evelyn51 Posted November 6, 2013 #151 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Do an Australian cruise. Smoking not allowed in the Casino or any other indoor location under Australian law. All ships on Australian itineraries have to obey this law, even repositioning cruises. Or a Celebrity Cruise! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evelyn51 Posted November 6, 2013 #152 Share Posted November 6, 2013 now if you could only figure out how to keep your smoke on your balcony and not on mine -- we'd have no problem at all :rolleyes: Ditto! :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckrobyn Posted November 6, 2013 #153 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Let me start by saying I am a former smoker. I totally get how this change in smoking policy can ruffle some feathers. The argument about who has the "right" to smoke on their balcony vs. who cannot stand the wafting second hand smoke has been going on long before any talk of a balcony smoking ban. Which side is right? Well I guess that all depends on which side you are on. I can only speak from experience and tell you that on a freedom cruise a few years back, there was a smoker on the next balcony. Generally this would not be a problem, as I have sailed next to other smokers and never really noticed anything except the ashtray if I was peeking over the railing :rolleyes: BUT, this particular smoking passenger would go out on the balcony at sunrise every morning and cough, and cough, and cough......or should I say hack and hack and hack. I'm sure anyone reading this can understand how I would find this disturbing on many levels. Basically, this passenger rendered my own balcony useless whenever she was out there - which I might add was a lot. The reference to sunrise is when she first went out there in the day.... In short, I get that smokers need to smoke -after all, it IS an addiction. So I agree that smokers should be able to smoke, but I'm glad it won't be on the balcony next to me. :) Now......if we can just get the policy changed in the casino......:o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted November 6, 2013 #154 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Sorry I just don't agree. I think smokers still think they have the numbers….they don't. So many people have quit smoking and smoking has a stigma more now than ever before. The health ramifications are overwhelming…no more discussion needed. I've never walked through an empty casino on a cruise ship in the evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgo Surfer Posted November 6, 2013 #155 Share Posted November 6, 2013 This is outdated and a myth. Smokers are a dying breed, at least in the Western World. They don't have the money-spending power they once had. Numbers are ESPECIALLY down in people above the poverty line. Those are the people with the disposable income. Poor people are buying their smokes and lottery tickets, but they aren't tossing around the cash and are certainly the wrong audience to woo with nicer vacations. States starting banning smoking in certain locations many years ago. Smokers said that bars everywhere would close up and die. They didn't. Some did, but some bars die naturally all the time. MORE states starting banning smoking indoors. Smokers said this is the end of the world as we know it! This could never happen in a smoke-happy Europe! They know what is up! Everything was fine. European counties and cities stating banning smoking indoors. Smokers said that wouldn't work because Europeans love to smoke. It is working and smokers are declining in many European countries. It's happening. Not a myth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted November 6, 2013 #156 Share Posted November 6, 2013 This is outdated and a myth. Smokers are a dying breed, at least in the Western World. They don't have the money-spending power they once had. Numbers are ESPECIALLY down in people above the poverty line. Those are the people with the disposable income. Poor people are buying their smokes and lottery tickets, but they aren't tossing around the cash and are certainly the wrong audience to woo with nicer vacations. States starting banning smoking in certain locations many years ago. Smokers said that bars everywhere would close up and die. They didn't. Some did, but some bars die naturally all the time. MORE states starting banning smoking indoors. Smokers said this is the end of the world as we know it! This could never happen in a smoke-happy Europe! They know what is up! Everything was fine. European counties and cities stating banning smoking indoors. Smokers said that wouldn't work because Europeans love to smoke. It is working and smokers are declining in many European countries. It's happening. I am really glad to hear that. Maybe soon I won't have to spend so much time in my practice counselling people on why they should quit. And the last time I was in London, which is still part of the western world, I made a comment one day about how many young people on the streets were smoking. A Londoner informed me that smoking is pretty rampant among young people there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted November 6, 2013 #157 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Let me start by saying I am a former smoker. And I just keep on learning new things about you even after all this time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Cigar King Posted November 6, 2013 #158 Share Posted November 6, 2013 FWIW-I had posted the answers on some smoking questions from a lovely representative at RCCL on this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1913841 I think if they allowed e-cigs on the balcony, the ban would be easier to take. Now if the bands could smoke a little quieter:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckrobyn Posted November 6, 2013 #159 Share Posted November 6, 2013 And I just keep on learning new things about you even after all this time.... What's life without a little mystery??? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyjustus2 Posted November 6, 2013 #160 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Doesn't look like it. Both our cruises are sold out! Arzeena!!!! Which Royal cruises are you booked on? We just booked Allure for the 11/9 sailing next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyjustus2 Posted November 6, 2013 #161 Share Posted November 6, 2013 I am very allergic to cigarette smoke - We just sailed on the NCL Sun and the only place it bothered me was in the Casino, so I stayed out of there. There was very little smoke anywhere near our balcony, and it did not bother me at all on the pool deck. Sorry smokers....I'm all for a ban "band" on smoking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjldvlks Posted November 6, 2013 #162 Share Posted November 6, 2013 . . . Now if the bands could smoke a little quieter . . . If they were quieter they wouldn't be smokin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatorsfam Posted November 6, 2013 #163 Share Posted November 6, 2013 It is expected that policy changes like this will have some short term and long term effects. I'd like to see how things shake out 12-18 months down the road, and more importantly if other lines adopt similar limitations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVU Posted November 6, 2013 #164 Share Posted November 6, 2013 (edited) Do an Australian cruise. Smoking not allowed in the Casino or any other indoor location under Australian law. All ships on Australian itineraries have to obey this law, even repositioning cruises. Did many B2Bs on our AU cruise and loved it!!! :) But they still allowed smoking on the balconies...... Here in our city, there is no smoking in any public areas- or by a door way! so it is always an adjustment to smell it inside again when on board. The casino is a problem, yes. Often have a cough etc. too, the next day after spending some time in there in the evenings. If it becomes a 'new' smoking area in Jan. I will be avoiding the Casino completely then. It is bad enough now!:eek: Unfortunately you often have to walk through it to get to the other side..... Edited November 6, 2013 by CVU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreidy Posted November 6, 2013 #165 Share Posted November 6, 2013 My wife and I are both smokers and balcony snobs. We sail Celebrity and RCCL. We are gamblers as well. On Celebrity we get inside cabins and dont go to the casino. We will continue to cruise, just in inside cabins now instead of balconies. If RCCL cuts out smoking in the casino, they will lose money from us. They are not losing customers like us, just revenue from us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_K Posted November 6, 2013 #166 Share Posted November 6, 2013 If royal can afford the 3rd oasis ship and 2 new quantum class ships im sure they are doing well enough.Irrelevant considering they were all ordered before the policy change was announced. Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poncho1973 Posted November 6, 2013 #167 Share Posted November 6, 2013 (edited) Not a myth. Blatantly a myth. Partially proven untrue by the fact that businesses are still thriving and surviving while being smokefree. The mantra that smokers gamble more and keep your business afloat is repeated a lot, but many casinos are voluntarily going smokefree or partially smokefree. The bottomline is that EVEN IF (and the proof that it is relies mostly on ancedotal beliefs, usually from people with a vested interest in smoking) one particular set of smokers spends marginally more than nonsmokers, there are so many more nonsmokers in 2013 that you just can't even those numbers out. It's not like smokers have massively higher incomes because they smoke and thus spend more. In fact, the CDC has reported (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5542a1.htm ) that the only segments of society where smoking isn't dramatically decreasing is among the poorest people and it is on the rise in some underdeveloped lands around the world. Rates among the well-educated and reasonably well-off are dropping drastically over the past 50 years. From nearly 50% to somewhere in the 13-14% range. I am really glad to hear that. Maybe soon I won't have to spend so much time in my practice counselling people on why they should quit. And the last time I was in London, which is still part of the western world, I made a comment one day about how many young people on the streets were smoking. A Londoner informed me that smoking is pretty rampant among young people there. Again, ancedotal instead of factual. The ECDC (the European version of our CDC) and the NHS (the UK-specific version) report that smoking across Western Europe, which obviously includes the city of London, is also on the decline. Your friend's observations may fall under the part I mentioned to the other person, that rates are not falling as rapidly in the poorer classes. Still falling, but much more slowly. Sadly, smoking rates are actually on the rise in the poorest countries on the planet and emerging countries, like China. England has noted that smoking rates have dropped over 5% just since their recent indoor/business smoking ban and that smoking rates among the affluent has SERIOUSLY dropped (http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/rcgp/bjgp/2010/00000060/00000572/art00006?token=004e109a6720297d76347770497b427a5a422d2c4b6d3f6a4b4b6e6e42576b6427385378cf200b) in recent years to only 14% which is down from around 25% a mere 12 years ago. That's amazing. Edited November 6, 2013 by poncho1973 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRUZBUDS Posted November 6, 2013 #168 Share Posted November 6, 2013 It is expected that policy changes like this will have some short term and long term effects. I'd like to see how things shake out 12-18 months down the road, and more importantly if other lines adopt similar limitations. Can't get a good smoking thread going on the Celebrity board. The matter is settled there and so will be on this board. ;) It will be interesting to bet which of the few remaining mass-market lines that still allow balcony smoking will be next to ban it ..... HAL? Carnival? NCL? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandgeezer Posted November 6, 2013 #169 Share Posted November 6, 2013 We just got off the Allure on a B2B, and the Oasis the week before and in all three cruises, the Captain said we had over 6,000 passengers. Since the regular posted capacity is 5,400, I can't see where they are losing bookings. I can't answer how the smokers are spending their money, but there were plenty of them on the ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amster65 Posted November 6, 2013 #170 Share Posted November 6, 2013 I have smelled worse stuff than perfume in elevators. Now we are getting to the bottom of things:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanie210 Posted November 6, 2013 #171 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Seems Royal Caribbean smoking policy is costing them.Could have been handled better. :) Its such a non-issue to most of us canadian folks. Smoking isnt allowed most anywhere and soon public parks and spaces will be off limits. I havent even been in a hotel or restaurant that allowed it in what seems like a decade. Cannot imagine the small percentage of people that still smoke would make a dent, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amster65 Posted November 6, 2013 #172 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Love these smoking threads............:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRUZBUDS Posted November 6, 2013 #173 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Love these smoking threads............:D aren't they great??? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbond Posted November 6, 2013 #174 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Its such a non-issue to most of us canadian folks. Smoking isnt allowed most anywhere and soon public parks and spaces will be off limits. I havent even been in a hotel or restaurant that allowed it in what seems like a decade. Cannot imagine the small percentage of people that still smoke would make a dent, In the People's Republic of Santa Monica, Ca, smoking was already banned at beaches, parks, restaurants and near buildings, but in 2012 the city council expanded that prohibition and voted to ban smoking for all new tenants of apartments and condos inside their residences. That's getting restrictive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustangjoe Posted November 6, 2013 #175 Share Posted November 6, 2013 First, this non-smoking issue, in reality is a non-issue. Here in Ohio, bars, resturants, casinos, public bldgs., and even some state supported universities are non-smoking. For a very, very short amount time was a down swing in business. However, when everyone figured out that the law wasn't going to be changed, it has been business as usual, and boy am I glad. Every time I went to a bar for the smoking ban, I had to take off my clothes and take them to the laundry room, since they reeked of smoke. The same will hold true for RC fro a business stand point. Maybe, they will take a small hit initially, but soon after things will be back to normal. Secondly, I ran out of popcorn reading all of these smoking threads, so I had to finally reply. :) Good thing DW is getting home form the store with more Reddenbocker's.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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