smoking on RCL

[JulieRose]

And what makes you think RCI will ban smoking on balconies?:confused:

 

Princess did it... I think it's safe to assume that all cruise lines will eventually ban it from balconies as less and less people smoke.

[Debde]

Princess did it... I think it's safe to assume that all cruise lines will eventually ban it from balconies as less and less people smoke.

 

As did Celebrity.

Carnival did not and nor has Royal yet.

Luckily-the two companies are keeping options open for smokers to cruise.

[sail2sea]

To the OP, to be safe, book an inside balcony. Broadway ones are the best. You can see the ocean AND the theater. Central park balconies are also very cool. They are peaceful and quiet.

 

A smoker of a few cigarettes a day wouldn't be an issue. Chain smokers are the problem. They basically render the balconies useless to others around them. I had it really bad once. This dude spent pretty much all his waking hours between eating in the buffet and smoking on the balcony. Every morning, every sailaway, every evening, not to mention entire sea days. He was there, smoking.

[Polarbear Pa]

I have very bad smoke allergies but we always have had balconys and never a problem with the smell.

[JulieRose]

As did Celebrity.

Carnival did not and nor has Royal yet.

Luckily-the two companies are keeping options open for smokers to cruise.

 

 

I can't speak fro Celebrity but there's still options on Princess. one side of the promenade, a section of the pool deck, the casino on most nights, the cigar bar... There are plenty of places where smoking is allowed and I honestly don't think it's a real problem to ban it from balconies, you just have to go where they tell you to.

[Gonzo70]

I definitely have smelled cigarette smoke on numerous occasions while on balconies with the ship sailing. If you have a decent sense of smell, you will smell it if there is a smoker nearby. As another poster said, the smoke does not magically vanish when exhaled, but is blown to other parts of the ship before dissipating.

 

I was really shocked by the amount of smoking venues (and there impact on nearby non-smoking venues) on the Allure. My previous five sailings had been on Celebrity (where there is ZERO indoor smoking and limited outdoor smoking - including no smoking on any balconies) and I live in a city with no indoor smoking in public areas and limited outdoor smoking in public areas. As such I am not used to being near smoke and to me it was extremely noticeable and unpleasant in many areas of the Allure.

 

While the casino had a non-smoking side, it was open to the smoking side so for me the casino was virtually unusable; even when it was closed it reeked so bad my wife and I were not able to walk through it. Much of the Royal Promenade reeked from Boleros. Even the Diamond Lounge (above Bolero's) smelled smoky. The front portion of the theater and main dining room on Deck 4 smelled because of the proximity to the casino. Some of the indoor smoking venues vented the air out through vents in Central Park, causing areas of Central Park to smell like cigarette smoke. Of all places the health club smelled bad (especially while the ship was docked) - apparently there is a nearby crew smoking area and when the ship is stationary a lot of the smoke drifts into the gym. The smell was noticeable when the ship was moving, but much less strong. Also (despite a ton of smoking areas) I observed many guests smoking in non-smoking areas (when I did the mini golf it was littered with butts, I saw people smoking on both sides of the pool deck and I saw people smoking on Boardwalk balconies).

 

IMHO RCI is in the 20th Century with it's smoking policies. Although I still enjoyed my cruise, the smoke issue was by far the biggest negative aspect and it was bad enough that I will not consider sailing again on RCI (or recommend RCI to others) until they greatly restrict smoking.

[sail2sea]

I have very bad smoke allergies but we always have had balconys and never a problem with the smell.

 

Wait till you have a chain smoker encounter. I have had many cruises and only been bothered a few times. Once in particular, very bad. Didn't ruin the cruise, but did ruin the balcony. We couldn't even keep the balcony door open.

 

To be fair, no smokers set out to annoy others. And many are very considerate. But unfortunately, the smoke is not.

[poncho1973]

To be fair, no smokers set out to annoy others. And many are very considerate. But unfortunately, the smoke is not.

 

This is the real key. No matter how consider the human is (and I know many considerate smokers) the smoke isn't at all. It goes everywhere.

 

Smokers are so used to the smell that they have almost no concept of how far it permeates. They see the smoke, but once it's gone they have very little, if any, ability to detect it. That's "normal" smell to them.

[Alexru12]

this is why i always pack my electronic cigarettes, no smoke, only air vapor, can use them all over the ship inside & out...some people though, will still walk by, flaps their hands and cough...i guess they can smell it as long as it appears to be smoke. i have always checked with guest relations and am told no problem at all

[poncho1973]

this is why i always pack my electronic cigarettes, no smoke, only air vapor, can use them all over the ship inside & out...some people though, will still walk by, flaps their hands and cough...i guess they can smell it as long as it appears to be smoke. i have always checked with guest relations and am told no problem at all

 

I wish all e-cigs were required to have the blue/green tips. You smokers wouldn't have to deal with the fakers.

[BillOh]

I strongly dislike cigarette smoke (no medical conditions or allergies) but I have yet to find it a problem onboard RC ships sailing from the US. I've had balconies on 6 of my 7 cruises. Even on the smoking side of the pool decks frequently I don't see a huge crowd of smokers. I've been taken a pool chair and been in it an hour before someone lit up and I realized I was on their side.

 

I think I remember the OP was going on Allure. The only time I even noticed it on Allure was when walking from the back of the ship to the front on the pool deck and I forgot which side.

[Alexru12]

I wish all e-cigs were required to have the blue/green tips. You smokers wouldn't have to deal with the fakers.

mine are silver with blue lights at the tip...love the look and they look nothing like a cigarette..my roommate even used hers in the hospital as a patient....

[BillOh]

As did Celebrity.

Carnival did not and nor has Royal yet.

Luckily-the two companies are keeping options open for smokers to cruise.

 

Even if they ban smoking totally, they will still allow smokers to cruise. They still let smokers into cancer wards in the hospital! :p

[BillOh]

mine are silver with blue lights at the tip...love the look and they look nothing like a cigarette..my roommate even used hers in the hospital as a patient....

 

I'll steer the conversation slightly and get flamed (pun intended and I don't care if you flame) I detest the E-cig'rs who make a point to use those things in the airport jetway or in elevators on the ship. I've even seen one use them in the dining room. To me this is the equivalent of sneezing and not covering your mouth. Think about it water vapor comes from inside your lungs, from your throat and your mouth, right into everyone else's noses.

[Gonzo70]

 

I think I remember the OP was going on Allure. The only time I even noticed it on Allure was when walking from the back of the ship to the front on the pool deck and I forgot which side.

 

I was just on Allure; the current policy is horrible for non-smokers who dislike the smell of smoke, have a good sense of smell and are accustomed to smoke free environments. The Allure caters to smokers and well over half the public venues either permit smoking, or are impacted by nearby smoking areas. RCI is going to have to make significant changes fast or they will be losing lots of customers because of their archaic smoking policy.

[couple_cruisers]

But for the OP, this has not been frequent - or an issue in our choice of RCI for cruising. In fact I've only noticed it a couple of times. I don't think you should be overly concerned about it. Oasis / Allure are outstanding ships and would be a great choice and a terrific cruise experience - and the situation I noted regarding smelling cigarette smoke did not occur on either of our Oasis cruises. Enjoy!

 

Thank-you. I wasn't over concerned about the smoke I just thought if I could avoid it I would try. Good to hear it didn't affect too many people.

 

As for booking an interior balcony, I would but not my fiance, he is wanting an ocean view for his first cruise.

 

Don't believe a word anyone says about the smoke floating away while the ship is moving. The smoke swirls right back to you. It doesn't magically disappear. Drive down the road with all the windows open and spit out the window... see if the person in the backseat doesn't punch you.

 

HAHAHA I like your analogy.

[Alexru12]

I'll steer the conversation slightly and get flamed (pun intended and I don't care if you flame) I detest the E-cig'rs who make a point to use those things in the airport jetway or in elevators on the ship. I've even seen one use them in the dining room. To me this is the equivalent of sneezing and not covering your mouth. Think about it water vapor comes from inside your lungs, from your throat and your mouth, right into everyone else's noses.

the water vapor comes from the cartridge, what you are breathing out is no more than your breath

[Alexru12]

Thank-you. I wasn't over concerned about the smoke I just thought if I could avoid it I would try. Good to hear it didn't affect too many people.

 

As for booking an interior balcony, I would but not my fiance, he is wanting an ocean view for his first cruise.

 

 

 

HAHAHA I like your analogy.

if you get an inside balcony overlooking the boardwalk, you can see thew ocean, and sea the show at the seaside thatre, we were right where the zipline came at youi and loved it

[wscott52]

Here's a thought: why don't you tell your neighbor their smoke is bothering you?

 

I might light up a Macanudo Ascot at some point after dinner with a glass of cognac or scotch. If you politely ask me if I would put it out I probably will. If you come off as an officious anal pore I'll probably tell you to take a flying leap. It can't hurt to ask.

[akcruz]

I was just on Allure; the current policy is horrible for non-smokers who dislike the smell of smoke, have a good sense of smell and are accustomed to smoke free environments. The Allure caters to smokers and well over half the public venues either permit smoking, or are impacted by nearby smoking areas. RCI is going to have to make significant changes fast or they will be losing lots of customers because of their archaic smoking policy.

 

Interesting, it is really all an individual thing. We sailed on Allure in June and never had an issue with the smoke at all. We spent a lot of time in the promenade (mainly at the pub sitting outside) and on our balcony. Also spent a few hours total in the casino. None of us are smokers and never have been. Our state has also banned indoor smoking which has been an absolute joy to us as now we actually go out. DH and DD are very sensitive to smoke and neither of them had any issues at all.

 

Maybe it depends on the particular group(s) sailing at the time?

 

I do agree, however, that it is a matter of time before smoking gets more restricted. It's happening everywhere else.

[Mapleleafforever]

To the OP, I recommend booking a balcony as there's nothing quite like it. You may smell some smoke or you may not, it's all luck. Outside is next best but I strongly advise you against booking an inside cabin. I did it once and never again. You never know what time of day it is and you really feel cramped, more cramped than normal that is. There's a reason why inside cabins are so cheap.

 

Once you go balcony, you never go back.

[beachnative]

this is why i always pack my electronic cigarettes, no smoke, only air vapor, can use them all over the ship inside & out...some people though, will still walk by, flaps their hands and cough...i guess they can smell it as long as it appears to be smoke. i have always checked with guest relations and am told no problem at all

 

You should double check RC policies. We have been on at least one ship recently that had a non-ecig policy in public areas which are non-smoking.

[Gonzo70]

if you get an inside balcony overlooking the boardwalk, you can see thew ocean, and sea the show at the seaside thatre, we were right where the zipline came at youi and loved it

 

Those are great rooms; the more towards the aft, the better the view of the ocean and the Aqua Show. I had the aft-most Boardwalk balcony on deck 12 and this is the best balcony I have ever had. great views of the wake, great views of the Aqua Show (and the practices), great views of movies shown at the Aqua Theater, and great views of the zip line and Boardwalk. Also minimal exposure to smoke (the entire Boardwalk and Boardwalk balconies are supposed to be smoke free, but unfortunately some people did ignore this rule).

[Alexru12]

You should double check RC policies. We have been on at least one ship recently that had a non-ecig policy in public areas which are non-smoking.

was just on board last month...no problems...maybe it depends on the ship, which is why i ask guest relations...i was informed no smoke, no problem..

what could be the reason behind not allowing them? just curious, we have no smoking laws in fla, people use them in restaurants,waiting rooms, my roomie was allowed to use hers as na patient in the hospital...

[JulieRose]

what could be the reason behind not allowing them?

 

Ignorant non-smokers complaining when it offends them.