Can't find a deck chair? Celebrity Cruises' new 'chair concierge' will help

mercedes · July 31, 2009

ABOARD THE CELEBRITY EQUINOX -- One of the few complaints that passengers had about Celebrity Cruises' last ship, the Celebrity Solstice, was that there weren't quite enough deck chairs to go around -- at least on those sunny sea days when everyone, it seems, wants to be out by the pool.

And, indeed, the ship and its new sister, Celebrity Equinox, have a bit less deck chair space per passenger than is standard due in part to the much-ballyhooed, half-acre "lawn clubs" with live grass at the back of both vessels.

But part of the problem, Celebrity executive Lisa Lutoff-Perlo tells USA TODAY, was that passengers often were unaware of pockets of open chairs around the ship.

The line's solution, to be announced in coming days: New 'chair concierges" who will help passengers arriving at Solstice and Equinox pool decks find a spot.

During inaugural events aboard the Equinox, which sets sail today on its first revenue cruise, Lutoff-Perlo said the new chair concierges will keep tabs on where chairs are open so they quickly can lead passengers to the right place.

Lutoff-Perlo, who oversees Celebrity hotel operations fleetwide, says the line also is getting more aggressive about stopping passengers from "saving" unoccupied chairs for long periods.

Lutoff-Perlo says the chair shortage issue only comes up on Solstice on the sunniest sea days in certain warm-weather destinations where a large percentage of passengers want to be on deck at once, and the level of complaints hasn't been all that great.

Still, the issue is big enough that the line also has made a design change to Celebrity Equinox -- widening and lengthening the Solstice Deck at the front of the ship to allow for 100 extra deck chairs.

At a press conference Thursday on board the ship, Celebrity president and CEO Dan Hanrahan also noted the line has tweaked its Lawn Club areas to encourage more passengers to relax there on sea days instead of in the deck chairs around the pool.

"There (now) are quite a few deck chairs up on Solstice Deck, and I think the changes with the lawn have helped quite a bit," he says. "We've been able to mitigate quite a few of those (chair) complaints."

DebbieandJerry · July 31, 2009

Another kuddo to Celebrity for listening to their customer and coming up with a solution

Seajewel · July 31, 2009

Where do I apply for the position of "Chair Concierge" ? This will avoid cruisers goin up on deck early and saving chairs. :thumbup:

DebbieandJerry · July 31, 2009

Your reply is so funny. My husband and I have been telling folks for years that when it is time to retire, we are just going to live on a cruise ship. Jerry drives a shuttle for a living. He picks up passengers at their parked car and takes them to the airport. He picks them up from the airport and takes them back to their car. So the standard joke is, Jerry will be the person in charge of the pool chairs! Now I can tell him he will have a job with a title!!!

Seajewel · July 31, 2009

Your reply is so funny. My husband and I have been telling folks for years that when it is time to retire, we are just going to live on a cruise ship. Jerry drives a shuttle for a living. He picks up passengers at their parked car and takes them to the airport. He picks them up from the airport and takes them back to their car. So the standard joke is, Jerry will be the person in charge of the pool chairs! Now I can tell him he will have a job with a title!!!

Your husband is going to have some competition for that position!!!! I'll probably hit retirement before him, so I'll past the torch (or should I say the chair) to him when he is ready! LOL