Chair saving police

[Disney with Triplets]

It sounds like many on these boards are legalistic with the "no saving seats/chairs" policy. We were traveling with three families. Unless we were going to a show, we never had enough chairs for everybody - didn't need them, but between the adults, we oftentimes took turns taking any one of the 7 kids traveling with us to the restroom, to fetch snacks or drinks, etc. while others remained behind to be with the other kids and to "SAVE MY SEAT".

Can you imagine the chaos of being reluctant to take someone to the restroom or to get a snack because the family would have to relinquish their seats! What a horrible vacation that would be!

Same with show seating. We tooks kids to the restroom before the show started - thinking we were minding our manners so that the kids wouldn't be climbing over cruisers to make a much needed potty break during the show. I would have been truly offended if anyone gave us any grief about "save my seat" while I take Johnny potty!

If a chair is left completely unattended with only a towel, it's free game in my opinion. If it has my visor velcro'ed in the slats at the top, please leave it be because I'll be returning momentarily with some snacks and a few hungry kids in tow - be nice to me and I'll share!

 

[alikat99]

I would never move someone's stuff if it was there for just a few minutes. Heck, I don't know that I would move someone's stuff if it was there for an hour. I'm not that aggressive, but I would hope that someone wouldn't take someone's personal items off of a chair for just being gone for a few minutes.

 

[clovely]

What you're describing is very very different than someone leaving a towel on a chair expecting it to be there 30 minutes later (but there's been some speculation that CMs put towels out and sometimes that is mistaken for someone saving that lounge chair) or one or two people trying to save five or six seats between them - that doesn't fly with me. "My dh and dd will be right back" is a far cry from "those six seats are taken"...that's downright rude.

 

[lbgraves]

We have seen two people guarding an entire row of seats...one on each end. THAT is an example of unacceptable seat saving. Taking your kids to the bathroom before the show is being considerate.

 

[Skuba2]

I have also seen people up by the pool at a very early hour putting their "stuff" on chairs--multiple chairs. I have also seen people having their "stuff" on loungers while also using a table.

Suggestions---If you need multiple chairs, how about using one by the pool and the others behind it leaving the ones by the pool for other parents with kids. We as a family tend to use just one chair. The kids will either sit between my legs or we will put the top down and it will seat 3 (just be careful getting up. LOL!) If I know I need to go to the restroom, I will ask whoever is next to me to watch my seat for me.

I really really hate seeing people save seats and then the party doesn't even bother showing up.

Unfortunately, it is the culture that we live in now. The kids learn it by what they see and they see the parents thinking about me me me!!

DG

 

[aprilgail2]

I have also seen people up by the pool at a very early hour putting their "stuff" on chairs--multiple chairs.
DG

I saw that one morning too....I was up at 7am and saw one person in their pajamas putting shoes/clothes out on chairs to save them..well they left and I waited a little while then gathered them all up and put them to the side...I should have taken them all down to lost and found but I wasn't thinking LOL...people are so rude about saving seats around the pool!!

 

[lbgraves]

 

[joepoe]

It sounds like many on these boards are legalistic with the "no saving seats/chairs" policy. !

It IS the ship policy as stated on the navigator. But I agree you can go *overboard* with enforcement. Like I said, if there are just towels and no one else at the pool, I take it, otherwise I ask neighbors if anone is using the chairs. If it is personal stuff, I wait an hour.

 

[inkkognito]

I, too, have run into the "row savers." Once in the Walt Disney theater, I went to sit down in the front row (quite surprised that it was empty except for two people). A teen boy at the other end yelled, "You can't sit there! All these seats are saved." I said, "You can't save an entire row," and he snapped, "I'm NOT," indicating the two occupied seats. I snapped back, "Well, take it up with a crew member" as I plopped my butt into a seat. He stalked off and I never saw him again...a grandma and daughter then came and sat next to me, and the grandma said, "Thanks. He told us we couldn't sit there, and we thought he must be a worker or something!" They were amazed that a fellow guest would be rude enough to try to take a whole row.
Barb

 

[scrapperjill]

IMO what your describing with getting up for snacks or a potty breaks ISN'T what the "NO seat saving" means. It's for those who stake out the loungers with no real thought of actually using them.

And as for having your visor strapped to a chair for breif time while you get snacks..okay...BUT IMO I don't see it's okay to have your visor use a chair while you takes laps around the deck or take an hour swim. Theres a diffrence between the two.

I may be the odd one out on this one...but I also don't see anything wrong with holding a few seat at a show...IF you have plans with others to meet for a show. For example: My parents and some friends cruised with us this past Oct. And I can tell you from experience that your not able to find a group of seats together...UNLESS someone (or two) goes ahead of time and stakes them out. Now I don't see it being okay to hold seats "Just in case" you have people you know show up. But if your plan is to meet for a show then by all means why can't you hold their seat??? I really don't see any reason to drag the kids (we were out numbered kid/adult ratio) early to sit in the theaters just to get our seats...BUT I can see sending a couple of the adults down to get them while the other adults finish getting the kids ready.

 

[kcashner]

DCL policy is no saving seats in the Walt Disney theater. Ditto for deck chairs. I don't think most of us mind holding a seat for someone for a few minutes while he/she runs to the restroom, gets a snack, or is a few minutes late. The issue is the one kid who tries to hold a whole row of seats (if you really want the first row or two, you need to get there early!) or the family who piles stuff on deck chairs and is gone for 30 minutes or more. By all means, take your kid to the restroom, but then come back to your chair.

Anyone who has cruised more than a time or two has seen the deck chair hogs who claim them at 8 am. That's where the problem is.

 

[pearlieq]

I saw that one morning too....I was up at 7am and saw one person in their pajamas putting shoes/clothes out on chairs to save them..well they left and I waited a little while then gathered them all up and put them to the side...I should have taken them all down to lost and found but I wasn't thinking LOL...people are so rude about saving seats around the pool!!

You are my new hero!!!

 

[PizzieDuster]

"I snapped back, "Well, take it up with a crew member"



I don't know what's worse, you snapping at a "teen" or the parents of the teen putting him that position..... poor KID....I bet he won't EVER save seats again... Can't you just hear him now... 'no way' YOU do it~ Because ya know, it wasn't HE that thought of saving the whole row.... Lucky for him, he sailed out of there.... But he is somebody's kid just the same

We always grab a crew member by the pool to help us find chairs. They will help, they will carry chairs and move them for you, they did for us. By the adult pool, a attendant came by and went downstairs and carried chairs up for us. We like to look out at the sea, with the breeze and all.

And then, my DH, if it's just he and my DD at the Mickie Pool, will just pick up a chair and carry it to where he wants it. He's like Barb... I'd hate to see the person who tells him that chair is taken.... Me, I would run away in embarrassment, he, could give a...well, he doesn't mind doing that.

In the Walt Disney Theatre, they have also helped us find seats together, making people scoot over and stuff.

It all works out and anywhere on the ship is

 

[clovely]

I may be the odd one out on this one...but I also don't see anything wrong with holding a few seat at a show...IF you have plans with others to meet for a show. For example: My parents and some friends cruised with us this past Oct. And I can tell you from experience that your not able to find a group of seats together...UNLESS someone (or two) goes ahead of time and stakes them out. Now I don't see it being okay to hold seats "Just in case" you have people you know show up. But if your plan is to meet for a show then by all means why can't you hold their seat??? I really don't see any reason to drag the kids (we were out numbered kid/adult ratio) early to sit in the theaters just to get our seats...BUT I can see sending a couple of the adults down to get them while the other adults finish getting the kids ready.

After seeing Lisa's amazing pictures of the shows, I plan on getting to the shows early, kids and all, to get a good seat. We're even thinking of taking their gameboys so that half hour a day, after running and swimming and playing all day, it wont hurt them to sit still. At some point, dh will probably take ds to the potty then maybe I'll take dd...but sending dh, or myself, early to save three more seats, IMO is rude.

 

[BuzzNutt]

I agree that there are limits to policing the seat savers. We always travel in large groups, usually around 13 of us. We always make buddies because we anticipate not being able to sit together. This way we are only looking for two or three seat together. We would never save all those seats buit will save one for a potty break.

 

[starwood]

What annoys me more than this is:
1. The people who leave the pool for the day - leaving their dirty towels on the chairs. You have no way of knowing whether or not they are coming back or if the chair is vacant.

2. The people who take chairs for themselves and the 4 kids that are going to be in the pool all day and not sit in the chair once.

 

[4theloveofdisney]

What annoys me more than this is:
1. The people who leave the pool for the day - leaving their dirty towels on the chairs. You have no way of knowing whether or not they are coming back or if the chair is vacant.

2. The people who take chairs for themselves and the 4 kids that are going to be in the pool all day and not sit in the chair once.

ITA! We have three little kids and the absolute truth is that they will not be sitting in a chair unless they are hurt or something. I will only save a seat for DH and myself, one if it's only me. The kids can share with us.

As far as the theater goes, I understand people getting upset about saving entire rows. That's crazy. If you want to be together and are in a large group, plan to meet beforehand, at an earlier time, and then pick out your seats after everyone arrives. If you are talking about a family situation w/kids, of course you are not going to want to be split up and in this case, I don't see any reason why you can't hold a couple of seats for your spouse and/or kid(s). Things happen, kids have to use the restroom, you forget something in your cabin and someone has to go back, your daughter wants to see Cinderella, you have to use the restroom, etc. I sincerely hope that someone wouldn't get their drawers in a wad because I'm saving my husband a seat. Give me a break!

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

I can't imagine someone who has a problem with the "saving a seat for DH or DW or even "child"...it is when the ratio of saved seats far exceeds the number of people there.

I can still remember the time when a man had been up there early morning. After half an hour of standing there with all our stuff while my kids swam, I moved the single sandal off one of the 8 chairs that he apparently was "saving". After he screamed at me, I explained the no seat saving policy. He got furious. 20 minutes later, another member of his party came by. I could tell they were talking about the terrible thing I did -- keep in mind there were still 7 chairs that no one had used in almost an hour. It made me extremely uncomfortable. Well, don't you know that I left my stuff on my 1 chair, took my son to the bathroom and by the time I got back, the threw all my stuff right into a big puddle on the deck and when I walked by them he said "No saving chairs, right?!" Well, we got our stuff and left. Is that not just the worst!! Very uncomfortable and not a scene I wanted my children to witness. I took them to the club and I went for a walk.

 

[Dreamer04]

Saving one or two seats is not the issue. Saving a whole row is a no-no.

 

[misseulalie]

I think I would have gotten a CM involved. He had no right to throw your things in a puddle of water. Especially when you were right.