mea culpa! you did mention people guarding chairs at a resort for the whole afternoon.
but you did mention saving seats for people who aren't there, and often hubby and I save seats for each other, or leave our stuff to save seats for ourselves. we are not there. hence, the saving of the seats.
just as in staking out spots for illuminations, we will take turns to go the the bathroom, have a smoke, get a drink, etc. people often say to us, "well, no one is there now!. if you want to save a spot, you have to BE there."
my point was, to have an enjoyable afternoon (or morning)at the pool , we can't sit in our chair the whole time.
there were others (and I'm sorry I lumped you in with them) who insinuated you can only leave your chair for a "few minutes".
how you can relax and enjoy yourself when you have only a "few minutes" is beyond me. what if you actually wanted to enjoy the pool? float on your back for a half hour and enjoy the sensation? the view? and get back to your lounger, only to find someone telling you, "I ws watching, you were gone for a half hour. I am using your chair now. your stuff is "over there". or :using the pool is ok, but going for a smoke and the bathroom is not".
it actually happened. hubby and I had been at the bowling pin pool for a while, reading our books, enjoying our coffee/tea. we went together for a smoke. he went up to the room to get his sunglasses, I took our mugs to the food court for REFILLS (which is included in the price of the mug). yes, I admit, while I was there, I used the bathroom and grabbed a newspaper (no line). there was a line at the mug station. when I returned to our 2 chairs, hubby's book and towel were on my chair, his was pulled over by a family.(I did NOT "shop", or "run errands", just quickly used the bathroom, got a paper and waited to refill the mugs.)
the mom said they didn't think we were coming back. and argues with me that if we wanted the chair, we should be IN it. (they were not IN it either, by the way, their 3 kids were in the pool with the dad) I was NOT gone that long. (hubby should have been back, but, hey, the coffee "kicked" in and he was in the room anyway, so..., he knew I was going right back to the chairs.)
sheesh. esp. at the pools, we use our chairs almost the whole time. hubby goes in the pool, maybe once. I do more than him, but I think I'm allowed to use the pool?
I agree with you about "smoking a peace pipe". but apparently others thinks we have to give up our chair if we go to smoke.in the DSA. (or, if we use our "few minutes" to smoke, we gave up our alloted time to refill our mugs, or use the bathroom.)
oh, ps, I would've gotten the newspaper earlier, but the store wasn't open yet. we had filled our mugs with coffee/tea from our room (I bring my own tea bags) the first time. I was going for a "refill".
and I know I sound like a broken record, but as much as you all hate hearing this agian, I hate having to explain to strangers why I want another cup of tea in my refillable mug, why I need to use the bathroom, how long I take in the bathroom after my morning tea, and why I staked out chairs before the store was open so I had to wait to
buy my newspaper!
(by the way, after "retrieving" hubby's chair, the family never missed it. the kids didn't use the chairs they DID have)
and, again, the same goes for the water park. some of us pay to enjoy the ambience, use the slides and lazy river a bit, and spend a LOT of time lounging, sun bathing, reading. and we need a lounger to do so. we should have to "take turns" using the slides? the few times we do? ok, now I know I'm getting repetitive, so I'll stop. we WILL stake out chairs near the dsa. and use them for the duration of our stay at the water park (unless there is RARE instance of someone NEEDING the chair) if someone arrives early and chooses not to do so; their choice.