Crowded pools with saved seats

[kreckl]

We are hoping to swim every afternoon and cool off at the pools on our August trip. I'm reading about people just leaving towels on seats they aren't using. Can we just move them? Anyone had a problem doing this? I wouldn't if there were shoes or personal belongings but can't imagine not being able to sit down because people may have thrown towels on the chairs earlier in the day. Is it impossible to get a shady spot? ( and yes- I'm ignoring the "it rains every afternoon" comments.)

 

[Shellyb84]

If we see towels with no other belongings, we will move them if we need the chairs. We've never had any issue with anyone returning to the chairs.

 

[Flight]

We stayed at one resort where shortly after the sun was up, people came out to the pool, put their towels on the chairs, then disappeared for hours.

It seems there is some rule written, I do not know where, that this is acceptable behavior.

I am curious what others have to say.

 

[1971DBday]

I hate this! I've seen on busy days though that staff will remove them if there are no belongings. However, people have become wise and will leave flip flops or other cheap items to make it look more realistic.

 

[piccolopat]

If I don't see personal belongings, I'll move the towels. If someone complains afterwards (has never happened) I would move to another seat. I think people are rude to leave towels for the day and run off to do something else. I wish Disney would clear the chairs every half an hour or so if no one is using them.

 

[Disneylover99]

I've never moved anyone's towels, but I have seen others do it. As long as there are no personal items on the chairs or underneath them, I think they're fair game. Assuming these are pool towels and not someone's personal beach towels.

 

[Day-Day]

Most kids will not use a chair but many families claim chairs for all family members. In these situations the family could do fine with only one chair for each adult that would use a chair and maybe another chair for shirts, towels, etc. for the rest of the family.

On my last visit, almost every chair was "claimed" but well over half were not occupied. There were eight or ten claimed almost within reach of my chair that nobody ever used while I was there. There will always be some chairs that are not being used for periods when the person is in the pool, visiting the laundry room, getting a drink, etc.

 

[gzmtlock]

I have never hesitated to move towels from chairs with no personal items. I had an experience this past Spring that was very unexpected.

We were at YC Easter week, our first stay there, in part to experience SAB for the first time. At 2 pm in the afternoon, every chair was taken. EVERY CHAIR. The vast majority also had personal items. I circled the entire pool complex looking for a single chair of any type to put our items on for our family of 4. I spied a single chair with nothing on it, behind a table and two rows of chairs in front of it (all with personal items on them). As I tried to take it, a man approached me and indicated that his family was using the chair. I nicely asked if I could have that one chair for my family of 4, and he replied hesitantly that he thought that might be fair, as it would leave his group of seven with two chairs. I apologized and said that I didn't want to take that chair if they were using it. Another dad overheard this conversation, and brought me an "extra" chair from his group. I piled all our stuff on it, and was finally able to join DH and our DGKs in the pool.

I don't know how August compares to Easter week (bound to be at least somewhat less busy, I would guess). And I think it may also depend on what pool you are at. For our family, the popularity of SAB was not worth the hassle at one of the busiest times of year. We will not stay at YC/BC again during a very busy time. The extra resort cost (over BWI) is presumably in large part for access to SAB. It was not worth it for us!!

 

[Shanti]

We are hoping to swim every afternoon and cool off at the pools on our August trip. I'm reading about people just leaving towels on seats they aren't using. Can we just move them? Anyone had a problem doing this? I wouldn't if there were shoes or personal belongings but can't imagine not being able to sit down because people may have thrown towels on the chairs earlier in the day. Is it impossible to get a shady spot? ( and yes- I'm ignoring the "it rains every afternoon" comments.)

Yes, I've moved them (no other items there, just towels), and yes, I've had a problem because I moved a towel from a chair that had nothing but a towel on it.

Unfortunately, some people subscribe to the notion that they own the chair because they threw a towel on it before going off to swim (or return to their rooms, or have lunch, or dinner, or whatever else causes most of the vacant chairs to be claimed by inanimate towels while human guests awkwardly stand around with nowhere to sit.

I don't see that attitude changing anytime soon without a resort pool policy change, which, unfortunately, I don't see happening either.

 

[Sue M]

The saga of the chair hogs continues . It is a source of irritation for me! I can't understand the inconsideration of people. So if there is no personal property I do use the chair.

I also hate when people leave the pool towels on the lounge and can't be bothered with removing their towels and putting them in the towel return bin they have to walk past leaving the pool. So rude.

 

[jerseygal]

The saga of the chair hogs continues . It is a source of irritation for me! I can't understand the inconsideration of people. So if there is no personal property I do use the chair.

I also hate when people leave the pool towels on the lounge and can't be bothered with removing their towels and putting them in the towel return bin they have to walk past leaving the pool. So rude.

Agreed, So LAZY and inconsiderate to not pick up your towels and place them in the towel bin.

 

[kreckl]

So it's hit or miss whether or not employees actually circle around and check the chairs? Nuts! Even around here, the 2 hour beach parking is monitored by police chalking the tires.

We are staying at AKJ and BC for this trip. Finding a chair has been tough at both in the past, so I am getting ready...

 

[Aliceacc]

We only go over the summer. We've stayed at the Polynesian, and the Beach/Yacht Clubs. We hit the pools at their most crowded, in mid afternoon.

We've never NOT been able to snag 2 chairs together. Sometimes they're in less than a prime location. but that's OK.

 

[Princess Mulan]

Most kids will not use a chair but many families claim chairs for all family members. In these situations the family could do fine with only one chair for each adult that would use a chair and maybe another chair for shirts, towels, etc. for the rest of the family.

On my last visit, almost every chair was "claimed" but well over half were not occupied. There were eight or ten claimed almost within reach of my chair that nobody ever used while I was there. There will always be some chairs that are not being used for periods when the person is in the pool, visiting the laundry room, getting a drink, etc.

This reminded me that one afternoon we were near a family of four that had claimed eight chairs: four in the shade and four in the sun. During the afternoon only one chair was used. The dad sat in the shade, and the kids were in the pool. The mom made periodic visits, but she never sat down. Apparently she was doing other activities around the resort. So one man had eight chairs!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

WE will watch the chairs and after 1 hour, if no one comes back I move the towel and if anything is just sitting there I bring it to a CM.

AKK

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Not at Disney but on a cruise it is terrible. Just like others said here if nobody was sitting there and towel was on chair for extended time we'd ask employee to move stuff. 99% of the time nobody came back! Did see a funny chair hog experience. A family had the 'prime' spots with towels on them. We watched so many people walk by. After about 3 hours the special family came to their spots and guess what they were in the shade and not in the 'private' area they thought the were in (when towels put out they were in the sun but it was also 8-9 AM). So they had employee drag chairs to us commoners area. They weren't happy as they were crowded by others. We were getting ready to leave and they were ready to pounce on our chairs...So my sons just sat there and waited until somebody came around looking for chairs and gave them to the people who deserved them and not the chair hogs. It is sad people think they are special and can hog up stuff. I'd have no problem moving stuff on my own either if nobody sat their for extended time!

 

[TeamSy]

Sometimes I think it's not people saving chairs, but rather people who didn't clean up after themselves and no CM has come by to collect the towels.

 

[sls404]

So it's hit or miss whether or not employees actually circle around and check the chairs? Nuts! Even around here, the 2 hour beach parking is monitored by police chalking the tires.

We are staying at AKJ and BC for this trip. Finding a chair has been tough at both in the past, so I am getting ready...

For the first time in 4 stays at YC/BC, I saw a housekeeping CM collecting towels off the lounge chairs at SAB last week. We went to the pool everyday and I only witnessed this once. They really need to do a better job at this.

 

[RustManFan]

I think that resort guests should be able to drop used towels in a bin themselves. Are guests that expect the CMs to do it for them planning on tipping these CMs? Doubtful...

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Never had this issue at POR during September. When it has been crazy we just move to the quiet pool near the room.