Balcony Smokers Only Please Advise

[raggedyann6]

Hi,

My 2 teen age daughters and I are taking a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise in a few weeks on the Carnival Splendor. This will be the 1st time I have ever cruised in a balcony cabin (my 7th cruise). My kids really do not like the smell of smoke and I do not care for it either, but I know Carnival allows smoking on the balconies. My question to smokers is, if our neighbors smoke on their balcony would it be rude of me to ask them when they usually smoke so I can make sure we are not out on our balcony when they smoke? I understand they have every right to smoke on their balcony whenever they want.

I know a lot of non smokers complain about neighbors who smoke on their balconies, but I rarely hear them say they actually talked to their neighbors. To me complaining behind their backs is not going to help at all. I am not asking for peoples opinions about whether smoking should be allowed.

[LRene]

I think you might be surprised that IF it happens that you are next to a smoker, that person isn't going to sit out there non-stop and smoke and when the ship is moving, there is a lot of dissapation of smoke depending on where you are located. Dont' read too much into the smoking threads on here. People get a little whacked about it.

 

Would I say something to my neighbors. No. I'd just go do something else if it were really a problem (which it's never been).

 

ENJOY your first balcony!!

[5waldos]

As a former smoker I would have to say- Yes, it would be rude. And for concerned smokers it would make it very uncomfortable. They are already outside and the chances are good that they got a balcony in part so that they could smoke unmolested. I can no longer tolerate smoke but I also know that many smokers do their best not to annoy people with the smoke and having to smoke on a schedule would be a real annoyance. I guess I'd say- you leave if and when it is bothering you. Sorry- but I feel rather strongly about this.

[raggedyann6]

Thanks for your thoughts I guess I will not say anything. Actually I won this cruise and it was for a balcony cabin. Once you go balcony I heard you are spoiled and will never want to book an inside cabin again, I hope that is true.

5waldos do not feel sorry for your thoughts, I asked your opinion thanks for being honest! I heard lots of fun things can happen on the balcony should be interesting.

[5waldos]

 

Actually I won this cruise and it was for a balcony cabin. Once you go balcony

 

I heard lots of fun things can happen on the balcony should be interesting.

 

Wow- as in really won the cruise? How cool is that.

 

As far as other balcony activities- that might be when you send your girls someplace else!

[luv-my-kids]

We we were on our first cruise last year, the people on the next balcony to us smoked cigarettes. (I hate the smell of cigarette smoke) It really was not a big deal for us, I would just go inside for a little while until they were finished.

But I don't mind the smell of a cigar. My fiance smokes cigars and I have had a few myself lol lol. Really there is not any other place to do this. I know the Dream does not have a cigar bar. I agree with the other poster that said that is why some people pay more for a balcony. I agree it would be rude to say something.

[cajunchick]

I have to say ditto with the others, don't say anything, just go inside. And I have won two cruises in a row, I am going on my second cruise in May on the triumph:)

[raggedyann6]

Albertsons grocery store had a Monopoly Game sweepstakes last year and I won a cruise. My husband said it is not a free cruise we have to pay taxes on the value of the cruise package, kill joy. They gave us a check for the transportation and we get $500 OBC, all port taxes, and gratuities for 2 people. Of course I had to pay for the 3rd PAX. We have never been to the Mexican Riviera before so I decided to give it a try. We probably will not get to go to Mazatlan, but 2 days in Cabo sounds good to me.

[Ykgorbie]

My husband and I are smokers and I would have to also say, yes it would be rude to ask them that. Also, remember, there are partitions between the balconies, you are also in the great outdoors - smoke dissipates - I doubt you'd be able to smell it anyway.

Have a wonderful cruise and enjoy your balcony ! You're going to love it !

[douglinc@msn.com]

I'm a non smoker & have never had a problem with smelling smoke on a balcony of a ship that is traveling 18-20 knots and usually the wind is blowing. Yep, it would be rude.

 

Doug

[raggedyann6]

My husband and I are smokers and I would have to also say, yes it would be rude to ask them that. Also, remember, there are partitions between the balconies, you are also in the great outdoors - smoke dissipates - I doubt you'd be able to smell it anyway.

Have a wonderful cruise and enjoy your balcony ! You're going to love it !

Love the picture of your cat. Thanks for your thoughts. My biggest problem on this cruise will probably be now my kids are always going to want a balcony;)

[KenMo]

I'm a smoker. I would not find it rude, but rather odd.

 

None of my balcony neighbors has ever asked about my smoking habits. I have never asked them either.

 

If you were to ask me, I would answer...and not be an a$$ about it.

Generally, in the mornings, I sit out there and have maybe two with my Baileys and coffee. Maybe have one while we leave port. One before dinner and one in the evening before bed. This could vary from day to day depending on what's going on.

 

I don't know of any smokers who spend the entire cruise on the balcony smoking.

 

I don't smoke in the cabins. Cigs stink...I know this. I understand you don't want to smell it.

 

I really do not like to be around teenage girls. I really don't. Most of them are snottly little beasts (not saying yours are) and I count myself in that number when I was a teenager. I love to sit on the balcony and enjoy the peace and serenity of the sea without having to listen to a couple of teenage girls giggling and carrying on on the next balcony. But I would say nothing about it to you.

[jenn_x]

I wouldn't think it rude at all, in fact I would prefer that to snide omg-dirty-smoker comments from the other side of the partition. That said, I'm a really light smoker and tend to do it in the early am with my tea or late at night before I go to bed. Ok... And in the piano bar, but that's not on the balcony.

 

Even as a smoker I like to sit on my balcony and not smell other peoples smoke, so I do try to be mindful.

 

Thanks for recognizing that it's our vacation too and trying to find a happy medium. You can be my balcony neighbor anytime!

[Quilting_Cruiser]

As a former smoker, I have to agree with the others who said it would be rude. Other than our first cruise, we've always had balconies and I enjoyed sitting out there when I wanted a cigarette. I wouldn't even know how to answer your question--it's not as if I had a schedule of when I smoked. I've never smelled someone else's smoke when out on my balcony, so hopefully your won't either and it won't be an issue. I've had much more of an issue with neighbors who sit on their balconies and yell to their companions inside the cabin. :( I'll take a smoker over someone who's noisy any day!

 

Enjoy your cruise and your first balcony!

[bplazo]

I would think it would be rude.

[Chris41]

We we were on our first cruise last year, the people on the next balcony to us smoked cigarettes. (I hate the smell of cigarette smoke) It really was not a big deal for us, I would just go inside for a little while until they were finished.

But I don't mind the smell of a cigar. My fiance smokes cigars and I have had a few myself lol lol. Really there is not any other place to do this. I know the Dream does not have a cigar bar. I agree with the other poster that said that is why some people pay more for a balcony. I agree it would be rude to say something.

 

Just in case you didn't know. I just got off the Dream last month and you could enjoy a cigar on the Lanai [think I spelled it correctly] I did and to tell the truth it was a very relaxing area for it....Not as nice as the cigar bar on the Freedom though

 

Just wanted to let you know in case you missed that it was allowed

[CrusinCyndi]

I'm a smoker. I would not find it rude, but rather odd.

 

None of my balcony neighbors has ever asked about my smoking habits. I have never asked them either.

 

If you were to ask me, I would answer...and not be an a$$ about it.

Generally, in the mornings, I sit out there and have maybe two with my Baileys and coffee. Maybe have one while we leave port. One before dinner and one in the evening before bed. This could vary from day to day depending on what's going on.

 

I don't know of any smokers who spend the entire cruise on the balcony smoking.

 

I don't smoke in the cabins. Cigs stink...I know this. I understand you don't want to smell it.

 

I really do not like to be around teenage girls. I really don't. Most of them are snottly little beasts (not saying yours are) and I count myself in that number when I was a teenager. I love to sit on the balcony and enjoy the peace and serenity of the sea without having to listen to a couple of teenage girls giggling and carrying on on the next balcony. But I would say nothing about it to you.

 

I agree 100%

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Albertsons grocery store had a Monopoly Game sweepstakes last year and I won a cruise. My husband said it is not a free cruise we have to pay taxes on the value of the cruise package, kill joy. They gave us a check for the transportation and we get $500 OBC, all port taxes, and gratuities for 2 people. Of course I had to pay for the 3rd PAX. We have never been to the Mexican Riviera before so I decided to give it a try. We probably will not get to go to Mazatlan, but 2 days in Cabo sounds good to me.

 

 

Congrats on your big win !!! How lucky for you and your family.

 

As far as the smoking, you will be surprised how much wind there is out there. Unless you have a chain smoker that is sitting right us against the divider , I don't think you will have a problem. What is annoying however, are the balcony door slammers and the folks that leave thier balcony light on all night, but that's a whole other topic.

 

Have a great time and enjoy your balcony.

[astropilot]

Just in case you didn't know. I just got off the Dream last month and you could enjoy a cigar on the Lanai [think I spelled it correctly] I did and to tell the truth it was a very relaxing area for it....Not as nice as the cigar bar on the Freedom though

 

Just wanted to let you know in case you missed that it was allowed

 

I agree, the Lanai is a great place to enjoy a Cuabn. As to the question of it being rude to ask your neighbors about their smoking times - While it may not be rude, I would think it a very strange question.

[Kristi Williamson]

We're smokers who don't smoke in the room, but who get a balcony so we don't have to trek up and down the stairs for a 5 minute cigarette on deck. To be honest, I don't know that a smoker could answer the question of "when" they'll be smoking. We don't really have a schedule. Sometimes we get up early and aren't in the room, other days we may decide that it's time for veggie day...meaning we aren't doing much of anything and we could be out there for hours reading, enjoying one another's company, knitting (me..hubby doesn't knit! lol) and yes, smoking.

 

Like others, I don't know that I'd see it as rude, but more odd. Since Carnival allows this, and almost everyone who cruises knows it, most people would recognize that what you're really doing is trying to politely ask them to change their wants to suit yours...and most wouldn't take very kindly to that, regardless of how the question is formed. I would suggest not worrying overly much about it since when the ship is moving there's no way anyone could smell the smoke very much. When you're in port, most people aren't on the balcony anyway....they're on land. You'll enjoy your cruise, don't sweat this small stuff that CC sometimes blows out of proportion. :rolleyes:

 

Congrats on your cruise win. How AWESOME!

[Cigar Dude]

I think you might be surprised that IF it happens that you are next to a smoker, that person isn't going to sit out there non-stop and smoke and when the ship is moving, there is a lot of dissapation of smoke depending on where you are located. Dont' read too much into the smoking threads on here. People get a little whacked about it.

 

Would I say something to my neighbors. No. I'd just go do something else if it were really a problem (which it's never been).

 

ENJOY your first balcony!!

 

 

Ditto!

[jtdlmc]

Before going on my first cruise last week, I had seen post after post of people saying how terrible it was to be sitting on a balcony when the neighbours were smoking and often wondered how they could smell anything when the ship was moving. It'd be like saying they were getting smoked out by the person in the car in front of them who was blowing smoke out the window while going down the road! My husband is a smoker and I am not. We got a balcony so that he could smoke out there as he does not smoke inside our house, hotel rooms, rv, etc. Anyway, I would sit out there on the balcony with him while he was smoking and not smell the smoke, it wafted out to sea, he didn't stick his head around the side of the partition and blow it into the next balcony and it never wafted back into our cabin when we left the door open - my kids would've been yelling for sure. What was far worse than any smoke was the stuff coming out of the whale tail that wafted down, was very thick and heavy (unlike cigarette smoke) and we could sometimes smell for a second or two. I wouldn't worry about smokers next door being a problem unless there are five or six of them out there with a cigarette at the same time. Some people will psych themselves into being overun with smoke just knowing that someone is smoking nearby!

 

As for asking a smoker their schedule, I'm sure you wouldn't get an answer - if I were a smoker and someone asked me when I was likely to be on my balcony smoking, I would reply "whenever I was in the cabin and felt like having a cigarette".

[Delnatha]

Non-smoker here who can't stand smoke and I will repeat what others have said:

 

Smokers who smoke where they are not allowed: say whatever you want to them

 

Smokers obeying the rules: leave the poor people in peace

[SANDYJABS]

I take a can of Febreeze with me and if I go out on my balcony and smell the smoke I just spray as needed. It helps to kill/dissipate the smoke. I've also had to spray it outside my cabin in the hall.

[raggedyann6]

Thanks for all your candid opinions about smoking on the balconies. I know that smoking is allowed on the balconies so I would Never expect my neighbors to not do something that is allowed. I like the idea of bringing fabreeze if I do happen to need it.

My girls are not the loud types, I also do not like it when kids are screaming. In fact my kids are the ones that hate loud kids more than me. I will make sure we do not slam our balcony door.

Thanks for your congratulations, I think cruisers are a great group of people!