Should I reconsider?

[cribdink]

Hi all,

 

I booked the March 2012 sailing to Hawaii and Tahiti. I've always wanted to see Tahiti and my mother loves Hawaii. My concern is HAL's smoking policy. I have asthma and use inhalers. Can those who've traveled on this cruise (or any cruise of 30 days or longer) give some feedback? Thanks.:confused:

[CaveDiving]

I have found smoking to not be a large problem on HAL cruises. Except for the casino and only a few bars, there is no odor inside from smoking that is bothersome to me.

 

Scott & Karen

[SwissMyst]

Hi all,

 

I booked the March 2012 sailing to Hawaii and Tahiti. I've always wanted to see Tahiti and my mother loves Hawaii. My concern is HAL's smoking policy. I have asthma and use inhalers. Can those who've traveled on this cruise (or any cruise of 30 days or longer) give some feedback? Thanks.:confused:

 

We were on a 42 day cruise with smoking allowed in certain areas - out doors on one side of the ship. It was no problem but then there was no smoking area indoors.

 

Agree, the only times we have noticed smoke is when we pass through the casino area, which you can avoid, and one or two very brief times when it came in for a few seconds from the balcony next door. Never smelled it in any of our cabins, if they had been previously occupied by smokers we would not have known.

[ariawoman]

I too am really allergic to cigarette smoke.

 

You can't avoid it 100%. Even on the cruise lines that are more strict, there will still smoking allowed somewhere on the ship (as well, they can't seem to prove that banning smoking wouldn't impact their bottom line and they are probably, unfortunately for people like us, correct).

 

What you SHOULD do, is be proactive about it. Contact Ship Services and ask them to perform what they call a "5 times clean service". This will ensure that your stateroom is thoroughly cleaned as you are an allergy sufferer.

 

I got this information from a web agent on the HAL website, so I tend to believe it :-) I'm going to call them and ask for this when I'm certain of my room assignment (though I'm sure you can call for it at any point from booking).

 

I took a cruise last year, without even knowing that smoking WAS indeed allowed in the cabins. I had NO evidence in the cabin of any smoking, so, I'm sure that there are ways to thoroughly clean. This ship that I was on, was not a new ship, she was built in the 80s.

 

Call for the 5x clean, and then if when you get there, you smell anything, feel free to ask them again to be sure it was done. A coworker of mine had an issue on a cruise line (not HAL) and she asked for a thorough cleaning and came back to an odor free cabin. She too was an allergy sufferer.

 

I hope this helps some. I worry about it too, but I believe that we will be fine!

[fann1sh]

I agree. Keep your reservations.

 

I'm another who has a toxic reaction to smoke (all smoke - not just tobacco - and a whole lot of other common stuff.)

 

One one HAL cruise, my cabin needed deep cleaning, then another ionization treatment. Our cabin steward admitted it was his fault - he was a smoker, and couldn't smell just how much the cabin was affected. It took a full day, two extra cleanings, before the cabin was clear.

 

However, some asthma sufferers find their breathing trouble aggravated by ionization. Does the ozone it usually creates bother you? It *helps* me, and I bring my own portable ionizers: one for around my neck, one for the cabin, both battery operated.

 

However, if you have a problem with ionization/ozone, tell them. Maybe they can use the industrial strength ionizer well before you enter the cabin. Or, they can stick to steam cleaning and odour removing sprays, and skip the ionization step.