Discuss Implementation of Smoking Policy

[sprinkles]

My "two cents" Thanks to CC for this thread and the actual smokers like bbum and cruisin 42 who had the guts to post their recent experiences. Your posts helped DH and I (both smokers) hesitantly decide to go ahead and book the Sapphire for 14 days to Hawaii. Not to mention that Princess reads these boards and needs to hear our side as well. I actually had a longer post written and somehow was not able to post it. Probably better anyway, so I will try and remember the highlights and be done with this post.

 

For those of you who say - time to go to another line. Sorry not ready to yet. I am one away from being Elite on Princess and we LOVE Princess. Although I like HAL their balconies are more expensive and beyond that, we mostly cruise in inside cabins. (couldn't have afforded 24 cruises in 12 years otherwise). I know GASP - someone who actually smoked in their cabin. Well, after all the changes through all the years, yes we actually felt more comfortable in our own cabin where we were not subjected to rude comments and behaviors in public. We have had a balcony on many of our cruises, but honestly most everytime we ended up with neighboors who would slam doors and make rude comments.

 

So this cruise will be an experiment for us. We booked a cabin that gets us as close to a smoking section as possible (I can't promise that we won't be seen in our robes in the early morning or late night hours). I'll definately post our experiences when we get back (hopefully this thread will still be open).

 

So the non-smokers got what they wanted. But now are realizing that there will be more smokers in the smoking section. If this experiment is going to work, it will take compromise on both sides. I will be politely smoking where I am allowed to do so. I know to most of you there is no such thing.

 

DH and I will be spending a good amount of time playing cards at a covered smoking table, Lido port side. We're hoping to be able to enjoy that without being subjected to nasty, rude behavior. To those who suggest "go to another line", I have my own suggestion: please try to avoid the smoking areas, it's not that hard, there are not that many of them left. We have never been able to figure out why even at the end of a cruise people can't seem to learn to stay away from the port side of the Lido. Maybe some of them just get their fun harrassing the smokers. I am no longer able to smoke in my cabin, so please leave me alone when I am smoking where I am allowed to.

 

I know, maybe I can pettition Princess to fine THOSE people. Can't you see it now? All the smoking sections surrounded with big red velvet ropes. Large signs everywhere saying "You are entering a smoking area - Enter at your own risk - Anyone caught holding their noses, waving their hands or making rude comments - WILL BE FINED".

 

Happy Sailing Everybody

Mahalo,

Tammy

28 days to go!!!!

[toberman]

I know, maybe I can pettition Princess to fine THOSE people. Can't you see it now? All the smoking sections surrounded with big red velvet ropes. Large signs everywhere saying "You are entering a smoking area - Enter at your own risk - Anyone caught holding their noses, waving their hands or making rude comments - WILL BE FINED".

 

This part of your post got me laughing. Just like at a nudist beach... 'No clothes allowed past this point'. :D Wonder how many non-smokers would venture in??

[coops]

sprinkles,

I agree with you 100 percent. Can't stand the rude remarks and comments from a few nonsmokers, I didn't say all non smokers .

 

On the Grand next month our group of 12 will be at the casino , aft pool on the side we can smoke and lido deck. And I really hope we don't run into nonsmokers complaining when we are allowed in those areas to smoke.

 

We might also be in our robes early in the morning and late at night . Just kidding as I don't want people flaming me for that comment.

Dawn

[bbum]

sprinkles,

I agree with you 100 percent. Can't stand the rude remarks and comments from a few nonsmokers, I didn't say all non smokers .

 

On the Grand next month our group of 12 will be at the casino , aft pool on the side we can smoke and lido deck. And I really hope we don't run into nonsmokers complaining when we are allowed in those areas to smoke.

 

We might also be in our robes early in the morning and late at night . Just kidding as I don't want people flaming me for that comment.

Dawn

 

Coops, you really should check out the smoking area behind the one 5 lounge on the Grand. It is a very nice peaceful area, and is set up so non smokers do not have to go through it or into it. Absolutely no comments from non smokers. Just take the elevator up to 15 and instead of going into the one 5 lounge, go the other way and you will find a hallway that leads outside. The smoking area is on the port side. The starboard side is just as nice but is non smoking, so something even the non smokers can't say they are being deprived of a nice area. Only unfortunate thing was I didn't find out about it until the second week of our stay on the Grand. They really did do a nice job of that area after removing Skywalkers. Enjoy your cruise.

 

Beachbum

[coops]

Beachbum,

Thanks for the info, we will go check it out. Sounds nice and I seen some pics of it. We got excited to see they had ashtrays on the tables. lol

 

1Happycruiser,

 

No this girl is staying put with Princess unless they make it entirely smoke free. Just as the nonsmokers stayed put with Princess when you could smoke on the balconys. Ah the good ole days. lol

Dawn

[DiTomCruisers]

I'm a former smoker, who detests second-hand smoke...

 

After 5 Princess cruises the only place I really felt that second-hand smoke was bad was at the casino...

 

I've always had a balcony with smoking neighbors, but as long as the ship was moving, there was never a bad smell of second-hand smoke..

 

Hopefully they'll install another smoke-eater in the casino..

[sprinkles]

Coops, thanks for the support, that's all I'm saying - that the smokers need to speek up on here and share their experiences as well - and not be silent because we are the "bad guys".

I hope that someone getting off the Sapphire will get on here and share any secret smoking places like bbum just did for you.

 

DiTom, I'm also like Coop, when I talk about nasty behavior toward smokers, I'm not talking about all non-smokers. If there had been more tolerant people like you, we woudln't be in this situation.

 

I am talking about the people who are on here, who are STILL not happy and want us completely banned. They keep saying go to another line, they are more tolerant, etc etc. All I'm saying is, if you take out their allowance of balcony smoking. How are they more tolerant? I just read my booking confirmation (which made me laugh as I had just posted) and it had a statement about no more smoking in rooms/balcony - but it also had this statement that no one seems to mention.

 

"A limited number of designated smoking areas will be reserved for this purpose"

 

So from my standpoint, does this mean that I can now go harrass the non-smokers in "my" section to leave and give me the table? I'm just kidding of course, but I would like to be able to go to those sections and be left in peace, just like the non-smokers expect to be on their side, If I go over there and light a cigarette - let's just say that I would expect an immediate response.

 

Last year at the Emerald aft pool, there were only three tables and a row of fixed stools where you were allowed to smoke. This area was often filled with non-smokers bringing out their food from the HC and yes we had negative experiences smoking out there. Even funnier, was that often there were tables open on the NON-SMOKING side.

 

Now we have new rules, so there will be more smokers out in public. Princess will hopefully respond as they need to because like Coop, I'm net ready to leave Princess "yet" and we are not alone. My parents are considering joining us on this cruise, they are also smokers. DH and I are small potatoe's in Princess eyes compared to my parents (world cruise 2009 - total days with Princess alone 400? or so). Princess does not want to loose them and as usual Princess is trying to walk a line and make everyone happy. My guess is that on any given cruise the number of smoking tables will expand or shrink depending on necessity.

 

Happy Sailing Everybody!

Tammy

27 days to go

[coops]

Tammy ,

Agree , I think also depends on how many smokers on each sailing. Last year on the Crown there was 0 nonsmoking nights in the casino. It was great and no complainers.

 

I don't want to be the rude smoker either. But if I am going to my side of the ship that allows smoking and people are just sitting there not smoking , I will be lighting up as it is allowed but I would never go to the nonsmoking area and do that.

 

Now the balcony will be hard but I do plan on taking my ecigs with me to tide me over for my real ones. Its is allowed and harmless.

 

Nice thing about the nonsmoking on balcony is now I can get the WS for a couple hundred more than my mini suite and Im closer to the cigar bar. The best of both. I will be interesting to se

e the change on our cruise on the Grand next month.

Dawn

[bbum]

I forgot to mention that on the Sun Deck by the Sea Breeze Bar, one up from the Neptune pool, there is an ashtray bolted to the port side wall there as well. So you can get a deck chair on that side and it's not far to where people were allowed to smoke as well, unless they decide to unbolt it. We spent a few days in chairs there, and it was a short stumble to where I could lean up against the wall and enjoy a smoke.

 

One interesting thing that I think someone mentioned is the size of the smoking area on the Lido deck. It did seem to expand at times on the Lido port side. Closer to Prego Pizzeria the tables were non smoking with the little no smoking signs on the wall behind the tables, but on a few occasions I did notice people grabbing ashtrays and using those tables as well. On one occasion there were a group of officers using one of those tables for smoking, so I'm not sure what was going on there, but I didn't see anyone questioning them.

 

I still thought the most pleasurable place to smoke was behind the one 5. It's 2 decks up from the Terrace pool and there is even loungers steps away. Have a look at the deck plans on princess.com to see what I'm talking about.

 

I hope I have helped fellow smokers find a place where a cigarette can be enjoyed peacefully on the Grand, and hopefully in time, things will settle down and everyone can just get along, and enjoy cruising.

 

Beachbum

[tahoe782]

I decided to jump in. I am a non-smoker and have always felt like I have the right to avoid smoke and smokers have the right to smoke. My husband and I have always avoided the side for smokers and the casino. It is not hard to do. We have been on 20 Princess cruises and never had a problem on our balcony.

Lets move on.

tahoe782

[aircrest]

Just wonder how many times I will get turned in for using the e-cig on the balcony

[1 HappyCruiser]

Just wonder how many times I will get turned in for using the e-cig on the balcony

 

It's not that smoking the e cigarettes will cause a problem it's just that seeing the smoke will encourage regular smokers to light up also.

[aircrest]

It's not that smoking the e cigarettes will cause a problem it's just that seeing the smoke will encourage regular smokers to light up also.

 

I have enough trouble trying to keep my self in line, can't control what others do. Doubt they will even see it unless they are peaking through the crack at the top of the partition.

[abbydancer2003]

I'm currently on the Sapphire, and wanted to share my observations.

 

First, I'm on Caribe deck and I'm loving my balcony. We've been lucky in that we've never really had smokers around that I can remember, but we are happy we can enjoy enjoy it without worrying. We're on the port side, and have not noticed anything from below, and just music from above.

 

Our TA has a note to book future cruises, where we're often on Aloha and Baja on the Starboard side.

 

I have one FB friend who is a smoker and she's mostly annoyed, and says she'll never book Princess again. Her biggest issues are about what if she wants a smoke in the middle of the night. I did ask what happens when all lines go this route, and she says she'll stop cruising.

 

We spend a lot of time on open decks. When we do late night walks around the promenade there is almost nobody on either side, so we'll walk on the port side. During the day, as we approach the port side we'll see how many people we see smoking and if it's one or two, we'll walk it (and either smile or ignore them - it's their right to smoke there), and if not we'll go back the other way. On the upper decks we tend to stay on the Starboard side.

 

At the deck party, the band and the line dances were on the smoking side, and it was too smokey for us to participate. I might in my comments suggest that they do the dances on the other side. ( I don't think the band can move).

 

One thing I did notice on the Starboard side of the Promenade deck was prominent no smoking signs. I've always thought they should have been there in the past (smokers would smoke on that side, even though we asked them not to and told them it was was the NS side), so was glad to see them.

 

So that's the state of the Sapphire. I haven't been in the casino, so can't comment. There is a slight odor on that side of the pursurs office.

[Talisker92]

From Sprinkles:

I know, maybe I can pettition Princess to fine THOSE people. Can't you see it now? All the smoking sections surrounded with big red velvet ropes. Large signs everywhere saying "You are entering a smoking area - Enter at your own risk - Anyone caught holding their noses, waving their hands or making rude comments - WILL BE FINED".

Well Said!!!

One time my wife was smoking on the port side Promenade, nobody else around, standing next to the ashtray. A "Windmill" lady walked by and complained about her smoking, and my wife asked her why she was standing next to an ashtray

[contentsam]

Just got back from th Crown (1/29/12) and the Ruby (2/4/12). I am a smoker and only smoked in areas permitted. We had balconies on boh cruises. I checked several times a day, and could count less then five people on the balconies. I don't understand why when so little are using the balconies, that Princess could not set aside certain cabins with balconies to be able to smoke on.

I went to the Neptune pool on both ships to smoke. Cown had very limited seating but on the Ruby more seating. My complaint is the cigar smoking, which is only allow in the Speakeasy lounge, in those areas and on aft of deck 15. If they are not going to enforce that, why would they enforce other rules. The cigar smoke, by the cabin on Lido deck hallway was over powering.

As far as cabin steward turning you in, they won't. If you cancel your tips, the cabin steward has to make them up in the pool. On one cruise talking to our cabin steward he told us he had six cabins of Europeans cancel their tips and he had to make it up to the pool. He was one of the best stewards we ever had.

We have 28 cruises on Princess, the Elite really doesn't mean much on a seven day cruise. The min bar has cheap whiskey on it. Free internet, we never used all of our time. Laundry, don't need it on a seven day cruise.

I have seen the quanity (food and service) of Princess, since 2002 to today, go downhill. To many cruise ships out there, drop the price to fill the ship, drop the quanity.The best way to increase profits is to cut expense, and that what Princess has done.

Will I cruise Princess again, probably, but will look at other options as I done in the past.

[contentsam]

One other thing, Princess will never band smoking in the casino because the biggest gamblers are smokers. They don't want to loss that money. If we can't smoke in the cabin, why are they allowing smoking in an interior room of the casino?

Edited February 15, 2012 by contentsam

[Mom33]

One other thing, Princess will never band smoking in the casino because the biggest gamblers are smokers. They don't want to loss that money. If we can't smoke in the cabin, why are they allowing smoking in an interior room of the casino?

 

Please consider that non smokers can avoid the Casino if the smoke will bother them. When you smoke in your cabin, it leaves a residue that affects the next occupant of the room. Princess has to deep clean to get rid of the smell at a cost. If you smoke on the balcony and the smoke disturbs neighbors, their only choice to avoid your smoke is to not use their balcony at all. Now everyone can use their balcony.

 

If you think non smokers over react to the smoke of cigarettes, then consider your revulsion of cigar smoke. You may not smell the smoke of cigarettes as nonsmokers do, but you sure noticed the cigars. I am a former smoker.

[w&k]

All of this fuss comes down to "It's all about ME" and "NIMBY" (Not In My BackYard for those that don't know the term).

 

I've done three 14-day trips with Princess. One back a few years, and then we booked with friends for the 14-day Grand Princess to the southern Caribbean. It was an awesome itinerary, so we booked it again.

 

We truly loved the Horizon pool smoking area all the way at the back of the ship - it was a great gathering place. An open bar, with tables, chairs, and loungers were all included in the smoking area, and no noise!

 

We booked the exact same trip a second time, and booked a balcony cabin close to the aft just to be close to our favorite spot. When we got on the ship, we headed up there to relax... and the area had become non-smoking, which was a huge disappointment. We were really looking forward to a comfortable area where smokers were not excluded.

 

I ended up spending most of my evening time on my balcony (Baja deck). From my vantage point, almost all balconies were populated by at least one smoker. Remember... if you exclude us from an area, we concentrate in others.

 

We do 3-4 cruises a year - typically 2 long ones (11-14 days) and one or two short ones. We usually also travel with one to several cabins of friends. It's really too bad that Princess decided that they did not want our business. We also very much enjoyed X before their change.

 

I'm truly amazed that folks have so much time and energy to spend on worrying and monitoring what other folks wear to dinner, or whether or not they choose to smoke and where it happens.

 

Currently, we have 4 cruises booked for the next year, all on RCCL, where we are welcomed. I'll be sitting out on my balcony, enjoying the view...and a ciggy.

 

Wendy

[Charles4515]

One other thing, Princess will never band smoking in the casino because the biggest gamblers are smokers. They don't want to loss that money. If we can't smoke in the cabin, why are they allowing smoking in an interior room of the casino?

 

Don't be so sure that Princess will never ban smoking in the casino. I think they will ban it there. They have done it on Celebrity. I noted that the non smoking casino was full on Celebrity Constellation without smoking. I do agree with you that allowing smoking in the casino is a contradiction.

Edited February 15, 2012 by Charles4515

[gsmiles4u]

I've read that there is a section of the "disco" where smoking is allowed. Can anyone tell me which venue that is? Skywalkers? Club Fusion? Explorers Lounge? Something else?

[cormike1]

We were just on the Emerald and I don't think there was such a place. You could smoke most nights in the Casino, the Cigar Room and up on one of the decks on one side of the pool area but I don't think any of the nightclubs or lounges allowed smoking. We were in most of them over the 10 days and I would have smelled it had there been smoking (ex-smoker and sensitive now). I only smelled it in the Casino and up on the open deck.

[Pam in CA]

I've read that there is a section of the "disco" where smoking is allowed. Can anyone tell me which venue that is? Skywalkers? Club Fusion? Explorers Lounge? Something else?

I'm not aware of any lounge on a Princess ship that still allows smoking. Several years ago, there were some lounges that allowed smoking or a section in the lounge that did. But no longer. Some Princess ships have a cigar lounge where you can smoke. That and the casino would be it got inside spaces. Edited February 15, 2012 by Pam in CA

[Salty Dawg]

We were on Emerald January 17-27th and the smoking areas were as follows:

 

Cigar Bar off of the Casino, port side of the Casino (except for a couple of non-smoking nights)

 

Port side of the forward main pool (tables with chairs)

 

Port side of Lido deck aft of the Caribe Cafe

 

Skywalkers Night Club (one side)

 

All of Promanade deck portside

 

Hope this helps.

[toberman]

We were on Emerald January 17-27th and the smoking areas were as follows:

 

Skywalkers Night Club (one side)

 

 

Skywalkers?? Really... that's surprising. Was it the side far away from the stage/dance area - down by the bar??