Smoking!!!

[grapejuice]

We are contemplating Regent next year for birthday celebrations. However Silversea and Seabourn have cruises that are more suited because of school holidays. We have cruised Regent three times before and absolutely loved it and would choose it again in a heartbeat but because of dates etc.

My question is we did never ever have to deal with smoking issues on Regent.

An absolute deal breaker for us would be walking into cabin that smelt of cigarette smoke.

It never happened on Regent, on our sailings ever.

Does it happen on Silversea and Seabourn? Some reports suggest so.

[Anna B.]

We had dinner a couple of nights ago with some friends who had just returned from a Siverseas Baltic cruise. They said there were lots of smokers on board, and lots of residual smoke. Guess it depends on your level of tolerance. :rolleyes:

[MarilynA]

You need to review the smoking policies of the individual carriers and make your decision based on that. I recently studied the policies of all the luxury and upscale lines had to eliminate Silversea, Seabourn, and Crystal from consideration for me personally because their policies permit smoking in the cabins, meaning there is a possibility of being assigned a cabin full of residual smoke. Even if a passenger doesn't mind secondhand smoke, there is a safety factor to consider. Silversea permits smoking in cabins and on balconies and elsewhere in designated areas. On Seabourn, it's okay to smoke in suites, on open decks, and on the starboard side in the observation lounge. The best non-smoking policy is on Oceania, second best is on Regent. Regent's may be as good as Oceania's, but Oceania has a reputation for strict enforcement of their policy, which gives them a bit of an edge over Regent. Sea Dream Yacht Club also prohibits smoking in cabins and on 2 of their decks.

[Suite Travels]

Well I have sailed most of the lines you mentioned and even RSSC when smoking was permitted in the suites and we never ever smelled residual smoke on any cruise line. They use special cleaning agents that eliminate any odors.

 

I would hate to be reduced to choosing just one line because of the fear of smelling residual smoke in the suite/cabin, which will be highly unlikely.

[RachelG]

On our last Regent cruise on Voyager, we were in 722 which is right by the stairwell and elevators coming up from the lounge where smoking is allowed and the casinos (on the 4th floor). On the first night, there was a distinct smell of smoke in the hall outside our suite. I was a little worried because this was the first time I had ever encountered that, and this was our 6th cruise on Voyager. But we had never had a suite by the stairwell before.

I smelled it a couple of times after that, always in the evening, but fortunately, it never permeated into our suite, which is what I was worried about.

[Travelcat2]

The last time we were on the Voyager, there was a cigarette smell in the Computer Room late in the evening -- probably because it is above the Voyager lounge where smoking is permitted. Last month, on the Navigator, there were a few wafts of smoke at the bar in the Navigator Lounge (which is a bit too close to the smoking area). Fortunately, this does affect any of the suites. In the "old days" -- when Regent allowed smoking in the suites, the problem was mostly from smoke wafting from adjoining balconies. Fortunately that problem no longer exists:)

[WC11]

I hate to tell you but after 2 am the cigar smoke comes drifting by the balcony some nights. Supposedly your off the boat on the next port if caught but that never happened on my cruise to anyone.

 

Regents smoking policy is pretty fair. Most abide. It's not a problem unless someone leaves the door of the cigar club open then the fireworks really start. Expletives can be exchanged.

[MarilynA]

Could someone tell me where the cigar club is located on Voyager and on Mariner? Is it anywhere near deck 10? I have cabins on deck 10 on cruises in November and March, and I need to reconsider my location if I'm anywhere near where there might be a chance of cigar smoke drifting in my cabin or balcony. I never considered that possibility. Yikes. Didn't even know there was a "cigar club" in fact.:(

[RachelG]

On Voyager, the cigar room is on deck 4 aft of the casino, before you get to the constellation theater. It has a heavy door, and as long as that remains closed, I have never smelled any smoke from there. I think the smoke I was smelling in the hallway on deck 6 and 7 near the stairwell was from the Voyager lounge, which has open doors and is the only lounge that allows smoking. It also is on deck 4. The open doors are right by the stairs, so smoke wafts directly up if there are a lot of smokers inside.

[Anna B.]

There are many posts on these lines to indicate that there is in fact residual smoke odor in cabins where smokers have recently smoked. Numerous non-smokers have complained of this. I have suffered it, myself.

 

I would not expect you or your traveling companion to be as sensitive to the odor of residual smoke as others, given that you are well....still smokers, to the best of my knowledge.

 

As an ex smoker I found this funny! I could never understand why people said my house smelled like smoke :rolleyes:

 

I am sorry to add that a couple of years ago we were in Suite 1112 on the Navigator. Every morning at about 7:00 we would wake up and our cabin would be very smoky. We never did get a clear answer whether it was smoke drifting up from the pool bar or if it was coming from some of the workmen on the deck. Regardless, it continued throughout our cruise.

[Texcruise]

It has been several years since we sailed on the Navigator and the Voyager and at that time Regent had a rather small area in the main dining room where smoking was permitted. Can anyone tell me if that is still the case. Thanks!

[gillianrose]

It has been several years since we sailed on the Navigator and the Voyager and at that time Regent had a rather small area in the main dining room where smoking was permitted. Can anyone tell me if that is still the case. Thanks!

 

I feel confident in saying that the answer, thank goodness, is NO NO NO, there is no more smoking in dining rooms!

[Texcruise]

I feel confident in saying that the answer, thank goodness, is NO NO NO, there is no more smoking in dining rooms!

 

We have been thinking about booking a Regent cruise again.....have always enjoyed the entire cruise experience with Regent.......except the smoke in the dining room......so you may have sealed the deal....thanks:)

[gillianrose]

We have been thinking about booking a Regent cruise again.....have always enjoyed the entire cruise experience with Regent.......except the smoke in the dining room......so you may have sealed the deal....thanks:)

 

You're welcome, but the bit about no smoking in the dining rooms extends to all lines I have cruised in many, many years. It's not just Regent.

[sailfar]

We are in a Mariner suite located over the casino. Will we have any smoke odors? Not a fan, especially on a long cruise.

[umtali]

Recently on Silver Spirit, where smoking was allowed, (I believe there has been a recent change in policy). in the Panorama Lounge from 1800 each evening, I had to have my suit dry cleaned to take away the residual smoke odour after enduring only a couple of smokers in a poorly ventilated area. My BH and I avoided that lounge after 1800 thereafter.

 

I feel that this ongoing smoking problem on ships is becoming more of a safety issue rather than a health factor. Although the main smokers on Silver Spirit appeared to be the officers there were mainly European passengers who were heavy smokers.

 

Re. an earlier blog by someone who has been outed as being a TA. In New York, I, as a passenger, had to advise in a very serious fashion, that a TA extinguish his cigarette, that he was enjoying on the open Panorama Deck, as there was a fuel filled barge alongside the ship and all persons had been advised "NO SMOKING on outside decks". He then had to search for an ashtray, as they had been removed during the re-fuelling operation.

[grapejuice]

Thank you to everyone for your opinions. I think I will just stick with Regent or maybe try Oceania.

To the poster (Suite Travels I think) who says they use special cleaning agents that eliminate smoking odours in cabins. I'm sorry to disagree but nothing gets rid of residual smoke except ripping up the carpet, removal of drapes and all furniture, entire aircondition service and fumigation and a whole new paint job of the cabin. I may have missed something!