What is the rule about saving a seat by the pool?

[Grandma4ever]

I really wish they had a place to stash belongings up out of the wet floor and out of the path to prevent tripping. I would not need a chair if there was a basket system or something.

But then we would have Basket hogs unless it was a system where a CM checked in your stuff giving you a number to collect your belongings at a later time.

 

[Melissa S]

A "Sneaker Keeper" near the pools like the kind they have in water parks would solve A LOT of problems and wouldn't take up much space. Also I don't know why people hog chairs by the pool. We don't sit near the pool unless we have to watch our daughter in the pool. If were are just laying out then we go on the sun deck (the one above the pool deck). Why be around all the crowded chaos? There have been times where one of us would go up on the sun deck to relax (on one chair) while the other watched our daughter in the pool. The sun deck is a nice place to relax and have lunch and there are usually plenty of chairs. Of course you have to walk up and down stairs to grab food but hey with all the eating we need the exercise lol.

 

[nikkistevej]

I like the cubby idea....DCL are you listening??????

 

[GoofyTwinDad]

I wish there were some good places to stash belongings while swimming if you don't need to sit in a chair. I think there are plenty of people, including me, who would be happy to stick sunscreen, shoes, etc. in a cubby rather than set them on a chair. But there really isn't anywhere to leave anything except on or under the chairs!

I agree completely. This would be my perfect world on DCL. They build cubby holes for about 200 people at each pool; and a new rule is created that states if you leave your lounger for any period of time, you must place your personal belongings in a cubby hole. I guarantee you there will always be an open lounger when they return.

 

[rosermama]

I wish there were some good places to stash belongings while swimming if you don't need to sit in a chair. I think there are plenty of people, including me, who would be happy to stick sunscreen, shoes, etc. in a cubby rather than set them on a chair. But there really isn't anywhere to leave anything except on or under the chairs!

I agree with this just somewhere to stash my stuff.

DH and I always share a lounge chair we put all our stuff togther on the chair we only take one cause we try to be considerate of others besides he is more likely to get out of the water and lay on the chair sooner than me. He loves to nap on deck, I like to walk around the ship and when Im ready to take a break I sit at the end of his chair or look for an open one.

 

[ruley3]

I like the cubby idea....DCL are you listening??????

I agree.... Not a ton but enough especially around the kid pool areas....

 

[chateau]

Agreed! But, I do not see why people can not put all their stuff on one chair instead of saving four and not sitting in any of them, this is the bigger problem..we've been on 17 nights of cruising and not once had a lounge chair in the pool areas...just not worth the aggravation and attitudes.

I LOVE when something is tough in life, and then I see a benefit to it. Kiddos are SO active that there is NO WAY anyone in our family would be in a seat for more than about 10 minutes.... chair saving- non issue for us, but I enjoy observing all the craziness over it on deck!

 

[girl_barrie]

I like the cubby idea....DCL are you listening??????

We usually will leave stuff for the 3 of us on one lounger while we swim, but wouldn't even need to if they had cubbies!!!
When we sit by the pool, its usually 2 loungers for the 3 of us - kiddo likes to snuggle with one or the other of us - no need for him to have his own!

 

[Rominet]

I had really witnessed excessive chair saving on a cruise. On the first sea day we went to the pool and almost all the chairs were saved. You know, chap stick on one, a book, then a flip flop on the next... Obviously not a real group of people. We watched a while and when nobody came we finally sat down to watch the kids swim. We sat there probably 1.5 hours and all the sudden a woman blazes over ans screams "These loungers are reserved!". Did she really think it would work to reserve them all morning until her family got up at noon?

Another time we got up early to have coffee and sit in the adult area and watch the ocean. Because it's all covered, it was very hot. There was one choice, cushioned, U shaped seating area that happened to be one of the only spots with a breeze. It was "saved". There was plenty of seating, so we decided to sit there in the breeze until the people came back and then move for them. I assumed they were getting coffee. We sat there two hours visiting and nobody ever came! Ever! Someone just woke up and felt the need to save the best seat until they felt like strolling down at their leisure!

People get a little nutty on vacations. Maybe because they want everything to be perfect? Who knows!

 

[Rogillio]

Regardless of saved/not saved, how long it 'your fair share' of lounge-chair sitting? Obviously there are not enough lounge chairs to everyone. So if you get there at 6 am and never leave all day, is that fair to other passengers?

All my dozen or so cruises combined I think would total less than 3 hrs total of lounge chair sitting. It's just not my thing. I can lounge by the pool at home any time so I don't want to spend my vacation lounging.

 

[chateau]

People get a little nutty on vacations. Maybe because they want everything to be perfect? Who knows!

that's where lack of a sense of community is changing the way people relate to one another... "want everything to be perfect" is not taking into account what other people may need.

think of this... we're on DIS, we join the "meets" board & get to know one another prior to our cruise, then try to pull off a stunt like that.... not likely huh.

 

[CruznLexi]

One thing I love to do is sit in the lounge chair and watch the Disney movies. We found that on the Dream to be very hard. I am not ome to spend all day in the pool but go from pool to hot tub to Buffett. I do wish they had sort of shade too.like the umbrellas carnival has. For us fair skin people it is I hard to move around all the time and find loungers.

 

[kcashner]

I had really witnessed excessive chair saving on a cruise. On the first sea day we went to the pool and almost all the chairs were saved. You know, chap stick on one, a book, then a flip flop on the next... Obviously not a real group of people. We watched a while and when nobody came we finally sat down to watch the kids swim. We sat there probably 1.5 hours and all the sudden a woman blazes over ans screams "These loungers are reserved!". Did she really think it would work to reserve them all morning until her family got up at noon?

Another time we got up early to have coffee and sit in the adult area and watch the ocean. Because it's all covered, it was very hot. There was one choice, cushioned, U shaped seating area that happened to be one of the only spots with a breeze. It was "saved". There was plenty of seating, so we decided to sit there in the breeze until the people came back and then move for them. I assumed they were getting coffee. We sat there two hours visiting and nobody ever came! Ever! Someone just woke up and felt the need to save the best seat until they felt like strolling down at their leisure!

People get a little nutty on vacations. Maybe because they want everything to be perfect? Who knows!

Confrontation from the offender is the time that I suggest that they go and get a CM, and we will discuss the seat saving policy. Now in reality, I've found the CMs outside the theater very hesitant to get involved, but at the pool deck they don't seem to have an issue. I've also suggested that they read the seat saving policy in the Navigator--specifically that there is no such thing as a saved seat.

As to how long it is "fair" for one person to be in a lounger...if you are in it, there is no issue. It's yours. Reality, most people don't occupy the lounges for long periods of time, but if someone wants to...it is their option.

In reality, I'm more flexible than I'm coming across here--sure, I ignore the "obviously occupied" chair that looks like someone just made a bathroom run. The "one flip flop on this chair, one flip flop on the next chair, and the towels put out by the CMs still neatly arrayed" sorry....that is the one I'll take.

We all paid to be on the ship. If someone needs his/her own private lounge chair reserved 24/7, perhaps he should have chartered his own shiip.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Even though DCL policy states no saving chairs, people obviously continue to do it. I, too, would ask a CM to move stuff if I really wanted a chair that had "stuff" on it. I would not ever want to take someone's chair who was in the water, bathroom, etc. so I would wait and watch a while, though.

But, on the Hawaii cruise I saw folks come out very early, say 7 am even though it was chilly and "save" chairs. They would then show up later raving about how nice their breakfast was..

I guess it is the attitude of "entitlement" that makes folks think this is ok to do. "I paid for this cruise therefore, I will have a lounge chair at my disposal when I am ready..." sigh.

 

[Douvres Family]

I was on the Magic and a woman moved another family's belongings so she could sit and watch her child in the pool. The owner of the belongings came back and SCREAMED at the woman, calling her a thief, went and got a CM, filed a complaint, etc. The woman who moved the things just sat in the chair and read her book. The owner of the belongings never did sit in any of the other 4 chairs that held her things.

So yes, confrontations do happen.

OMG...Lunatic!!! Why yell??? And she never sat...
I would feel horrible that I left my stuff unattended so long while other ppl could have been sitting there...and they felt the need to move it.

 

[Douvres Family]

I envisions two types of confrontation.

Confrontation: Excuse me, but I was sitting there. I just stepped away for a little bit...

Response: Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see anyone around and there were all these empty chairs so I took one. No problem, I'll just move to a different chair.

or

Controntation: Hey, that is my chair! [yelling] Get out of my chair, NOW!

Response: Brahahahaha. What? Your chair? Not hardly, these chairs belong to the Disney Corporation. You snooze, you lose. Hey, so I don't lose my chair, would you be a love and go fetch me a soda?

 

[Douvres Family]

I agree with this just somewhere to stash my stuff.

DH and I always share a lounge chair we put all our stuff togther on the chair we only take one cause we try to be considerate of others besides he is more likely to get out of the water and lay on the chair sooner than me. He loves to nap on deck, I like to walk around the ship and when Im ready to take a break I sit at the end of his chair or look for an open one.

DH & I do exactly the same. One chair...he hold our items and naps. I swim, walk, wonder around...by the time I get back he's ready to eat and wonder around & I'm ready for nap...that works!
As a matter of fact, I'm ready right now...I wish we on on any of the DCL ships right now...

 

[GBBTomorrow]

This behavior is not limited to cruises, either. For years, my parents stayed at a hotel in Florida and my uncle would get up at 6:00 AM every day so he could "go put out our towels" and get his coffee at the front desk, My parents would sleep until ten or eleven, have a leisurely breakfast, and then go out to the pool to their waiting chairs, the ones in the best spots. God help the family who was on their week's vacation who dared to sit in one of the retirees' chairs, which, interestingly, sat right beneath the sign that said, "No saving of lounge chairs with personal items." The drama that would ensue was insane. The management wouldn't get involved, and the poor family with kids would be driven off by the enraged retirees. What a scene.

On another note, how is it by the adult pool on the Dream and the Fantasy? My favorite hours of cruise life are my hours by the adult pool, having someone deliver me drinks while I lounge in the sun. Is it as bad fighting for loungers there as at the family pools? (I've only been on the Magic and Wonder, and never found it too bad.)

 

[Douvres Family]

This behavior is not limited to cruises, either. For years, my parents stayed at a hotel in Florida and my uncle would get up at 6:00 AM every day so he could "go put out our towels" and get his coffee at the front desk, My parents would sleep until ten or eleven, have a leisurely breakfast, and then go out to the pool to their waiting chairs, the ones in the best spots. God help the family who was on their week's vacation who dared to sit in one of the retirees' chairs, which, interestingly, sat right beneath the sign that said, "No saving of lounge chairs with personal items." The drama that would ensue was insane. The management wouldn't get involved, and the poor family with kids would be driven off by the enraged retirees. What a scene.

On another note, how is it by the adult pool on the Dream and the Fantasy? My favorite hours of cruise life are my hours by the adult pool, having someone deliver me drinks while I lounge in the sun. Is it as bad fighting for loungers there as at the family pools? (I've only been on the Magic and Wonder, and never found it too bad.)

OMG...DH & I had absolutely no problem find two lounge chairs within minutes.
It was after brunch at Palo, we walked to the adult pool. Everything was taken at first. But by the time we got our drinks several were empty.
I sat for 10min, then got up and walked around...freeing the chair for anyone else to use...lol

 

[AquaDame]

We never had a problem finding a lounger, but we also never tried to be by the family pool either since we don't have kids. I think at one point we moved some DCL towels that were still folded up from a chair so we could lay down next to each other on deck 12 above and dry off from the AquaDuck..? I have no problem removing generic towels - if someone's personal stuff is there I assume they just left and would be back and gave it no more thought. Seems like Disney would do very well to send a CM around at 8 to take stock of whats up there and again at 8:30 or 9 to remove items from chairs.

If I ever needed to move stuff myself and thought I might get yelled at I would just have a navigator on me. That + "ma'am or sir no one has been here in over an hour" would be the end of it in my mind. They can complain to whom else they like - its Disney's fault for having a rule they do not hold anyone to.