Royal Caribbean has two rules about grabbing a deck chair by the pool. First, the chairs are available on a first come, first serve basis.
Second, and this one is the biggie, if a pool chair is left unattended for more than 30 minutes with no signs of any guests returning, crew will remove the belongings and place them in the lost and found.
“We want to ensure that all guests have a great time at the pool,” says the cruise line.
So why is it, once again, a new debate over reserving pool deck chairs was stirred up on a passenger’s recent voyage on Symphony of the Seas?
The passenger, who shared a story involving an incident with another guest, asked other Royal Caribbean cruisers on Reddit, “Are people still putting their stuff on chairs just to try to block it for the entire day still or has that been resolved?”
Despite Royal Caribbean’s policy, guests were quick to point out that chair hogging is still prevalent on cruises, but that crew members, when asked, will clear chairs abandoned for more than 30 minutes.
Added one guest, “On our cruise last year, my friend was at the pool at 7 a.m. – saw a group put towels down on seats. My wife and I got there at 9 a.m. and they were already gone 2 hours. She said something and the staff took their towels.”
“Do not be afraid to speak up,” he said.
Other guests agreed and said they often had to ask crew to remove items clearly left too long.
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Still, as attempts to reserve deck chairs remains, many passengers say they have noticed an improvement on Royal Caribbean with more signage around the pool area stating its policy.
They also note crew members actively leaving cards on abandoned chairs with a time stamp so they can return and remove items when 30 minutes has passed to free up chairs for those actually at the pool.
Policies and Options
While leaving towels on a deck chair to step away to grab a drink at the bar, a quick bite, or something in a cabin is okay within the 30-minute timeframe Royal Caribbean provides, passengers attempting to reserve chairs need to remember the cruise line’s towel policy.
Guests borrowing a towel at the pool must provide their cabin number, and if the towel is not returned at the end of the day, “a $25 fee for each unreturned towel will be added to their onboard account.”
If crew members remove a towel, they do not know which cabin it belongs to and the towel will be reported as missing.
Pools on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas (Photo Credit: Joni Hanebutt)
Some passengers argue that if Royal Caribbean crew removes their towels, they should not be charged a fee, while others say both policies are clear and people attempting to hold on to chairs too long are deserving of the charges.
Royal Caribbean is not the only cruise line with time limits and policies on saving chairs. Carnival Cruise Lines, for example, has a 40-minute policy and also charges a $22 fee for unreturned towels.
If guests really want to snag a deck chair for the day, the best option is to rent a private cabana. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, for example, offers casitas that hold six to eight passengers near Chill Island.
While pricey, the casitas come with towels, water bottles, a cooler, a charging outlet, and dedicated bar service.
Alas, casitas and cabanas are not located on all ships, and where they can be found, the limited availability makes them highly in demand, especially on sea days.
To be polite and fair to other guests, follow the policies and do not leave chairs unattended for more than 30 minutes.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com