Just how bad is smoking on the Noordam

[twentyknots]

We're booked on the January 23, 2012 sailing after being away from Holland America for several years. We have reserved VA 6162. I understand that Holland has made some recent changes in their smoking policy and prohibits smoking in cabins and in certain public areas. On some recent reviews I was concerned to read that several posters referred to very smokey conditions in the casino and pool area. We have been sailing recently on Celebrity ships and have enjoyed smoke-free conditions in most public areas including the casino. I guess I just assumed when I booked Holland that it had followed these contemporary society changes with regard to smoking but it seems I was wrong, if I am to believe these reviews. Gambling is a big part of my crusing experience and I spend several hours each evening in the casino at the blackjack tables. If I am surrounded by smokers at the table it becomes unbearable. I would appreciate hearing from those who are non smokers and who have sailed recently on the Noordam and spent considerable time in the casino. My hope is it is not as bad as I now think it might be. We have until Nov 8 to make our final decision before penalty.

[mountainmare]

We are on the Noordam right before you. I believe the new smoking regs take place for cruises that begin after Jan 15 (we leave on the 13th) so nobody knows.

For us we don't anticipate any noticable difference in the smoking policy because for us the only time we are bothered is on the veranda. Smoking is still permitted on cabin balconies.

 

Every cruise is different, some have more smokers than others, smoke in the casino is a possibility. If this will bother you then perhaps you should reconsider this cruise since you know you like Celebrity. There is nothing else you can do and no one can predict how smokey your cruise will be.

[horsesandcruises]

We are on the Noordam right before you. I believe the new smoking regs take place for cruises that begin after Jan 15 (we leave on the 13th) so nobody knows.

For us we don't anticipate any noticable difference in the smoking policy because for us the only time we are bothered is on the veranda. Smoking is still permitted on cabin balconies.

 

Every cruise is different, some have more smokers than others, smoke in the casino is a possibility. If this will bother you then perhaps you should reconsider this cruise since you know you like Celebrity. There is nothing else you can do and no one can predict how smokey your cruise will be.

 

just got off of the phone with my ta and she when i asked her about switiching from celebrity( four cruises in a row) to thenoordam next year, she advised me to stay with celebrity. The two main reasons were: she knew how much we hate cig smoke and the other was the non-existence of any night life on the noordam. We like to party a bit and she knows us like a book and i was very thankful for her candid comments. going to book the 14 day eclipse.....Hope everything works out.

[dot73]

I have an allergy to cigarette smoke and immediately get asthma-like symptoms in the vicinity of cigarette smoke. Over the last two years, I have sailed on the Noordam twice and the Nieuw Amsterdam once. I'm about to sail on the Noordam again in December as it has become my all-time favourite ship. As long as I stayed away from the casino and the sports bar, I never encountered any problems with smoke. I have found smokers on the HAL ships to be very courteous and conscious of non-smokers. I believe that the outdoor pool areas have one side as non-smoking and the other as smoking. I have also never encountered any kind of cigarette smoke odor in my staterooms. I have always found non-smoking outdoor areas available. I have also sailed on Princess where I have found there were more smokers (especially on 7-day cruises). On the Princess ships I sailed, they had a couple non-smoking nights at the casino. Since I rarely frequent the casino, I don't know if HAL has those on their ships.

[Candy]

I have spent MANY hours in Noordam's casino (over the last 3 cruises), and the smoke never bothered me. They will also have 2 or 3 smoke-free nights.

[jimmy2x]

As a (mostly) ex-smoker, I will tell you freely that the casino area is going to smell of tobacco smoke, stale or otherwise. If you really have a hard time dealing with that, you are in the wrong place.

 

So far as the swimming pool area (outside) goes, the bar near the lido on the starboard side is a smoking area as is pretty much the entire side near the bar. If it bothers you, enter the pool area on the port side and it won't be an issue.

[kjw869]

We're booked on the January 23, 2012 sailing after being away from Holland America for several years. We have reserved VA 6162. I understand that Holland has made some recent changes in their smoking policy and prohibits smoking in cabins and in certain public areas. On some recent reviews I was concerned to read that several posters referred to very smokey conditions in the casino and pool area. We have been sailing recently on Celebrity ships and have enjoyed smoke-free conditions in most public areas including the casino. I guess I just assumed when I booked Holland that it had followed these contemporary society changes with regard to smoking but it seems I was wrong, if I am to believe these reviews. Gambling is a big part of my crusing experience and I spend several hours each evening in the casino at the blackjack tables. If I am surrounded by smokers at the table it becomes unbearable. I would appreciate hearing from those who are non smokers and who have sailed recently on the Noordam and spent considerable time in the casino. My hope is it is not as bad as I now think it might be. We have until Nov 8 to make our final decision before penalty.

 

 

We are also sailing on the Noordam January 23rd and smoking has never been a problem on any of our HAL cruises. There is a very small area (a few tables) by the Sea View bar that is the smoking area. I have never seen more than a few smokers at a time there. We've spent hours in the casino, and smoke has never bothered us in that are either.

 

We are on the same deck as you in a wrap around aft cabin. My concern would be the soot (if any), but this will be our eight straight HAL cruise so I stopped worrying about situations that may arise.

 

I also stopped reading ship reviews a long time ago as we have never experienced any of the things mentioned on any of the HAL ships.

[twentyknots]

As a (mostly) ex-smoker, I will tell you freely that the casino area is going to smell of tobacco smoke, stale or otherwise. If you really have a hard time dealing with that, you are in the wrong place.

 

So far as the swimming pool area (outside) goes, the bar near the lido on the starboard side is a smoking area as is pretty much the entire side near the bar. If it bothers you, enter the pool area on the port side and it won't be an issue.

 

I can deal with the stale smells; it's having 2 chain smokers on either side of me at a card table that gets to me. I want to reach over and slap the cigarette out of their mouths. It's so rude and inconsiderate that I feel as if they've forfeited their rights to civility.

As for the pool, I don't spend any time there anyway. I'll just hope that my verandah neighbors don't smoke.

[iancal]

No matter what the odds, why take a chance with your valuable vacation time and vacation money when there is no need.

 

You made the right decision.

[dot73]

If the Noordam has smoke-free nights in the casino, I will definitely have to check it out. As for cruise reviews, you have to take them with a big grain of salt. I will often check out the reviews when I come back from a cruise and sometimes I cannot believe that the reviewers and I were on the same cruise.:D

 

My advice to the OP is to try the Noordam. It's a beautiful ship that never feels crowded. As a person who is allergic to smoke, I have never experienced any problems. Once I know where the few smoking areas are, I just stay away from them.

[piscesgal223]

Cigarette smoke doesn't bother me;hasn't bothered me when I've been in the casinos on HAL ships..but recently I had a bad reaction(migraine)that I KNOW was from cigarette/cigar smoke. Why I reacted that time and not before I have no idea. But now I will be avoiding places where there is smoke(like the casino.)

[innlady1]

We've sailed several times on the Noordam (love that ship!), but anytime walking through the Casino on the way from the theatre or the Piano Bar, , it has reeked of cigarette smoke. I guess I'm super sensitive to it, but it did bother me. We've always had a verandah and it's been 50/50 with smokers on either side of us. So, this time around, we've booked an outside stateroom and will see how that goes.

 

In my mind, it's a waste to pay for a verandah and not being able to use it because of smoke drifting our way! :rolleyes:

[Valley Girl of VA]

I agree with your TA about the smoking in the casino but I disagree with nightlife on the Noordam. Took it a year ago and it was so much fun. The Piano Bar, the Crows Nest, Queen's Row. We danced every night, did a pub crawl, sang our lungs out...we had fun!

[KirkNC]

Obviously it can vary cruise to cruise but we have always found the casino and pool area to be problematic.

 

Kirk

[RetiredMustang]

I can deal with the stale smells; it's having 2 chain smokers on either side of me at a card table that gets to me. I want to reach over and slap the cigarette out of their mouths. It's so rude and inconsiderate that I feel as if they've forfeited their rights to civility.

....

 

Well, let's see here. At a casino, where smoking is permitted, and everyone knows that smoking is permitted, you would "reach over and slap the cigarette out of their mouths." Yep, sounds pretty civil to me.

 

Well, no, actually it sounds "so rude and inconsiderate" that you would have "forfeited" your "right to civility." And if you did it to me, you would have a hard time breathing and walking for a good long time. I am not a smoker, but I detest fascism in all its forms.

 

Dave

[Hlitner]

We think the major issues, for non smokers, on HA are the smoking in the casino and on balconies. Since we are non smokers and do not enjoy breathing somebody elses smoke we have to make adjustments. As a rule we never book balconies on HA (we do on many other lines) and we have taken a vow to never gamble a penny (or more) in any casino that allows smoking. This latter pledge has saved us thousands of dollars and is HA's loss :)

 

Hank

[JamesEM]

I was on the Noordam for a 10 day cruise in Jan, and had no problem with somkers EXCEPT in the Casino, the Sports Bar, and the Disco. As far as night life, there was none after midnight.

[Bearnaise]

I guess I just assumed when I booked Holland that it had followed these contemporary society changes with regard to smoking but it seems I was wrong, if I am to believe these reviews. Gambling is a big part of my crusing experience and I spend several hours each evening in the casino at the blackjack tables.

I'm not sure which contemporary society has gone smoke-free in their casinos. Certainly not American contemporary society. Vegas casinos are as smoky as ever and Atlantic City didn't get very far trying to ban smoking.

[startwin]

I'm not sure which contemporary society has gone smoke-free in their casinos. Certainly not American contemporary society. Vegas casinos are as smoky as ever and Atlantic City didn't get very far trying to ban smoking.

 

British Columbia, Canada.

[English_in_Spain]

I can deal with the stale smells; it's having 2 chain smokers on either side of me at a card table that gets to me. I want to reach over and slap the cigarette out of their mouths. It's so rude and inconsiderate that I feel as if they've forfeited their rights to civility.

As for the pool, I don't spend any time there anyway. I'll just hope that my verandah neighbors don't smoke.

 

I don't normally post to 'smoking' threads but I felt I had to comment on this one.

 

You started this thread to ask if there was a problem with smoking in casinos on HAL. You say you may change back to Celebrity as there is no smoking in the casino.

 

You have been informed that people are allowed to smoke in the casino on HAL yet you make this comment rather than just change to a cruise line where you know there will be no problem.

 

I do not smoke (quit a few years back :D) but I defend the right of smokers to be able to smoke at a 'smoking' table in a 'smoking' casino. They probably chose HAL because they can smoke there yet you call them 'rude and inconsiderate' and 'they have forfeited their rights to civility' :(

[innlady1]

I think it's somewhat of a "no brainer." 1) Smoking bothers you very much and 2) you really enjoy the Casino.

You enjoyed your Celebrity cruise - partially due to the fact of their "no smoking" policy. And are concerned about your upcoming Noordam cruise in regard to smoking.

In my experience on the Noordam, the smoke was quite pungent in the Casino when we've walked through. We don't spend any time there so it was kind of a "hold your nose and run through" moment.

As others have said, they do have some no smoking nights", and if that's enough to suffice, then you'll be OK. But since it's a huge concern, I'd switch to Celebrity and be done with it.

[madelinerose]

I'm not sure which contemporary society has gone smoke-free in their casinos. Certainly not American contemporary society.

 

 

Maryland. ;)

[iancal]

Canada as well.

[hal lover]

First of all~ the Noordam is a lovely ship.:)

 

I am a smoker and to tell you the truth, I find that the casino's on all of the ship's are smokey. Now, they are not thick in smoke, just smelly.

 

Few smoker's that are there will leave to an open air deck to smoke. If you go there just remember that HA gives smoker's the right to smoke there.

[twentyknots]

Let me say a few things about my previous comments and I'm done with this thread.

I appreciate all of the comments, even those who were upset with me for expressing thoughts that many of us have when surrounded by smokers. I did not mean to offend anyone and I apologize if I did.

 

Even though I understand that smoking is permitted in the casino and other places on HAL ships, and smokers are well within their rights to smoke in those designated places, some of us nevertheless react negatively to it. That does not mean that I would actually slap someone's cigarette out of their mouth. What I said was that I "want to" sometimes. They are two entirely different things. Most of us get upset from time to time and have confrontational thoughts, but we don't act on them. It might be legal for me to come to the casino without bathing for several days with terrible BO, but it would be rude and insensitive. Could I chew tobacco there and spit in a cup? May be legal, but disgusting, and I suspect some would have some harsh thoughts about what they want to do about it. Most of us have experienced times when people exercise their rights but their legal behavior to many of us seems wrong, rude, and inappropriate, which brings me to my statement about contemporary society regarding smoking. Obviously I did not mean that I think that casinos in America have banned smoking. Of course not. I've been to Las Vegas recently. I meant in general society has in recent years taken the position that second hand smoke is dangerous , it stinks, and it causes an allergic reaction for many. Restuarants, hotels, business offices, cruise ships, and public places of all kinds are announcing changes to their smoking policies. Remember just a few years ago when smoking was permitted in hospitals? Today we can't imagine that we allowed it. It's just a matter of time before all cruise ships prohibit smoking throughout the ship.