Lack of Policy Enforcement

[judie43]

I feel badly for the people that book the Royal Suite the following week. It is not easy to get rid of cigar smoke. I would be p****d if I had spent all that money and had to smell stale cigar smoke.

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Just curios, how do all of you function in the real world? Live in a bubble? I hope you all are as determined to rid the world of all air polluntants...

 

We live in a real world where there is a normal expectation that rules and policies are followed. That helps the world to go 'round as it should. Most of us stop at stop signs. Most of us yield the right of way. We go to the drill practice on ships because we're supposed to do so. We stick our hands out for the sanitizer because it's expected and probably good for all... normal people do what is expected of them. I would never dream of going on a cruise where smoking is allowed on balconies and complaining about it...I know the rules when I book and I follow them. Don't you?

 

The fact is that we live in a real world where non-smokers having to put up with secondhand smoke is an unhealthy reality. Thankfully, new laws have eliminated much of the smoke we used to encounter in bars and restaurants. Many of us pick Celebrity so we can go on vacation and enjoy the full ship we have paid for....without being run out of the casino, for instance.

 

What is so wrong with choosing a cruise line that has stern smoking policies and then having the audacity to expect both passengers and the cruise line to follow up with the policies? I don't understand why that is apparently mysterious to you....

[greeneg]

Just curios, how do all of you function in the real world? Live in a bubble? I hope you all are as determined to rid the world of all air polluntants...

 

I function quite well in the Real World, thank you. I drive a Civic Hybrid, and we try very hard to recycle everything that's practical to do so.

 

As far as smoking is concerned, I smoked for 30+ years and am living proof that people who successfully reform a bad habit are more intolerant of the same weakness in others. BUT, I only expect the rules to be properly enforced. I try to avoid the smoking areas on the ship, if I have to go there, I have no right to complain; I just hold my breath and get out of there as quickly as possible. So I do my part to follow the rules, if everyone does that, then it's a much nicer World for Everyone. At least that's how I feel.

 

I don't like the stench of smoking nor do I care to share the pool with dirty diapers.

 

I won't complain about you if you are following the rules, but I certainly will if you are not.

[KAYEF]

. Maybe Alaska is worse because of the weather. Anyway, DH is in not interested in Alaska yet since we see enough snow and ice as it is. I tend to agree, but I expect we will get there one day.

Why is it that so many people assume Alaska is all "snow and ice?":confused:

It's much like travel through the Pacific Northwest............forest, rivers, waterfalls, ocean and sometimes rain.

Yes, you can seek out ice and snow with Shore Excursions or on the deck if your ship seeks out a glacier to share with you.

We spent an entire summer up there in our MH and never had ice OR snow on the road or anywhere near us. We had to seek out a glacier for that.

Alaska is one huge place of beauty. We go almost annually and loved the new 14 day itinerary on HAL this year.

[AmyinVail]

I live in Colorado where smoking is banned inside all food establishments - so smoke is a very odd thing that we come across during our daily lives.

 

I suppose I'm more outspoken than most - because everyone is encouraging "calling guest relations", etc. If I were walking on my ship and saw someone smoking where they shouldn't and it interferred with my experience, I would say something directly to them...maybe call over an employee to also "help out" - same with kids in the pool....."excuse me, children aren't allowed in this pool".......vacations are rare treat (especially for my family in this economy) and I'm not going to silently boil over and let it ruin my time. Leave a note on the cabin door - look over the railing and say something.....

 

Of course call guest relations - but if it's not working and you see something right in front of you that is against policy AND disturbing your vacation? Say something......

[Booyakasha]

Just curios, how do all of you function in the real world? Live in a bubble? I hope you all are as determined to rid the world of all air polluntants...

 

 

Ahhh.... the first post troll, got love it. :D

 

B.

[bulldog2]

I was just curious as I am exposed to obnouxiuos smells, industrial pollution, insecticides, and carbon monoxide just walking down the street...more than anything I have ever been exposed to on a cruise ship. Based on the comments on this board I was trying to figure out how everyone shielded themselves during the other 50 plus weeks a year they are not on a ship.

 

I agree, if we followed all the rules/laws the World would be a better place. Strangly, none of us obey all the rules nor want to live in a society that all rules are ruthlessly enforced.

[jconeil]

I certainly intend on complaining should anyone smoke outside of designated areas on my next 2 Celebrity cruises. We have recently switched from Princess because of their draconian balcony/cabin smoking policy that spoiled an otherwise lovely cruise. I encourage others to do so, because once one gets away with it, others will follow. Then you can sit in your balcony cabin with the door closed & watch the ocean go by on Celebrity too. I don't care how many times it takes to complain for action to be taken, I will do it.

[teajak]

We live in a real world where there is a normal expectation that rules and policies are followed. That helps the world to go 'round as it should. Most of us stop at stop signs. Most of us yield the right of way. We go to the drill practice on ships because we're supposed to do so. We stick our hands out for the sanitizer because it's expected and probably good for all... normal people do what is expected of them. I would never dream of going on a cruise where smoking is allowed on balconies and complaining about it...I know the rules when I book and I follow them. Don't you?

 

The fact is that we live in a real world where non-smokers having to put up with secondhand smoke is an unhealthy reality. Thankfully, new laws have eliminated much of the smoke we used to encounter in bars and restaurants. Many of us pick Celebrity so we can go on vacation and enjoy the full ship we have paid for....without being run out of the casino, for instance.

 

What is so wrong with choosing a cruise line that has stern smoking policies and then having the audacity to expect both passengers and the cruise line to follow up with the policies? I don't understand why that is apparently mysterious to you....

Great post,we agree with you totally.:D:D:D

[teajak]

Well I guess I interpret it differently. The OP said there were complaints so I assumed they had made the complaint otherwise how would they know? If, on the other hand, they knew that their neighbors had made the complaint I don't see what the difference is. If you know a complaint was made then you have the expectation that the problem will be taken care of.

We have requested the OP to come back and tell us if they reported all of this to guest relations, if they did it should have been taken care of, if the didn't they have no complaint.:confused:

[Dena]

Why is it that so many people assume Alaska is all "snow and ice?":confused:

It's much like travel through the Pacific Northwest............forest, rivers, waterfalls, ocean and sometimes rain.

Yes, you can seek out ice and snow with Shore Excursions or on the deck if your ship seeks out a glacier to share with you.

We spent an entire summer up there in our MH and never had ice OR snow on the road or anywhere near us. We had to seek out a glacier for that.

Alaska is one huge place of beauty. We go almost annually and loved the new 14 day itinerary on HAL this year.

 

We live in one of the cloudiest cities in the world. So comparing Alaska to the Pacific Nortwest and talking about rain is not selling it for us. We can't be away from our business for a season or even weeks at a time. When we can get away, we prefer to travel in the winter to escape the weather. I think we will see Alaska one day. Maybe after we retire to someplace warm and sunny, that way the Alaska weather will be a pleasant change of pace.

[Kini12]

We live in a real world where there is a normal expectation that rules and policies are followed. That helps the world to go 'round as it should. Most of us stop at stop signs. Most of us yield the right of way. We go to the drill practice on ships because we're supposed to do so. We stick our hands out for the sanitizer because it's expected and probably good for all... normal people do what is expected of them. I would never dream of going on a cruise where smoking is allowed on balconies and complaining about it...I know the rules when I book and I follow them. Don't you?

 

The fact is that we live in a real world where non-smokers having to put up with secondhand smoke is an unhealthy reality. Thankfully, new laws have eliminated much of the smoke we used to encounter in bars and restaurants. Many of us pick Celebrity so we can go on vacation and enjoy the full ship we have paid for....without being run out of the casino, for instance.

 

What is so wrong with choosing a cruise line that has stern smoking policies and then having the audacity to expect both passengers and the cruise line to follow up with the policies? I don't understand why that is apparently mysterious to you....

What an excellent reply. Thanks GeorgiaPeach!

[Dena]

I live in Colorado where smoking is banned inside all food establishments - so smoke is a very odd thing that we come across during our ....

 

I agree. Smoke is a very odd smell for us too. We can easily go for months without smelling any. It is not allowed in bars, retaurants, or other workplaces in our state. Our colleagues do not smoke. None of our friends or family smoke.

[AmyinVail]

I was just curious as I am exposed to obnouxiuos smells, industrial pollution, insecticides, and carbon monoxide just walking down the street...more than anything I have ever been exposed to on a cruise ship. Based on the comments on this board I was trying to figure out how everyone shielded themselves during the other 50 plus weeks a year they are not on a ship.

 

I agree, if we followed all the rules/laws the World would be a better place. Strangly, none of us obey all the rules nor want to live in a society that all rules are ruthlessly enforced.

 

Some of us live in places where obnoxious smells, pollution, insecticides and carbon monoxide is minimal. In the Vail mountains, all of those things are incredibly rare. Having said that, we certainly want to keep our exposure to those things minimal when going on vacation!

[bulldog2]

I appreciate your input. I am doing a position paper on social media with a focus on discussion boards.

 

I would love to run with this a little longer as it is really entertaining but the paper is due Wednesday. Only took a few minutes after posting a question slanted toward an opposing viewpoint to receive results. Troll comment was the best.

 

For the record, I do not smoke and can't stand the smell of smoke.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

We live in one of the cloudiest cities in the world. So comparing Alaska to the Pacific Nortwest and talking about rain is not selling it for us. We can't be away from our business for a season or even weeks at a time. When we can get away, we prefer to travel in the winter to escape the weather. I think we will see Alaska one day. Maybe after we retire to someplace warm and sunny, that way the Alaska weather will be a pleasant change of pace.

 

I've been to Alaska twice, warm & sunny both times. Early May this year, early September previously.

[nomo4iz]

Thank you to everyone for your replies.

 

Yes, we are aware that Celebrity is a mass market cruise line, but when we say "luxury", for us that was a ship full of amenities and activities, rather than a smaller and most likely more sedate cruise line like SilverSeas. It was our first cruise, and we wanted an over-the-top ship and full cruise experience, just to see what it was like.

 

We took this cruise to relax, particularly for DH who has a stressful job and works long hours every week. This was the first time we have taken more than a few days off at time since 1999. I wanted to be more vocal in my complaints, but DH did not want to spend time doing that, he wanted to relax. Every time we went by the guest relations desk there was a long line, and he did not want to stand in it to complain about other people, nor did he want to deal with a security guard coming into our room to verify things. I did not agree, but I chose to respect his wishes and drop the issue, although I continued to put it in writing.

 

We did tell our penthouse level room steward once, and I did follow up on a written questionnaire that we received mid-cruise, asking if all was well. I dropped this off at the little slot box at guest relations to avoid the lines. I also spelled it out in detail during the post cruise evaluation, and I have yet to hear anything.

 

I suspect that the cigar-smoking suite guests were warned, because later in the cruise they confined the smoking to evening hours. But they never completely stopped. They were even smoking their cigars while everyone was out on their balcony during sail away from Vancouver, so we were obviously not the only passengers who saw it and smelled it. Nor were we the only ones to witness the doorway smoking throughout the ship, yet it never ceased.

 

As far as the T-pool, we witnessed families full of children splashing and posing in the hot tubs while the parents took pictures, and all the while the pool employees were cleaning up all around them. In addition, two uniformed ship officers were standing outside the hot tub area chatting away, with the kids in full view. Nothing was said or done by any Celebrity employee.

 

Yes, we could have spent our entire week complaining, because the violations were numerous and ceaseless. But if a company advertises a policy, I would expect them to follow up. They could have easily handed us information upon check in reminding people of smoke free policies, the consequences, and how to resolve it, just as some of the smoke free hotels do. They could have made overhead announcements reminding guests without singling anyone out. I agree with others who said that once a smoker found a weakness in policy, they abused it to the hilt and others quickly followed. It is just too easy to do so on Celebrity.

 

The fact that they held daytime activities like watercolor class and line dancing in a stale lounge that reeked from the previous night's smoke tells me that they have not completely embraced the policy or the way it affects guests yet. We also smelled smoke on several employees themselves, including the young woman from Turkey who waited on us in the dining room. IMO, they are just not taking their own policies seriously at this point.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

I applaud your post.

 

I'm sure good people can have difference of opinion on this, but I 100% SUPPORT cruiselines, hotels, restaurant enforcing the rules.

 

Be it kids screaming in adult areas, people not dressed as per dress code...it's ridiculous and I believe the vast majority of pax want the rules enforced.

 

(We have a darling little 2 year old. We've cruised 3 times with her. And you'll NEVER EVER EVER hear her crying or screaming in the dining room or pool. When that happens, we understand that this is part of being a parent, and we eat in the cabin or leave the pool. No problem at all!)

 

I am glad X has certain rules vis a vis dress and decorum. It's a nice escape to be on the seas where at times muscle shirts, blue jeans, and unruly behavior is not allowed.

[teajak]

All you needed to do was call Guest Relations, they sent the assistant houskeeper to our room, not a security guard, she verified we are the ones that called and what balcony they were smoking on. It took approximately 15 minutes total. I am sorry but if you didn't report it when it was happening I don't know what you expect.I have heard it is the cruiselines policy to allow children to use the solarium on cold days in Alaska but I have no personal knowledge of this. I understand you had a bad time but it certainly is not the usual standard on Celebrity and only you can follow up with your complaints. Mr. Dan Hanrahan is the president and he did reply to my registered letter when I had a problem.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Thank you to everyone for your replies.

 

Yes, we are aware that Celebrity is a mass market cruise line, but when we say "luxury", for us that was a ship full of amenities and activities, rather than a smaller and most likely more sedate cruise line like SilverSeas. It was our first cruise, and we wanted an over-the-top ship and full cruise experience, just to see what it was like.

 

We took this cruise to relax, particularly for DH who has a stressful job and works long hours every week. This was the first time we have taken more than a few days off at time since 1999. I wanted to be more vocal in my complaints, but DH did not want to spend time doing that, he wanted to relax. Every time we went by the guest relations desk there was a long line, and he did not want to stand in it to complain about other people, nor did he want to deal with a security guard coming into our room to verify things. I did not agree, but I chose to respect his wishes and drop the issue, although I continued to put it in writing.

 

We did tell our penthouse level room steward once, and I did follow up on a written questionnaire that we received mid-cruise, asking if all was well. I dropped this off at the little slot box at guest relations to avoid the lines. I also spelled it out in detail during the post cruise evaluation, and I have yet to hear anything.

 

I suspect that the cigar-smoking suite guests were warned, because later in the cruise they confined the smoking to evening hours. But they never completely stopped. They were even smoking their cigars while everyone was out on their balcony during sail away from Vancouver, so we were obviously not the only passengers who saw it and smelled it. Nor were we the only ones to witness the doorway smoking throughout the ship, yet it never ceased.

 

As far as the T-pool, we witnessed families full of children splashing and posing in the hot tubs while the parents took pictures, and all the while the pool employees were cleaning up all around them. In addition, two uniformed ship officers were standing outside the hot tub area chatting away, with the kids in full view. Nothing was said or done by any Celebrity employee.

 

Yes, we could have spent our entire week complaining, because the violations were numerous and ceaseless. But if a company advertises a policy, I would expect them to follow up. They could have easily handed us information upon check in reminding people of smoke free policies, the consequences, and how to resolve it, just as some of the smoke free hotels do. They could have made overhead announcements reminding guests without singling anyone out. I agree with others who said that once a smoker found a weakness in policy, they abused it to the hilt and others quickly followed. It is just too easy to do so on Celebrity.

 

The fact that they held daytime activities like watercolor class and line dancing in a stale lounge that reeked from the previous night's smoke tells me that they have not completely embraced the policy or the way it affects guests yet. We also smelled smoke on several employees themselves, including the young woman from Turkey who waited on us in the dining room. IMO, they are just not taking their own policies seriously at this point.

 

If you chose not to advise Celebrity that there was a cigar smoker on the balcony, I don't know how you can expect them to deal with the issue. It would simply have been a matter of your picking up the telephone. No need to stand in a long line. Yes, you would have to admit the security officer and point out the offender. They require that complaints be actual, verifiable complaints. I think their policy on this is reasonable--it does require the help of neighbors to enforce. As several posters have pointed out to you, it is not helpful to complain about this post cruise. There is nothing Celebrity can do about it now.

 

I don't believe that Celebrity's policies prohibit their employees from smoking. They're just prohibited from smoking anywhere but in designated smoking areas. The same as everyone else.

[carolinagirlsince1993]

I really hope disobeying rules is not the norm. My husband is a cigar smoker. I would never consider allowing a cigar in my home. He is relegated to the patio. We are treating ourselves to a suite in November and he will go to the assigned smoking area to enjoy his cigars. He would prefer to smoke on our balcony, but rules will be followed. I would not expect an adult to smoke on a balcony or have children in the adult area. It would be great if an employee observing a broken rule would address the issue, if however they do not, then we need to speak up and allow Celebrity a chance to correct the situation.

[nomo4iz]

Please reread my posts. The cigar smokers near us were FAR from the only smoking violators, they were simply the closest. And on a ship with 3,000 people aboard, I cannot believe that we were the only ones who would care or comment about it. In the case of the cigar smokers, it was obvious that someone DID speak to them, because they were less blatant about it as the cruise progressed, but they certainly never stopped. I would find it difficult to believe that the only complaint they received was from us. Again, a simple reminder at embarkation or even an announcement from the captain would place the burden on Celebrity for enforcement, rather than its paying customers. The first time those suite passengers violated the rules should have been their last time, rather than forcing other guests to constantly monitor and complain, IMO.

 

As far the doorway smoking, perhaps we should have just stopped whatever we were doing to tattle on whomever was violating the smoking rules at the moment. Again, out of thousands of passengers and employees, we were far from the only ones who passed by the smokers in the doorway. And in order to take time out to do this at the moment of violation, we would have missed an activity or destination. Why is it my responsibility to police everyone on the ship? It isn't, it is Celebrity's responsibility to enforce their own rules. I personally witnessed employees ignoring the violations.

 

Scheduling multiple daily activities in a smoky old lounge is not exactly demonstrating concern for nonsmokers either.

 

BTW, if anyone is thinking about booking Royal Suite 6142 on the starboard side, be aware that it has been a recent home to chronic cigar smokers.

[krewzin]

 

As far the doorway smoking, perhaps we should have just stopped whatever we were doing to tattle on whomever was violating the smoking rules at the moment. Again, out of thousands of passengers and employees, we were far from the only ones who passed by the smokers in the doorway. And in order to take time out to do this at the moment of violation, we would have missed an activity or destination. Why is it my responsibility to police everyone on the ship? It isn't, it is Celebrity's responsibility to enforce their own rules. I personally witnessed employees ignoring the violations.

 

 

 

I agree with you to a point. But if everybody felt (and acted) the same way as you did, then nobody would've reported the smokers, as everybody thought 'well, somebody else will take care of it.'

It's like seeing a car wreck in traffic. You witness it along w/others.....are you gonna make the 911 call, or just assume that somebody else has done it?

 

 

You cannot be absolutely certain that the employees saw (and ignored) the violation. But....if you think that you are certain, then all the more reason to report that as well! Now you've got a couple slacker employees, *and* a smoker?

 

Boy howdy, I'd report that pronto....ay yi yi. I can't stand smokers who don't think rules aren't for them, and I'm not too crazy about lazy-ass employees either.

 

You don't need to 'police everybody on the ship.' -Only the ones that are violating rules ands bother you (and this bothered you enough to post about it here.....which is almost as much effort as telling somebody on the ship).

[greeneg]

I have to say that if it were my cruise that was being impacted by Smoking Violators, I would certainly have to take the responsibility to make certain that this was reported to the proper people.

 

I also think that it is only fair to say that what you are describing is most certainly not consistent with the recent experiences of a lot of your fellow cruisers. Celebrity's change in smoking policy is one of the most positively remarked area and actually appears to have been a big plus for them. This is NOT to imply that you are reporting anything less that what you experienced, only to note that this was an exception and should not have happened. And this, I would argue, is why you have to make certain that the offenders are called onto the carpet and the issue speedily resolved.

 

Given this, I do also think that you should write down your experiences and send them to Celebrity Management in Miami. You are raising a very important issue to a lot of people and it should not be just allowed to drop.

 

I also hope that you will enjoy your next cruise, on Celebrity or not as the case may be and that this will turn out to be a one time incident.

[flygirl 123]

We booked celebrity as it was a nice 10 day cruise to nice ports of call, however, I do smoke and I hope that I am not so limited to the places I can that I don't enjoy my cruise! I paid my money also, you've got the dinning rooms, shows, most bars, come on give smokers a break! There was a time when you could even smoke in church, and where every household had an ash tray. I respect your rights, but give those of us left a break! We play lots of taxes for the right to smoke, I rather see them making sure people are dressed properly in the dinning rooms and not wearing baseball caps inside. But no one says anything to those people. Or what about the people that put there towels on chairs and don't show up for hours, should I wreck my day to complain about them? Thanks, just wanted to stand up for those of us left. Also I think if your going to pay them $250. as a fine to smoke on your balcony, it would be for the whole trip, not per day, how are they going to clean all the outside air?