maybe I'm just a cynic...but....

[disneyholic family]

northernmouse, i'm horrified by your story....but i guess you can file me under 'naive'....
i think i'd drop dead if i saw someone rummaging through my bag....i'm stunned....and to steal two mugs?....geez....that would have ruined my vacation for sure....i'm not kidding...not because of the cost , but simply that someone would do that.....i'm so appalled by behavior like that...
unfortunately i saw much more of it this summer....we were in the states for 6 weeks this time around (we're americans living overseas)...for some reason , american society seems to be deteriorating to me....it struck me much harder this summer....
i think because i'm away most of the year i probably notice certain things more than people who are there all year...

anyway....thankfully the disney cruise was perfect....at least for us....glad that family wasn't around us...

 

[akterrye]

re: "stolen mugs"

Maybe they weren't stolen, but merely thrown away by the servers cleaning the beach. The last time I was on CC, I had 2 konk coolers sitting next to me and a server came up to my chair and picked them up and tossed them into his trash bag. I was stunned and then asked for them back. I thought this was a one time incident, but later that evening, while relaxing on deck, I had my ESPN mug sitting next to me filled with soda and yet another server came up and picked it up and when I questioned her, she said she was just going to throw it away. I was left with the feeling that I must be a slob if all these people were following me around and throwing my things (that I was clearly using) away. Maybe it was just a case of Disney personnel being a little too efficient...

 

[Fawn]

IMO, you are making the wrong comparison by saying that leaving your hammock for lunch is the same as leaving your towels for hours by the pool. If they had left the hammock for two hours to go snorkeling, then good manners may indicate they should move their things so others can use it.

A better comparison may be that you left your towels to go into Topsiders for lunch...half hour or so. That would be perfectly acceptable, I'd think.

SlyHubby...I don't think there is any call to be so rude on this board.

 

[BuzzRocks]

I see this similar to din. DW was very much looking forward to lying in a hammock on Castaway Cay, and luckily she found one not being used. But if she hadn't, then I would have certainly moved someone's things if they left them unattended. It's just like the situation with the deck chairs next to the pool on the ship. There are not enough so that you can lay claim to a hammock, go to lunch, and expect to still have it when you return. Remember, there are about 2,000 other people on the cruise too.

That being said, I do what Michelle said, never leave anything terrible valuable unattended. Either keep it with you, leave it in the safe, or leave it home.

 

[peagreenid]

Why is it.............

That the people that Lay claim to the chairs and the hammocks are only gone a few minutes.........and

The people that are looking for one to use.........find it unused and saved for hours????

WHY CAN'T WE ALL SHARE?

smiles Patty

 

[northernmouse]

Disneyholic Family -- we fall into the naive/Pollyanna category, too. The DH basically went up to the other guy and said "WHAT do you think you're doing", and he went back to his spot muttering something other than English (or French). Maybe we should have brought it to the attention of a CM, but ironically enough, we didn't want to mess up the day.

Needless to say, we kept our camera close for the rest of the day. And the mugs? I don't think they were accidentally thrown away. They were underneath a clearly used chair (towels, clothes, snorkel equipment), in the shade and full. It wasn't the value of the mugs that bothered us, either. It was the thought that someone would do something so petty. But, our family theme for the trip was "there is no whining at Disney", so we just had them replaced. Next time, we'll tuck them away.

I still think 99% of people are basically good, but you need to be aware of those who are not.

 

[disneyholic family]

i agree with you northernmouse......no CM would throw them away....they know that guests buy them to be refilled...

as for the hammock/lounge chair brouhaha......well....
i'm glad we never sit out in the sun.....
i totally hate those kind of wars...
the most we ever look for is one teenie weenie little chair or table to put our stuff on....or barring that, a towel on the beach to drop our stuff on while we swim (or in this case bicycle and get massages)....

we live 10 minutes from the beach but i haven't been in about 8 years (since the last time the kids were in a sand castle building mood)....
it's funny, even as a kid i never ever stayed in the sun unless i was swimming (which i used to do for hours on end)....
it's just so HOT outside to lie there and read a book....i'd much rather be inside a shady air-conditioned room.....

of course we just went to the zoo today in 95 degree heat, suicidal humidity.....so that's pretty nutty too....
(we won't even talk about the sanity of going to WDW in july heat/humidity...something we do every year).....

 

[inkkognito]

I'll toss in my two cents worth on the hammock issue...
I agree with the previous poster who said that it is not comparable to a lounge chair by the pool. Otherwise, why would the hammocks on the beach be any different than the beach chairs...can you imagine the anarchy of everyone moving everyone else's things and grabbing the more desirable beach chairs all day? Also, if I make the effort to wake up early, disembark, and get all the way to the adult beach in time to get a hammock, I deserve it! A lot easier than getting a pool chair!
That said, I also don't mind sharing if someone asks politely. I would demand that someone move if they dared to move my items. However, I have shared when asked politely, since I am certainly not going to be in the hammock all day. On our last cruise, we were moving some of our items to shelter from a quick rain, and a couple who were walking down the beach asked me if we were leaving because they really wanted to try out the hammocks. I said no, but told them to pull up chairs so we could share it for the day...worked out great, and they were a real pleasure to chat with.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[din]

Well said inkkognito!!!!

If permission is asked it is different, as opposed to moving things, be it a towel or a camera. It is the same as standing line to pay or get something... Please this is a comment and not meant to start a whole string of discussion......

BTW looking forward to your trip report on three straight cruise...Ours will not be for another year or so...

 

[disneyholic family]

i agree.....if you get out on CC early in the morning, then you have the right to that chair....after all, i assume that's why you raced out there to begin with....
if other people want a good spot, they can get out there early too...

it reminds me of the people who wait in a good spot for the parades or illuminations, and then some person comes along at the last minute and expects them to 'move over just a little' to make room for them....
well if they wanted a good spot they could have put in the waiting time too...
(by the way, i don't fall into either category.....i'm not willing to wait, and i don't like crowds....so i tend not to watch the parades except from some far off quiet vantage point)....

 

[BuzzRocks]

So some of you believe that it's OK to save a hammock all day by leaving your things there, but it's not OK to save a pool chair on ship by leaving your things there??? I don't see the logic because there are definitely more chairs right around the pools on ship than there are hammocks on CC. With about 2,000 passengers on board, a hammock cannot be an all day experience for the lucky few who race out and nab them first thing in the morning.

First come, first serve I agree with. But I also say, "You move your feet, you lose your seat," which is the same rule that I apply to the pool chairs on ship. Luckily, I cruised in the beginning of December, when the ship wasn't at capacity and plan to again next time (one of the reasons is to avoid a crowded ship, which only aggravates these kinds of situations). Otherwise, I wouldn't feel bad at all about moving someone's towel, etc. from a hammock that had gone unoccupied after several minutes for my DW. I, for one, don't care much for hammocks or lying in the sun for an extended period of time (a practice which is not only uncomfortable, but dangerous) and would prefer a chair in the shade.

If this becomes a problem, I can see you having to reserve a hammock for, say, 30 minutes (something I'd be in favor of). That way the selfish few wouldn't keep others from enjoying the hammocks too.

 

[peagreenid]

So when I go on my 7 a.m. morning walk on the Magic and throw my families towels on all those pool chairs........ Thats okay too?

I think not!

It amazes me that everyone thinks that in THEIR situation that manners, rules and common sense don't apply to them.

In one instance you all think that saving pool chairs is wrong, but, saving a hammock all day is right?

WE all know these things are a hot commodity.

 

[disneyholic family]

wow...this is really interesting to me...
since we don't ever sit in the sun, we didn't even notice the hammocks....
if they're such a hot commodity and seem to be such a source of contention, why doesn't DCL add some more?..
is there no place to add them?

as for me, i would have enjoyed a nice nature hike around the island....even though it was hotter than hades out...
our bike trip was the best part of the day on CC....

 

[BuzzRocks]

Personally, I agree with dineyholic family. I loved the bike ride so much (wish we could have gone farther) that after returning the bike, I walked the same route all the way to the end. The view of the beach there was amazing. I took my binoculars and my camera and really enjoyed that walk. It felt good to get out and do a little nature walk, especially after all that food for a whole week on the ship.

 

[disneyholic family]

actually, that's what so neat about the cruise...
there are things you can do where you feel like the only person on the ship....or almost....
the bike trip is one of them....so few people did it, that we were always on the path alone......it was so very peaceful....
i'm sure walking it was like that too....

 

[IrishCowboy]

We've been on 3 cruises over the past 15 months and each Friday morning I get up early, eat breakfast and make my way over to the family beach. I've always been one of the first few individuals off of the ship and on the beach. I grab a hammock that has a few chairs and lounges with it and claim it.

The hammock almost always has someone in it. My wife and children occupy it most of the morning. When we go to lunch, we leave our things on the chairs and hammock. After lunch, I've been known to take a long nap

Castaway Cay is one of the highlights of our trip and we really want to get a hammock. I know that they are limited and that is why I make the effort to get there early and grab one.

It amazes me that some people get off the ship at 11:00 and walk down the beach complaining that they can't get a hammock or a good spot on the beach. I don't feel that we are 'reserving' it all day as we are in fact using it, other than the time that we have lunch.

Its not a perfect system, but at least everyone has a chance to get a hammock if they are willing to put in the effort.

 

[BuzzRocks]

What if you get there as soon as you can and they're already taken? What's next? Maybe everybody running as soon as they start letting people disembark? Then the slow afoot would miss out.

I don't have a problem with you keeping the hammock all day, as long as you're using it. But to expect everyone to pass up "your" hammock when you're at lunch and there are no others available is selfish. Plus, it's unrealistic.

BTW, the argument you are using is the exact same argument the people use to defend saving the chairs next to the pools on the ship. It just doesn't stand up, IMHO.

 

[Michelle]

The poster's original question about leaving valuables and baggage outside has been answered; if you all want to get into the hammock saving debate feel free to start it as a topic on the debate board.