Finding a free sun lounger on a busy sea day can feel like a bit of a lottery – and it’s not because there aren’t enough of them.
It’s the ones that sit empty for hours, “claimed” with a towel, a book, or a lonely flip-flop, while their owners are nowhere to be seen.
Now, several major cruise lines are reportedly trialling a new digital reservation system designed to tackle the issue head-on.
At first glance, it sounds like a simple fix. But once you dig into the details – including paid “premium” spots, no-show penalties, and even the possibility of expanding it beyond loungers – it starts to feel a bit different…
How The System Would Work Onboard
The idea is surprisingly simple.
Guests would use the cruise line’s app to join a daily list for sun loungers, selecting their preferred deck or area. Then, at around 6am each morning, allocations are released.
Crew would go around placing name cards on assigned loungers, effectively reserving them for each guest before the pool decks get busy.
There’d also be a short grace period to claim your spot, with notifications sent through the app to let you know when your lounger is ready – so you knew that you could head to your spot and start relaxing for the day.
What sounds straightforward on paper, though, comes with a few added layers once you look a bit closer.
Aim To End Towel Reservations – But Not Without Trade-Offs
If you’ve ever wandered around the pool deck wondering how every lounger can be “taken” but half of them are empty, you’ll know exactly why this is being introduced.
Unofficial reserving has been a long-standing frustration on cruise ships. Despite policies against it, it still happens – and it’s often the cause of those quiet, simmering tensions between guests.
At the minute, crew are having their time taken up by monitoring loungers and removing the belongings of guests who have left them unattended for too long.
However, this still leads to awkward conversations when cruisers confront crew over their missing belongings, and it’s not always possible for crew to actively monitor all loungers, meaning some guests are left frustrated they can’t get a lounger.
This proposed reservation system doesn’t try to stop reservations altogether. Instead, it brings them out into the open and puts some structure around them.
A Digital Queue With Limited Daily Allocations
Of course, there are a few rules.
Guests would only be able to reserve one lounger per person, and bookings reset each day. You wouldn’t be able to lock in the same spot for the entire cruise.
Availability would also be capped depending on demand, particularly on sea days when deck space is at its busiest.
In other words, it’s still first come, first served – just in a much more organised way.
At least, in theory.
Not All Loungers Will Be Equal
One detail that’s already raised a few eyebrows is how different areas are being categorised.
Loungers directly by the main pool, shaded spots, and quieter deck areas would all be treated slightly differently within the system.
So while you might secure a lounger, where it actually is could vary quite a bit depending on availability.
Option To Reserve ‘Premium’ Locations
And yes, there’s a twist.
Some of those more desirable spots – think prime poolside positions or guaranteed shade – could come with a small additional daily charge.
It’s expected to work in a similar way to other onboard extras, giving guests the option to pay a little more for a guaranteed location.
It isn’t expected to be anywhere near the daily costs that some cruise lines charge for reserving things like sun beds, but early estimates suggest a cost of around $5-10 if you want to pick a lounger in one of the top spots.
It’s likely that guests could still be allocated a premium lounger without paying the fee, but only once those who’ve paid the fee are given priority.
Keeping Groups Together – Within Reason
Travelling with family or friends? The system would try to keep everyone in your cabin booking within the same general area.
But during peak times, cruise lines are suggesting that they wouldn’t be able to guarantee loungers right next to each other, due to the additional complexities this would add to the booking system.
So you might all be on the same deck… just not necessarily side by side. In theory, with a lounger at least guaranteed, you could then look to swap with others in the area to get your party sat together.
What Happens If You Don’t Turn Up
This is where things start to get a bit stricter.
If you don’t claim your lounger within a set window – expected to be by 10 am at the latest – it would be released back into the system for someone else to use.
And in some cases, a no-show fee could be added to your onboard account. There are no indications yet of how much this fee would be.
But, cruise lines are keen to make sure that people don’t abuse the system and reserve loungers they aren’t intending to use – which, in a way, is what’s causing the issues guests already have with loungers onboard.
Repeat No-Shows Could Lead To Restrictions
Miss your slot more than once, and you might find yourself locked out of the system altogether.
Cruise lines are reportedly considering temporary restrictions for guests who repeatedly reserve loungers without using them, stopping them from reserving loungers.
It’s not expected that these limitations would apply to other parts of the ship experience, yet.
Could This Expand Beyond Sun Loungers?
If trials prove successful, this might not stop at the pool deck.
There’s already talk of similar systems being explored for other high-demand areas onboard – including theatre seating and even hot tub time slots.
Hot tubs in particular are a particular gripe for many cruisers, due to overcrowding or to children using them.
The issue of kids using hot tubs is a controversial one, but if the lounger reservation system rolls out, then we could be looking at allocated hot tub sessions, including some designated as being family-friendly.
Which would certainly change the feel of a sea day…
Before You Start Setting Your Alarm…
As convincing as all this sounds, there’s one small detail worth mentioning.
It’s not real.
Well, not yet anyway.
April Fool’s.
Would You Actually Want This?
Jokes aside, the frustration behind this is very real.
Empty loungers being “reserved” for hours isn’t going away anytime soon, and cruise lines are clearly still trying to find ways to manage it.
So while a fully digital reservation system might not be on the horizon just yet… would you actually be that against it?
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Other Cruise April Fools For 2026
Carnival’s Hidden Speakeasy
Carnival are always one of the cruise lines that love a good April Fool’s joke – to the point that they’ll start teasing it a day early! (They do go to a fair amount of effort, so you can hardly blame them).
In 2026 they teased the news of a secret bar in a very special location…
Shhh… Can you keep a secret? Rumor has it there’s something special in the funnel. 🤐 pic.twitter.com/qd10eu5UYZ
— Carnival Cruise Line (@CarnivalCruise) March 31, 2026
Several cruise directors got in on the gag and shared their own videos too:
Word travels fast at sea… 👀 pic.twitter.com/sgWzUTH9xL
— Carnival Cruise Line (@CarnivalCruise) March 30, 2026
Reporting live from the funnel…🛳️ pic.twitter.com/R2l1EgmKtV
— Carnival Cruise Line (@CarnivalCruise) March 31, 2026
Fred. Olsen’s FleetPortals
Fred. Olsen’s 2026 April Fools effort is another good one – they claim to have introduced FleetPortals.
These are exactly how they sound – portals on the cruise ships that allow guests to easily transport themselves from ship to ship in seconds.
If only, right?
Keep checking back throughout the day for more…
Or why not look back over the best April Fool’s jokes from prior years?
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