How do you deal with Chair "Savers"?

[K.T.B.]

I love Celebrity, but this topic of Chair Hogs (I would not use the more polite term Chair-Savers) has always been a problem. On a Trans-Atlantic Cruise we took on the MS Equinox, my wife and I would see individuals reserving tables at the Buffet by leaving a book on purse on them. In the nightclub it was not uncommon for one individual to come in before the show and attempt to reserve, not one, but over 5 additional seats. We also saw this at the pool.

 

I am, quite frankly, surprised to see this. I consider it very rude. We recently were on RCCL Allure of the Seas and we found that seat or table hogging was at least decreased by more thorough monitoring by the staff.

 

I do feel that their should be strict rules about this and it should be enforced. I guess it is just a reflection of the declining standards of courtesy we are seeing both on land, and at sea.

 

Saving a table as you go to the buffet is one thing; saving a chair as you go off an excursion is another. One you'll be back in a few minutes and will be using it; the other you may not be back for hours and you may not even use it! Unless, of course, those saving the tables were going to be gone for hours... Then they're just as bad!

[Fouremco]

Saving a table as you go to the buffet is one thing; saving a chair as you go off an excursion is another. One you'll be back in a few minutes and will be using it; the other you may not be back for hours and you may not even use it! Unless, of course, those saving the tables were going to be gone for hours... Then they're just as bad!

The enterprising hog has saved loungers in both the sun and shade, as well as tables on both port and starboard sides, not knowing which might offer a more interesting view when eating.

[PoppyandNana]

The enterprising hog has saved loungers in both the sun and shade, as well as tables on both port and starboard sides, not uknowing which might offer a more interesting view when eating.

 

 

Not sure exactly which port it was, think it was Stockholm. Long winding entrance to the harbor. Man in the buffet had not only reserved a table by the window but the window as well.

 

He was looking at an angle from the table out "his" window, not at a straight 180 degrees. Anytime anyone came up to the window to look he would announce "excuse me, this is my window I am looking out of".

 

Pretty sure I heard more than a few .....off buddy.

Edited July 21, 2015 by PoppyandNana

[Fish Lover]

Hmmmm...

 

Frankly, I ignore chair hogs. If no one comes back in 15 min, I just move the stuff off the chair.

 

If the staff would really monitor it, there would be no problem. If people were more considerate, there would be no problem. But since they don't and many aren't....

 

If someone comes back and makes a fuss, I politely tell them we assumed since no one was there for some time that they had abandoned the space.

[bigmjh]

"excuse me, this is my window I am looking out of"

 

Pretty "cheeky" of him. Hmmmm ... may he did "own" the ship ... or at least, thought he did.;)

Edited July 21, 2015 by bigmjh

[keithm]

I was on the Reflection 2 months ago. A group of people came out around 7 a.m. and saved 8 seats. 4 in the shade and 4 in the sun. They then left, probably to eat breakfast. They were gone for 2 hours. On the seats were towels, hats, flip flops, and goggles . After 2 hours I picked up The towels and handed them to the pool butler. I then picked up hats, flip flops, and goggles and threw them overboard. An hour later the 4 people showed up. They were frantically looking for their belongings. They spoke to the pool butler and fellow passengers around them asking if they knew what happened to their stuff. They then saw me staring at them and asked if i saw anything. I advised that i did indeed see something. At this point they were extremely irate. They demanded i tell them where their belongings were and stated that i had better take them to their belongings. I told them i would escort one person in their group only to their belongings. The youngest volunteered. We walked towards the back of the ship, i lifted her up, and threw her into the ocean so that she could be reunited with her belongings. The same followed for the remainder of the 3 Walruses! :D. Hope you enjoyed my story. Had you goin didn't i? But hey, no one said we couldn't dream!

Oh damn, it was a joke. And here I thought I had found a true kindred spirit. Oh the humanity of it all!

[PoppyandNana]

I love Celebrity, but this topic of Chair Hogs (I would not use the more polite term Chair-Savers) has always been a problem. On a Trans-Atlantic Cruise we took on the MS Equinox, my wife and I would see individuals reserving tables at the Buffet by leaving a book on purse on them. In the nightclub it was not uncommon for one individual to come in before the show and attempt to reserve, not one, but over 5 additional seats. We also saw this at the pool.

 

I am, quite frankly, surprised to see this. I consider it very rude. We recently were on RCCL Allure of the Seas and we found that seat or table hogging was at least decreased by more thorough monitoring by the staff.

 

I do feel that their should be strict rules about this and it should be enforced. I guess it is just a reflection of the declining standards of courtesy we are seeing both on land, and at sea.

 

 

Curious how few (none) actual chair hogs, be they men in speedos, Nanas on early morning patrol or twenty something's have responsed here. I'll have to give them equal time:

 

Yes, I am a hog and damn proud of it. It's a tough world out there and no one will give you a break. It's every man for himself. If I don't go out at seven am and reserve four loungers by the pool somebody else will.

 

It's my vacation and I'll do whatever I damn well please. Yea, I also wear a wife beater shirt, shorts and a Yankees cap worn backyards on formal night. They are nice ones though. The ol' ball and chain wears flip flops, nicer shorts, one of my Mac truck tee shirts and a smile, nothing else. We's hard working, tax paying folk from the heartland. We don't go in for all this fancy smancy stuff. Any dude that wears a tux got to be a little light in the steel toed timberlines.

 

So alls you self righteous snobs pontificate (Sue-Ellen told me to use that word. Don't know what it means but I feel smart using it) about hogging chairs. I's the one that got a good seat not you. Who's the hayseed now, Mr. and Mrs. laynard wearing, gold card sea pass, smarty pants?

Edited July 21, 2015 by PoppyandNana

[dkjretired]

Another rude thing people are doing now is going to the buffet on embarkation day, getting their food and staying there until they make the announcement that the cabins are ready. Sometimes can be up to two hours. My last cruise people were playing cards while waiting.

[Christine Frances]

Another rude thing people are doing now is going to the buffet on embarkation day, getting their food and staying there until they make the announcement that the cabins are ready. Sometimes can be up to two hours. My last cruise people were playing cards while waiting.

 

The outside Oceanview Bar doesn't count does it?:eek: Cause that's where we hang out and wait:) But we are drinking so that's ok right?:D

[dkjretired]

The outside Oceanview Bar doesn't count does it?:eek: Cause that's where we hang out and wait:) But we are drinking so that's ok right?:D

 

No, just the buffet area, they sit there watching while people are looking for seats with their plates in their hands.

[PoppyandNana]

No, just the buffet area, they sit there watching while people are looking for seats with their plates in their hands.

 

We've all seen this. Noticed they don't make eye contact. Are these folks rude, entitled, clueless, oblivious? I have given up trying to determine what motivates people to just hang out at the buffet, not just at embarkation but other times as well. They have to see people walking around with trays looking for a place to sit.

 

What's worse is that they will never ask people to sit with them even though it's a table for four.

 

The other thing that bothers me involves large family groups of six or more. Throughout the entire ship these groups are joined at the hip. Nice to be able to have a family cruise but they reserve rows of seats at the theatre. Take a table for four in the buffet and try to make it a six or eight top by taking chairs from nearby tables. Ten minutes of juggling, dragging moving tables and chairs. Why can't they sit at adjacent tables?

 

Do they all have to sit in the same row at the theatre. There're there to see a show not have a family meeting. Same at all the other venues. The worse are the groups of 8, 10 or more. Do they ALL have to be on the same elevator?

[youwash]

The way I handle chair hogs is to stay as far away from them as possible. In fact today I made room for more of you around the pool by reserving an Alcove for the entire week of our Reflection cruise. Having a chair on deck whenever I want it-priceless.

[Boxerlover2]

The best sailing during which we avoided chair "savers" was one to Alaska! My DH and I had the outdoor pools and hot tubs to ourselves on several occasions as well as hundreds of empty chairs to choose from! Surprisingly, the bar service was not that great.

 

I have not been brave enough yet to remove others' belongings... I guess I always think the pool butlers will eventually do so, but that is not the case, obviously. I wish X would improve on this issue; we should not have to waste our vacation time watching the clock and waiting for those people who are missing their flip flop to finally arrive and claim their spot.

[PoppyandNana]

The best sailing during which we avoided chair "savers" was one to Alaska! My DH and I had the outdoor pools and hot tubs to ourselves on several occasions as well as hundreds of empty chairs to choose from! Surprisingly, the bar service was not that great.

 

I have not been brave enough yet to remove others' belongings... I guess I always think the pool butlers will eventually do so, but that is not the case, obviously. I wish X would improve on this issue; we should not have to waste our vacation time watching the clock and waiting for those people who are missing their flip flop to finally arrive and claim their spot.

 

One of the reasons we like to stay aboard during port days. These of course are Caribbean ports we have been to several times. Choice of chairs, free food quiet and peaceful. On sea days our favorite spots are on decks 11 and 12. Lots of nooks and crannies where you can put chairs in the sun or shade, or both.

 

Bar service is spotty but they are a short walk away.

[Misterscruff]

Agree with most on here, its incredible how selfish some people are they just think everything has to evolve around them. I can see some fun and games happening if it happens on our cruise. Thought I had seen the back of all this when I booked a cruise how wrong of me.

[BosoxI]

I tip the pool butlers generously at the start of the cruise so I always get what I want, they'll even tip people out of their chairs for me :)

 

That's a good one. Hope I'm there when it happens again. Actually, the size of many passengers would demand a really strong pool butler :eek:

[RiotAct]

The other thing that bothers me involves large family groups of six or more. Throughout the entire ship these groups are joined at the hip. Nice to be able to have a family cruise but they reserve rows of seats at the theatre. Take a table for four in the buffet and try to make it a six or eight top by taking chairs from nearby tables. Ten minutes of juggling, dragging moving tables and chairs. Why can't they sit at adjacent tables?

 

Do they all have to sit in the same row at the theatre. There're there to see a show not have a family meeting. Same at all the other venues. The worse are the groups of 8, 10 or more. Do they ALL have to be on the same elevator?

 

Ugh. Same groups that feel the need to walk 6 abreast through the hallways at a snail's pace, I'd assume?

[dkjretired]

One of the reasons we like to stay aboard during port days. These of course are Caribbean ports we have been to several times. Choice of chairs, free food quiet and peaceful. On sea days our favorite spots are on decks 11 and 12. Lots of nooks and crannies where you can put chairs in the sun or shade, or both.

 

Bar service is spotty but they are a short walk away.

 

I agree with you but it is also amazing how many people obviously save chairs, go to excursions and then come back to claim their chairs.

[Yankee Doodle]

Now, I don't know for sure but I heard Celebrity was installing these on the new EDGE ships.

 

 

So funny! My laugh for the day.

 

Thanks

[donaldsc]

Ugh. Same groups that feel the need to walk 6 abreast through the hallways at a snail's pace, I'd assume?

 

If they are coming toward me, I put my elbows out and bust through them. If I am behind them, I very loudly say "excuse me - do you need the whole width of the hall".

 

Both methods work.

 

DON

[QE2_Fan]

It's simple. If I see unattended belongings, I simply return them to lost-and-found. If it happens to free up a chair for me, while helping to reunite people with their misplaced towels or other items, so be it.

 

 

I get that logic, but my fear is always what if those chairs are legitimately in use but the occupants have just hit the pool for a spell...does that give up their right to their chairs and belongings?

 

If said chairs have been vacant for considerable time, then by all means, game on!! [emoji15]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[M&M Hayden]

We were on Solstice in February/March and 12 chairs were saved together in two rows. We were sitting at the pool at 7:15. At 8:45 I told the pool butler and he said that was someones personal property and they couldn't do anything about it. HUH??? I mentioned it another and was told the same thing.

 

Had ANOTHER comment for the comment card.

[Eileen07849]

.

 

 

 

The other thing that bothers me involves large family groups of six or more. Throughout the entire ship these groups are joined at the hip. Nice to be able to have a family cruise but they reserve rows of seats at the theatre. Take a table for four in the buffet and try to make it a six or eight top by taking chairs from nearby tables. Ten minutes of juggling, dragging moving tables and chairs. Why can't they sit at adjacent tables?

 

 

 

Do they all have to sit in the same row at the theatre. There're there to see a show not have a family meeting. Same at all the other venues. The worse are the groups of 8, 10 or more. Do they ALL have to be on the same elevator?

 

 

My party of 13 & I will be on the Summit next month. Now that I have read this I will endeavor to ALWAYS go everywhere as a herd.....game on, lol! [emoji39]

[Lonedaddy]

We were on Solstice in February/March and 12 chairs were saved together in two rows. We were sitting at the pool at 7:15. At 8:45 I told the pool butler and he said that was someones personal property and they couldn't do anything about it. HUH??? I mentioned it another and was told the same thing.

 

Had ANOTHER comment for the comment card.

 

Money talks, I'm sure that group tipped the butler to hold those.

[keithm]

Another rude thing people are doing now is going to the buffet on embarkation day, getting their food and staying there until they make the announcement that the cabins are ready. Sometimes can be up to two hours. My last cruise people were playing cards while waiting.

We grab lunch & then head up to the top deck & check out what's going on in the port.