Cruise Seat Wars: Why You Don’t Need To Save a Glacier Viewing Spot

0She was up at 6 a.m. ready to experience the magic of Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park with a front-row seat from her ship’s observation lounge. Her excitement quickly turned to anger when she arrived at 6:15 a.m. to find every single seat in the lounge saved with a jacket.

That’s how one Norwegian Encore passenger posting as IsSheABrat in the NCL subreddit on Oct. 8 started a scenic cruising day, and it’s not an uncommon experience. From the observation lounge in Alaska to the pool deck in the Caribbean, seat hogging is a problem that cruisers run into on almost every sailing, and it often draws emotional reactions like the one IsSheABrat shared on Reddit.

Her post was short, all caps, and furious, explaining that she was “filled with rage” over the seat hogging.

The replies are worth reading, especially if you have an Alaska cruise on your calendar for 2027. Most of the advice was not about winning the seat war. It was about skipping it.

Commenter karenmarie303 recommended avoiding the observation lounge on Glacier Bay day. Her suggestion was to go outside on Deck 8 near The District Brew House or Food Republic. She also recommended bundling up and hanging out on the bow, then going up to Deck 17 for a different perspective. Her reasons were that the observation lounge gets crowded, noisy, and full of people acting entitled to their spots.

IsSheABrat took that advice. She said she was ready to “throw hands,” then admitted that was a bit disproportionate and agreed to find an alternate path. She later edited her post to add that she found a cozy couch on Deck 8 and would share it with “whomever follows filled with rage.”

Global_Papaya91 said they spent an entire glacier day on Deck 8 and it was the “best day ever” and “so peaceful.” Crew passed around salmon chowder, passengers saw wildlife, and they could hear the ice and water. For a once-in-a-lifetime sight, they said, they would rather not watch through dirty glass.

Commenter vatp46a agreed. They called sitting in the observation lounge a lousy way to spend the day in Glacier Bay, since you’re tied to one seat for hours. Outside, they said, the crew often open up the bow to passengers, and a park ranger is sometimes there to explain what you’re seeing.

“Let the chair hogs have their couches and let it go — you’ve actually won because you’re free to roam the ship and see what you want to see, when you want to see it,” vatp46a added.

Other cruisers made the case for booking a balcony cabin to avoid the scenic cruising seat wars on Alaska cruises.

“If you have a balcony, that’s the best view anyway. Close to the glacier they’ll rotate the ship. Brew some coffee or load up from the buffet and enjoy it privately,” stoobush wrote.

I can attest to how a balcony cabin makes a glacier viewing day feel more intimate and relaxing. I witnessed plenty of seat hogging in the observation lounge and at buffet tables by the windows on my Alaska cruise on Holland America’s Eurodam in May, and retreating to my cabin’s private balcony quickly made any annoyance melt away.

A balcony cabin costs more, but on a glacier day, it proves it’s worth the extra money.

Another take on the seat-hogging situation garnered nearly 200 upvotes in the Reddit thread.

“Hand the jackets to the staff, sit down, enjoy yourself. If they come back, tell them that there was no jacket on the seat and that they should check with the staff. Don’t let these fools get away with this crap. Use your pent-up rage for the good of all,” BmanGorilla wrote.

To be clear, Norwegian’s Guest Conduct Policy says that pool, deck, and theater chairs may not be reserved. That language doesn’t specifically include chairs in lounges, so check with guest services on your ship about how crew handle saved seats on scenic cruising days.

Another commenter, Average_Sage, said they removed items from saved seats on their cruise last year, moving jackets from not just the seat they wanted but surrounding seats, and placing them all onto a single sofa. They figured anyone who came back would assume a crew member had cleared them.

I wouldn’t copy that tactic. Moving other people’s belongings around is an easy way to start an argument. But if you think seats are being held unfairly, flag a crew member and ask them to handle it.

Have a cruise question? Ask Dan Kline, our cruise host.

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This story was originally published by TravelHost on Oct 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Come Cruise With Me section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here.