A social media post showing how quickly an unattended sun lounger was tagged aboard a P&O Cruises ship has reignited one of the most persistent arguments at sea.
The passenger said they left their lounger at 9.23am and returned within 30 minutes, only to find that a crew member had attached a notice at 9.28am.
The card, branded with the words “This lounger was lonely”, explained that belongings could be removed if the passenger remained away and directed guests to a collection point.
It read: “This lounger was lonely. As you weren’t here for a while, we have removed your belongings. Please collect from the lonely lounger pick up point:”
However, the sections marked “Belongings removed time”, “Bag number” and “Name of crew member” had been left blank.
That suggests the passenger’s possessions had not actually been taken away. Instead, the tag appears to have been used to record when crew first noticed that the lounger was empty, allowing staff to return later and remove the items if it remained unoccupied.
The passenger described the approach as “a bit OTT”, pointing out that the tag had been added just five minutes after they left.
Rather than attracting widespread sympathy, however, the post prompted a large number of cruise passengers to defend the policy and argue that firm enforcement was necessary to prevent deck chairs being reserved for long periods.
Passengers Back Crackdown On Sunbed Hogging
Many of those responding said passengers should not expect to keep control of a lounger while eating breakfast, having lunch or spending time elsewhere on the ship.
The most common view was that a short trip to the toilet, a quick swim or collecting a drink should be considered reasonable, but that leaving for a full meal was different.
One commenter wrote: “If everyone was abit more courteous and only had the beds whilst using them, the bed turn around would be quicker and everyone would have a better chance of enjoying them.”
Others said guests should have breakfast before looking for a lounger, rather than placing towels and belongings on a chair before heading to the buffet or main dining room.
Several passengers described struggling to find loungers on sea days, despite seeing large numbers of apparently reserved chairs sitting empty.
One guest said they had spent a week aboard a ship and found it “impossible” to secure a lounger on sea days. Others recalled passengers leaving towels out from early morning before disappearing for several hours.
There were also accounts of guests attempting to control more loungers than they needed. One commenter claimed to have seen a couple place towels on chairs on both sides of a ship, moving between them as the position of the sun changed.
Another said a group had reserved six poolside loungers as well as a table and six seats in a smoking area, preventing other passengers from using the space.
The frustration
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