For the Chair Hogs: Why Is It Okay to Hog Chairs?

[ocgirlbayside]

Just move their towels! If no one is arround, i just move ther towels. no one has had the nerve to say anything to me. you don't buy a chair by putting a towel on it. if you have just got up to use the pool or the bathroom, that is one thing. I wil certainly give you back your chair.otherwise, dare me to move!

 

stand up for yourselves, people!

[SavannahMoon]

Hey I'm going on my FIRST cruise in August and you guys are skeeeeeering me that I'll never get a chair by the pool....wah!!!! :(

[beachchick]

Hey I'm going on my FIRST cruise in August and you guys are skeeeeeering me that I'll never get a chair by the pool....wah!!!! :(

 

Nah, don't be scared. If there are no chairs available by the pool and if they are simply being held by towels and other items and if no one is in them (or nearby in the pool) for 1 hour or longer, then go to the pool attendent and point it out. Rick-cruiser's actions were fabulous! Take it up with the hotel director if necessary. You don't have to be mean or rude about it; just matter of fact. You can also remove the offending items and take them over to the pool attendents as "abandoned" items. (Do be sure to leave your items on the chairs you claim while you do that--and then immediately come back and enjoy what are now "your" chairs while you're at the pool.) That's the key: If you're at the pool area and actively, actually using the chair, it's "yours." If you leave for more than a short time (as I described above), then you take your stuff with you because that is no longer "your" chair.

 

If you're okay with not being "right by the pool," then you'll likely find chairs with little problem. I think it is nice for parents who have kids playing in the pool to have those closest chairs. I know that the chairs are up for grabs, but this is one area where I think common sense should dictate that a chair in the second or third row from the pool is perfectly fine for non-parents (or parents who's kids are not in the pool). Sure, parents can be expected to get their butts down there and get the chairs, and I'm one who often says that parents and kids shouldn't expect everyone onboard to cater to them, but this just seems logical to me.

 

Don't be afraid though. You're hearing the worst case scenarios. There are plenty of cruises where you won't find multitudinous chair hogs and where you won't have a problem finding a lounge somewhere on the pool deck. Even if you have to be back a couple rows, it's not a bad thing. There's a lot of noise, splashing, and what not in and right by the pools.

 

Have great time.

 

beachchick

[nitnyleo]

Great job, Rick-cruiser!

[Bibi]

I despise, let me repeat, I despise chair hogs! That being said, I despise confrontation even more. The ONE time I decided to move someone's "stuff" from a chair that hadn't been sat in for over an hour....(we were watching), I was confronted. Apparently, she had "just gone to get lunch". Obviously, she ate it where she got it, because she didn't bring anything back with her! I considered telling her we had been watching her chairs for more than an hour and therefore, they were no longer hers....but alas.....I am Canadian and a keeper of the peace! ;):D

I couldn't do it. I gave her "her" chair and left to find another, which by this time, had lost it's appeal.

 

However...on my upcoming cruise, I fully intend to get myself a nice chair, in a nice sunny spot. So if your stuff is on a chair and you are not there for 30 minutes (which I have read on these boards is the time limit), say bye bye to your stuff, cause it wasn't there when I got there! In fact, there was a nice man sitting in this chair when I got here and he got up and left, passing the chair on to me. When I am finished actually USING the chair, you are welcome to it! At least, that is my plan now, we'll see if I am that brave on board! :p

 

Happy, courteous cruising everyone. :)

[LuvTheGoodLife]

There is a post on Princess Board this morning (Sunday) with a lovely review of the Ruby Princess in which the poster advocates coming down early to save pool chairs with a towel. She said she knew there was not supposed to be saving of chairs but it worked for them. She recommended this as a strategy for others.

 

I hate chair hogs but I feel like I am in a losing battle with selfishness and the 'its my vacation so I am entitled to anything I want with no regard for others' people....

[nitnyleo]

However...on my upcoming cruise, I fully intend to get myself a nice chair, in a nice sunny spot. So if your stuff is on a chair and you are not there for 30 minutes (which I have read on these boards is the time limit), say bye bye to your stuff, cause it wasn't there when I got there! In fact, there was a nice man sitting in this chair when I got here and he got up and left, passing the chair on to me. When I am finished actually USING the chair, you are welcome to it! At least, that is my plan now, we'll see if I am that brave on board! :p

 

Best wishes, Bibi . . . I'm sure we will all be pulling for you.

[Bibi]

Best wishes, Bibi . . . I'm sure we will all be pulling for you.

 

Why thank you Nitnyleo! I will let you know how it goes in a couple of weeks! I'm praying to the lounge chair gods to give me strength!;)

[MrsPete]

Or I could just save the chair so we can save all that hassle. That way we meet back at the chair when we get there. No need to worry about timing, notes, locations, etc...it's vacation, not a board meeting. Are you really upset that I walk away from my chair for what I have described as a maximum of 1 hour (usually 10-20 minutes)?

You have a designated meeting place: it's your cabin. The chairs are public space. It's a vacation for everyone else too, and you are denying your fellow passengers the chance to have a seat.

 

An hour is about 50 minutes too long to abandon a chair. 10 minutes to go to the restroom, have a dip in the pool, or fetch a drink is fine -- more than that, and you're a chair hog.

 

No, this isn't "more an issue on the forums than on the ship" -- people just won't say it to your face in person, but they sure are thinking it.

[MrsPete]

If y'all want to sit by the pool so bad...just ask and I'll save you a chair.

Aw, how sweet . . . but don't worry about it. You've already left me a nice, clean towel -- I don't want to bother you farther. I'll be sitting in your chair when you come around at noon, and I won't be getting up.

 

But since you're so kind as to offer to extend your chair hogging beyond your own family, I'll share my best chair-hog story in this post:

 

When we went on our first cruise, my children were still very small and I needed to be near the pool to watch them. The family pool area was very full, but there were TWO empty chairs (chairs, not loungers) right there in the prime spot for kid-watching. Another woman (she had kids too) and I were both heading for them at the same time -- we were both alone, so we should've each been able to sit down. She got there a second first, and she plopped down her tote bag in one and her butt in the other. I asked her nicely if anyone was joining her, and she said no, but before I even asked for the chair, she explained that she wouldn't give me the seat because she didn't want to put her tote bag on the wet floor -- okay, you don't want your things to get wet at the pool? Great philosophy. I had my revenge though: Since she wouldn't let me sit, I had to have somewhere to watch my kids, so I stood right in front of her chair, giving her a nice view of my butt. She kept moving from side to side, but I could see her shadow and I moved every time too. Chair hog -- she deserved it.

[houstoncruisers2001]

There is a post on Princess Board this morning (Sunday) with a lovely review of the Ruby Princess in which the poster advocates coming down early to save pool chairs with a towel. She said she knew there was not supposed to be saving of chairs but it worked for them. She recommended this as a strategy for others.

 

Well, I hope her and I never cross paths on a ship. She won't like it.

 

Good job, Rick.

[V and S]

Hm. My belief is that it is ungracious to give someone else the opportunity to diminish themselves by ignoring their ungracious behavior. Many people do not understand how their actions impact others.

 

"Surely you didn't realize you'd be depriving someone else of a chair on this crowded ship...did you?" (an astonished, quiet tone is everything, accompanied by the jaw drop) To be followed with (if met with hostility), "I was here; you were not; you might want to deprive another chair saver of their chair now."

 

Sigh.

[Michael Kays]

I may or not be a chair hog...I guess it depends on your definition...for example..this me..

I am up by 7...towel on my lounge chair by 7:15 in Solarium..briskly walk to the windjammer to get my breakfast togo..back on my lounge chair by 7:25 with food in hand...I continue to lay here until the noonish hour when my DH finally ask,"Are you ready for lunch"...of course I say YES...he graciously asks me to join him for lunch...once again I briskly walk to the windjammer to get lunch togo just like breakfast..10 minutes later I am back on my towel with lunch and a fresh foo foo drink...then I continue to lay on my towel until roughly 4:00-4:30...then it's time for the spa...

Would I be considered a chair hog???? I am unsure:rolleyes:

If this is chair hogging(maybe sun worshipping).....I am looking forward to Easter Sunday...for a short 7 day trip to Mexico...

Angela

 

 

I would not call you a chair hog, they are people that leave their chairs unattended for hours at a time..but I would be concerned that per your above daily description you are spending in excess of 8 hours in the sun..

 

personally, if I am poolside and know for sure the towels on a chair have been there for an excessive amount of time (1 hour+) I will notify a crew member, and if they do not remove the towels, I will take the towels off the chair and if there are any personal items on the chair, books, one flip flop, etc..neatly stack them somewhere close and make sure they do not get wet:D

[Houndmom]

A chair hog isn't a person who leaves the chair for a bit to get food, or to take a swim. A chair hog is someone who expects to put their stuff there and leave it for hours on end, expecting it to be there for them and only them all day.

 

When it comes right down to it, some people are just plain rude and nconsiderate, and don't think of anyone but themselves. You're not going to change their selfish thinking, so all you can do is remove their stuff and sit in the chair! If they complain, tell them to complain to a staff member that the chair they "reserved" has someone sitting in it!

[Bibi]

Aw, how sweet . . . but don't worry about it. You've already left me a nice, clean towel -- I don't want to bother you farther. I'll be sitting in your chair when you come around at noon, and I won't be getting up.

 

Good for you MrsPete! ;)

 

But since you're so kind as to offer to extend your chair hogging beyond your own family, I'll share my best chair-hog story in this post:

 

When we went on our first cruise, my children were still very small and I needed to be near the pool to watch them. The family pool area was very full, but there were TWO empty chairs (chairs, not loungers) right there in the prime spot for kid-watching. Another woman (she had kids too) and I were both heading for them at the same time -- we were both alone, so we should've each been able to sit down. She got there a second first, and she plopped down her tote bag in one and her butt in the other. I asked her nicely if anyone was joining her, and she said no, but before I even asked for the chair, she explained that she wouldn't give me the seat because she didn't want to put her tote bag on the wet floor -- okay, you don't want your things to get wet at the pool? Great philosophy. I had my revenge though: Since she wouldn't let me sit, I had to have somewhere to watch my kids, so I stood right in front of her chair, giving her a nice view of my butt. She kept moving from side to side, but I could see her shadow and I moved every time too. Chair hog -- she deserved it.

 

All I can say to this is......................it has left me speechless. You would think at my age, and given the fact that I deal with people allllllll day long, human behaviour would not surprise me....BUT....this nasty woman's behaviour was downright ignorant, selfish and rude. Once again MrsPete....Good for you. I hope I have the same courage should the need arise! Happy cruising.

[AltarEgo]

Here's the classic empty bag and one shoe will do method.

 

At least they took the time to drape a towel over one of the three chairs.

 

[mustangjoe]

Here's the classic empty bag and one shoe will do method.

 

At least they took the time to drape a towel over one of the three chairs.

 

 

oink! oink! oink!

[Bibi]

Here's the classic empty bag and one shoe will do method.

 

At least they took the time to drape a towel over one of the three chairs.

 

 

Does that say "Host Randy.........Cruise critic.com????????????"

[beachchick]

Does that say "Host Randy.........Cruise critic.com????????????"

 

That's what it looks like to me...Oh dear. I sure hope that Randy is right near there, say in the pool or grabbing a cold beverage. Otherwise, it's pretty embarrassing for CC.

 

beachchick

[moniquet]

We were on the QM2 in Jan. Must say it was better than most ships re. chair hogs. However, on our first morning we had an "incident". After an early breakfast (still jet lagged!) we chose a spot. Most of the chairs were empty. As I picked up two towels a woman picked up six. She began placing them on a row of beds. Two to one side were in the shade and I put the towels on them. The woman said "Excuse me that's mine" I pointed out that there was nothing on it, she said it was for her Husband who wanted one in the shade! As there were plenty of loungers left I just made some sarcastic comments and took others. We did notice that it was over an hour before any of here group came along and a couple of them only used them for about ten minutes. The Hubby had two one in the sun and the other in the shade.

 

She obviously thought that she was entitled to do this as when each person arrived she was telling the story and they would glance at us:rolleyes:

 

I did find carnival the worse to get a lounger. Most taken by 8am. (and still empty at 10am.:mad:). I don't know what the solution is.

[Sea Hag]

As I picked up two towels a woman picked up six. She began placing them on a row of beds. Two to one side were in the shade and I put the towels on them. The woman said "Excuse me that's mine" I pointed out that there was nothing on it, she said it was for her Husband who wanted one in the shade!

 

Okay, now they expect to save chairs with nothing on them??!!?? That's a pretty optimistic expectation, isn't it? :D

[iheartbda]

The woman said "Excuse me that's mine" I pointed out that there was nothing on it, she said it was for her Husband who wanted one in the shade!

At least she was saving it for an actual person who may or may not show up. Some woman didn't like anyone sitting close to her so objected if someone tried to sit there. So in effect, she was saving a lounge for "her space".:rolleyes:

[Miss Tracey Lacey]

I agree with the no 'saving' chairs rule.

 

My one and only cruise to date in the theater, I would go immediately after dinner to get a good seat, I prefer front and center. And EVERY nights show this man would save a seat for his wife, she'd come down the front aisle after the show would start, and within ten minutes be fast asleep. We are talking head rolled back, mouth wide open sleeping.

 

I bumped into the dancers in port one day and chatted with them and they recognized me as the front and center for each show that would give them a standing ovation. Since they could see me I asked them if they could see the snoozer, and they told me they can only see about the first 3 rows of the audience, and that yes, they can see her sleeping in the front row for every performance, and that they found it a little unpolite.

 

On to the pool chair hogs, I hope I never am one. If I want to spend time by the pool in the morning, I grab my stuff from my cabin and head down to the pool.

 

I place my towel, book, etc on a chair, and go to the buffet for some food, and bring the tray back to my chair.

 

If I am not in the mood for buffet for breakfast, I eat in the dining room, head to my cabin for my stuff and then set out to find a chair.

 

Now if I am heading to the bar for a quick drink, the buffet for a pool side snack, the bathroom or a quick run to the cabin for something, or of course a swim, I leave my stuff and return promptly.

 

If I plan on attending trivia, want to eat in the dining room or anything away from the poolside area, I take my belongings with me and leave the chair for others to use.

 

If I am in the hot tub or pool for an extended period of time I find no problems in keeping an eye on my stuff, I am more concerned with sunglasses or a music player walking away then my chair being taken. I've never had anyone try to take my chair but then again I'm always sure to be quick and return quickly. If anyone did touch my stuff while I was in the water I'd just politely tell them that that was my stuff, and that I wasn't done yet. Like I said though that hasn't been an issue for me...

 

Hope that isn't considered chair hogging :o

 

edited to subscribe :)

[Pearlbill]

Here's the classic empty bag and one shoe will do method.

 

At least they took the time to drape a towel over one of the three chairs.

 

 

Just curious..... The situation shown in this picture, couldn't you just take a chair from the stack at the left???

[Miss Tracey Lacey]

Here is a site/company that has decided to make money off of those who like to save chairs... :eek:

 

 

http://www.loungehats.com/index.php