Chair Hogs: What Are Cruise Lines Doing About Them?

Ah, chair hogs. If you’ve been on a cruise, you’ve seen them. They’re usually out on the pool deck in the early morning hours, covering lounge chairs with towels and other belongings to “reserve” them and then disappearing to other parts of the ship for hours on end.

The early bird gets the worm, you might say. Not so fast. Hogging deck chairs like this is rude and unfair to those who will use these prime lounge chairs immediately. Many cruise lines have policies concerning those who hog deck chairs. Here’s the rundown.

Chair Hogs: What Are Cruise Lines Doing About Them?

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Line has a system to prevent guests from reserving sun loungers on its ships. On the line’s FAQ page, the policy says “Shipboard team members, the ‘ChairShare Team’ monitor sun lounger usage and if they observe a seat that contains a towel or personal belongings (flip-flops, books, etc.) but appears to be unoccupied, a sticker is placed on the chair indicating the time the sticker was placed and when personal items will be removed. If the chair remains unoccupied for 40 minutes, the contents are removed and held for the guest’s safekeeping.”

Announcements by the cruise director, signage on outdoor decks, on the poolside theater screen, and in the Carnival HUB app remind passengers of this policy.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean’s policy states that pool deck chairs are available on a first come, first served basis and reserving isn’t allowed. The line’s FAQ web page says “If a pool chair is left unattended for more than 30 minutes with no signs of any guests returning, our crew will remove any belongings and place them in the lost and found.”

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line’s guest conduct policy says that reserving pool and deck chairs is not allowed. It doesn’t elaborate on what the line’s official policy is to prevent chair hogs. But past guests have indicated that crew members remove items from loungers if they have been unattended for a certain period of time. One person on an online forum said if it was over 30 minutes, while another said 15 minutes. The current policy could differ.

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises’ conduct policy states that pool and deck chairs cannot be reserved, except in cases of a disability. An onboard notice says, “In consideration of all our guests, unattended personal items will be removed after 30 minutes and safely stored for your protection. You may collect them at the Guest Relations Desk.”

Holland America

We can’t find an official policy on reserving deck chairs on Holland America’s website. However, the line has put out signs on its ships that say “Please do not reserve seats. Towels left unattended for more than 30 minutes will be removed.”

Princess Cruises

We were unable to verify whether Princess Cruises has an official policy concerning reserving sun loungers.

MSC Cruises

On MSC Cruises’ FAQ web page, the line says that sunbeds “cannot be reserved” and that guests are “kindly requested not to occupy deck-chairs and sunbeds with personal items during any long absences (more than 30 minutes).” The policy doesn’t state whether crew members pick up belongings after 30 minutes or where they put them if/when they do.

Disney Cruise Line

We were unable to verify whether Disney Cruise Line has an official policy concerning reserving sun loungers.

Virgin Voyages

Virgin Voyages’ onboard policies web page says that “in fairness to all our Sailors on board, we think everyone deserves a spot in the sun. If you leave any items unattended on chairs or loungers for more than 40 minutes, we will remove it and safely store it in lost property located at Sailor Services on Deck 5 Mid.”

What should you do if you notice someone being a chair hog?

It’s important to remember that even if the cruise line you’re sailing has an official policy concerning chair hogs, not every cruise ship may be diligent about enforcing it. We’ve heard about lots of instances where a cruise line does have a posted policy about people leaving their things for extended periods of time, but crew members don’t ever come around to remove things after the set amount of time.

In this case, if you know someone has been gone a while and you want their chairs, find a crew member and ask them to remove the items. Though you could move them yourself, it’s best to let crew members handle it.

Otherwise, there’s not much else you can do. Try to find chairs in a nice spot elsewhere on the deck. Or, look for another outdoor deck to enjoy the fresh air. And above all else, try not to let someone else’s selfish actions ruin your day. Chances are, there are lots of things to do and spots to relax on your cruise ship. Enjoy your vacation, even when things don’t work out exactly the way you would have wanted them to.

Comments

What are your thoughts on chair hogs? Do you think the cruise lines do a good job enforcing these policies? Drop us an anchor below to share how you’ve dealt with these annoying passengers on a cruise.