Beyond - Pool chair rules? Everything full by 7am with no one to be seen. Is there an official policy?

[Jezo]

I am not talking about walking away to go get some food from the buffet, or getting a drink at the bar, or going to the rest room, I understand people will not be sitting in a chair for 12 hours a day and its unreasonable to expect people to never get up and walk away.  I don't want to get into a fight about that, I know people walk away, I walk away too, but always try to be considerate to the overall crowd.  If I am not planning on coming back for 3 hours I will take my stuff with me and let someone else use the space.

I am talking about the people who grab a chair before dawn and then never show up again until after dinner, or put a town down before heading out to port and not coming back until they return from their excursion.  Is there a time limit or policy as to the expectation for how long a chair can be held?  Is anything ever done about it or is it a free for all and people need to camp out the night before if they want to get a spot?

[kwokpot]

23 minutes ago, Jezo said:

I am not talking about walking away to go get some food from the buffet, or getting a drink at the bar, or going to the rest room, I understand people will not be sitting in a chair for 12 hours a day and its unreasonable to expect people to never get up and walk away.  I don't want to get into a fight about that, I know people walk away, I walk away too, but always try to be considerate to the overall crowd.  If I am not planning on coming back for 3 hours I will take my stuff with me and let someone else use the space.

I am talking about the people who grab a chair before dawn and then never show up again until after dinner, or put a town down before heading out to port and not coming back until they return from their excursion.  Is there a time limit or policy as to the expectation for how long a chair can be held?  Is anything ever done about it or is it a free for all and people need to camp out the night before if they want to get a spot?

JUST a towel NEVER holds a chair just for the mere fact that on Celebrity there's no charges for beach towels, so no one needs to account for one at the end of the cruise. What that means is when people are done with their lounger they just walk away, and don't take away their used towels to put in a used towel bin. They expect the pool attendants to do that. 

Furthermore Celebrity usually puts out clean towels on every chair, making it even harder to figure out which is taken. If I don't see a personal item on a lounger, and no one sitting there, and there are no other loungers available, then it's fair game for the taking.

Edited May 15 by kwokpot

[C-Dragons]

Unfortunately this happens on every cruise.

If you notice that certain chairs or loungers have been empty (no guests sitting there) for an hour or more you can let one of the staff know and they will remove the items so others can use them. 

Edited May 15 by C-Dragons

[RK-NC]

This was in Celebrity Today every day on our April cruise on Beyond. We didn't witness the mass chair hoggery that we had heard so much about (did see a very few scurrying about while on our early morning track walks) so wondered if there had maybe been a crackdown. I would take the Celebrity Today to guest services and ask why they are not following through.

[mac_tlc]

On our February Beyond cruise, this is what I saw —- every sea day, in the same area, by 7am. 
 

Chair hoggery was at an all-time high on that voyage.

 

 

mac_tlc

 

 

Edited May 15 by mac_tlc

[behtyas]

16 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

On our February Beyond cruise, this is what I saw —- every sea day, in the same area, by 7am. 
 

Chair hoggery was at an all-time high on that voyage.

 

 

mac_tlc

 

 

 

Unless ship staff put out that "reserved" towel and no one has been there for an hour, that looks to me like a thoughtful setup for you to use, including a free coke zero!

[Charles4515]

57 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Furthermore Celebrity usually puts out clean towels on every chair, making it even harder to figure out which is taken.

I think a lot of people don't realize that the attendants put out clean towels and that is why they are on the chairs early. If there are no personal items on the chairs they are not reserved. 

[Jezo]

30 minutes ago, RK-NC said:

This was in Celebrity Today every day on our April cruise on Beyond. We didn't witness the mass chair hoggery that we had heard so much about (did see a very few scurrying about while on our early morning track walks) so wondered if there had maybe been a crackdown. I would take the Celebrity Today to guest services and ask why they are not following through.

Thanks for posting this, that is just what I wanted to see.  I have no issues at all having folks stuff moved as long as it is outside of the time limit.  I always give people the benefit of the doubt because I would want to be treated the same.  I wont be jumping all over a chair at 30 minutes, that is not what I am about.  When I see folks put their stuff down and leave for hours, well, I take that as an open invitation.  I'll give the items to the staff and when the eventual confrontation happens I will direct them to guest services and let them know they have the items for safe keeping.

 

30 minutes even seems a bit short to me but if I saw something like this

26 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

 

 

for an hour or two I would make it my mission to get the staff involved and use the area for my family.  I know that might sound a bit petty but there is something about that which really gets on my nerves.  

 

Hopefully though this is all a bunch of worrying for nothing, it's not like I can handle the sun that long anyway, I just hate to see people feel entitled and ruin it for everyone else.

 

[RK-NC]

2 minutes ago, Jezo said:

Thanks for posting this, that is just what I wanted to see.

I assume this is also in the Celebrity Today on your current cruise?  It was never in the same place in the CT each day, but was there each day for our 10 days.

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

JUST a towel NEVER holds a chair just for the mere fact that on Celebrity there's no charges for beach towels, so no one needs to account for one at the end of the cruise. What that means is when people are done with their lounger they just walk away, and don't take away their used towels to put in a used towel bin. They expect the pool attendants to do that. 

Furthermore Celebrity usually puts out clean towels on every chair, making it even harder to figure out which is taken. If I don't see a personal item on a lounger, and no one sitting there, and there are no other loungers available, then it's fair game for the taking.

Well said, though I do put my used towels in the used bin. 

[kathynorth]

OP, what you describe drives me crazy. I've had success by submitting feedback via the QR sqare you find in the daily cruise planner. I've even received follow up phone messages saying attendants will be actively monitoring the chair hogging situation after I've submitted complaints, then noticed the 30 min signs the next day. I recommend you do the same since this seems to be the only way the pool staff take action. 

[ggo85]

On our last cruise, we saw 4 chairs with only towels folded up. We sat in 2 of them. Two hours later, the hogs arrived, claiming they’d saved the chairs.  And we suspect they had, since it was too early for the pool folks to have put out towels.
 

We stated there was no saving of chairs. Didn’t move. They grumbled loudly to themselves. 
 

They finally took the 2 remaining chairs. Stayed in them off and on for an hour and then left. 
 

 

[mac_tlc]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

I think a lot of people don't realize that the attendants put out clean towels and that is why they are on the chairs early. If there are no personal items on the chairs they are not reserved. 

It's not the rolled up towels on each chair that I was concerned with on our cruise. It's the towels draped over the entire lounger, almost always held on by two or three clips so they won't blow away.....not the work of the attendants. And often with no other items on the lounger. 

 

 

mac_tlc

[Charles4515]

11 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

It's not the rolled up towels on each chair that I was concerned with on our cruise. It's the towels draped over the entire lounger, almost always held on by two or three clips so they won't blow away.....not the work of the attendants. And often with no other items on the lounger. 

 

 

If no one is in the chairs, no one around and there is no stuff on there you just have take the clips  off, give the clips to a pool attendant as a lost and found item and take the chair. 

[trout62]

If Celebrity wants to get serious about this issue, step 1 might be to stop selling these in the gift shop...

 

Just a thought,

Trout

[mwne2nks]

Clips just go in the trash  after they aren't around for 30 minutes or so. 

[jennmaybe]

16 hours ago, ggo85 said:

On our last cruise, we saw 4 chairs with only towels folded up. We sat in 2 of them. Two hours later, the hogs arrived, claiming they’d saved the chairs.  And we suspect they had, since it was too early for the pool folks to have put out towels.
 

We stated there was no saving of chairs. Didn’t move. They grumbled loudly to themselves. 
 

They finally took the 2 remaining chairs. Stayed in them off and on for an hour and then left. 
 

 

Good for you!  I have moved towels myself numerous times on different ships. One time we had a couple come back, but they did not say a word to us.  

[CruiseDad-NYC]

On my recent Eclipse voyage, the attendants in the Solarium did enforce the towel policy and did move things if there hadn't been activity for awhile (and I believe if the attendant had been notified).  I really appreciate that.

 

[cruisestitch]

On 5/15/2024 at 4:16 PM, Jezo said:

I am not talking about walking away to go get some food from the buffet, or getting a drink at the bar, or going to the rest room, I understand people will not be sitting in a chair for 12 hours a day and its unreasonable to expect people to never get up and walk away.  I don't want to get into a fight about that, I know people walk away, I walk away too, but always try to be considerate to the overall crowd.  If I am not planning on coming back for 3 hours I will take my stuff with me and let someone else use the space.

I am talking about the people who grab a chair before dawn and then never show up again until after dinner, or put a town down before heading out to port and not coming back until they return from their excursion.  Is there a time limit or policy as to the expectation for how long a chair can be held?  Is anything ever done about it or is it a free for all and people need to camp out the night before if they want to get a spot?

Are you currently on board or are you just worried about this for future sailings?

 

if you are on board, did you miss the announcement printed in the daily every day?

 

that is the policy.  Compliance varies.

[ggo85]

On our last X cruise, I was in a shop in port and one of the passengers was BRAGGING that she had saved deck / pool chairs for when she got back on board.  She had saved chairs and wasn't even on the ship!

 

In all of my cruising (and it's a lot), I can count on one hand the number of DAYS (not ships or sailings) where there has been enforcement around chair hogs.  It's unfortunate.  I think the reason is that it takes a lot of manpower and energy actually to enforce the policy.  The ship has to dedicate people to keeping track of which chairs haven't been used for an extended period.  What if the people are in the pool?  What if the few times they walk by just happen to be the moments when they are using the restroom or getting a drink or food?  Staff doesn't want to remove stuff when the people actually are around, just not sitting in the chair.

 

Moreover, they know that they will have complaining (unhappy) passengers if they remove people's stuff.  The people who can't find chairs are less likely to complain to the deck staff and more likely to complain here -- meaning the ship's crew doesn't have to deal with the complaints.   

 

IOW, enforcement is in theory a great idea but in practice is a bit more complicated.  

[FRMPEI]

My intention is not to hi-jack this thread but please allow me to share my "Hog" Story. 

 

Place: Fort Lauderdale

Hotel: Embassy Suite 

Location: Busy weekend Breakfast

 

Those familiar with above know how busy the rush is for the complimentary breakfast of course the challenge is to find an available free table.  So DW and I were up for said challenge. We were on one of the upper floors and looked down on a busy breakfast lobby and I spied a open table at the back while waiting for the elevator. Hoping to get down there before the prize was gone. We made it down and luckily it was still there. I think it was a table for two. I told DW to go get her stuff first and I would go when she was back. Now there was no obvious signs of this table was being held in a current "HOG" status except for a small, maybe a 4x4, white crumbled napkin.  You guessed it two ladies showed and one said, "That is our table I put napkin on it". I did my best and said nothing and to hold off on my sarcasm storm. They found another table nearby. DW returned and I then went on my roundup of delectable breakfast items. My arrival back to the STOLEN HOG table is when I shared the NAPKIN reservation with Donna.

 

Was I wrong not giving up this HOG table?

 

Regards,

Your "HOG" destroyer

Kevin Reid

 

[mnocket]

I guess the question is... Is a policy that isn't enforced really a policy?

[Port Power]

2 hours ago, mwne2nks said:

Clips just go in the trash  after they aren't around for 30 minutes or so. 

That might be considered stealing personal property.  Better to let the pool staff take them.

[bEwAbG]

X doesn't help anyone by throwing towels on every chair, making it appear as if they've been claimed when they haven't.  I don't understand why they do this.  People would very easily learn that they could go pick up a towel when they need one and it would be more clear what chairs were already taken.

 

Chair hogs are not limited to X of course.  Same happens anywhere there is a pool.

[bEwAbG]

Re: the buffet and empty tables.  I worked at a restaurant in my long-ago youth that had a line you went through to order/pay and then you went to find a table.  On busy days, people could not understand why we wouldn't let the whole family sit down to claim a table before their party went through the line.  If the seating is full, the people in front of you cannot clear the line.  I think ship's buffets should work the same.  First in, first out and don't let people camp out at tables if they're not eating.