Rude Passengers - Magic Feb 10th sailing

Disney cruisers are especially militant about their chairs! Be it in the theaters or the pool deck, they take the "no saving seats" things SUPER SERIOUS! You shouldnt have to leave one person in a lounger just to go get a drink. You shouldnt have to argue with weirdos in the theater who want your seats when your son & wife go to the bathroom. . . while I agree that you shouldnt get to to retain your seats if you leave for lunch, you should be able to take a dip in the pool without worrying about your belongings being tossed on the pool deck or worse (my kindle & my 5 yr old son's crocs got tossed in with the dirty towels by some creep who wanted our seats).

This forum makes it VERY clear that there is "no seat saving" but frankly, I think it does more damage than good.
 
while I agree that you shouldnt get to to retain your seats if you leave for lunch, you should be able to take a dip in the pool without worrying about your belongings being tossed on the pool deck or worse (my kindle & my 5 yr old son's crocs got tossed in with the dirty towels by some creep who wanted our seats.
Ahh, but we are not disagreeing. If you are in the pool, you are able to see your seats. If someone comes up to them, you are there to say, "Excuse me, those are our seats." No one is disputing that people should be able to move from seat to pool to seat, or from chair to ocean to chair. (Although why any adult would want to be in one of those family pools that is basically a throng of kids bouncing up and down is beyond me! :) )

The issue is that there are so many people who try to save blocks of chairs for long times, there is no way to know if someone just left for a few minutes. I'll stand for a while, but if someone doesn't come back in a reasonable time (yes, subjective to me; your idea of a reasonable time away may be longer than mine. From my perspective, if you've been gone longer than time to use the restroom then you've abandoned the seat), then I don't view it as inappropriate to move their belongings and use the seat.

Common sense applies here. There are less than a hundred chairs close enough to the pool that you can feel comfortable that you are supervising your child. There are thousands of passengers. Everyone can't have a chair close to the pool at the same time, and if you are trying to ensure that you've always got one available then you are preventing their potential usage by many different people during that time frame.

Tell me, what is YOUR reasonable amount of time that a person should be able to leave a pool chair and expect it to remain saved for them?

Do we solve the problem by DCL providing papers that can be marked with your departure time so that people can see that when you actually left? If you've been gone for 30 minutes, pool staff automatically scoops your stuff up? If you mark a departure time that is an hour in the future so as to try to extend your time holding the chair, then pool staff immediately scoops up your stuff?
 
Ahh, but we are not disagreeing. If you are in the pool, you are able to see your seats. If someone comes up to them, you are there to say, "Excuse me, those are our seats." No one is disputing that people should be able to move from seat to pool to seat, or from chair to ocean to chair. (Although why any adult would want to be in one of those family pools that is basically a throng of kids bouncing up and down is beyond me! :) )

The issue is that there are so many people who try to save blocks of chairs for long times, there is no way to know if someone just left for a few minutes. I'll stand for a while, but if someone doesn't come back in a reasonable time (yes, subjective to me; your idea of a reasonable time away may be longer than mine. From my perspective, if you've been gone longer than time to use the restroom then you've abandoned the seat), then I don't view it as inappropriate to move their belongings and use the seat.

Common sense applies here. There are less than a hundred chairs close enough to the pool that you can feel comfortable that you are supervising your child. There are thousands of passengers. Everyone can't have a chair close to the pool at the same time, and if you are trying to ensure that you've always got one available then you are preventing their potential usage by many different people during that time frame.

Tell me, what is YOUR reasonable amount of time that a person should be able to leave a pool chair and expect it to remain saved for them?

Do we solve the problem by DCL providing papers that can be marked with your departure time so that people can see that when you actually left? If you've been gone for 30 minutes, pool staff automatically scoops your stuff up? If you mark a departure time that is an hour in the future so as to try to extend your time holding the chair, then pool staff immediately scoops up your stuff?

well first, i rarely get in that disgusting pool. but when my son was small, I got in with him so he was safe amongs the throng of other people...

I'm not sure what the proper time limit is and who should keep track. But common sense SHOULD prevail. A pair of size 3 crocs and a kindle should indicate the owners are near by (a kindle is a bit different than a paperback Danielle Steele novel)

This debate has been going on FOREVER whether it's a cruise ship or hotel or a beach. I dont think it will ever be solved!
 


A pair of size 3 crocs and a kindle should indicate the owners are near by (a kindle is a bit different than a paperback Danielle Steele novel)
I wouldn't assume the owner is near by virtue of an electronic device. I mean you would think so because it's normally a high ticket item but people also leave their phones and whatnot too.

I personally was never far from my chair in Vegas at Excalibur when I had my kindle just because I wanted to keep an eye out for my stuff I was constantly looking over at my chair and could easily get back to it within a split second BUT people aren't always wary, careful, etc with their belongings.

If you move someone's stuff (which in itself is a hot bed topic lol) and in your example a kindle and no one comes by immediately (and I would say immediately) to say "hey that's my chair" they aren't near enough to their chair or paying close attention to it. It would be wise in general if you weren't going to be sitting in your chair reading your kindle and instead off at the pool or ocean for a while you probably shouldn't bring your kindle with you simply because you're at an increased theft risk for leaving it for a prolonged period of time.
 
TIL: I need to make some flash cards to get all these DCL etiquette rules down. Apparently simply not being a jerk only gets you half way there. I may nominate myself the Plate and Bread Czar for our upcoming cruise. I'll give my wife the "Secretary of Proper Lounge Chair Procurement" title (Cabinet secretary... I'm not sexist).

I can see it now:
Scene 1- Table in Cabanas. After a first trip to the buffet, considering a second round of sushi and chicken nuggets.
MarkLT1: Don't even think about stacking that plate Timmy! DON'T YOU DO IT!
Little Timmy: (Looks around terrified)
MarkLT1: (To parents sitting at adjacent table) You really need to keep your kid Timmy under control. That was almost a disaster.
MarkLT1 Jr: That was a close one Dad. I think you just prevented a mutiny.

Scene 2- Enchanted Garden, just after the appetizer course
MarkLT1: HONEY NO!!!! DON'T BITE THE BREAD LIKE THAT!!!!!!
Slow Motion- MarkLT1 flies in from frame left, knocking the bread out of MrsLT1s hand, just as she was about to bite down.
MarkLT1: What.. are you an RCL cruiser or something?
 
I think some people believe "seat saving" is not having your bum parked in a chair every second. But I don't think that's what seat saving means at all. Putting your bag/cover up/book on a chair so it doesn't get it wet while you take your kids the toddler splash area, or take a dip in the hot tub for a little while before going back to sit in the chair is not "saving" the seat, it is using it, because you can't use the pool facilities without having a place to put your stuff. To me, "saving" a seat is claiming it when you have no active need for it (e.g., leaving your stuff while you go to eat lunch and then come back, "claiming" seats first thing in the morning even though you don't plan to return to the pool deck for hours later).

I don't see how it is fair to presume that a chair is being saved rather than used. First-come, first-serve always means that you might not be able to sit exactly where you want if you get there later. It's a bit presumptuous to say your right to sit trumps someone else's right to keep their stuff dry while they use the pool facilities (and no, it is not reasonable to expect someone in the pool or hot tub keep their eyes laser focused on their chair at all times).

I will say, I do think it is appropriate in the theater to sit in empty seats even if someone claims they are saving them for companions who have not yet arrived (after reminding them of the rules posted in the navigator against seat saving), because then they are admitting they are breaking the rules and they have an opportunity to explain if someone did get there first and had to get up momentarily (unlike the pool, where you are just assuming they are saving seats).
 


To me, "saving" a seat is claiming it when you have no active need for it (e.g., leaving your stuff while you go to eat lunch and then come back, "claiming" seats first thing in the morning even though you don't plan to return to the pool deck for hours later).
One could say if you're going to be in the pool or ocean for a significant extended period of time well away from where your chair is you have no active need for it and it's not just about not getting your stuff wet to play devil's advocate. That's why seat saving is usually a hotbed topic because it can go a variety of ways.
 
When we went in the pool on our cruise, we just set our stuff out of the way on the side so we weren't taking up a chair that we wouldn't be using. When we were finished in the pool and wanted a seat we would then go look for an open seat to sit. Probably only 50% of the chairs at the adult pool had people actually sitting in them. By the family pools it seemed to be even less. One day we were hoping to find chairs for my DH and I by the family pool and watch our kids swim while we ate. Unfortunately we couldn't find any chairs without stuff on them - even though most of them were empty - so we had to sit at the tables where we couldn't really see the kids at all. Even at a pool or beach with lots of chairs (not DCL!), we will only pile our stuff on one chair while we're in the water and then see if there's room to spread out when we want to sit down.
 
One could say if you're going to be in the pool or ocean for a significant extended period of time well away from where your chair is you have no active need for it and it's not just about not getting your stuff wet to play devil's advocate. That's why seat saving is usually a hotbed topic because it can go a variety of ways.

Huh? What else is someone supossed to do with their stuff, its not like there are lockers? Or are you saying that if you plan on being in the pool more than the chair you just shouldnt bring anything you arent going to take into the pool? FWIW, when I use the hot tub (and its usually right when it opens and almost no one else is around) I put my stuff on a seat I can see from the hot tub but I am certainly not laser focused on that seat the entire time.

Two possible ways for Dis to rectify this is have lockers or baskets or something where you can check your stuff, with someone manning the area (or a Bracelet to the World system would work too). Or they could rent the chairs in the first X rows. With high enough fees, I am guessing a lot of the chair hogs would suddenly be ok with being further back.
 
Huh? What else is someone supossed to do with their stuff, its not like there are lockers? Or are you saying that if you plan on being in the pool more than the chair you just shouldnt bring anything you arent going to take into the pool? FWIW, when I use the hot tub (and its usually right when it opens and almost no one else is around) I put my stuff on a seat I can see from the hot tub but I am certainly not laser focused on that seat the entire time.

Two possible ways for Dis to rectify this is have lockers or baskets or something where you can check your stuff, with someone manning the area (or a Bracelet to the World system would work too). Or they could rent the chairs in the first X rows. With high enough fees, I am guessing a lot of the chair hogs would suddenly be ok with being further back.
Well that's kinda my point. If you're stringing your stuff over multiple chairs but going off swimming for an hour for instance you're just using all those chairs as storage rather than actively using them. You could say use one chair for that leaving the rest for other people to sit in them but you probably wouldn't want to leave for that long of a time period without going back to your chair to check on it.

I personally wouldn't move people's stuff it's not my style, but I do understand how someone looking for a chair to sit down in to relax, sunbath, be in while others in their party are out and about can see frustration when there's no chairs to be found actually available and they just keep making the rounds to no avail.

Another PP advised they put their stuff off to the side so as not to use chairs. That's another way to do it. That's why I mentioned various ways one can look at it which is why it tends to be a hotbed topic. Some people only take issue with it when it's a "stake claim in the morning come back at lunch" kind of thing but to others it's a "hey you're off out and about do you really need these chairs" and to others it's "hey you haven't been in your seat for exactly a minute move off".

I don't think you have to be laser focused but certainly you'd want to keep an eye out (or at least I would).

I like your idea of lockers because really that's what another PP was saying (the one that I actually quoted) was they were using the chairs to keep their stuff from not getting wet and to put their stuff on while they go off. The only downside is you'd have to have a policy where people just cannot leave their stuff on their chairs period unless they are in them because otherwise more often than not people aren't going to want to deal with the lockers (in which their belongings like kindles, cell phones, etc would actually be more protected). They'll just fall back on using the chairs.
 
What the big rule at my house was
“Cut a bite eat a bite”
I can’t tell you how many adults I see cut up their whole plate of food like they are making the plate for a 3 year old.
Also no stacking or scraping the plates at my house
So I always cut a good amount first. Mainly because as a mother to small children I get little time to eat myself.
 
Well that's kinda my point. If you're stringing your stuff over multiple chairs but going off swimming for an hour for instance you're just using all those chairs as storage rather than actively using them. You could say use one chair for that leaving the rest for other people to sit in them but you probably wouldn't want to leave for that long of a time period without going back to your chair to check on it.

I personally wouldn't move people's stuff it's not my style, but I do understand how someone looking for a chair to sit down in to relax, sunbath, be in while others in their party are out and about can see frustration when there's no chairs to be found actually available and they just keep making the rounds to no avail.

Another PP advised they put their stuff off to the side so as not to use chairs. That's another way to do it. That's why I mentioned various ways one can look at it which is why it tends to be a hotbed topic. Some people only take issue with it when it's a "stake claim in the morning come back at lunch" kind of thing but to others it's a "hey you're off out and about do you really need these chairs" and to others it's "hey you haven't been in your seat for exactly a minute move off".

I don't think you have to be laser focused but certainly you'd want to keep an eye out (or at least I would).

I like your idea of lockers because really that's what another PP was saying (the one that I actually quoted) was they were using the chairs to keep their stuff from not getting wet and to put their stuff on while they go off. The only downside is you'd have to have a policy where people just cannot leave their stuff on their chairs period unless they are in them because otherwise more often than not people aren't going to want to deal with the lockers (in which their belongings like kindles, cell phones, etc would actually be more protected). They'll just fall back on using the chairs.

I somewhat agree with you, when I am with my husband, we only use one chair. And when Ive traveled with a larger group we've almost always used fewer chairs than people. At my neighborhood pool, if I suspect seating is going to get tight (or already is when I arrive) I look for someone I know and leave my stuff with them so I am not taking up a chair just as storage. But when I am by myself on a cruise or at a hotel, I use a chair that's within my sight line. Generally I am reading a magazine in the hot tub but am also keeping an eye out for movement in the general area of my stuff. Id be uncomfortable leaving it on the ground because my phone is usually in there for the purpose of communicating with others in my party. Sometimes the ground can get pretty wet and Ive seen CMs squeegeeing the water to the edge without much respect to people's possessions (and feet sometimes LOL).

I dont feel it is unreasonable to do this for a half hour to an hour once a day since Disney (or other lines that I am aware) offers no alternative storage. I would be thrilled with a secure locker/ checked items option. Id even be willing to pay a nominal fee for this service if DCL could not build it in to the cruise cost. I do feel like DCL would need to get Bracelets to the World "cards" working for this to be a realistic unmanned amenity because if I needed to carry a card with me then I would want to hide that card in something and we'd be right back to square one in needing space somewhere close to the hot tub.
 
I somewhat agree with you, when I am with my husband, we only use one chair. And when Ive traveled with a larger group we've almost always used fewer chairs than people. At my neighborhood pool, if I suspect seating is going to get tight (or already is when I arrive) I look for someone I know and leave my stuff with them so I am not taking up a chair just as storage. But when I am by myself on a cruise or at a hotel, I use a chair that's within my sight line. Generally I am reading a magazine in the hot tub but am also keeping an eye out for movement in the general area of my stuff. Id be uncomfortable leaving it on the ground because my phone is usually in there for the purpose of communicating with others in my party. Sometimes the ground can get pretty wet and Ive seen CMs squeegeeing the water to the edge without much respect to people's possessions (and feet sometimes LOL).

I dont feel it is unreasonable to do this for a half hour to an hour once a day since Disney (or other lines that I am aware) offers no alternative storage. I would be thrilled with a secure locker/ checked items option. Id even be willing to pay a nominal fee for this service if DCL could not build it in to the cruise cost. I do feel like DCL would need to get Bracelets to the World "cards" working for this to be a realistic unmanned amenity because if I needed to carry a card with me then I would want to hide that card in something and we'd be right back to square one in needing space somewhere close to the hot tub.
I'm adverse to extra fees but I actually would pay a fee too in these instances though of course free would be even better. Maybe if they made it free they could place a time limit on it (a very generous one though) before it would end up costing the guest something.

I agree with your points about bracelets; won't make much headway if you feel like you have to actually carry something to get access to your belongings lol.
 
I'm adverse to extra fees but I actually would pay a fee too in these instances though of course free would be even better. Maybe if they made it free they could place a time limit on it (a very generous one though) before it would end up costing the guest something.

I agree with your points about bracelets; won't make much headway if you feel like you have to actually carry something to get access to your belongings lol.
Oh man, don’t give DCL ideas! Look at the prices for reserved chairs at Disney water parks sometime... not cheap.
 
Oh man, don’t give DCL ideas! Look at the prices for reserved chairs at Disney water parks sometime... not cheap.
Hey now I'm not the first one to mention paying a fee for it :rotfl2:

But no I totally get it it isn't like Disney needs any ideas on how to upcharge folks (anyone remember the MK tents o_O)
 
Oh man, don’t give DCL ideas! Look at the prices for reserved chairs at Disney water parks sometime... not cheap.
That was me spending your money! LOL :rotfl2:

I dont actually want them to charge for loungers either but that is probably the "easiest" answer for them so if people keep complaining or if there are nasty confrontations on ships it's something I could see in the future.

I would pay a very nominal fee to use a locker. Mainly so we dont have some snotty kid using 10 different lockers. But I'm thinking something like $1/ hr...really low but enough that most people wouldnt pay it just to pay a bratty "prank". Another option that would accomplish the same is program it so a bracelet cant lock more than one locker.
 
Only problem with cubbies/lockers is that we're at a pool... someone is going to put something wet in a top spot and then we'd see a trickle down effect. I imagine sanitation is a concern with them as well.
 
Only problem with cubbies/lockers is that we're at a pool... someone is going to put something wet in a top spot and then we'd see a trickle down effect. I imagine sanitation is a concern with them as well.
But those aren't novel to places that have water.

Water parks do it all the time including both of Disney's.

On a ship obviously the space might be more limited than what can be more reasonably used for the lockers at a theme or water park but they can use the same materials/same lockers as they use elsewhere.
 

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