luvs2read

I would like to thank everyone for being civil since I first posted. Your input has been enlightening. Will be booking our cruise soon.

Being an inexperienced cruiser, I ask this with all sincerity, and hope my wording comes across as such.

I started exploring trip options with very limited knowledge of what has happened in the cruise industry in the years since I took my one and only cruise. All I knew was that I had had a cabin with a balcony, it was a delightful experience I shared with gal pals, and I wanted a similar experience to share with my husband.

When I started exploring affordable trips, I had a wide range of trips from which to choose - on a number of cruise lines. It was only when I started reading smoking policies (re: verandahs/balconies) on the various cruise lines that I realized how really very limited my options were. Holland America (as far as I can tell) is pretty much IT if we wanted our early morning/late night cigarettes on our balcony.

(Sorry - my cat posted before I was ready!) :D

Continuing.....

So, my question: with the seemingly endless options afforded cruisers who don't smoke and don't like smokers on the verandah, why do they choose HAL, which permits it, over the other lines which prohibit it? What am I missing?

I'm not sure why you think a cruise is the only place left in the world for you to smoke. Surely land vacations must afford that opportunity.

I'm sorry I wasn't more clear. When I said we have nowhere else to go, I meant HAL is the last cruise line that affords us the opportunity to smoke on our balcony. Yes, we can take many other vacations, but, as I pointed out in my post, I wanted to be able to share the cruise experience with my husband.

Just remember that this is the Internet . Why anyone would allow themselves to feel "bullied" by anonymous board posters is beyond my comprehension . Just go and have a good time.

Thank you! That is what we intend to do. ;)

Unlike many of you, I am not a frequent cruiser. I've been on one cruise in my entire life - and it was six years ago. I've longed to share this experience with my husband, and as we celebrate our 35th anniversary this year, he suggested that maybe the time is now. We are finally empty-nesters and ready to enjoy life. So I eagerly began exploring cruises on the one and only cruise line I had ever experienced ... only to find out they recently changed their policies and now prohibit smoking on the balconies of the cabins.

I was even more crushed to find out this has happened pretty much industry-wide. I must tell you that it effectively took all the joy out of my search for a cruise. So I'm switching to HAL for my second, his first cruise, because it is apparently the only line that still permits smoking on the balcony.

We are not chain smokers. We won't spend every minute on our balcony, puffing away. But the first thing in the morning, last thing at night - while in our pajamas! - smoke is a luxury (yes, a luxury!) that we enjoy. Early morning coffee and a leisurely cigarette on our private balcony is a great way to ease into a fun filled day. Throwing on clothes, leaving the cabin to find coffee and a place to smoke.... not so much.

And while I probably should quit - might LIKE to quit - I refuse to be bullied into doing so, and I won't quit just to conform.

While others here state they won't be told to go elsewhere, I politely point out that we smokers have nowhere else to go. I realize smoking is a contentious topic, but my research into planning what should be a happy occasion has really made me feel like a second-class citizen and one not deserving of the same joy and happiness as others. I know that is not true, but MY GOSH! You'd think I was doing something illegal to hear some people talk.