On a recent trip to an Italian resort, etiquette expert Myka Meier thought she would be arriving at the pool early. Although it wasn’t yet 8 a.m., she found the earliest birds had swarmed.

“There were already a chunk of chairs with towels, but nobody sitting on them for about three hours,” said Meier, founder of Beaumont Etiquette and a frequent pool lounger. “I was there the whole time reading and working.”

The subject of poolside power struggles has launched countless social media gripes: How long can you save a prime spot before someone lays claim to your territory?

Jen Gay, who creates guides to Las Vegas under the name Vegas Starfish, has felt the tension. She recently encountered a woman who had reserved a row of chairs in the shade at a resort off the Strip. Gay said she would use some of the seats until the woman’s family showed up.

“She threw a fit,” Gay said. “We sat there for three hours; her family never came.”

While chair hogging is one of the most well-known pool offenses, it’s hardly the only one. We asked swimming pool experts to share their pet peeves and top tips for summer sunbathing season.

1. Know the time limits

At the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, which has 10 pools and as many as 1,200 loungers, the policy says guests can’t abandon their chairs for more than 45 minutes without losing them.

Cole Boucher, founder of Essential Hospitality, which oversees the hotel’s pool operations, said attendants will explain the guidelines to guests and keep track of when people leave their chairs. There might be a grace period, he said, but it won’t last all day.

“If you come down two, three hours later, your chair is not going to be there,” he said.

On Celebrity Cruises, whose ships have less-sprawling pool decks, the rules are even tighter. The cruise company says guests shouldn’t move other people’s belongings, but items left unattended for more than 30 minutes will be collected and stored at a guest relations desk.

Meier said her personal standard is to give people two hours away from their chair, which she considers a “reasonable time” for someone to leave, eat lunch, stop by their room and return. Even if someone left items for longer, she said, she would never move their things herself.

“If anything, I would try to find somebody who worked there,” she said.

2. Keep the music to yourself

Carly Caramanna, a theme park journalist who regularly spends time at Disney and Universal-area resort pools and water parks, said personal sound systems are her biggest pet peeve. Often, she said, poolgoers will blast tunes that are not appropriate for the setting.

“People come here, I know they spend a lot of money,” she said. “You have to understand that other people are trying to enjoy their time, too.”

Boucher said greeters at the Fontainebleau’s pool deck will make sure guests understand the rules — including a ban on outside speakers.

“But sometimes people sneak them in,” he said.

3. Don’t expect quiet at the party pool

Many hotels and resorts have a veritable pool buffet: one for adults, one for families, one for the party crowd, etc. If you end up at the wrong one, you have only yourself to blame.

“I sometimes am in the mood to go on slides and I want a piña colada, so I’ll go to the lively pool for atmosphere,” Caramanna said. For waterside working or chill lounging, the quieter pool is her choice.

Options are even more varied in Las Vegas, where there are multiple types of pool scenes, said Gay, who focuses on resorts, food, entertainment and other activities outside of gambling. She said day clubs are essentially nightclub atmospheres in a daytime pool setting, with bottle service, high-profile performers and costs that can run into the high thousands. Party pools are targeted to more budget crowds; think Budweiser rather than bubbly.

Then there are luxury or family pools without the party vibe.

“If you expect an adult experience, go to a 21-and-over pool, of which there are many,” she said. “Do not go to a family-friendly pool and be upset at the presence of children.”

4. Keep meals clean — and on land

You may be tempted by the poolside menu, and you absolutely should indulge. But once that food arrives, you have responsibilities.

“I wouldn’t eat chicken tenders in the pool if I were you,” Boucher said. He predicted disaster: Someone does a cannonball and drenches the snack. A wayward beach ball slams into your meal. “Your chicken tenders are going to go in the pool, and we’ll have to fish it out.”

Meier recalled spending time by a pool in Miami surrounded by sunbathers who were eating.

“The bugs were horrible because people would just leave their trash afterward,” she said. “I think if you do eat at the pool, it’s your responsibility to either clean up after yourself or call the pool server to help remove your dishes so people aren’t tripping over them, they’re not baking in the sun.”

5. Drink responsibly

You’re surrounded by liquid, you’re taking a plunge every now and then. But don’t forget to drink water — especially if you’re drinking other things.

Gay said that at pricey Vegas day clubs, revelers will stay cool in the pool, drink alcohol and forget that the temperature is above 100 degrees. That can lead to intoxication and illness.

“You don’t want to pay $10,000 to not remember your day,” she said. “Hydrate is the most important thing. Just because you’re in water doesn’t mean you’re soaking it up.”

6. Tip the attendant

The pool attendant might free up a claimed-but-unused lounge chair for you. They might angle your umbrella, bring towels or offer water. All of that deserves a tip, experts say.

Meier went to one pool at a hotel in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where someone cleaned sunglasses and guests could go to a tent where a worker would apply sunblock.

“There’s varying degrees of service that I’ve seen,” she said. She recommends a couple bucks to $5 a day, depending on how pool attendants help.

Gay said that in a hospitality-centric destination like Las Vegas, people who do these jobs are paid with the expectation that tips will supplement their salaries.

“I am a big proponent of tipping anyone who provides you with service,” she said, adding that pool guests who get their own towels and drinks need not bother. “If you are not utilizing the services, obviously you don’t have to tip.”

7. Use umbrella courtesy

Maybe you’ve been baking for a while and need shade — or you’re done hiding from the heat. But if you want to raise or lower an umbrella over your seat, check with your neighbor before making changes. Depending on the angle of the sun, it could cover more than one chair.

“I think that’s really important to ask before you put up the umbrella; or move to a place that’s shaded,” Meier said. “Same with putting it down.”

8. Cover chairs with pool towels

Meier compared a pool chair to a gym mat: Both are best when covered by a towel for reasons of hygiene.

“You’re sweating, you’ve got sunscreen,” she said. “You should put the towel on the pool chair as a consideration to the next guest.”

9. Dress for the environment

Caramanna said she sees a lot of people wearing thong bathing suits at theme-park-area resort pools. And while they may look fantastic, it’s not necessarily the right venue.

“I don’t think that’s appropriate at a family-friendly resort,” she said. “I feel like you need to get to know the lay of the land and the codes of etiquette.”

She recommended that guests at family-centric pools not “have your everything out for everyone to see.”

10. Don’t spray your neighbor with sunscreen

Doctors recommend applying sunscreen before going outdoors and giving it about 15 minutes to be absorbed by the skin. Boucher has a similar suggestion to avoid subjecting fellow poolgoers to secondhand sunscreen application. Especially if you’re using an aerosol bottle.

“Do it inside your room or before you get to the pool or even an open space area where there’s not a lot of people,” he said. “People are consuming food and beverages around the pool at all times. Getting up and spraying, it’s definitely a don’t.”