Pool Lounge Battles

7 a.m.  Blue seas as far as you can see.  Heat starting to bubble up, except for the breeze that continues from the ship’s movement.  And they have started. 

It’s the start of pool deck wars.  Not real wars, although, with time, they could erupt.  What I mean, more specifically, is the pool LOUNGE deck wars.  You see, by 7 a.m. the hardened battlers have staked their claims on the “best” lounges in the “best” locations on the pool deck.  And the lounges are piled high with books, suntan lotion hats, bags, shoes, etc etc.  And then the battlers go to breakfast.  Which causes the problem.  Because the 8 a.m. loungers are just appearing.  And the GOOD lounges are all taken. 

So, about 9 a.m. when the 3^rd wave of sunbathers appears, we are approaching crisis mode.  The first wave have had breakfast and have come back to claim their overburdened lounges.  The second wave, disgruntled, has laid claim to the next best lounges --- and the 9 a.m. are just out of luck.  Lots of complaints.  Lots of stage one people looking down their sunburned noses at the late-comers.  “You need to get up earlier, you lazy idiots.  We were here first.”  And the second tier pipes in, “Well, we were here second,” as they cling to their less superior lounges.  And those poor late comers, the ones just plain out of luck, complain to the captain.

So, by 10 a.m. we hear announcements throughout the ship that any lounges with stuff on them and no people will have their “stuff” confiscated by the pool staff.  And those lounges will be up for grabs. These announcements go on every half-hour with lots of disgruntled loungers glaring at the loudspeakers.  No more going to lunch with perfect confidence that you have secured your all-day lounge forever.  Some foolhardy travelers may want to sleep on the lounges at night in order to be first to claim their lounge the next morning.  But, if they have to pee, well, forget it!  Lounge gone. 

So they all watch each other like hawks, hovering around the best lounges, hoping against hope that someone will have to leave for a moment – and they have their chance to pounce.  Soon I figure they will get out the pool toys and start bopping each other. Or attacking the pool boys who make those announcements!  Strange, no one gets in the pool!  Isn’t that strange??

And what I can’t figure out, for the life of me, is these people who are covered in grease and sitting superiorily on their perfect lounges – these people come from states like Nevada, Arizona, Texas where they can lounge by their own pools without interference!?  What is the attraction?  Maybe it is sorta like “We who are about to die salute you” in Roman times.  Just itching for a fight!