"Official" chairhogging on Vista

[osandomir]

Oceania never stated that extra tipping was discouraged. As far as I remember it always been common among those people who were willing to share a little bit extra for the good service from the staff. Doesn’t mean that they received anything at the other’s expense. Obviously, there’re some who prefer it to be the other way.

[slw207693]

All pool attendants report to the Assistant Head Bartender who reports to the Head Bartender.  They earn tips every time you purchase an alcoholic drink.   They can earn much more than your cabin steward/ess.    If you can’t find a lounger, go to front desk, or the concierge and see what they can do.  

[clo]

27 minutes ago, slw207693 said:

All pool attendants report to the Assistant Head Bartender who reports to the Head Bartender.  They earn tips every time you purchase an alcoholic drink.   They can earn much more than your cabin steward/ess.    If you can’t find a lounger, go to front desk, or the concierge and see what they can do.  

THANK YOU for opening people's eyes. Stop it, people.

[Yesimapirate]

7 hours ago, EJL2023 said:

All of this and the OP even stated they have no idea if any money was transitioned.  

While this thread has morphed into complaining about tipping overall,  the actual issue was whether or not Oceania staff will reserve loungers for the chair hogs.  The tip was speculation but it's really the fact that chairs are sitting empty while other people have issues finding one to use.  

[EJL2023]

16 minutes ago, Yesimapirate said:

While this thread has morphed into complaining about tipping overall,  the actual issue was whether or not Oceania staff will reserve loungers for the chair hogs.  The tip was speculation but it's really the fact that chairs are sitting empty while other people have issues finding one to use.  

Yeah, as addressed already in several other threads. 

[howiefrommd]

Actually one of the salient points that has been made on this as well as other Oceania threads is that when push comes to shove, Oceania has limited to zero interest in addressing the “chair hogging” issue.  Most probably it is a combination of having no interest (as this produces no additional income) or if they were to address this situation, they might require appropriate staff (which could potentially cost money).

 

A number of years ago I had a President/CEO of a very large hotel chain come in for a consultation.  I happened to mention to him a less than positive experience (while attending a medical conference) I had while staying at one of his higher end properties.  He was quite candid with me to say that as President/CEO his responsibility is to the Board of Directors and shareholders.  
 

While Oceania (NCL) is a cruise product, we as consumers are solely the vehicle to generate income.  Anyone that thinks they care about “chair hogging” or that a staff person accepted a gratuity, might want to think about that they are in business to generate profit for their investors.  
 

On a side note, my mail person thought I ran a travel agency with the amount of Oceania and Regent catalogs I receive.  I donate them all to a day program that provides services for the developmentally disabled, and you should see some of the beautiful collages they made out of them.

[LouChamp]

Aloha. I have been blessed to cruise since 1971 and between flying, sailing and staying at the best and worst of hotels and dining similarly in restaurants the reality is a handshake gets it done. The best tables, the best seats in Las Vegas, the best rooms, and sorry to say loungers too. Having been born and raised in Manhattan that is the real world.  Back in the day when you embarked you could reserve loungers as you would your table in the restaurant. I guess for whatever reason the lines haven't done this yet.

[commodoredave]

6 hours ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha. I have been blessed to cruise since 1971 and between flying, sailing and staying at the best and worst of hotels and dining similarly in restaurants the reality is a handshake gets it done. The best tables, the best seats in Las Vegas, the best rooms, and sorry to say loungers too. Having been born and raised in Manhattan that is the real world.  Back in the day when you embarked you could reserve loungers as you would your table in the restaurant. I guess for whatever reason the lines haven't done this yet.

I recall sailing with Home Lines in the 1980s when all passengers officially had an option to reserve a pool lounger for a fee. The Europeans on board thought it was normal, but most others did not, and it was eventually phased out -- as had the class system before it. Now that chair hogging has become more commonplace, I wonder if cruise lines will look at ways to generate more revenue from our displeasure by charging for chair reservations again. In a way, some cruise lines have begun this process by creating private areas (Haven, Retreat, Sanctuary, etc.) of the ship for guests willing to pay extra for the exclusivity -- private restaurants, private pools, sufficient supply of pool chairs, etc. And if paying to reserve pool chairs becomes official, might it resolve the issue created by chair hogs?  

 

[ronrick1943]

On 6/6/2024 at 9:28 PM, Thought2go said:

Then it is up to staff to set the them straight. A simple “I’m sorry sir but this is against “O” policy. 
This type of wink wink nod behavior by both staff and guests will sour me on any “O” cruises should I witness it.

Mgmt needs to stop it immediately and that comes from staff. It takes two for this game to play out. If one doesn’t play there is no game.

It happens on all lines...........

[EJL2023]

18 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

It happens on all lines...........

Yeap,  a quick search on here and you can find people complaining and knowing that staff is accepting tips to do it on Seaborn and Silversea! And Oceania forum needs to get with the program, they’re called Chogs per the delightful folks on those forums!

[Thought2go]

18 hours ago, osandomir said:

Oceania never stated that extra tipping was discouraged. As far as I remember it always been common among those people who were willing to share a little bit extra for the good service from the staff. Doesn’t mean that they received anything at the other’s expense. Obviously, there’re some who prefer it to be the other way.

I remember in the early days on RCL their brochure to guests said due to their international position with guests, tipping (other than those included in the cruise fares) was discouraged. However if one chose to thank their cabin stewards with a small token of appreciation upon disembarking, that was acceptable.

I also know that personally upon leaving the Bahamas and even the T&C- we stayed as far away from Americans as possible and chose instead to sail with Canadians and other internationals. The shakedowns and strong arming from various locals then became almost nonexistent and allowed us to truly experience the different cultures and countries as equals without being perceived as an extension of foreign aid and an ATM machine-both with which brought negative condemnation from locals. 

[commodoredave]

6 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

Yeap,  a quick search on here and you can find people complaining and knowing that staff is accepting tips to do it on Seaborn and Silversea! And Oceania forum needs to get with the program, they’re called Chogs per the delightful folks on those forums!

Based on my experience, you are correct. However, some cruise lines do more than others to enforce the no saving chair rule, although no one does enough.

[Sthrngary]

50 minutes ago, commodoredave said:

I recall sailing with Home Lines in the 1980s when all passengers officially had an option to reserve a pool lounger for a fee. The Europeans on board thought it was normal, but most others did not, and it was eventually phased out -- as had the class system before it. Now that chair hogging has become more commonplace, I wonder if cruise lines will look at ways to generate more revenue from our displeasure by charging for chair reservations again. In a way, some cruise lines have begun this process by creating private areas (Haven, Retreat, Sanctuary, etc.) of the ship for guests willing to pay extra for the exclusivity -- private restaurants, private pools, sufficient supply of pool chairs, etc. And if paying to reserve pool chairs becomes official, might it resolve the issue created by chair hogs?  

 

@commodoredave Hi Dave, how are you?  You hit it out of the ball park.  But it goes far past the VIP area's.  Here are some examples.  If you want early boarding, Pay me a fee.  If you want to stay in the private sundeck, like the Vibe Beach Club, pay me a fee.  If you want to utilize the Thermal Spa, payment a fee.  If you want to stay in the private VIP area like Haven, Retreat and Yacht Club, pay me a fee. In Disney world, if you want the express line with little or no wait, pay me a fee.  Same with Universal.  Delta, if you want to check bags, pay me a fee. My list can go on, and ON.  

 

I don't believe this is the brands creating folks like Chair Hogs.  I do think it is their was of adding more revenue.  Increasing their bottom line. We have not even talked about increasing the fee for gratuities.  

 

This and other reason is why I have started to go Book, Premium-Plus and Luxury brands.  I compared all the stuff I would receive (Perks and Amenities) and still have to pay for area's like Haven, Retreat and Yacht Club.  I then had what call a "Total Price".  I then would convert it to total cost per person, per day.  I then would look at in my case three different cruise lines that were considered Premium-Plus or Luxury.  Crystal Cruises, Oceania Cruises and Explora Cruises.  The results were amazing. 

 

80% of the time, when you compare the total price per person, per day, the Premium-Plus and Luxury brands were actually less then the VIP areas on Mainstream Brands like NCL, Royal, Celebrity, and MSC.  I literally had to check my figures three times because I thought I made a mistake.  Sure there was some things lost like Water Slide, Go Carts Tracks, and Virtual reality.  Give and take is simply the reality of the world we live in.

 

Now, are their still rude guest.  Yes, you hear the all the time at guest services.  They put on quite the show.  Are their still Chair Hogs and folks that save entire rows for their families for the big shows, then their family's don't show up. Answer, ABSOLUTELY.  Just far less, less of an issue and makes ones vacation better.  Hope all that makes sense. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Thought2go]

41 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

On 6/7/2024 at 12:28 AM, Thought2go said:

 

It happens on all lines...........

My sister just returned from a Carnival Cruise- she is a Sun/Pool worshiper. I ask her about “chair hogs”. She said absolutely not. If staff saw chairs sitting vacant for more than 15 min or so- they removed the items so others could use.

[Woofa]

14 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@commodoredave Hi Dave, how are you?  You hit it out of the ball park.  But it goes far past the VIP area's.  Here are some examples.  If you want early boarding, Pay me a fee.  If you want to stay in the private sundeck, like the Vibe Beach Club, pay me a fee.  If you want to utilize the Thermal Spa, payment a fee.  If you want to stay in the private VIP area like Haven, Retreat and Yacht Club, pay me a fee. In Disney world, if you want the express line with little or no wait, pay me a fee.  Same with Universal.  Delta, if you want to check bags, pay me a fee. My list can go on, and ON.  

 

I don't believe this is the brands creating folks like Chair Hogs.  I do think it is their was of adding more revenue.  Increasing their bottom line. We have not even talked about increasing the fee for gratuities.  

 

This and other reason is why I have started to go Book, Premium-Plus and Luxury brands.  I compared all the stuff I would receive (Perks and Amenities) and still have to pay for area's like Haven, Retreat and Yacht Club.  I then had what call a "Total Price".  I then would convert it to total cost per person, per day.  

I think you hit it on the head here.  The more alacarte something is made, the lower the fare they can advertise.  For those less savvy or knowledgeable I don't doubt this makes for a rude awakening when the cruise is over and they realize they paid double or triple the original low fare.  Even knowing this it is difficult to guess at the real price per day until you actually go.  This kept us from cruising for quite a while until we found O where we basically paid the advertised fare for our first cruise plus insurance, flights and a few incidentals.  I can remember seeing commercials for RC or similar and then determining we would be lucky if we could actually cruise for triple the price advertised.

[Cruzin Terri]

I can relate to the situation with the Home Lines.  The one and only cruise we took with them out of New York to Bermuda, we were told we could book Loungers for a fee and they would be ours for the entire cruise.  So we did.  We were newbies and did not know better.

Terri

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, Thought2go said:

My sister just returned from a Carnival Cruise- she is a Sun/Pool worshiper. I ask her about “chair hogs”. She said absolutely not. If staff saw chairs sitting vacant for more than 15 min or so- they removed the items so others could use.

@Thought2go Thank you for sharing. The issues is, some folks simply don't like Carnival because it is designed for a much different demographic.  When I was in my mid-20's, I went on Carnival.  OR, at least I think I did.  It is ALL a fog.  I started doing shorts of tequila on day one and sobered up on the last day.  People tell me I has a BLAST.  

 

Needless to say, I am 67 NOW.  I think? Without drinking because I simple cannot drink much any more, I still can't remember what happened last week.  It is a fog. Every week is like being on Carnival Cruises, the Fun Ship. Funny how that happens as you age.

 

All kidding aside, I hope the trend that Carnival is doing sets an example for ALL Cruise Brands.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[commodoredave]

3 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@commodoredave Hi Dave, how are you?  You hit it out of the ball park.  But it goes far past the VIP area's.  Here are some examples.  If you want early boarding, Pay me a fee.  If you want to stay in the private sundeck, like the Vibe Beach Club, pay me a fee.  If you want to utilize the Thermal Spa, payment a fee.  If you want to stay in the private VIP area like Haven, Retreat and Yacht Club, pay me a fee. In Disney world, if you want the express line with little or no wait, pay me a fee.  Same with Universal.  Delta, if you want to check bags, pay me a fee. My list can go on, and ON.  

 

I don't believe this is the brands creating folks like Chair Hogs.  I do think it is their was of adding more revenue.  Increasing their bottom line. We have not even talked about increasing the fee for gratuities.  

 

This and other reason is why I have started to go Book, Premium-Plus and Luxury brands.  I compared all the stuff I would receive (Perks and Amenities) and still have to pay for area's like Haven, Retreat and Yacht Club.  I then had what call a "Total Price".  I then would convert it to total cost per person, per day.  I then would look at in my case three different cruise lines that were considered Premium-Plus or Luxury.  Crystal Cruises, Oceania Cruises and Explora Cruises.  The results were amazing. 

 

80% of the time, when you compare the total price per person, per day, the Premium-Plus and Luxury brands were actually less then the VIP areas on Mainstream Brands like NCL, Royal, Celebrity, and MSC.  I literally had to check my figures three times because I thought I made a mistake.  Sure there was some things lost like Water Slide, Go Carts Tracks, and Virtual reality.  Give and take is simply the reality of the world we live in.

 

Now, are their still rude guest.  Yes, you hear the all the time at guest services.  They put on quite the show.  Are their still Chair Hogs and folks that save entire rows for their families for the big shows, then their family's don't show up. Answer, ABSOLUTELY.  Just far less, less of an issue and makes ones vacation better.  Hope all that makes sense. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Hi Gary. What a pleasure to hear from you. Your comments are right on the mark. I wish more people had your insight and common sense. Thank you!

[njhorseman]

3 hours ago, Woofa said:

For those less savvy or knowledgeable I don't doubt this makes for a rude awakening when the cruise is over and they realize they paid double or triple the original low fare.

And for those of us who are more savvy and knowledgeable and don't want to spend money on inclusively-priced items we don't use, a la carte pricing is far superior to the current trend of automatic inclusions that have their cost built into  the fare.

 

[GeezerCouple]

9 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

And for those of us who are more savvy and knowledgeable and don't want to spend money on inclusively-priced items we don't use, a la carte pricing is far superior to the current trend of automatic inclusions that have their cost built into  the fare.

 

THIS ^^

 

Unfortunately, the new O policies don't necessarily make sense anymore for some of us.

😡

 

We *always* arrange our own transportation, amost always using points (much them from bonuses).

And we almost always arrange our own excursions, for a variety of reasons.  First, we want to spend the time on what *we* want to see/do, perhaps more time at A and skip B or whatever, or include C...

Importantly, I have a minor mobility issue, so I usually can't keep up with a group.  With a private excursion, if we (that would be "me") need to rest... we rest, even if just for a few minutes.  We don't feel pressure to keep up, and we know we aren't interfering in the progress of "the others in the group", which wouldn't be fair.

 

We really loved the Riviera, a *lot*, for many reasons ("let me count the ways..." 😉 ).

But we may not be back unless the policies change at least somewhat so the costs make sense for us, for the way we want (need!) to travel.

It's a real shame, because we loved the food (especially Jacques and Red Ginger), and we got to enjoy those a lot, because we'd ask our Butler to serve us en suite if we couldn't get extra reservations... or if I was just tired from the day's activities.

 

And on the Riviera... we spent a lot of time in that large Spa Therapy Pool.  Nice and toasty warm, unlike the pool (brrrrr).  That was often like a private spa area.  Many times there was no one in the Therapy pool with us, and it wasn't uncommon for there to be no one else at all in the area (although that did feel a bit odd sometimes).

GC

[Sthrngary]

15 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

And for those of us who are more savvy and knowledgeable and don't want to spend money on inclusively-priced items we don't use, a la carte pricing is far superior to the current trend of automatic inclusions that have their cost built into  the fare.

 

@njhorseman Your point is well taken.  Therefore when we find a brand that provides the approach to cruising we want, has an Itinerary we want at a time, that we want to go, we book it. When that brand changes their approach and some of things we liked get lost or changed, we have to reevaluate future bookings. Our money, our choice. 

 

In my humble opinion this is why there are so many brands that go to the same places.  A great example is Oceania.  I choose them because I did not like all the items provided by Regent Seven Seas that made their price so very high.  Items I would not use and therefor was a waste.  Lost value and money to me.  So I choose the sister company Oceania.  Then Oceana changed their approach not to be as much as a "A La carte" cruise line by bringing in Simply More.  

 

Some folks loved it, some likes it, other did not like and some hated it.  The ones that hated it or did not like it simply moved on to another brand.  But not before the complaints as if they owned the company and how upset they were that the company that they were loyal to let them down. And that like this topic and pages of talk about chair hogs is a venue called Social Media.  

 

I like everyone else have an opinion.  If the brand changes and you don't see the value, leave.  No fanfare needed.  Simply find a better brand for you and be happy.  Your money, your decision.  The brand can't please everyone every time. Brand loyalty does not mean when the brand does not suit you needs any more. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Thought2go]

1 hour ago, GeezerCouple said:

THIS ^^

 

Unfortunately, the new O policies don't necessarily make sense anymore for some of us.

😡

 

We *always* arrange our own transportation, amost always using points (much them from bonuses).

And we almost always arrange our own excursions, for a variety of reasons.  First, we want to spend the time on what *we* want to see/do, perhaps more time at A and skip B or whatever, or include C...

Importantly, I have a minor mobility issue, so I usually can't keep up with a group.  With a private excursion, if we (that would be "me") need to rest... we rest, even if just for a few minutes.  We don't feel pressure to keep up, and we know we aren't interfering in the progress of "the others in the group", which wouldn't be fair.

 

We really loved the Riviera, a *lot*, for many reasons ("let me count the ways..." 😉 ).

But we may not be back unless the policies change at least somewhat so the costs make sense for us, for the way we want (need!) to travel.

It's a real shame, because we loved the food (especially Jacques and Red Ginger), and we got to enjoy those a lot, because we'd ask our Butler to serve us en suite if we couldn't get extra reservations... or if I was just tired from the day's activities.

 

And on the Riviera... we spent a lot of time in that large Spa Therapy Pool.  Nice and toasty warm, unlike the pool (brrrrr).  That was often like a private spa area.  Many times there was no one in the Therapy pool with us, and it wasn't uncommon for there to be no one else at all in the area (although that did feel a bit odd sometimes).

GC

I wonder, if, as someone else posted the CEO is only responsible to the board and shareholders, Oceania may find that going forward would be more revenue enhancing to do OBC rather than Simply More. Maybe for the international guests the airfare inclusion makes sense, but for most America based guests, I would think they would rather book their own and spend the extra cash in pRe/post cruise hotels and visit the area for a couple days. Then again maybe not. Plus Oceania might not fulfill minimum bookings to various companies for their Cruise ship booked excursions. I can only hope the Credit for shore excursions is because Oceania wants to ensure legit and safe operators in this crazy changing dynamics.

[clo]

5 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

THIS ^^

 

Unfortunately, the new O policies don't necessarily make sense anymore for some of us.

😡

 

We *always* arrange our own transportation, amost always using points (much them from bonuses).

And we almost always arrange our own excursions, for a variety of reasons.  First, we want to spend the time on what *we* want to see/do, perhaps more time at A and skip B or whatever, or include C...

Importantly, I have a minor mobility issue, so I usually can't keep up with a group.  With a private excursion, if we (that would be "me") need to rest... we rest, even if just for a few minutes.  We don't feel pressure to keep up, and we know we aren't interfering in the progress of "the others in the group", which wouldn't be fair.

 

We really loved the Riviera, a *lot*, for many reasons ("let me count the ways..." 😉 ).

But we may not be back unless the policies change at least somewhat so the costs make sense for us, for the way we want (need!) to travel.

It's a real shame, because we loved the food (especially Jacques and Red Ginger), and we got to enjoy those a lot, because we'd ask our Butler to serve us en suite if we couldn't get extra reservations... or if I was just tired from the day's activities.

 

And on the Riviera... we spent a lot of time in that large Spa Therapy Pool.  Nice and toasty warm, unlike the pool (brrrrr).  That was often like a private spa area.  Many times there was no one in the Therapy pool with us, and it wasn't uncommon for there to be no one else at all in the area (although that did feel a bit odd sometimes).

GC

I hope you have or will write to Oceania and share this. It's really good. And thanks for sharing it here.

 

[Chewbecca]

Do the R class ships have the same chair hog problem or is it mainly a Vista issue?

We haven't sailed O for quite a long time and last time was Alaska anyway!

[Techno123]

Well I can tell you that other lines also have the chairhog issue 😁

 

Last year we sailed on both Seabourn Ovation and RSSC Explorer - on both we would walk across the pool deck to get to and from breakfast and on both there were the ubiquitous items left on the sun beds to reserve that spot which often remained for most of the day until owners of said items eventually rocked up. I didn't spot any secret handshakes between guests and pool attendants though 😜😜