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At Surfwatch now and lots of jelly fish

CAROLW

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I was so hoping we would miss the jelly fish this week but they are here and everyone is getting stung. I LOVE swimming in the ocean, but have a phobia about jelly fish in general. I stop going to the beach in Jersey at the end of July because of them.

I'm hoping to exchange into Ocean Watch next summer...is there a "safe" time to go? (I assume Myrtle Beach is the same as HHI) We were at Grande Ocean from July 8-15 last summer and there were no jelly fish yet.

A couple I spoke to said that they were here during Memorial Day and the beach was full of jellyfish.

The pools at SW are so overcrowded and can't get a chair by the pools. At about 6:30 am people start placing towels at the choice lounges (by the few umbrellas that they have) and leave them there all day. (whether they use them or not). There is supposed to be a 45 min rule here but its not being enforced. Yesterday a fight broke out cause a family with a baby removed towels from an area that was left unoccupied for hours. When the towel owners finally showed up they freaked out at the couple with the baby.

We had such a great experience at GO last summer and so we bought here at SW..what a mistake.
 

Vanessa

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As I read these forums, this seems to be such an issue. I think if people band together and complain, even at HOA meetings, something should be able to be done. What a way to ruin a vacation by having to get up at 6:00 am just to have a chair. Either that or the resort needs to start adding more or just plain assigning chairs to rooms. Managers need to find a solution before someone gets hurt. Leaving a towel on a chair for 2-3 hours is just plain rude. Maybe they need pool guards.
 

714

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We are Surfwatch this week also and are having a wonderful time. We have been here since Sat. and have been to the beach each day w/our grandchildren and have not encountered any jelly fish. I agree that the pools are quite crowded but we have successfully found chairs for the family each day. There are nine of us here in a 3 bedroom oceanfront villa (Ocean Dunes Villa) which is really beautiful. Other than crowded pools, which is to be expected in July in HHI, we have no complaints about this resort. We are normally here July 4th week and the island is actually more crowded!
 

Big Matt

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Jellyfish migrate with the warmer water from south to north each season and it's impossible to predict exactly where they will be from year to year. I've been to the outer banks and Virginia Beach and have seen many or none. Same with HHI and Myrtle.
 

TheTimeTraveler

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According to the scientists, the Jelly Fish are far worse than normal this year for a few reasons: Overfishing of Tuna (Tunas eat Jelly Fish), Warmer water temperatures, and more water pollution.
 

cwtkm3

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I think the American resorts should adopt the Spanish resorts rules.

Years ago people used to do the same thing at Marbella ie get up at 7am and reserve the best pool spots with towels. Lots of complaining went on and for the past few years they have a rule that no towels are to be left on sun loungers before 10.30am. If people do so then the life guard removes them.

Last year my hubbie and I were out early (9am) and I watched a lady hog 7 loungers. Then she went off and the lifeguard removed all of her stuff. She re-appeared at 11.30am and had words with the family now occupying her loungers. But it was all very civilised.

The resort staff leave messages on the phones to enforce this rule.

Perhaps the American resorts should employ lifeguards!
 

dashulak

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Chair Hogs Everywhere!

We're at Grande Ocean this week and experiencing chair hogs here, too! On Saturday, my son sat on the concrete while two chairs next to me were occupied by towels and a bag of pool toys for nearly 3 hours!

By 7:30 a.m. each morning, dozens of chairs around the Dolphin Pool are covered with towels. Occasionally, the Hogs will leave one member of their party guarding the towels on their empty chairs until 9:00 a.m. or later.

It's definitely turning into a major problem that needs to be addressed vigorously and consistently.
 
S

Steamboat Bill

Yesterday a fight broke out cause a family with a baby removed towels from an area that was left unoccupied for hours. When the towel owners finally showed up they freaked out at the couple with the baby.

If that was me, I would sue Marriott and have a pretty good case of winning.

In fact, if anyone wanted to sue, they should first send Marriott a certified letter that there is a problem with chair hogs at a specific location, which then puts them on alert. Then, if there is a fight, you would have a excellent case to win a large settlement as it would be difficult to defend.

Of course, Marriott (and others) could adopt strict rules like the Spain property as this really does make sense or simply start charging fees like $5 per chair per day as I would gladly pay that fee if I could avoid waking up at 6am just to reserve a spot.

This would also increase revenue for Marriott and pay for security....brilliant!
 

bcat

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They now have signs posted at Ocean Watch saying "No reserving pool chairs before 8:30 AM". We were there the week of July 5-12 on the 16th floor overlooking the main pools. Every morning at 8:30 it was like the "March of the Penguins" watching everyone mark their territories. Wasn't much of a problem because there were always at least a few available chairs leftover. There were always lots of chairs at the woodsy pool, which we prefer anyway.
 

m61376

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Bill-
Then people would start screaming about more fees.

A long time ago, I half-heartedly suggested to a board member that Marriott should institute a time-check sticker policy. It would be easy and inexpensive to place time-stamp machines around pool facilities and, if you are going to leave your lounge unoccupied, you need get a time-stamp sticker and place it on the lounge. That way, it would be easy to enforce an hour or hour and a half (or two hours, but personally I think that's too long) policy, without arguments.

Let's face it, at many resorts (and it is not just timeshares- I've encountered the same thing at luxury hotels as well) towels get nice sun tans and, even worse, nice shade from umbrellas and the like while other patrons are less than comfortable. And, it becomes a self-perpetuating process- everyone does it, so it forces you to also so your family can enjoy the amenities. Everyone would enjoy it more if they somehow stopped fearing the wrath of a few inconsiderate guests and started enforcing reasonable policies.
 

714

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Around 10 this morning, at the beach pool at Surfwatch, all towels, etc. were confiscated from any lounges that were left unoccupied for more than 45 mins. My husband was sitting at our lounges and watched the pool attendants explaining what they were doing. Many people were quite surprised to return later to found out that they had no lounges.
However, we were at that pool all day and never saw any return to check again. Guess, we will see what happens tomorrow.
 
S

Steamboat Bill

Bill-
Then people would start screaming about more fees.

ok make it $1 and put names on a tag attached to the chairs like the strollers at Disney.

I don't care what is done (fee or not) as simple signs by the pool that state "no reserving" are doing NOTHING and someone will get into a fistfight over this issue.

Imagine if someone huge (a 300 bodybuilder on steroids with short temper) reserved a lounge at 6am and left it there and it was removed by a maintenance worker at 11am and you and your family went to the pool at 12 noon and thought...wow some empty chairs and sat down. Now the big bully bodybuilder with a short temper comes up to you and your family at 1pm screaming as loud as he can that you STOLE his chair and you try to gently explain there was no towel there and he punches you for lying. It can and probably has happened.

Perhaps Marriott could do something smart like a VIP area for reserved chairs, who knows, but something really needs to be done.
 

CAROLW

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Shortly after starting this post, I called the front desk and told them that each morning I watch the "Penquins" mark their territory and then leave the pool area. I think that by 8:00 am there were only 1 or 2 chairs left without towels.

Anyway when I called the front desk she said that I was the 3rd call they received that morning and that they were going to send someone out to remove unattended towels. (I wondered if it ever happened but I guess at 10:00 am they did).

At around 1:00 the kids and I left the beach and took a swim at the Beach Pool. When we got out of the water there were no chairs available. (most of them just had pool toys and towels). We walked back to our villa (today was an off day for the golf carts--there weren't many to be found) and I called the front desk again. I asked to speak to a manager, who of course was out to lunch. No one ever called me back.

Mr. Marriott will definitely hear from me when I get home.
 

dioxide45

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I have never experienced this. However I think the rule is that you are in the chair or in the pool. If neither is the case the towels can go. No time limit necessary.
 

pcgirl54

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How sad to have fights over chairs and towels on vacations. Why can't they have a user fee like when you rent a lounge on the beach.
 
S

Steamboat Bill

How sad to have fights over chairs and towels on vacations. Why can't they have a user fee like when you rent a lounge on the beach.

Read my post #8.

Also, I have posted this idea many times and TUGers don't seem to like it.

I think a $5 per chair reservation system with a name card makes sense then they can hire a single person whose sole job would be to guard the chairs and towels and look for abusers.

It is sad that this needs to happen as I see no other logical alternative and Marriott WILL get sued (if they have not already been) as a result of this issue. In fact, the lawyers could probably use this thread and others on TUG as evidence that this is a major problem for guests.
 

Janette

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Grande Ocean does have someone come around about every hour. We stay out all day and even take turns running up to the room for lunch(usually bring it down to the pool). The guard we had a couple of years ago was much better at removing towels than the present security. I believe that some folks put out towels and don't appear until after lunch. Maybe I can get a job, towel watching at GO. Please complain to everyone associated with Marriott.
 

rsackett

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I wish they had storage cubes by the pools.

We do not go down by the pools and lay out. We do go down to the pools and swim and play. I wish I had the option of something other than tying up a chair to keep our towels, shoes and drinks at. I can be hard to find some where to keep you stuff safe and dry other than tying up a chair.

Ray
 

CMF

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I don't think the pools at SW are big enough for the resort. That said, we were there the week before 7/4 and always found chairs around 10:30 or 11 when we made it down to the pool.

Charles
 

Paumavista

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Chair Hogs at the Monarch

We were at the Monarch the week of the 5th.....everyday for the entire week a regular group came and towel assigned themselves a large corner area of the patio (6 lounges, a table or two, & chairs).

One afternoon my daughter (17) spread out a towel on the cement while 5 of those lounges sat empty.....I finally decided to approach the elderly man (obviously NOT a gentleman) and asked if she could "borrow" one of his lounges....at first he started to protest....telling me how his "group" had just gone up for a bite to eat (the chairs had been empty for atleast an hour)....I told him that as soon as his "GROUP" returned I would "make her give back the lounge". They NEVER returned.....we left the pool area for dinner at 4:30 (it was 1230 when I asked him to "borrow" the chair!!!!

It happens everywhere......cruises & "very nice" resorts....it doesn't matter the "background" or age of the guest (I've personally found most lounge hogs to be older adults)......these people are just RUDE!!
 

gores95

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FWIW concerning the Jellyfish at the Jersey Shore...we just got back from a week at LBI and there were NO jellyfish. Now water temps were cold: 58-70 for most of the week. I was told these lower temps do keep the jellies away! Water was very clear all week though so not sure of the water pollution theory.
 
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