what location would YOU suggest for a smoking lounge?

[TommyD3]

I always send a letter to Customer Relations following a cruise and from their responses I know that they listen.

 

I sent a letter addressed to Dan Hanrahan after my Equinox TA cruise this past spring. It addressed several issues including the smoke during Elite Captains Club events. I was unable to attend the morning event due to the extreme smoke every time I tried.

 

I received a call from a Customer Relations rep basically blowing me off. I asked why Hanrahan could not respond to me personally and got a "he cannot read everyones letter" answer. When I said I knew he could not read everything but I had hoped that he cared what the top cruisers (we have over 100 credits) think there was no response.

 

I suspect that they are not going to change their smoking policy since they are trying to increase their sales to Europeans and Europeans smoke WAY more than Americans do.

 

If Michaels Clus is being transformed into a beer bar it would be a perfect place for the one indoor smoking venue, at least on S class ships which use the Sky lounge for all of the Captains Club events.

[DC2OC]

"Miami" does not have to worry about it because they don't spend any time there... they might actually talk to a passenger who wishes to express an opinion that disagrees with their concept. ;)

 

which was my point,I guess I could have expressed it better

[Rivington90]

The other thread about smoking in the Sky lounge during the Elite cocktail hour got me to thinking -- what other indoor location would be suitable for a smoking lounge on each class of ship -- C class? M class? and S class?

 

The only place that has come to mind is to ditch the teen age area (most teens don't/won't use it and that seems to be a completely under-used spot on every ship I've been on) and turn that into the smoking lounge, but I'm sure that there would be problems with that idea on each class of ship.

 

No smart remarks like "throw the smokers in the ocean" please. I have also objected to the smoke in the Sky area but haven't really been able to come up with a place I could suggest that makes sense. Any ideas?

 

 

How about putting a weather shelter in the area around the top of the funnel? Could that work?

[SuiteTraveler]

I have asthma and I really appreciate how limited smoking is on Celebrity right now. BUT honestly, I wish that Celebrity would ban ALL smoking onboard forever. People do not need to be lighting matches or lighters while we are at sea on a ship. Ships have even gone to using those little battery powered electronic candles in the dining room. The danger from fire on a ship is, IMO, far too great to allow customers to possess flamable matterials. Nowadays, there are electronic cigarettes and other devices that can be used instead. This is what I wish Celebrity would do - make a contract with an electronic cigarette company and provide those to passengers who want to "smoke." It would be healthier for ALL passengers and crew. It would be safer for ALL passengers and crew. It would remove the issue of the odor of secondhand smoke from the ships forever. I see no downside. If people want to smoke real cigarettes, they can always do that on land somewhere that it doesn't endanger the health and well-being of other people and doesn't cause property damage for Celebrity. The airlines have all banned smoking on international flights - even ones that are 20 hours or more - and they have no problem getting customers. Many restaurants have permanently banned smoking and they also have no problem getting customers. I think it is time for a more modern approach and to end smoking forever on cruise ships. Smoking on cruise ships is just not necessary anymore.

[TWELVEOHONE]

I have asthma and I really appreciate how limited smoking is on Celebrity right now. BUT honestly, I wish that Celebrity would ban ALL smoking onboard forever. People do not need to be lighting matches or lighters while we are at sea on a ship. Ships have even gone to using those little battery powered electronic candles in the dining room. The danger from fire on a ship is, IMO, far too great to allow customers to possess flamable matterials. Nowadays, there are electronic cigarettes and other devices that can be used instead. This is what I wish Celebrity would do - make a contract with an electronic cigarette company and provide those to passengers who want to "smoke." It would be healthier for ALL passengers and crew. It would be safer for ALL passengers and crew. It would remove the issue of the odor of secondhand smoke from the ships forever. I see no downside. If people want to smoke real cigarettes, they can always do that on land somewhere that it doesn't endanger the health and well-being of other people and doesn't cause property damage for Celebrity. The airlines have all banned smoking on international flights - even ones that are 20 hours or more - and they have no problem getting customers. Many restaurants have permanently banned smoking and they also have no problem getting customers. I think it is time for a more modern approach and to end smoking forever on cruise ships. Smoking on cruise ships is just not necessary anymore.

 

I understand your point and agree BUT it has been tried. Carnival had a non smoking ship, Paradise. Even during construction non of the workers could smoke near the ship. Anyone passenger caught smoking was removed at the nrxt port, charged $250 to clean cabin and sent home at their own expense

 

Problem is it could not fill the ship, when a group is going together it is rare to have ALL non smokers and therefore group sales were down.

 

As for a fire you are correct, several years ago a Princess ship had a major fire that was determined to be started by a smoker. He or she flipped the cigarette over the balcony and it landed on another balcony causing a majoe fire, I believe someone got killed.

 

You rarely see real candles anymore because of potential fires and a safety issue

 

But with that said there is a big difference between flying on a 6 hour flight and a 168 hour cruise. I know some heavy smokers will take connecting flights so they can smoke limitting the non-smoking period to 6 hours or less.

 

BTW try telling Europeans and Asians they cannot smoke

[cruisestitch]

Back to the question, which was not, "should Celebrity ban smoking", "but what other venue besides the Sky Lounge could be suggested as a smoking area so that the events held in the Sky Lounge could become smoke free."

[SuiteTraveler]

I understand your point and agree BUT it has been tried. Carnival had a non smoking ship, Paradise. Even during construction non of the workers could smoke near the ship. Anyone passenger caught smoking was removed at the nrxt port, charged $250 to clean cabin and sent home at their own expense

 

Problem is it could not fill the ship, when a group is going together it is rare to have ALL non smokers and therefore group sales were down.

 

As for a fire you are correct, several years ago a Princess ship had a major fire that was determined to be started by a smoker. He or she flipped the cigarette over the balcony and it landed on another balcony causing a majoe fire, I believe someone got killed.

 

You rarely see real candles anymore because of potential fires and a safety issue

 

But with that said there is a big difference between flying on a 6 hour flight and a 168 hour cruise. I know some heavy smokers will take connecting flights so they can smoke limitting the non-smoking period to 6 hours or less.

 

BTW try telling Europeans and Asians they cannot smoke

 

I heard about the Carnival failure with this initiative, but I think the difference today is that those electronic cigarettes are now available which can be used to eliminate all actual smoking because they completely mimic the smoking process without affecting other passengers.

 

I don't think that Celebrity should offer any smoking lounge onboard whatsoever when they could use electronic cigarettes which have no odor and no impact on other people and no fire danger. It seems to me replacement of a smoking lounge with electronic cigarettes which could be used anywhere onboard without impacting anyone or anything would be the best possible solution for all concerned. I'm actually advocating to "free the smokers" so that they can "smoke" anywhere on the ship as long as it is an electronic cigarette. In doing so, then I believe Celebrity has the opportunity to satisfy ALL of their passengers and keep them happy. They will still be allowing a type of smoking, yet one that only impacts the person doing the smoking. And how nice for the smokers to be able to "smoke" again in the MDR and all other areas of the ship yet not impact any of the other passengers, the cleanliness of the ship and the safety of the ship. To me, this is an ultimate win/win opportunity for Celebrity.

[tip]

Today's environment is drastically different. I think we're getting close to the time when we'll see many smoke free cruise ships or cruise lines before too many years pass.

 

I would agree and for many of us, it can not come soon enough!

[Freecall]

...... should not merely complain about a problem, but need to take the next step and suggest solutions .........

 

The thing is that a significant number of people see the prevention of smoking as a valid solution to the problem.

 

.

[Lsimon]

The thing is that a significant number of people see the prevention of smoking as a valid solution to the problem.

 

.

 

Prevention of smoking is a vailid solution to the problem!

 

I'm not saying it is a solution to the smoker's problem, but it sure does solve the non-smokers' issues with having smoke in an area they want/deserve/need to be.

[Zoey]

I heard about the Carnival failure with this initiative, but I think the difference today is that those electronic cigarettes are now available which can be used to eliminate all actual smoking because they completely mimic the smoking process without affecting other passengers.

 

I don't think that Celebrity should offer any smoking lounge onboard whatsoever when they could use electronic cigarettes which have no odor and no impact on other people and no fire danger. It seems to me replacement of a smoking lounge with electronic cigarettes which could be used anywhere onboard without impacting anyone or anything would be the best possible solution for all concerned. I'm actually advocating to "free the smokers" so that they can "smoke" anywhere on the ship as long as it is an electronic cigarette. In doing so, then I believe Celebrity has the opportunity to satisfy ALL of their passengers and keep them happy. They will still be allowing a type of smoking, yet one that only impacts the person doing the smoking. And how nice for the smokers to be able to "smoke" again in the MDR and all other areas of the ship yet not impact any of the other passengers, the cleanliness of the ship and the safety of the ship. To me, this is an ultimate win/win opportunity for Celebrity.

 

I never thought of e-cigarettes on a ship. That actually sounds like an idea. After all it is the nicotine (which you get from an e-cigarette) and the hand/mouth thing (which you have with an e-cigarette) that the smoker needs....not the actual smoke.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

I heard about the Carnival failure with this initiative, but I think the difference today is that those electronic cigarettes are now available which can be used to eliminate all actual smoking because they completely mimic the smoking process without affecting other passengers.

 

I don't think that Celebrity should offer any smoking lounge onboard whatsoever when they could use electronic cigarettes which have no odor and no impact on other people and no fire danger. It seems to me replacement of a smoking lounge with electronic cigarettes which could be used anywhere onboard without impacting anyone or anything would be the best possible solution for all concerned. I'm actually advocating to "free the smokers" so that they can "smoke" anywhere on the ship as long as it is an electronic cigarette. In doing so, then I believe Celebrity has the opportunity to satisfy ALL of their passengers and keep them happy. They will still be allowing a type of smoking, yet one that only impacts the person doing the smoking. And how nice for the smokers to be able to "smoke" again in the MDR and all other areas of the ship yet not impact any of the other passengers, the cleanliness of the ship and the safety of the ship. To me, this is an ultimate win/win opportunity for Celebrity.

 

Celebrity currently classifies e-cigs as the same as smoking, with the same restrictions. I believe this is because of the potential flood of incorrect reports of people apparently smoking where they shouldn't. If you could get all smokers to abide by using only e-cigs instead of the real thing, they could theoretically allow smoking (or vaping, as it's also called) anywhere. One problem is that not everybody will play nice, and it would make it easier to sneak a smoke anywhere amongst all the vapers.

 

The other problem is that they are not necessarily completely benign. DW reports that while she was in the conference center at a business convention recently, she began having her usual reaction to cigarette smoke as she usually does, though not as severe-- eyes watering, airway closing. She looked around, expecting to see a smoker in the back of the room, but only found someone a couple of tables away using an e-cig. I know that e-cigs are supposed to be completely harmless to those around them, but she will beg to differ. And no, she was not aware of the vaper before looking around, so it was not a psychosomatic reaction.

 

For most cruisers, though, the impact would be minimal and would be a good compromise. Maybe they could amend the policy to allow only e-cigs in the Sky Lounge-- smokers could get their indoor fix, nonsmokers would not be nearly so impacted, and in the relatively close confines it would be easier to spot someone with actual tobacco.

 

Back to the question, which was not, "should Celebrity ban smoking", "but what other venue besides the Sky Lounge could be suggested as a smoking area so that the events held in the Sky Lounge could become smoke free."

 

Sorry for the hijack, but I had to comment.

[bhughey]

Back to the question, which was not, "should Celebrity ban smoking", "but what other venue besides the Sky Lounge could be suggested as a smoking area so that the events held in the Sky Lounge could become smoke free."

 

I don't think it's possible to start a thread like this and not expect the responses to be peppered with opinions on the subject... it's a burning topic after all (pun intended)! Perhaps a poll would be good way to get straightforward, one answer responses?? Just a thought!

[blong2200]

I am a smoker and only smoke in the areas where that is allowed. Why come into an area where smoking is allowed if it bothers you? Last cruise we had freezing rain for two days, yes we smoked in the sky lounge where that is allowed because no one could use the pool area because of the frozen water. I obey all the rules, so again, if smoking is annoying to you or bothers you stay away from where they allow smoking.

 

I have cruised Celebrity 9 times and this discussion always comes up! You will be surprised how many of us smokers will be sitting at the pool area smoking........so yes, Celebrity does allow smoking in certain areas, if you are not pleased with that, why don't you book a cruise line that doesn't allow smoking period!

[boogs]

I am a smoker and only smoke in the areas where that is allowed. Why come into an area where smoking is allowed if it bothers you? Last cruise we had freezing rain for two days, yes we smoked in the sky lounge where that is allowed because no one could use the pool area because of the frozen water. I obey all the rules, so again, if smoking is annoying to you or bothers you stay away from where they allow smoking.

 

I have cruised Celebrity 9 times and this discussion always comes up! You will be surprised how many of us smokers will be sitting at the pool area smoking........so yes, Celebrity does allow smoking in certain areas, if you are not pleased with that, why don't you book a cruise line that doesn't allow smoking period!

 

The problem with your solution - that non-smokers stay away from areas that allow smoking - is that some of the areas, the lounge in particular, is a public venue with entertainment and activities that non-smokers enjoy. Because of the smoking that goes on there, some people are prevented from enjoying those activities because of the smoking that is permitted there. The difference with smokers and non-smokers is that smokers can chose to wait until later to smoke and still enjoy the activities, while non-smokers can't chose to wait until later to breath, forcing them to either endure the unpleasant air or leave and not enjoy those same activities. That is clearly unfair to the non-smokers.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

I have cruised Celebrity 9 times and this discussion always comes up! You will be surprised how many of us smokers will be sitting at the pool area smoking........so yes, Celebrity does allow smoking in certain areas, if you are not pleased with that, why don't you book a cruise line that doesn't allow smoking period!

 

No such cruise line. Even Oceania, the cruise line with the most restrictive policy, allows smoking in a couple of areas. When you refer to smoking around the pool area, you mean the side where smoking is permitted, right?

 

The problem with your solution - that non-smokers stay away from areas that allow smoking - is that some of the areas, the lounge in particular, is a public venue with entertainment and activities that non-smokers enjoy. Because of the smoking that goes on there, some people are prevented from enjoying those activities because of the smoking that is permitted there. The difference with smokers and non-smokers is that smokers can chose to wait until later to smoke and still enjoy the activities, while non-smokers can't chose to wait until later to breath, forcing them to either endure the unpleasant air or leave and not enjoy those same activities. That is clearly unfair to the non-smokers.

 

Sorry, I'm with blong2200 on this. If I'm aware going in that there's going to be entertainment in an area where smoking is permitted, I have to decide if it's worth it to put up with the smoking. It doesn't matter how much I might enjoy the entertainment, I'm aware that smoking is part of the deal. I have no right to feel deprived of something that I didn't really have (entertainment in a smoke-free environment) in the first place.

 

Sorry, cruisestitch. As someone once mentioned, the whole idea of having a lounge where smoking is only permitted in one half is like having a swimming pool where peeing is only permitted in one half. Let's get back to finding an alternate indoor venue for the smokers, if it's possible.

[cruisestitch]

No apologies necessary -- as threads go, this one has actually been pretty much on target lately -- I can see that there really isn't any good alternative for an indoor smoking venue, but I thought it was worth a shot asking the question.

[klang]

I haven't sailed on X yet, but I'm pretty certain that, like other cruise lines, X sells duty free cigarettes. If they want to profit from smokers, why not take those profits and invest it back in the ventilation system that will allow indoor smoking without it being a nuisance to non-smokers. This ventilation system could be 100% funded by the smokers that want it.

On a side note, I laughed so hard when I read the comment about the glass enclosure for smokers. The first image in my head was animals in a cage. The second image was of the swirling smoke filled glass cube where people were groping around trying to find a way out because the smoke was too thick.

[A Sixth?]

The problem with your solution - that non-smokers stay away from areas that allow smoking - is that some of the areas, the lounge in particular, is a public venue with entertainment and activities that non-smokers enjoy. Because of the smoking that goes on there, some people are prevented from enjoying those activities because of the smoking that is permitted there. The difference with smokers and non-smokers is that smokers can chose to wait until later to smoke and still enjoy the activities, while non-smokers can't chose to wait until later to breath, forcing them to either endure the unpleasant air or leave and not enjoy those same activities. That is clearly unfair to the non-smokers.

 

Bang on.

 

Why should a smoker effectively get the use of 100% of the ship and non-smokers 90%.

[cruisestitch]

I think that the shop on board is operated by a private vendor, as are all the shops, not by Celebrity. But your idea is an interesting one, nonetheless.

[AllenF]

I enjoy a nice cigar after dinner and I had 1 place to smoke on the Solstice the back of the ship starboard side which was great my wife and I enjoyed many nice evening up there. I did find it funny when non smokers would walk thru and give that look like I was killing them. I was in my designated spot per Celebrity guess they did not know or they would not have walked by. So if smoke bothers you make sure you know where not to go. I protected my 60 sq ft with lots of smoke ;)

[Christine Frances]

No such cruise line. Even Oceania, the cruise line with the most restrictive policy, allows smoking in a couple of areas. When you refer to smoking around the pool area, you mean the side where smoking is permitted, right?

 

 

Steve

I think Azamara now has the most restrictive policy as they have banned smoking in ALL inside areas. Just a small area around the pool.

 

On another note, as we will be on the Infinity after refit, I called Captains Club to find out about what the smoking policy will be after the Fun Factory is moved to the forward lounge. They agreed that it would not be prudent to have smoking in that area because of the children and because the overall size of the lounge would be reduced. They checked and told me that they have not yet developed a new smoking policy for after the changes.:( I don't know what other indoor area they could use.

[mcrcruiser]

Total non smoking would be preferred .However, if that is not possible ,then at the very back of the ship ,outdoors ,so the smoke blows out to sea :p:D

[ORV]

Bang on.

 

Why should a smoker effectively get the use of 100% of the ship and non-smokers 90%.

 

That would be true only while they're not smoking, so in effect it seems to be faulty logic. Actually they both have access to all public areas on the ship, the non-smoker just needs to decide if they can and are willing to put up with the areas where smokers will be and the smoker will need to abide by the rules in the area where smoking is not allowed.

 

It's not rocket science.

 

Another thing that no one else has brought up is that perhaps X is purposely having the Elite events there hoping that the smoke will drive many out, therefore reducing the amount of drinks they need to provide for free. Revenue management indeed.

[cruisestitch]

ORV -- Oh I really hate to think that this is some sort of sinister policy to drive some people out of the Elite events, but you bring up a point that has not been considered before.

 

Christine Frances -- I, too, will be very interested in seeing if the smoking area is completely relocated after Infinity's Sky Lounge is reduced in size. I, personally, think it's a terrible idea to put the childrens' area up there -- the place with the best view -- but we'll see how the dominoes drop once that move is made.