Passengers aboard Ovation of the Seas’ current voyage from Tokyo to Singapore report widespread frustration over “chair hogs,” with some saying the issue is ruining their vacation.
Social media posts from the sailing describe guests reserving multiple loungers at dawn and leaving them empty for hours. This is the latest frustration in what has already been a turbulent cruise for many onboard with itinerary changes and a delayed departure from Japan.
Dozens of posts from the ship’s Facebook group show chairs draped with towels, tote bags, books, and even fruit. Most of the deck chairs on Ovation of the Seas are reserved by 7:00 in the morning — well before most guests are awake.
By 8:00 in the morning, passengers reported that nearly every lounger around the main pool and in the adults-only Solarium has already been “claimed,” despite Royal Caribbean’s no-reserving policy.
Several longtime Royal Caribbean cruisers described this as one of the worst cases of “chair hogging” they’ve experienced. Some said they’d never seen so many empty loungers sitting untouched for hours, while others admitted they gave up trying to find a seat and spent sea days on their balconies or in indoor lounges instead.
Mounting frustration aboard Ovation of the Seas
Royal Caribbean‘s Ovation of the Seas is currently sailing a repositioning voyage from Tokyo to Singapore. Although the cruise was originally scheduled to depart on October 9, Typhoon Halong delayed the ship’s departure by two days and reduced the number of scheduled ports.
In addition to the frustrating itinerary changes, passengers have become increasingly vocal about the ship’s excessive chair hogging. Several guests reported that crew members were only removing towels when no personal belongings were present, while others said staff told them they couldn’t act unless multiple passengers complained or a chair had been left vacant for more than an hour.
Some passengers began removing unattended towels themselves, dropping them off at the towel station so others could sit. Others said they didn’t feel comfortable doing so, fearing confrontation.
However, many guests have shared the onboard atmosphere is tense and uncomfortable on what was meant to be a relaxing sea-day experience.
Passengers repeatedly described the situation as “inconsiderate” and “unfair.” One cruiser said it “spoiled” their ability to enjoy time by the pool, while another commented that it “ruined the enjoyment” of what was already a stressful voyage.
“It’s ruining our holiday”
One passenger reached out directly to Candid Cruise and Travel to share her frustration on the chair hogging situation.
“We didn’t mind that [the itinerary] is shortened. What we DO mind is having every single deck chair and lounge reserved by passengers even though there is supposed to be no reserving of pool chairs.”
She continued: “Starting from 6AM in the morning, all deck chairs are reserved by towels, empty bags, or a T-shirt. These people reserving the chairs do not come to sit for 5, 6, or 7 hours. Many other passengers walk in and out looking for somewhere to sit to no avail.”
The Royal Caribbean cruiser said the problem had soured her experience to the point that she and her husband would not cruise with Royal Caribbean again. “We will NEVER book Royal Caribbean again simply because of this frustration and unfairness,” she said.
In a follow-up message, she added: “Everybody on board is sick to death…. of passengers reserving all the seats. The ship is not following their own policy of removing unattended towels and abandoned belongings so someone else can sit. This has pretty much ruined our enjoyment of our holiday.”
Royal Caribbean’s official policy on chair hogging
Royal Caribbean’s policy clearly prohibits reserving deck chairs. The cruise line states:
“Pool deck chairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be reserved. If a chair is left unattended for more than 30 minutes with no signs of returning guests, our crew will remove any belongings and place them in the lost and found.”
However, passengers say this policy has not been consistently enforced during the current sailing. Some believe crew members are hesitant to remove items if personal belongings are involved, while others suspect enforcement has fallen by the wayside due to staffing constraints on a packed ship sailing a long repositioning route.
Others suggest the chair hogging issue has grown beyond the crew’s ability to manage, with large groups reserving entire sections of the pool deck as early as sunrise.
Enforcement becomes increasingly difficult when multiple guests are involved, particularly when the “reserved” areas are occupied by items belonging to the same party scattered across different decks.
Staff members must balance maintaining guest satisfaction with avoiding confrontation, and many passengers said they understood the crew’s hesitation to intervene in what can quickly become a tense or culturally sensitive situation.
Another guest pointed out that Royal Caribbean has reduced pool attendants compared to pre-pandemic years, making it difficult for the available crew to monitor such a large area consistently.
With Ovation of the Seas carrying more than 4,000 passengers on this sailing, and with extra sea days following weather delays, even small lapses in enforcement have an impact on guest experience.
Frustration compounded by itinerary disruptions
The chair hog frustration follows several itinerary changes that have already tested passengers’ patience. Ovation of the Seas’ current voyage began under challenging circumstances after Typhoon Halong forced Royal Caribbean to delay its previous sailing by two days. That delay pushed back embarkation in Yokohama and shortened the current itinerary.
Just a few days ago, Royal Caribbean also canceled Ovation of the Seas’ scheduled call to Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam, replacing it with an alternative port and revising sea-day schedules once again.
Ovation of the Seas is scheduled to arrive in Singapore on October 20, 2025 for the conclusion of their voyage.
This article is 100% accurate, my whole family did the back to back (B2B) repositioning cruise from LA to Singapore, it was a nightmare and soured us to much. Royal Caribbean has been the only cruising ship line that we have traveled on, and it will be the last, we will not even go on Royal Caribbeans other sister cruise lines either.