stuff that has been sitting on vacated chairs for periods usually exceeding a half hour -particularly when pointed out by someone looking for a chair. 
 

Though due primarily to reduced capacity this past January, here’s what O’s Riviera looked like on a nice day in the Caribbean.

 

 

Those anti-gravity chairs are amazing!  😃

[Joebucks]

On the internet, everyone is a good person. You should care about others. Do what's right. In the real world, that goes out the window immediately. I paid for my cruise, so I'm going to hold this chair indefinitely.

 

As some others said, if you want to pay for a expensive, exclusive spot, the odds may be better in your favor. Getting to the pool around 8 AM, I can almost have my pick of spots. If you're just looking to sunbathe, there is no shortage of spots.

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Those anti-gravity chairs are amazing!  😃

Couldn’t get it to upload right side up.

[navybankerteacher]

8 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Au contraire mon amie...... "Money makes you more of what you already are.".. (Google this saying).

 

Edited March 12, 2022 by navybankerteacher

[slidergirl]

That is why I will spring for the least expensive balcony room/suite I can get.  I have my outdoor lounging chair right there.  Sure, it doesn't recline (sometimes), but it's my chair and I can sit back and relax with my headphones on without the cacophony of the pool area.

[evandbob]

1 hour ago, slidergirl said:

That is why I will spring for the least expensive balcony room/suite I can get.  I have my outdoor lounging chair right there.  Sure, it doesn't recline (sometimes), but it's my chair and I can sit back and relax with my headphones on without the cacophony of the pool area.

We do the same, except with a mid deck, mid ship balcony.  After 50 cruises or more, we find relaxing on our balcony is a pleasant alternative to the outdoor pool deck scene.  Maybe turning another milestone Bday makes us more amenable to less noise and people??

 

On sea days, everything we need is within reach in our cabin, and our balcony neighbors are usually out and about somewhere on the ship. That leaves us with quiet time to read, listen to our music, meditate or trance out on the waves, look for flying fish or dolphins, whatever.

 

Perhaps another attractive space for us would be an enclosed solarium if there's one on the ship or the spa area and its amenities.

Edited March 12, 2022 by evandbob