Cigar Smoking on Verandahs

[Luckybee]

Jumping in head first...dh and I have only cruised a few times(RSSC and Royal) ..we tend to do far more land based vacations. I just booked an Alaskan Cruise with HAL, and it will be our first time on HAL. I actually looked at almost every cruise line out there in deciding. Seabourn, RSSC and Crystal, had no Alaska when we wanted to go...wasnt crazy about itinerary on Silversea....so left me choosing between Celebrity, Royal, Princess and HAL. Celebrity was our 1st choice out of the 4 ...until I found out about there restricive smoking policy. We chose to go with HAL for a number of reasons including their smoking policy....it wasnt difficult to do. As I said on another thread we chose what we expect will work for us...If I was a non smoker, and if I had a stong aversion to cigarette smoke and didnt wish to chance smelling it on a balcony I would without doubt book another line. Im puzzled as to why anyone in those circumstances would book a line that allows balcony smoking then complain about balcony smoke?

Let me give you a couple of other examples....some of the things we loved about RSSC were one seating open dining and the fact that very good quality wines were included with dinner. HAL doesnt have that(they do have a form of your choice dining but it doesnt seem to work the same way). They also dont include wine with dinner. Should we go on our cruise and then say well it was great except for the fact that we hated fixed seating, and your choice dining(or my way...or whatever its called....lol), and geez we hated having to pay for our wine(or bring our own). That wouldnt make sense ! Now if someone wasnt aware , or didnt check, shame on them for not doing their research...but I would have a tad more sympathy. Noneof the posters though appear to have been uniformed prior.

[Copper10-8]

Yep, we got us one!:cool:

[JAMS1]

Our last cruise was a "Last Minute Cruise" Booked Monday for Friday.

Had our first inside stateroom, found it worked very well. Ship had been sold out for months, got someone's cancelation.

The best part was not worrying about being smoked off our balcony.

I have asthma and Smoke of any kind including performance smoke - just takes me out. You would laugh watching me leave the theater when the smoke starts, no matter how good the seat is, I quietly get up and move to the back and hope the smoke does not overtake me. Sometimes I am just chased out by smoke and miss the performance. Sucks to have Asthma.

Would be nice for smokers if they would have a smoking/Cigar cruise, so everyone on the cruise would know - Smoking is the thing on this ship and there will be no safe places and the smokers will be happy without feeling pestered by others.

And for the rest of us a Smoke Free Cruise Ship. No Smoking of any kind on board.

[HWY 101]

http://***************/smoking-policy.htm

[HWY 101]

Smoke on the Water

Cruise Ships: Where You Can & Can't Smoke

Churchill's Cigar Bar Aboard Queen Victoria

by Linda Coffman

One of the unhappiest groups of cruisers I've even met were four World War II veterans aboard R-1. It was back in 1999, when now defunct-Renaissance Cruises was the only no-smoking-allowed cruise line in existence. The otherwise charming vets were all cigarette smokers whose wives thought a cruise on a non-smoking ship would prompt them to abandon their habit. They groused about their wives' deception, but managed to take matters into their own hands. In the wee hours of every morning while everyone else was fast asleep, the disgruntled vets held a "smoker" on the fantail of the ship.

While such an action isn't necessary on most ships these days, it is getting harder and harder to find a place to light up during a cruise. Ships are catching up to the rest of the hospitality industry and the smoking lamp has gone out in virtually all restaurants and showrooms at sea, as well as many of their bars and lounges. While casinos are one of the last bastions of smokers, some have "smoke-free" nights to clear the air.

Airlines were leaders in the non-smoking revolution, followed by restaurants and hotels that gradually phased in separate areas for smokers and then eliminated them altogether. Now, local governments across the United States and even Europe have enacted legislation that bans smokers from bars and even some outdoor cafes. The cruise industry was slow to follow the trend, mainly because of non-US passengers who don't object to smoking and, more importantly because of groups. Group bookings are important to cruise lines and groups hesitate to book on a non-smoking ship if even a minority of their members smoke. Groups don't want to leave anyone out or put them in an uncomfortable environment. There is also the matter of revenue. Carnival Cruise Lines' experiment with the smoke-free Carnival Paradise ended in less than a decade. The ship never matched the revenue of the rest of its fleetmates.

Think of that small group of veterans—they probably wouldn't be able to get away with their fantail rebellion these days. And, happily for them, they wouldn't have to break the rules on most cruise ships. Smokers realize there are designated places to smoke and places that are entirely smoke-free on the seas and most are willing to accept the compromise. The first thing they do is check for ashtrays and make friends with other smokers. "We're outcasts, aren't we?" is a common conversation starter between smokers who gather in smoking-designated areas. Cigar aficionados don't suffer the same indignities when they have their own "cigar lounge" to retreat to. They are accustomed to being banned from most public areas and are happy to find a lounge that accepts them. Otherwise, they are relegated to an outdoor deck, along with pipe smokers.

Only about twenty percent of American adults are currently smokers so it's not a big deal that smoking areas have shrunk. We applaud the cruise lines for their health and safety concerns, but also give them high marks for not ostracizing the minority of smokers who want to be comfortable with their habit. It's a win-win situation in most cases.

Smoking At Sea

Never smoke in an elevator, on stairways, or in corridors. As a rule of thumb, if there's an ashtray at hand, you can smoke; if there's food served nearby, you can't. Pipes, and sometimes cigars, are often restricted to open decks. These are some of the specific dos and don'ts:

Azamara Cruises

Where to Smoke: Small sections for smokers are located on the port side of the Looking Glass Lounge and the forward area of the pool deck on the starboard side.

Where NOT to Smoke: No other areas on the ships allow smoking, including all restaurants, lounges, casinos, cabins and balconies.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, casinos, and designated areas in lounges and bars.

Where NOT to Smoke: Restaurants, show lounges, and the pool deck on those ships that have "indoor" areas serving food nearby.

Cigars: Cigar smoking is allowed only in cigar lounges and designated areas on open decks.

Celebrity Cruises

Where to Smoke: The port side of one lounge per ship, a designated slot machine area in each ship's casino, and designated areas on open decks, including the port side of the pool deck and sundecks on each ship, the port side of the Sunset Bar on Celebrity Century and on Celebrity's Millennium class of ships, and the port side aft outside of Winter Garden on Celebrity Mercury.

Where NOT to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, show lounges, theaters, and restaurants, as well as the entire starboard side--indoors and outside. Celebrity Solstice's Lawn Club and the Sunset Bar at the Lawn Club do not allow smoking.

Cigars: Cigars are allowed only in designated sections of the open decks.

Costa Cruises

Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, open decks, and designated smoking areas in public rooms.

Where NOT to Smoke: All restaurants and show lounges.

Cigars: Cigar smoking is allowed only in designated areas, including cigar lounges and on open decks.

Crystal Cruises

Where to Smoke: Cabins and in designated areas of bars, lounges, and open decks.

Where NOT to Smoke: Restaurants, show lounges, and private balconies.

Cigars: Cigars (and pipes) are allowed in the Connoisseur Club and most open decks.

Cunard Line

Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, casinos, and in designated smoking sections of some bars and lounges.

Where NOT to Smoke: Show lounges, theaters, the library, and all restaurants.

Cigars: Cigars (and pipes) are permitted in cigar lounges, as well as on designated areas of open decks.

Disney Cruises

Where to Smoke: Cabin balconies and designated starboard-side open deck areas (including near the adults-only pool).

Where NOT to Smoke: All other indoor areas, including cabins, are smoke-free.

Holland America Line

Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, casinos, and in designated areas of bars, lounges, and open decks.

Where NOT to Smoke: All restaurants and show lounges.

MSC Cruises

Where to Smoke: In Cigar rooms, casinos, one dedicated lounge, and designated areas on open decks.

Where NOT to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, restaurants, show lounges, and all bars with the exception above.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, casinos, cigar lounges, and designated areas on open decks.

Where NOT to Smoke: All indoor public areas, with the exceptions noted above, and outdoor food venues.

Oceania Cruises

Where to Smoke: Smoking is permitted only in the aft port side of Horizons, and the starboard forward section of the outdoor Pool Deck.

Where NOT to Smoke: All other areas are smoke-free. This includes all cabins and balconies, restaurants, public rooms, and open decks except for the two designated smoking areas.

Oceania has tightened its smoking regulations with a "zero tolerance" policy, which imposes strict penalties upon those who smoke outside designated areas—up to and including disembarkation from the ship.

Princess Cruises

Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, and in designated areas in public rooms and open decks.

Where NOT to Smoke: Show lounges, elevators, dining rooms, and all food service areas. Additionally, "smoke-free nights" are scheduled in the casino.

Cigars: Cigar smoking is allowed only in cigar lounges and on open decks; pipe smoking is allowed on open decks.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Where to Smoke: Smoking is permitted on open decks, in the casino and Connoisseur Club on Seven Seas Mariner, Navigator, and Voyager, and in designated smoking areas in one lounge on each ship.

Where NOT to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, all indoor dining areas, and all public rooms except as noted above.

Cigars: Cigar smoking is permitted in the Connoisseur Club on Seven Seas Mariner, Navigator, and Voyager, and in designated areas of open decks. Pipe smoking is permitted only in the Connoisseur Club on those ships and is prohibited on other ships.

Royal Caribbean

Where to Smoke: Private ocean view balconies, the starboard side of open decks, and in designated smoking areas of certain public rooms.

Where NOT to Smoke: In cabins (passengers who smoke in their cabins will be fined $250), restaurants, show lounges, passageways, the port sides of open decks, and one public lounge on each ship, which is designated non-smoking.

Cigars: Cigar and pipe smoking is only permitted within the cigar lounge. If no cigar lounge exists on the ship, there will be a designated area for pipe and cigar smoking

Seabourn Cruise Line

Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, and designated areas of open decks.

Where NOT to Smoke: Restaurants (including outside areas where food is served), lounges, and elevators.

Cigars: Cigar and pipe smoking are allowed only in designated areas on open decks after 9pm.

SeaDream Yacht Club

Where to Smoke: Outdoors on Decks 3, 4 and 6.

Where NOT to Smoke: All indoor spaces, including cabins, and outside on Decks 2 and 5.

Silversea Cruises

Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, designated areas of The Bar, aft of the Terrace Café (outside), the casino, and designated areas on open decks.

Where NOT to Smoke: Restaurants, the show lounge, and all other public rooms.

Cigars: Cigar and pipe smoking is permitted in cigar lounges and designated areas on outside decks.

Windstar Cruises

Where to Smoke: Designated areas on outside decks only.

Where NOT to Smoke: All indoor spaces, including cabins.

Cigars: Cigar and pipe smoking are allowed only on designated outside deck areas.

More from ***************:

Articles & Advice

Cruise Reviews

[pipedreams62]

Please help. It appears "Perfume" guy hasn't posted yet.

 

"Perfume" guy is the one who whines about perfume being much more offensive than smoke. I've ran some numbers and he should have posted a long time ago.

 

My biggest fear is something has happened to him,or he's gotten involved with the wrong people.

 

[room010]

At the end of our Zuiderdam cruise to Alaska in July this year we were asked to complete a fairly detailed survey regarding smoking in general on HAL ships. Not sure what the company planned to do with it as I'm pretty sure the majority vote would be to ban smoking altogether but maybe the survey was issued to keep the complainers happy. As luck (?) would have it we had cigar smokers on either side of our Deck 6 cabin and there were a couple of occasions when it became so unpleasant we were forced inside. I'm not a very experienced cruiser but do these trips attract a particularly large number of cigar smokers because they seemed to be puffing away wherever we went. I'm not a virulent anti-smoker at all but I paid just as much for my verandah as the cigar smokers next door only I was prevented from using mine because they wanted (needed?) to smoke there.

[Harry1954]

I was not intending to create a fight or we/they issue; merely pointing out that cigar smoking on a verandah is indeed intruding on the vacation pleasures of others. There are places to smoke and the cabin is the most obvious one. Someone mentioned they don't want their husband smoking cigars in the cabin ... this just adds to the fact that it can be offensive to many.

 

My intention was to send a message to those who do smoke to consider doing so in their cabin so as not to impinge on the masses .. .maybe that is just wishful thinking.

harry

[suse]

Please help. It appears "Perfume" guy hasn't posted yet.

 

"Perfume" guy is the one who whines about perfume being much more offensive than smoke. I've ran some numbers and he should have posted a long time ago.

 

My biggest fear is something has happened to him,or he's gotten involved with the wrong people.

 

The guy who always says being overweight is just as dangerous to your health as smoking. Where did he go?

[WhoDat]

I am a non-smoker. I enjoy sitting on our balcony. If someone around me is out on their balcony smoking, I don't let it bother me. After all, it is their vacation too!

 

With that said, if they were chain smoking out there, then I would politely ask if they would consider toning it down some.

 

Some people will pay the extra money to have a balcony they can smoke on. Why? Because if it's raining, they are unable to do it on the open deck, and the cigar bars have strict times. We were in one where cigarette smoking was allowed, but the cigar smokers were told no smoking til 9pm.

 

If the smoking on the balcony bothered me that much, I would only sail with the cruise lines who forbid it.

 

Just me.

[Nasmas]

Good grief. I think you people are just complainers. I find it hard to believe that outdoor smoke is going to harm your little pristine bodies. I'd like to ban that god awful perfume & cologne that a lot of cruisers seem to love to wear. I can't get in the elevator behind some of them but smoke outdoors? Good LORD!!

[usha]

Pipedreams is breathing a huge sigh of relief...;)

[cruznon]

The list posted by HWY 101 was very informative. Thank you for posting.

[Nasmas]

Yes, I think I will book a Celebrity Cruise and bitch because they won't let me smoke on my balcony.

[suse]

Yes, I think I will book a Celebrity Cruise and bitch because they won't let me smoke on my balcony.

That would be a very strange reason to book a cruise. I think the list is quite helpful, don't you?

[Copper10-8]

Looks like everyone has made an appearance!:cool:

 

[pipedreams62]

The guy who always says being overweight is just as dangerous to your health as smoking. Where did he go?

 

 

That guy fell asleep by the pool.

 

 

 

 

We fixed him right up

 

 

[suse]

He cracks me up. He's always saying that being overweight is just as dangerous as smoking. Ok, if he says so, he must be right.:)

[pipedreams62]

Please help. It appears "Perfume" guy hasn't posted yet.

 

 

 

"Perfume" guy is the one who whines about perfume being much more offensive than smoke. I've ran some numbers and he should have posted a long time ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd like to ban that god awful perfume & cologne that a lot of cruisers seem to love to wear. I can't get in the elevator behind some of them but smoke outdoors? Good LORD!!

 

 

I just bent a spoon:eek:

 

 

[suse]

So, perfume that stinks to high heaven is ok if you are wearing it outside? We won't be able to smell it then?:confused: Let's split hairs. I need to remember that next time I bathe in a tub of L'Amoure or Evening in Paris.:)

[Nasmas]

That would be a very strange reason to book a cruise. I think the list is quite helpful, don't you?

I was being facetious. Why would this fellow book a HAL cruise knowing they allow smoking then get on here and bitch about it. I see no difference in that and me booking a Celebrity knowing I can't smoke and bitching about it. What list are you referring to?

[Nasmas]

I just bent a spoon:eek:

 

 

I'm not the perfume guy but that stuff makes me ill. It cannot be good for you. It gets in my throat and chest and makes me sick. That is the God's truth. If we're going to ban one irritant, why not the other?

Oh, I get it. If it bothers me, tough. If it bothers you, ban it.

[Nasmas]

So, perfume that stinks to high heaven is ok if you are wearing it outside? We won't be able to smell it then?:confused: Let's split hairs. I need to remember that next time I bathe in a tub of L'Amoure or Evening in Paris.:)

Sure you can smell it outside, but it is not as stinking as it is in a confined area. See above about if it bothers me.

[RevNeal]

Looks like everyone has made an appearance!:cool:

 

 

Except me ... :eek: Ooops.

 

 

 

Never mind ;)

[pipedreams62]

We've neglected to give an honorable mention, to the infamous sewer gas