Is The Chair Hogging Dilemma Unsolvable?

[RPen63]

2 hours ago, Rebels82 said:

I am on the Vista with you and totally agree with it being a problem. We both wrote it on our Mid Cruise Survey. Our Concierge called and said “ we don’t have a policy about saving chairs. People should know to not do it.” She also said she has had several complaints and has sent info shoreside. I think people should complain, in writing, with their Mid Cruise and End Cruise surveys. Talking about it doesn’t get anything done. If Oceania doesn’t have a Policy, that is a problem, in my opinion. It tells me they don’t think it is a problem and/or don’t want to deal with it. 

Interesting, but colour me surprised.  I recall seeing a blurb in Currents during a Caribbean cruise in 2022 stating that items left on loungers would be removed after a specified period of time.  I think it was 30 minutes but it may have been longer.  Maybe they eliminated the policy of are not willing to implement it.  The only solution is to keep bringing it up on the surveys!

[Waltershipman]

7 minutes ago, RPen63 said:

Interesting, but colour me surprised.  I recall seeing a blurb in Currents during a Caribbean cruise in 2022 stating that items left on loungers would be removed after a specified period of time.  I think it was 30 minutes but it may have been longer.  Maybe they eliminated the policy of are not willing to implement it.  The only solution is to keep bringing it up on the surveys!

It still surprises me but it should not finding that some passengers paying significant cruise fare may not possess the requisite quality of character that would eliminate this issue. Gratitude is so important including the belief that there is plenty to go around for everyone including lounger chairs

[d9704011]

2 minutes ago, Waltershipman said:

It still surprises me but it should not finding that some passengers paying significant cruise fare may not possess the requisite quality of character that would eliminate this issue. Gratitude is so important including the belief that there is plenty to go around for everyone including lounger chairs

There you go; the capacity to spend money (and I am implying that they have plenty of money to spend) is not a good way to assess the character of people.

[LHT28]

Usually the deck crew will remove items that clearly are there for no reason    they used to have cards as mentioned above  i believe unattended items would be removed after 30 mins

You can always mention the  lounger has not been occupied for X time  to one of the deck crew

 

 

[Waltershipman]

9 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

There you go; the capacity to spend money (and I am implying that they have plenty of money to spend) is not a good way to assess the character of people.

ABSOLUTELY CORRECT I knew a man pretty well who was beyond wealthy. In the many hundreds of millions of dollars wealth and he used to have his wife let him in the movie side door to avoid paying. Having financial resources does not equate with class nor character . That was my point. You may have misinterpreted my comment.  Oh well

 

I promise not to hog a lounger regardless of anything lol humor

[malony33]

I am cruising Oceania in 2024 for the 1st time. For me, it's expensive but a splurge and a "bucket list" cruise. I will not get into an argument, but neither will I stand around like a fool while these chair hogs enjoy the spa, lunch and a cabin nap. I will move the stuff that has been rudely left there as if the chair is personal property. I've been told I am respectful and polite, and will be so on board at all times...but this is MY cruise, too.

[Critically Cruising]

41 minutes ago, fyree39 said:

Next it will be personal bluetooth speakers around the pool and on balconies. Saints preserve us.

 

Two words:  Bluetooth Jammers.

 

 

[MarkWiltonM]

On 12/6/2023 at 4:14 PM, Rebels82 said:

I am on the Vista with you and totally agree with it being a problem. We both wrote it on our Mid Cruise Survey. Our Concierge called and said “ we don’t have a policy about saving chairs. People should know to not do it.” She also said she has had several complaints and has sent info shoreside. I think people should complain, in writing, with their Mid Cruise and End Cruise surveys. Talking about it doesn’t get anything done. If Oceania doesn’t have a Policy, that is a problem, in my opinion. It tells me they don’t think it is a problem and/or don’t want to deal with it. 

 

We just got off Vista and the chair hogs were terrible. We could not find a chaise in the shade on most days. Vista has created partitions for small-group chaise seating behind the first row of chaises closest to the pool. Those partitions are very attractive and many of those chaises in the partitions face toward the sea  (looking out of floor-to-ceiling windows), which is very nice. However, although the design is wonderful it reduces the total number of chaises that have shade. At the same time that we were unable to get a chaise in the shade, there were always chaises available in the sun. Most of us of a certain age don't need to further damage our skin by baking in the sun. Not having adequate chaises in the shade is like not having adequate tables for two in the specialty restaurants. Oceania could have addressed these issues in the design of Vista but chose not to. We have never been unable to find a shady spot on R-class and O-class ships. (Otherwise, we love love love Vista and can't wait for our cruise on Allura in 2025, with Marina in the interim.)

[Hlitner]

We are currently on the Sky Princess and we’re docked across from the Vista while in Costa Maya (today).  What immediately was obvious was that the Vista has very little deck space with loungers) when compared to most other ships.  Not surprised some whine about chair hogs, but perhaps they should whine about a ship design that lacks sufficient sheltered deck space.  
 

Hank

[Waltershipman]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We are currently on the Sky Princess and we’re docked across from the Vista while in Costa Maya (today).  What immediately was obvious was that the Vista has very little deck space with loungers) when compared to most other ships.  Not surprised some whine about chair hogs, but perhaps they should whine about a ship design that lacks sufficient sheltered deck space.  
 

Hank

Will find out in January my friend and report back

[tunaman2011]

18 hours ago, MarkWiltonM said:

 

We just got off Vista and the chair hogs were terrible. We could not find a chaise in the shade on most days. Vista has created partitions for small-group chaise seating behind the first row of chaises closest to the pool. Those partitions are very attractive and many of those chaises in the partitions face toward the sea  (looking out of floor-to-ceiling windows), which is very nice. However, although the design is wonderful it reduces the total number of chaises that have shade. At the same time that we were unable to get a chaise in the shade, there were always chaises available in the sun. Most of us of a certain age don't need to further damage our skin by baking in the sun. Not having adequate chaises in the shade is like not having adequate tables for two in the specialty restaurants. Oceania could have addressed these issues in the design of Vista but chose not to. We have never been unable to find a shady spot on R-class and O-class ships. (Otherwise, we love love love Vista and can't wait for our cruise on Allura in 2025, with Marina in the interim.)

Greetings

MY DW and myself were on the 01 December Vista cruise and I was amazed. I would walk across the pool deck on my way to the gym at 0600 and there already more chairs with items "reserving" them than I could count. Nothing was open on the ship except the gym. Did these people do this before bed time or did they get up before sun up?

 

God Sailing

Tom

[basor]

12 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We are currently on the Sky Princess and we’re docked across from the Vista while in Costa Maya (today).  What immediately was obvious was that the Vista has very little deck space with loungers) when compared to most other ships.  Not surprised some whine about chair hogs, but perhaps they should whine about a ship design that lacks sufficient sheltered deck space.  
 

Hank

If you are willing to not sit around the pool, there are loungers in the sun and shade all around on the upper decks.  We found several areas with multiple loungers that look out over the ocean that were never full, crowded or "reserved".  Also enjoyed the quiet and no one walking around bumping into us or our lounger.  One of our favorite shades places was outside Baraistas - drinks, snacks and bathrooms were just inside the door...

[harryw]

My feeling is that the less sheltered space available by design, the more egregious

is the chair hogging.

[tropicalkerry2002]

If the pool opens at 0700, the staff should remove anything that is on a chaise before 0700 .

After that, I believe staff should be removing things routinely, especially if no one is in the water.

If they have gone for a meal, too bad....last cruise, we went one at a time, and brought our Waves or Terrace meal back to our pool chaise. Not the most comfortable way to eat, but if you're serious about wanting a place to relax, c'est  la vie!

I DO think it's the cruise line's job to monitor this.

Edited December 14, 2023 by tropicalkerry2002

[MarkWiltonM]

3 hours ago, basor said:

One of our favorite shades places was outside Baraistas - drinks, snacks and bathrooms were just inside the door...

 

Whether or not this was shaded depended on the time of day and the direction of the sun. Not a sure thing. And there just a few loungers around Baristas. We found those also usually occupied if they were shady at the time we looked.  

Edited December 14, 2023 by MarkWiltonM

[basor]

52 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

 

Whether or not this was shaded depended on the time of day and the direction of the sun. Not a sure thing. And there just a few loungers around Baristas. We found those also usually occupied if they were shady at the time we looked.  

You are correct but there were loungers on both sides of Baristas so just chose the side with shade, if we wanted shade.  Also loved the areas outside on Deck 14 on the side or front if we wanted to overlook the pool.....

[Pandazoo]

It’s a shame as the last review on CC for a recent Vista cruise was pretty much ruined by chair hogs.  

[pilgrimage]

18 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We are currently on the Sky Princess and we’re docked across from the Vista while in Costa Maya (today).  What immediately was obvious was that the Vista has very little deck space with loungers) when compared to most other ships.  Not surprised some whine about chair hogs, but perhaps they should whine about a ship design that lacks sufficient sheltered deck space.  
 

Hank

 

Hank,

 

We're on Vista now and got to "enjoy" the Princess deck music while relaxing on deck just before sail away yesterday at Costa Maya.  Tell your CD to turn that mess down 😄.  Enjoy your cruise!

[pilgrimage]

Plenty of loungers if you get up early 🙂

[Jayne E]

We were looking forward to the Spa Terrace on Vista last November. Unfortunately there is no shade whatsoever. The area is absolutely beautiful but only used by sun worshippers. 
we did use the hot tub at 5:00 P.M.when sun going down. 
could use a civet such as the one on Terrace Caffe. 

[basor]

6 hours ago, Jayne E said:

We were looking forward to the Spa Terrace on Vista last November. Unfortunately there is no shade whatsoever. The area is absolutely beautiful but only used by sun worshippers. 
we did use the hot tub at 5:00 P.M.when sun going down. 
could use a civet such as the one on Terrace Caffe. 

Interesting, when we were on Vista, there were heated loungers to the right when you came through the door that were in the shade.....since it is located at the very front of the ship, it is not conducive to having many areas with shade

[Jayne E]

1 hour ago, basor said:

Interesting, when we were on Vista, there were heated loungers to the right when you came through the door that were in the shade.....since it is located at the very front of the ship, it is not conducive to having many areas with shade

Yes….4 hard stone heated loungers. Ok for a short stay.

could have designed a covered area similar to new cover on Terrace Cafe. 
If you love your skin, need to avoid this area until sundown
 

[loge23]

The solutions to chair hogging all involve an additional expense for the lines, thus they are probably not feasible without a significant outcry from the guests. 

Here's my suggestion:

In lieu of additional personnel (the most expensive cure), small LED light/sensors can be attached to all loungers that activate when the seat is unfilled. After 30 minutes (or whatever time limit is imposed) the light will change colors - say red to green for example. That will indicate the chair is free game. Costly when you factor in the number of units needed fleetwide, but the cost burden should be shared with the vender of the loungers if the line specifies this enhancement. The light can go to a mid range color (say yellow) when a guest gets up for a short period (restroom break for example) and then turn red after the time limit is reached. This will indicate a chair is being used properly with items left on the chair. Empty chairs are always fair game regardless of the indication. 

I guess the bottom line for the cruise lines is the number of complaints versus the cost of any solution - and clearly that balance has not reached the solution phase yet.

Any other good solutions out there?

 

 

 

 

[AMHuntFerry]

2 hours ago, loge23 said:

The solutions to chair hogging all involve an additional expense for the lines, thus they are probably not feasible without a significant outcry from the guests. 

Here's my suggestion:

In lieu of additional personnel (the most expensive cure), small LED light/sensors can be attached to all loungers that activate when the seat is unfilled. After 30 minutes (or whatever time limit is imposed) the light will change colors - say red to green for example. That will indicate the chair is free game. Costly when you factor in the number of units needed fleetwide, but the cost burden should be shared with the vender of the loungers if the line specifies this enhancement. The light can go to a mid range color (say yellow) when a guest gets up for a short period (restroom break for example) and then turn red after the time limit is reached. This will indicate a chair is being used properly with items left on the chair. Empty chairs are always fair game regardless of the indication. 

I guess the bottom line for the cruise lines is the number of complaints versus the cost of any solution - and clearly that balance has not reached the solution phase yet.

Any other good solutions out there?

 

 

 

 

A force sensor might be harder to "bypass" than a light sensor, but your idea is good. I've noticed some airports have red/green bathroom stall indicators that are linked to an overall stall availability system; if the bathroom near you is super busy, the system directs you to the closest bathroom that is less busy. These things are getting cheaper so your solution is something that should be kept in mind when ships are built or updated.

[harryw]

Maybe breathalyzers should be administered by the poolside 

attendants. Drunk chair hogs might be even more irresponsible.

Though I don’t know what the legal intoxication limit is at sea.