Gonna love this thread!!!
Just stayed at LaCabana 2/19 to 2/26. I would like to do a little "bichin" myself. There are 3 sets of guests that stay at LaCabana every year week 8, which is the week I usually get to go in Feb. Every year I watch these "guests" go out at MIDNIGHT or before, to the tables with umbrellas (in front of their units), and stack up 2 sets each of 4 chairs and 4 lounges around "their" table. So add this up folks, that is 8 chairs and 8 lounges times 3. They use their towels or put shirts on back of the chairs, this year one group did something "NEW", they were so bold that they actually brought with them,terry covers for "their" lounge chairs that had their first names on them.
Two mornings I went down to save us a spot. As there was only 2 of us, I would get up at 4 or so and go down with 2 towels to save us each a lounge with a table. There was only one table with umbrella with 2 lounges at it so I "marked our spot". Twice one of their group told the security guard at 8 AM to "tag" us as we marked "way too early" and "they needed extra chairs for that day". I know this because I had a conversation with this security guard that "tagged" us at 8:30 and he told me what was said. The next day I was out sitting in my lounge chair at 8 AM when he approached again. I had been watching him tag every single table that had no one at it, he however walked right past these 3 huge groups of saved spots with not a person in sight. I got up and asked him if I could speak with him again and I brought him back to the areas in question. I told him we saw these places being marked at midnight and he just said, "midnight, wow that's early to save." I asked him how come he didn't ever tag these particular groups, he just smiled a big smile at me, turned and walked away. We also saw groups of chairs and lounges saved and one person would be sitting there and when he saw the security guard making his rounds this guy would get out his cell phone and people would come running from all different directions to make sure they were'nt tagged. I may be overly suspicious here, but I suspect that these 3 groups slip this security guard cash every year and that is why they get away with it and are never "tagged". Some mornings they never showed up until 11. I think this is very unfair to the other timeshare owners and guests.
When my husband and I were there for 2 weeks in Dec. we saw the same thing happen, but I must admit that some people were actually sitting out at 5 AM to make sure they were not "tagged".
Having been at LaCabana week 8 three times before I expected this, but it was shocking to my sister-in-law. It was her first visit to Aruba.
There, that's my "bichin" and I'm feeling better now.