How late is too late to realistically grab a deck chair on the Serenity deck on a sold-out ship?

[gardn198]

How early do people start getting out and getting their seats on sea days? I'm on the Horizon. Last time I sailed (2019) there were NO open seats ANWHERE on the ship on sea days.

[mz-s]

Some people set out towels at like 7AM...

 

Just move the towels that have obviously been set there just to save a seat...it's not rocket science.

[staceyglow]

The official limit to be away from your chair is 40 minutes.  If you see one unoccupied for longer than that, don't be shy about folding up the towels and placing them and anything else in the chair/clam off to the side.

 

People have done that to me.  I deserved it (I tried to claim a clamshell and sneak off to breakfast), and I just took my things when I got back and went somewhere else.  If someone tries to make an issue of it,  just say that the chair was empty when you got there, and you have no idea how their stuff got moved.

Edited February 15, 2023 by staceyglow

[Elaine5715]

If you "return" lost items to the towel desk for safe keeping, move your new deck chair abit.  The chair hogs will be very confused as to which chair was "theirs".  

[Guest BasicSailor]

33 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

If you "return" lost items to the towel desk for safe keeping, move your new deck chair abit.  The chair hogs will be very confused as to which chair was "theirs".  

I actually did just that once. This ole fellow with a goat T came by and said, (I've got by Eye on you)! 

I explained to him.  Dude I'm heterosexual.🤣

[Mic101680]

It's going to depend a lot on that ship, what kind of crowd you have on board, etc.  There are usually plenty of spots at 8am, but closer to 9 when people start waking up and wandering about for coffee and breakfast after late nights, it could be tougher to get an ideal spot. People do come and go throughout the day, and like others have said, you can always keep an eye on a 'saved' spot that's been left unoccupied too long.

[Joebucks]

If you're up early enough, you will be fine.

[Trueblueky]

You can have mine at Serenity. The balcony chairs are always free.

[jsglow]

I'd say you are totally fine up until mid-morning. I'm often amused by those folks that saunter in at noon thinking that they should get the pick of their favorite lounger.

 

As to the chair hogging problem, most folks in the area will 'protect' a truly occupied seat, if asked, where a person using that chair heads off for lunch for 30 minutes.   True 'hogs' are the folks that think they can have someone from the cabin go up at 7a, put out a towel and flip flops, and go back to bed until 11a. Nobody is 'protecting' that.  As things fill in late morning, they'll find their stuff moved, either by other guests or by staff. I like the innocent 'I have no idea, musta been the crew' response. Zero guilt. 

[ninjacat123]

DH and I were on Magic Jan 14, 2023 and I'm pretty sure it was sold out.  The last couple days, Serenity was packed by 8am.  DH was able to grab the last two chairs and then came back to our Spa Interior (right below Serenity) to get me.  I noticed around 1pm that some chairs opened up.

[jsglow]

3 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

DH and I were on Magic Jan 14, 2023 and I'm pretty sure it was sold out.  The last couple days, Serenity was packed by 8am.  DH was able to grab the last two chairs and then came back to our Spa Interior (right below Serenity) to get me.  I noticed around 1pm that some chairs opened up.

Wow, that's super early in my experience.  Sometimes at that time one can still get a clam/bed if one desires. 

 

And you are right about chairs opening back up. The afternoon sun can be a bit too much.  Often my wife and I might relinquish our spot and head off to do something else in the heat of the day knowing that we'll certainly be able to grab a couple loungers again at 3 or 4p for an hour or so before getting ready for dinner..

[ninjacat123]

1 minute ago, jsglow said:

Wow, that's super early in my experience.  Sometimes at that time one can still get a clam/bed if one desires. 

 

And you are right about chairs opening back up. The afternoon sun can be a bit too much.  Often my wife and I might relinquish our spot and head off to do something else in the heat of the day knowing that we'll certainly be able to grab a couple loungers again at 3 or 4p for an hour or so before getting ready for dinner..

I think it was because of a couple factors.  Our cruise started out of PC with a crisp 50 degree weather and hardly anyone was sunning, so people were probably making up for "lost tanning time".  Magic's Serenity is not the biggest Serenity so space is limited.  Magic's Serenity bar opens at 10am on a sea day, which we had two sea days at the end of the cruise and I Katoo (sp?), our excellent bar waiter was the best!

My favorite place on Magic😎

[highcorral25]

I just got off the Paradise.  On the last sea day I went to Serenity at 6:20am and there was exactly one lounger left (under the umbrellas).  The last row, the one by the railing, has a total of 4 umbrellas and this row was full (except for the one I got).  The next two rows, without umbrellas, were unoccupied for a few hours.

[ninjacat123]

1 minute ago, highcorral25 said:

I just got off the Paradise.  On the last sea day I went to Serenity at 6:20am and there was exactly one lounger left (under the umbrellas).  The last row, the one by the railing, has a total of 4 umbrellas and this row was full (except for the one I got).  The next two rows, without umbrellas, were unoccupied for a few hours.

WOW!!

[TeresaJ]

We were on Horizon in January on a full ship and you had to be up early 7-8am. The first sea day, no problem getting chairs around 8:30. After that, it all changed. People were saving chairs early. On the last sea day, I was out at 7:30 and most were already taken.

[jsglow]

5 hours ago, TeresaJ said:

We were on Horizon in January on a full ship and you had to be up early 7-8am. The first sea day, no problem getting chairs around 8:30. After that, it all changed. People were saving chairs early. On the last sea day, I was out at 7:30 and most were already taken.

By unoccupied towels/flip flops?  No problem.

[evandbob]

We've been on 60+ cruises, plus have done numerous 1 and 2 week Caribbean land vacations, so we sometimes stay on board the ship during some port stops.

 

We've gone to Serenity about 10am and had our choice of lounges as well as lightly occupied hot tubs.  Very relaxing and we avoid the crush of guests seeking those last unoccupied loungers. We leave when those ashore return to the ship and bring their noise and high energy to Serenity.

 

Why go at hectic sea days (we can enjoy our balcony then), when we can really find "serenity" on a port day?  This is certainly a "privilege" for being a very frequent traveler.

[SRQbeachgirl]

On the Mardi Gras last July I got to Serenity about 9am on our first sea day and there wasn't a single lounge chair left--and I'm not talking towels and a single flip flop in empty chairs, I mean actual butts in seats.

 

Fortunately, I found a great spot somewhere else near a bar with comfy chairs, shade, breeze, and a great view. And I'm not sharing the location! 😁 

[ninjacat123]

2 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

On the Mardi Gras last July I got to Serenity about 9am on our first sea day and there wasn't a single lounge chair left--and I'm not talking towels and a single flip flop in empty chairs, I mean actual butts in seats.

 

Fortunately, I found a great spot somewhere else near a bar with comfy chairs, shade, breeze, and a great view. And I'm not sharing the location! 😁 

Captain Stubing's private balcony?🤣

[SRQbeachgirl]

4 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

Captain Stubing's private balcony?🤣

 

I'll never tell! 😆 🤐

[Top_of_the_Cube]

It is all timing.  Wife and I will wander up to the Serenity area at any point of the morning or afternoon (sea and port days) to read and just relax.  We usually (but not always) find open seats.  And, after setting up camp, at some point folks often vacate more desirable real estate to which we will move.