How long should items go unattended on chairs before removing them?

[seamama1]

While I don't lay around the pool all day and usually confine my suntime to the days the ship is in port, I do occasionally want to get some sun for a couple of hours. I simply don't recognize the "saved" status of any lounge chair. I will wait a reasonable time - no longer that 1/2 hour - knowing that bathroom breaks happen - but I then carefully remove the items, fold the towels and place them under the chair. Those who saved their chairs at 730AM don't even get the courtesy of a 1/2 hour wait. I just remove the towel, hat, sunglasses - whatever, put them under the chair and park it. Do I get a lot of grief? Sometimes. Do I respond to it? Politely. Do I make a scene? No. Do I move? NO NO NO...I simply remind the inexperienced cruiser that the policy of the cruise line is that chairs cannot be saved and, if they don't like the policy, to take it up with someone who can change the rules just for them.....I am totally impervious to their "wrath". It is impossible to reason with a moron.

[Roboat]

While I don't lay around the pool all day and usually confine my suntime to the days the ship is in port, I do occasionally want to get some sun for a couple of hours. I simply don't recognize the "saved" status of any lounge chair. I will wait a reasonable time - no longer that 1/2 hour - knowing that bathroom breaks happen - but I then carefully remove the items, fold the towels and place them under the chair. Those who saved their chairs at 730AM don't even get the courtesy of a 1/2 hour wait. I just remove the towel, hat, sunglasses - whatever, put them under the chair and park it. Do I get a lot of grief? Sometimes. Do I respond to it? Politely. Do I make a scene? No. Do I move? NO NO NO...I simply remind the inexperienced cruiser that the policy of the cruise line is that chairs cannot be saved and, if they don't like the policy, to take it up with someone who can change the rules just for them.....I am totally impervious to their "wrath". It is impossible to reason with a moron.

 

Perfect. And it's so much easier to remain impervious to tantrums when you have all the good stuff on your side - manners, etiquette, common sense, custom, and especially ... the ship's rules. :)

[seamama1]

Certainly! By the time a person has reached the age to be turned loose alone on the world, if they haven't reached a degree of maturity to be able to obey the rules of travel, yelling back at them is not going to do any good at all. It will, indeed, give them perfect platform to increase the aggression. Besides, I think you will agree that cruising is such an enjoyable experience, aggression is very hard to call up for those of us who cruise and travel extensively.

 

Boorish behavior is rare but very noticeable. Don't you feel sorry for them?;) It is best to ignore as much as possible, I believe.:)

[seamama1]

Not to be a troll, but I find it reasonable to leave my chair for more than 2 hours. I got up early to get the chair. Other people didn't. Snooze you loose. literally this time. I will have a liesurly everything and it is simply rude to move other people's stuff.

 

You are on a cruise, not a police training session.

 

I find this stuff ridiculous, the fact that people care about saving deck chairs,and that being an issue for people. There are other important things to worry about, such as tipping.

 

What do you find reasonable about it? Do you actually READ the rules at all? There are so very few to be found on a cruise; one would think that the rule stating that chairs cannot be saved would be so very straight forward - and easy to read for one who is literate.

 

There is no "police training" going on here. The policy is in place. And, I will remove your things, carefully fold them, place them under the chair and take the seat if you are gone more than 1/2 hour. I will assume that you are busy doing something else and have forgotten your things. If you aren't back by the time I am ready to leave, I will give your items to lost and found. I would NEVER assume that you were just a boorish lout who ignores the rules or somehow believes you are exempt.

[JessicaRN]

On the 6 or so cruises I've been on, I've seen blatent chair saving on all of them. I'll go by the pool and 30% of them will be empty. Now mind you, it was the middle of the day and many people could've been eating lunch or in the pool/hottub, or using the bathroom... BUT if I want a chair poolside, and a person isn't back in 30 minutes, I'm grabbing that chair and so help me if anyone gives me any grief about it. I'm sorry, but I'm sick and tired of the 'entitlement' some people feel, as if they're above the rules or they should get to keep the chairs all day while going off to do something else.

 

Honestly, I don't spend a lot of time in a chair, I'm in the pool or the hottub. The only time I sit in a chair is if I want to watch the poolside activities. If I'm going in the pool, I usually leave my stuff poolside, not on a chair. If I'm going to eat lunch, I sure as hell don't leave my stuff on the chair, I bring it with me and let someone else have it (I guess that'd be called consideration). If you're going back to your room, to do something other than use the bathroom (the only acceptable reason to save a chair), give up the chair.

 

I don't know how someone can think that it's ok to leave their stuff for an extended length of time. I mean, "Come on honey, the art auction is starting, then BINGO, so leave your book so we'll still have our chairs!" You know what that is? That's being just plain selfish and inconsiderate. These are also the people who turn their nose up at other people and treating staff and native people like crap because they may be inpoverished so they don't deserve respect. (can you tell I hate this behavior? lol)

 

- Jess

[Denese96]

I find it sad that the seat saving behavior exists. It is sad that because I did not get up extra early to SAVE myself and my traveling buddy a seat we will not be able to sit near the pool until way after midnight. I think it is sad that there has to be an actual policy AND that folks blatantly circumvent it. I think it is sad that those same individuals think that I am weird for wanting to sit near the pool.

 

Finally, on cruise #9 I got up the nerve to move some folks' stuff that had been "occupying" a chair for over an hour. When I left 1.5 hours later, I put their things back on the chair. Later that evening, it was till there. Was that fare? I realize it is not World Peace at stake. The reason most folks go on vacation is so they can take a vacation (get it) from trying to solve major issues.

[Leo Jay]

[staying out of this one...]

[GoinCruisin]

I think the whole chair thing is a bit of manufactured controversy. I doubt many people stay in the pool continuously for an extended period of time or wander around the ship, leaving their stuff unattended for an extended period of time. How many passengers would do that?

 

I suspect the real issue is that people get annoyed that they can't find a chair in the immediate area, and are too lazy to move them from where they are readily available, so they try to justify dumping other people's property.

 

Let's be serious, if someone's looking for a chair, they're not going to waste time standing around watching a particular chair continously for X minutes to be sure the passenger has left it unattended beyond a 'reasonable' time frame. If someone's dumped your stuff, it's because they waited maybe 30 seconds and decided "too bad, they're not back yet".

 

There are plenty of chairs -- you may have to pull one off one of the stacks (or ask a crewmember to do so) and drag it a few feet to put it where you want it, but there are plenty of chairs.

 

Sorry, but there are not always plenty of chairs... our last cruise, literally every chair was out... probably because it rained the first 4 days of the cruise and by the time there was sunshine, EVERYONE was out in the sun... but no, there are not always chairs... on this cruise, there was no room for an additional chair either... there were plenty of saved seats. We sat under the awning at the bar and watched while plenty of chairs were not used, with a SHOE on them :rolleyes: Please. It's obvious which chairs are saved. You can go down at 7:30 and chairs are already saved... an hour later, same shoe on the same chair. On sea days, on nice sea days that is, chairs are at a premium... and when chairs aren't, space is. It doesn't take a genius to figure this stuff out :rolleyes:

[workn2cruise]

I said 1 hour, just because it can take that long to get through some of the food lines and eat. We waited in the fish & chips line for 20 minutes without moving once. We gave up and moved to the deli and waited in a shorter line.

[jaboonee]

Now I have never been on a cruise before, but in my opinion i will only have a chair for as long as my ass is sitting in it. If i go for a swim i will most likely tell the person near me that i am going to do so. If I want to go for lunch i will pack up my things and go for lunch and when i get back I will find another chair again. If nobody ever saved a single chair i would bet that there would always be chairs there for everyone.

 

Really, if you feel the need to eat in your deck chair, can you not send dh to get food while you relax, you've earned it i'm sure:)

 

BTW I really like the chair timer idea, at least then you don't have to worry about someone freaking out and taking your chair because you got up to pee;) :rolleyes: :eek:

[Criscomia]

Well Said....seamama1

[cruisingabes]

Jaboonee wrote:

 

then you don't have to worry about someone freaking out and taking your chair because you got up to pee;) :rolleyes: :eek:

On our last cruise on the Conquest- I noticed next to the outrageously priced diapers in the Sundries Shop- individual packages of Depends, the adult bladder control pads. Might be worth looking into if you really want to park it all day poolside and not worry about losing your chair for a "tinkle" break! :D Thats what us experienced cruisers do.

 

(Just kidding!)

[ala-kat]

Towels on the chairs, now that is nice. I find it to be a wonderful, personal touch. Where else are you going to find this? A huge 'Thank you' Carnival for suppying me with that towel and chair.

[davy jones]

My $.02

 

30 minutes is plenty to get some lunch, etc.

 

The only exception that I might make is if the chair is next to the pool and the person is in the pool. This would allow parents to save a chair for a child in the water.

[LSUtraveler]

My $.02

 

30 minutes is plenty to get some lunch, etc.

 

The only exception that I might make is if the chair is next to the pool and the person is in the pool. This would allow parents to save a chair for a child in the water.

 

It's a good thought but most children won't sit in a chair long enough to keep one open for them and I rarely see any children sitting down sunbathing.

 

I think it's only they get around 14-16 that they want to sunbath and even then it's not for long. They just have too much energy. It's the adults that save chairs anyway.

 

I read earlier on this thread that someone thought it was ok to come out early 7:00 and save a chair then come back several hours later. First come first serve mentality and the hell with the rest.

 

I don't know why we continue to address these AH's. Nothing is gonna change with them. They have a self importance mentality and if you lived in their neighborhood you'd see the same actions.

 

Don't let them put a crimp in your vacation. I don't.

[gometros]

It's a good thought but most children won't sit in a chair long enough to keep one open for them and I rarely see any children sitting down sunbathing.

 

I have the sneaky suspicion that the poster did not mean the chair was saved for the child in the water, but to watch the child in the water.

[Stew Pickles]

Not to be a troll...

 

 

HA HA

 

No, not to be a troll, indeed!:D

 

Stewie

[tazwtrdvl]

How does one keep track of all the saved chairs to figure out which ones have passed the point of a take over option? And if someone dissagrees with your timing? I think chair saving is rude and needs to be fixed by the cruise companies. But that doesn't seem to be anything they are concerned about. At least not in the 12 years I have observed this.