Royal Caribbean has guidelines in opposition to reserving chairs, however that is not stopping individuals from flagrantly taking over chairs.
Chair hogs are an ideal sea day’s nightmare as a result of as quickly as you get to the pool deck, you understand there is no the place to sit down.
A cruiser aboard Utopia of the Seas took to Reddit to share their frustration involving chair canine throughout a current crusing.
The put up revealed that by 8:30am, all lounge chairs had been “taken” (i.e., claimed with Royal Caribbean’s blue pool towels) close to the splash pad and three swimming pools.
With over 300 feedback, the put up rapidly gained traction, with some questioning why Royal Caribbean is not implementing its time coverage, as it is a frequent drawback on ships throughout the fleet.
“I watched a bunch of women exit at 9 am and put their towels out for the household ( 10 loungers) and use the toppers that say ‘No reserving lounge chairs’ to safe the towel to the lounger. And a workers member up above watching, doing nothing,” wrote pennynv.
“They didn’t truly use the seats until 1pm. Pissed me off. Some individuals are so entitled.”
Albuwhatwhat added that these individuals aren’t simply reserving chairs for fifteen or twenty minutes. They’re claiming the seats and going to breakfast or worse, again to mattress.
“Royal workers have insurance policies in opposition to this however it simply isn’t being enforced. I used to be on a cruise 3 weeks in the past the place we went swimming at 9am and solely perhaps 6 different individuals have been there however each single lounger was ‘claimed,'” they clarify.
Due to the cruise line’s lack of motion, others instructed shifting the towels your self
ConsiderationFun7511 added that they’ve by no means seen Royal Caribbean implement its time coverage for reserving chairs and have usually taken issues into their very own fingers, saying, “Final cruise I went on, I watched a ‘claimed’ chair within the solarium be empty for a full hour. Sneakers and towel. Nobody got here again to the chair in that point, so I moved the stuff off to the facet onto a distinct chair…”
“In all probability 30-40 minutes after we’re sitting there, a teen lady and her bf are available in – from exterior of the solarium- and she or he aggressively begins asking if I moved her stuff. I stated nope, sorry!”
Others chimed in, claiming that it is simple to “mistake” your spot for another person’s when all of the towels look the identical.
DrPanda82 commented, “Decide the seats you need, transfer that stuff to the lifeguard desk, take pleasure in.”
“I might toss all of it to the facet. This isn’t assigned seating. These will not be their chairs,” added AZMadmax.
One Reddit consumer means that Royal Caribbean ought to add extra cubbies across the pool deck
Whereas chair hogs are clearly irritating to company who wish to make the most of the pool deck on trip, it is troublesome for the crew to keep watch over each lounge chair, particularly on mega-ships like Utopia of the Seas.
Cubbies are sometimes accessible close to waterslides, resembling close to The Blaster on Navigator of the Seas and the Class 6 Waterpark on Icon.
Nonetheless, one Reddit consumer thinks the chair hog state of affairs would enhance if there have been extra locations for company to soundly retailer their belongings, relatively than throwing them on the bottom.
“I want the ships had a [cubby] system. You place your glasses, bag, towel, no matter within the [cubby] and the seats are for actively sitting/sunning,” says ArtisanGerard.
They added that so long as they’re free, they felt like they’d be used. ArtisanGerard even stated they’d use an open cubby with no door or lock, “not like a chair is [safer].”
Ideas for beating chair hogs
In the event you sadly encounter chair hogs throughout your cruise trip, take into account these tricks to profit from your sea day.
First, although you’d assume that getting up earlier would safe a primary spot on the pool deck, LongroddMcHugendong’s Reddit put up reveals that others are pondering the identical factor, with most chairs being taken by 8:30am.
As a substitute, take into account staying onboard one port day. With fewer company on the ship, you may benefit from comparatively empty swimming pools, shorter buffet strains, and extra.
Learn extra: 5 greatest causes to remain onboard the ship whereas in Good Day at CocoCay
Moreover, search for chairs away from the pool. Freedom of the Seas, for instance, has a ton of lounge chairs overlooking the ship’s wake close to the FlowRider.
You might additionally go for a later meal time and benefit from the swimming pools as soon as the vast majority of passengers return to their cabins to clean up.
On my current Marvel of the Seas cruise, my associate and I made a decision to eat dinner within the Windjammer and revel in fewer crowds within the sizzling tubs, and it made for a memorable evening, even when we skipped the theater present.
A costlier choice could be to hire a casita, although I believe personal cabanas are a waste of cash. I rented one whereas on Celeb Ascent final summer time and wasn’t impressed.
Whereas the shaded seating space was good, it was too windy to totally take pleasure in it. Plus, the “unique” meals menu wasn’t a lot better than the seafood buffet.
Casitas on sea days can value as a lot as $300 or $400, making them an expensive funding.
Nonetheless, when you take pleasure in unique advantages, reserving a collection with entry to a non-public sundeck might meet your wants. Along with the sundeck, cabins throughout the Royal Suite Class embrace an unique eating room, precedence boarding, and extra.
