Poolside Etiquette?

[bookgirl2632]

Personally, I see no problem with what the OP did. I just can't believe that the woman who "saved" the table pitched such a fit. You are on vacation...in Disneyworld! Get a grip! It's not world peace, lady. It's just a table. If it had been me (and it wouldn't have been since I would have likely left my personal beach towel and a book there), I would have just grabbed another table or chair. If I'd been stupid enough to just leave a resort towel to save the table for 20 minutes or more, it would serve me right to lose the table.

But then again, I'm American.

 

[branv]

While I would have had trouble with someone moving someone's clearly personal items, you really had no way to know these were place markers...esp. since towels get abandoned so often. You were perfectly in your right. And in your shoes, even if I felt a little uncertain or bad when she first started griping at me, her actually bothering to return for another go 'round would have made me question her sanity all together. Then again, what is the deal with her starting off with chewing you out? She couldn't have nicely pointed out that this was her table and that her towels were on it? Personally I would imagine it would be hard to have believed her story in the first place considering how crazy she acted from the beginning. Goes to show, you catch more flies with honey (not that you're a fly or anything )

P.S. And I agree...if she wasn't holding food, what does that mean she was saving the table while she went to get food? If you're leaving the pool area for that long, you've surrendered your right to seating.

At least on DCL it's pretty clear - no saving seats.

 

[Sleepy]

After all, you can't put your shorts on a ride in the MK and then ride later...Same goes for the resorts!

I was thinking the same thing only using one of the counter service restaurants as an example. Do you think if I went to Electric Umbrella during the busy hour and placed some napkins on an empty table, people would leave my napkins alone and go find another table? Of course not. Doesn't matter even if I am standing in line getting my food. If no BODY is sitting in one of the chairs, it means the table is not being used at that moment and it is free for anyone to sit there. I find it incredibly rude for anyone to reserve an empty table or chair that is poolside. If you are in the pool, it means you are not using the chair or table. Why keep someone else from using it?

 

[peanut1967]

Last week during our 8-day stay at the Poly, our family of 5 took a break each afternoon for a swim. The volcano pool was typically pretty busy, but never so much that we couldn't find a table.
On one of the busiest days we found an empty table with 4 chairs - on the table were 2-3 clean white pool towels. I sat down at the table with all of our belongings (incl tote bag, kids crocs, refillable mugs etc) while my 3 DS went swimming and DH grabbed us lunch at Capt Cooks. DH brought back drinks and silverware on a tray before heading back to Capt Cooks to pick up our completed food order. While he was gone, which was now approximately 20 minutes later, a woman with 2 children walked up to the table and told us (me and DS9) that we were sitting at her table. She went on and on, ranting and raving that this was her table, she was sitting here for an hour but then she had to get her kids something to eat.
I was incredulous! I asked her what would have indicated that this was her table? There were no personal belongings at the table and we had now been sitting there for over 20 minutes. All she could say was that she left the towels (the white Polynesian pool towels, mind you) and that I was being unfair. At this point my husband arrived with our food and she finally walked away. But a few minutes later she returned, still demanding that we took HER table. Although she did not use any profanity, she was very relentless and demanding.

So what is your opinion on this subject? Does leaving resort pool towels on a poolside table indicate that it is "saved"? Would you have given her the table?

I dont think she should have ranted at you, but explained to you. Its sounds like she was on her own with her children, she had been sat there watching her kids in the pool, then dinner time came, she didnt want to leave her children in the pool while she went to get them dinner (wise decision) and she didnt want to leave them alone at the table(again wise decision, never know what can happen if you leave them alone, and wouldnt people have a go then) so she left her towels to save the table, I didnt take towels when we stayed at a disney resort, and wont when we stay at a villa, she may have done the same so didnt have a bright coloured towel. If she was on her own with the two children, she may have just wrapped them in a towel to come down to the pool, on her own didnt want too much to carry with two children to look after. So I can understand her being upset. Maybe you could have asked her to share the table while you had your dinner.

 

[THERESA522]

Hmmm.
"Pardon me, miss. This is my table. Surely you noticed my undies lying there."

 

[LoriZH]

Personally, I see no problem with what the OP did. I just can't believe that the woman who "saved" the table pitched such a fit. You are on vacation...in Disneyworld! Get a grip! It's not world peace, lady. It's just a table. If it had been me (and it wouldn't have been since I would have likely left my personal beach towel and a book there), I would have just grabbed another table or chair. If I'd been stupid enough to just leave a resort towel to save the table for 20 minutes or more, it would serve me right to lose the table.

But then again, I'm American.

 

[livndisney]

I dont think she should have ranted at you, but explained to you. Its sounds like she was on her own with her children, she had been sat there watching her kids in the pool, then dinner time came, she didnt want to leave her children in the pool while she went to get them dinner (wise decision) and she didnt want to leave them alone at the table(again wise decision, never know what can happen if you leave them alone, and wouldnt people have a go then) so she left her towels to save the table, I didnt take towels when we stayed at a disney resort, and wont when we stay at a villa, she may have done the same so didnt have a bright coloured towel. If she was on her own with the two children, she may have just wrapped them in a towel to come down to the pool, on her own didnt want too much to carry with two children to look after. So I can understand her being upset. Maybe you could have asked her to share the table while you had your dinner.

Why would anyone want to share a table with a yelling/ranting stranger while on vacation?

 

[SilverMickey]

Why would anyone want to share a table with a yelling/ranting stranger while on vacation?

To give her kids a break?

 

[Pennykay]

This thread reminded me of a bus incident I had last week. We got on a full bus to MGM. We went all the way to the back because there were quite a few seats open. Eight to be exact (yes, I counted them) Six of the eight had items on them. A purse on one, a bag on another, mouse ears on one, etc. Mind you I am carrying a two year old and holding the hand of a four year old. I get back their and a lady says that all of these seats are saved for her family which is boarding the bus behind me. I was stunned! I said "I'm sorry, but I don't think that is ok." and I sat in two empty seats. When the family did come on after me, they were adults. They never said anything to me, but I am still shocked that they would think that they could "hold" eight bus seats in a standing room only bus.

 

[Bushman]

I agree with the OP. Actually, my husband and I take an adult, no kids vacation to Las Vegas each year. The pools at the hotels there have people who walk around and search for seats where the hotel towels have just been left there for longer than 20 minutes. They remove the towels and offer the chairs to other guests.

I was getting ready to say this, but you beat me to it.

This is actually a new thing out there, as we've had problems at most of the pools w/ people reserving chairs early in the morning and not coming back until later in the day. On this last trip, we stayed at Mirage, and they strictly enforced this new rule. It was so nice to wake up, grab a quick breakfast, get to the pool around 9-ish and still have dozens of places to choose from.

Last year, if you hadn't reserved your spot by 7:30, you were out of luck.

It made for the best vacation we've had in years!

 

[peanut1967]

Why would anyone want to share a table with a yelling/ranting stranger while on vacation?

Well maybe if instead of going into defensive mode in the begining the ranting may have not got that far.....I personally would have walked away and found another spot, as long as none of my personal gear was there. But you know pull up a chair and share....not a bad way to go...but dont mind me I am British

 

[mgilmer]

I didn't read past the first page. However...
If you're not sitting in the seat, then they're not you're seats...
While at the Poly, I've always rested our towels and shoes on a ledge behind the tables so as not to take up space we aren't using.

If I came across chairs that had towels, I would ask a CM to remove them. If anyone approached me afterwards, I would state that they were unclaimed and refer them to a CM.

After all, you can't put your shorts on a ride in the MK and then ride later...Same goes for the resorts!

I concur.

 

[safetymom]

Please leave nationalities out of the discussion here. Get your comments in since this is turning into a debate not resort planning.

 

[LoriZH]

This thread reminded me of a bus incident I had last week. We got on a full bus to MGM. We went all the way to the back because there were quite a few seats open. Eight to be exact (yes, I counted them) Six of the eight had items on them. A purse on one, a bag on another, mouse ears on one, etc. Mind you I am carrying a two year old and holding the hand of a four year old. I get back their and a lady says that all of these seats are saved for her family which is boarding the bus behind me. I was stunned! I said "I'm sorry, but I don't think that is ok." and I sat in two empty seats. When the family did come on after me, they were adults. They never said anything to me, but I am still shocked that they would think that they could "hold" eight bus seats in a standing room only bus.

OMG!! Funny you should mention this, because we got on a bus from the Poly to AK and there was a woman on there with her purse on the only open seat so my ds who has a slight problem with his muscle tone and a slight limp always has to have a seat due to his hips and legs hurting, so we asked him to sit in that seat and he said, I tried and she won't move her bag. So I went over and said to him right in front of her, "politely ask her to remove her bag so you may sit down" and he did VERY politely! She grabbed her bag got a NASTY look on her face and put it on her lap and sat there in a HUFF and dh and I just smiled very slightly to each other. THE NERVE! Imagine, her being in a snit over a seat for her purse, not an aging grandmother but a purse and when a young man asked politely to sit down taking such attitude with him. Shame on her, we got off the bus and IMMEDIATELY she shoved her bag back in the seat, I hope someone else gave her grief when they got on, she was such a grouch and at DW too! Us on the other hand went on with our day did EE two times and had a ROCKIN' day!!!

 

[SGMCO]

I think that the table belongs to the people who are using it at that moment,
if the 1st person was not there using it then, sorry she should not be allowed to save
any public tables.
I think it was rude of the 1st Woman to think that she owned the table
because she left towels on it and then made a stink about it
whenever she decided to come back. How rude!
Why didn't she get food before trying to claim a table then she
would have a reason to occupy it.

 

[Disneyholic]

So what is your opinion on this subject? Does leaving resort pool towels on a poolside table indicate that it is "saved"? Would you have given her the table?

No, I wouldn't give up the table any more than I would give up the space I have been sitting in for half and hour or more for the parade at MK that came up at the last minute and DEMANDED it. I am more likely to let some kids in front of me if they aren't pushing or being pushed there by their parents. Saying seats are saved when noone is there is ridiculous IMHO. Way too many people think they are the only ones who pay to go to WDW. I guess they think the rest of us get in for FREE. (Don't we wish!)

 

[Tarheel Tink]

It was your table- not hers.

DH and I were staying at WL and had our mugs, shoes and towels on our chairs on the back row. When we got out of the pool, people were laying in our chairs and had moved our belongings several seats away (mind you, they were surrounded by empty chairs!) at which point ants were crawling all over our mugs.
Why on earth? The people did look at each other nervously and I just shook my head in disgust and left.

 

[maxiesmom]

Well maybe if instead of going into defensive mode in the begining the ranting may have not got that far.....I personally would have walked away and found another spot, as long as none of my personal gear was there. But you know pull up a chair and share....not a bad way to go...but dont mind me I am British

Who wouldn't get defensive? You are sitting at a table, minding your own business, and some crazy lady starts yelling at you about stealing her table. I would not only be defensive, but a little scared. You never know anymore what people are capable of. Crazy lady might have gotten physical, you just never know.

 

[MainStreetFireman]

It's a tough call. You are on vacation, so you're not looking for conflict. But, who wants to have that vacation tarnished by feeling that they have been bullied in some way? All that we can ultimately do is to treat others in the way that we wish others to treat us. This can be hard in that our decisions may not be ones that benefit us. But if you do so honestly and a disagreement ensues, you should be able to calmly explain your actions and reasons. Losing your cool only clouds the message. You can be strong and firm and still be cool and calm. I cannot be responsible for what might be the complaining woman's problem, I can only respond to what she actually said. Had she shown that she was a single parent who could not ask her young children to sit alone, I would have happily vacated the seats. Otherwise, they are for the general use of all guests.

 

[goofy4tink]

Okay, so I have a question (and I'm not being a bit sarcastic). Is it not okay to put your stuff down on a table and go in the pool? If not, I REALLY didn't know this. I would never try to "hold" a table if I was leaving the pool area, I get that. But if I'm planning on doing some swimming AND planning on eating lunch at the table, can I not "hold" it with my personal stuff on it while we're swimming? What about me going just to purchase food at the food court to bring back to the table? Miss Manners, anyone?

Okay, not Miss Manners (not by a long shot) but I think that if you are in the pool area, especially if you are swimming, it's not problem to hold onto a table. I would imagine that you would have shorts or tee shirts there, perhaps somes shoes...whatever. But, at least it will looked 'lived in'. If you have to run to the food court for food, then so be it. As long as you don't go to the food court, get your food and sit there in the food court eating it, then you should be fine.

You know...I get the whole being polite thing. I am not a rude person by nature. But, to all those who suggest that the OP should have moved for the ranting woman, well..I'm sorry, but in this case the squeaky wheel shouldn't be greased. Why is it that if someone starts behaving badly, and I don't care what the reason is, everyone feels that that person should be given what they want. Yes, I understand that everyone has a bad day and I am more than willing to let something slide if it makes that person's day a bit better. But, in this case, the ranting woman had left towels there, to mark her spot (no personal items) then left for at least 30 mins, possibly more, and returned, with no food, to yell at someone who had been sitting there for 30 mins??? Nope, sorry...I just think that's rude and shouldn't be condoned. But, everyone is entitled to their own opinion..this is America, we don't shoot those who disagree with us.