Carnival follows RCI and others - bans smoking on balconies

[time4u2go]

Well I know of at least 10 people who cancelled cruises with RC when they came out with their nonsmoking policy, which by the way was not posted very well on their website. There are still many smokers in the US that would like to vacation and be treated with respect as MOST of them respect nonsmokers. Smoking on your balcony is not a health risk to any passenger. Carnival is trying this again when it failed in 2011. What should they ban next, drinking? How many drunks do you see on a normal cruise but guess that is how they make money so it is fine. As long as smoking is legal then I believe smokers should have rights as long as they are courteous and don't smoke in public areas. I have many nonsmoking friends but they believe in equality. Instead of making these drastic decisions why not find a compromise like certain balconies are smoking and certain one's are not. Guess that is too democratic, better to just make a blanket rule then reverse it in a year.

What about the person on the balcony near yours that is inhaling your second-hand smoke? Smoke from people smoking on balconies often gets blown back onto other balconies.

[Beardface]

Banning smoking in the casino... Ehhh... I dunno, I just don't see it. Personally, I don't smoke (although I do enjoy a good cigar once in a blue moon) but I do know that smoking gives you a buzz that relaxes you. This causes you to be a little more loose with your money. I'd actually be willing to bet that if you compared them side by side, the smoking side of a casino (at least on ships where there is the divide, like the Oasis) ends up bringing in more money than the non-smoking side.

[Beardface]

Well I know of at least 10 people who cancelled cruises with RC when they came out with their nonsmoking policy, which by the way was not posted very well on their website. There are still many smokers in the US that would like to vacation and be treated with respect as MOST of them respect nonsmokers. Smoking on your balcony is not a health risk to any passenger. Carnival is trying this again when it failed in 2011. What should they ban next, drinking? How many drunks do you see on a normal cruise but guess that is how they make money so it is fine. As long as smoking is legal then I believe smokers should have rights as long as they are courteous and don't smoke in public areas. I have many nonsmoking friends but they believe in equality. Instead of making these drastic decisions why not find a compromise like certain balconies are smoking and certain one's are not. Guess that is too democratic, better to just make a blanket rule then reverse it in a year.

 

The balcony IS a public area. I mean, unless you can keep your smoke from sneaking out of your own balcony and not making its way into other ones further aft than your room, then yes, these balconies ARE public areas.

 

I don't have a problem with allowing smoking up on deck in the assigned areas. Nobody HAS to walk past those areas if they so desire. People are assigned to cabins. If you start lighting up on your balcony, your neighbors are being impacted and there is quite literally nothing they can do other than sacrificing the advantages of the room they booked and staying inside. Good luck convincing RCI to backtrack on that policy.

[LetsGetWet!]

Well I know of at least 10 people who cancelled cruises with RC when they came out with their nonsmoking policy, which by the way was not posted very well on their website. There are still many smokers in the US that would like to vacation and be treated with respect as MOST of them respect nonsmokers. Smoking on your balcony is not a health risk to any passenger. Carnival is trying this again when it failed in 2011. What should they ban next, drinking? How many drunks do you see on a normal cruise but guess that is how they make money so it is fine. As long as smoking is legal then I believe smokers should have rights as long as they are courteous and don't smoke in public areas. I have many nonsmoking friends but they believe in equality. Instead of making these drastic decisions why not find a compromise like certain balconies are smoking and certain one's are not. Guess that is too democratic, better to just make a blanket rule then reverse it in a year.

What about the person on the balcony near yours that is inhaling your second-hand smoke? Smoke from people smoking on balconies often gets blown back onto other balconies.

Yep, a pretty absurd statement, not to mention false. And for every 10 people who cancel because they can't smoke on their balconies there will probably be 20-30 or more who now will be more likely to book balconies because they don't have to worry about them being rendered unusable by secondhand smoke from nearby. Its a simple numbers matter - less than 20% of adults in the US today are smokers - so over 80% are happy with this decision.

[LetsGetWet!]

Banning smoking in the casino... Ehhh... I dunno, I just don't see it. Personally, I don't smoke (although I do enjoy a good cigar once in a blue moon) but I do know that smoking gives you a buzz that relaxes you. This causes you to be a little more loose with your money. I'd actually be willing to bet that if you compared them side by side, the smoking side of a casino (at least on ships where there is the divide, like the Oasis) ends up bringing in more money than the non-smoking side.

On a person-for-person basis, you may be correct. I think that will be more made up for though, by the non-smokers who will stay away from a "smoker's lounge" casino because they can't stand the smoke. Remember, statistically there are about 4 non-smokers for every smoker, its a simple matter of numbers. You're making the casino more inviting for 20% of your clientele but less inviting for 80%. Celebrity has already banned it in the casino, I predict RCI will follow within no more than another year or two.

[Beardface]

On a person-for-person basis, you may be correct. I think that will be more made up for though, by the non-smokers who will stay away from a "smoker's lounge" casino because they can't stand the smoke. Remember, statistically there are about 4 non-smokers for every smoker, its a simple matter of numbers. You're making the casino more inviting for 20% of your clientele but less inviting for 80%. Celebrity has already banned it in the casino, I predict RCI will follow within no more than another year or two.

 

Outside of a cruise ship, I'm not sure I've ever been in a casino that has banned smoking. Vegas, Atlantic City, all the ones I went to allowed smoking, and boy did people smoke.

 

If RCI wants to ban smoking in the casino's, have at it... it won't bother me. But its not like there is a market-wide standard for not allowing smoking in casino's. For MANY people, especially the high dollar guys, smoking is a part of the gambling culture. Not sure RCI is going to want to alienate them. Celebrity? Sure, they're the 'high class' entity of the RCI umbrella, so they can get away with it easily, but not their mainline trying to appeal to everyone line. I just don't see it happening.

[CVU]

What about the person on the balcony near yours that is inhaling your second-hand smoke? Smoke from people smoking on balconies often gets blown back onto other balconies.

 

The balcony IS a public area. I mean, unless you can keep your smoke from sneaking out of your own balcony and not making its way into other ones further aft than your room, then yes, these balconies ARE public areas.

 

I don't have a problem with allowing smoking up on deck in the assigned areas. Nobody HAS to walk past those areas if they so desire. People are assigned to cabins. If you start lighting up on your balcony, your neighbors are being impacted and there is quite literally nothing they can do other than sacrificing the advantages of the room they booked and staying inside. Good luck convincing RCI to backtrack on that policy.

 

Smoke Stinks!

We book a balcony for fresh air........had chain smokers completely ruin our balcony experience more than once!

 

No smoking in our casinos and they seem to be doing just fine.......can't get a machine on popular nights.

Edited July 10, 2014 by CVU

[LetsGetWet!]

Outside of a cruise ship, I'm not sure I've ever been in a casino that has banned smoking. Vegas, Atlantic City, all the ones I went to allowed smoking, and boy did people smoke.

 

If RCI wants to ban smoking in the casino's, have at it... it won't bother me. But its not like there is a market-wide standard for not allowing smoking in casino's. For MANY people, especially the high dollar guys, smoking is a part of the gambling culture. Not sure RCI is going to want to alienate them. Celebrity? Sure, they're the 'high class' entity of the RCI umbrella, so they can get away with it easily, but not their mainline trying to appeal to everyone line. I just don't see it happening.

Only time will tell, obviously. I think you're correct that all the casinos in major hotspots like Vegas and Atlantic City allow smoking. I think the big difference on the cruise ships is - the prohibition on smoking on balconies and limitations to smaller and smaller areas around the pool has driven smokers to the casino, and its being used as a "smokers lounge" by many smokers who aren't even gambling. I honestly don't blame the smokers for this, its a consequence of banning smoking in every single indoor spot on board EXCEPT the casino. But if its being used more and more as a smoker's lounge and less and less by actual gamblers, I think you'll see smoking banned in it soon as RCI watches casino revenue drop.

 

Even as a non-smoker, I do think the cruise lines should provide an indoor venue somewhere for the smokers - make one indoor bar/lounge a smoking venue, AND install very good ventilation systems in that venue when you do!

[The Sunset Glow]

On a person-for-person basis, you may be correct. I think that will be more made up for though, by the non-smokers who will stay away from a "smoker's lounge" casino because they can't stand the smoke. Remember, statistically there are about 4 non-smokers for every smoker, its a simple matter of numbers. You're making the casino more inviting for 20% of your clientele but less inviting for 80%. Celebrity has already banned it in the casino, I predict RCI will follow within no more than another year or two.

 

 

We were on Oasis last February where one half of the casino is non-smoking. My husband likes to play blackjack and I will play slots but we will only play in non-smoking casinos.

 

The ns side of the casino on Oasis was very smokey. So much so that we didn't play much. My husband tried the tables but his eyes were burning. I have irritant induced asthma and I couldn't play the slots either. We did find an electronic blackjack table and a couple of slot machines in the back corridor on the ns side where there was no smoke so we played there a little.

 

The casinos with non-smoking sections don't work for us so RCI doesn't gain any revenue from us. Unfortunately, the smoke doesn't know it should stay in the smoking section. If the casinos were completely smoke free then we would gamble more.

 

I've also heard that RCI is no longer doing smoke free casinos on formal nights since the new policy started in January. Can anyone confirm this? We will be on a B2B on Navigator in September and if this is the case we will not spend any time in the casino at all. Oh well, we'll save some money I guess.

 

 

 

 

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[BillOh]

Any recent cruisers that can report back on this situation?

 

Didn't notice any issue on Jewel in May. But to be honest, while being an anti-smoking activist on land, I've never had any real problems on my balconies before the ban. I've heard some horror stories, but haven't had any personal experiences.

[CVU]

 

I've also heard that RCI is no longer doing smoke free casinos on formal nights since the new policy started in January. Can anyone confirm this? We will be on a B2B on Navigator in September and if this is the case we will not spend any time in the casino at all. Oh well, we'll save some money I guess.

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Yes, No non smoking formal nights.

They have added a few more machines in the non smoking section usually by the entrance. Which is smokey anyway, as it is a small area and the smoke drifts over from a few machines away.:rolleyes:

 

We found on Oasis/Allure the non smoking side isn't that great, better depending on the mix of people on board. Sometimes you are lucky and have less smokers.

The casino is becoming a smoking lounge, since balconies are non smoking.

At least we can sit on the balcony now and have that fresh air and just avoid the Casino.:D Saves us Money $$$ too, so all good in the end for us.

Edited July 10, 2014 by CVU

[Clarea]

...

I've also heard that RCI is no longer doing smoke free casinos on formal nights since the new policy started in January. Can anyone confirm this? We will be on a B2B on Navigator in September and if this is the case we will not spend any time in the casino at all. Oh well, we'll save some money I guess.

I've not seen a no smoking night in the Casino in a while. You might be right as far as the timing being related to when smoking was prohibited on balconies.

[The Sunset Glow]

Yes, No non smoking formal nights.

They have added a few more machines in the non smoking section usually by the entrance. Which is smokey anyway, as it is a small area and the smoke drifts over from a few machines away.:rolleyes:

 

We found on Oasis/Allure the non smoking side isn't that great, better depending on the mix of people on board. Sometimes you are lucky and have less smokers.

The casino is becoming a smoking lounge, since balconies are non smoking.

At least we can sit on the balcony now and have that fresh air and just avoid the Casino.:D Saves us Money $$$ too, so all good in the end for us.

 

Thanks for the feedback:)

[finallyonboard]

New York casinos are nonsmoking. Try going to Aquaduct on the weekend. No room to move. It doesn't appear that they've lost any business.

[The Sunset Glow]

I've not seen a no smoking night in the Casino in a while. You might be right as far as the timing being related to when smoking was prohibited on balconies.

 

 

:(:(

 

Guess I'll be saving some money then:p

[coops]

Well I know of at least 10 people who cancelled cruises with RC when they came out with their nonsmoking policy, which by the way was not posted very well on their website. There are still many smokers in the US that would like to vacation and be treated with respect as MOST of them respect nonsmokers. Smoking on your balcony is not a health risk to any passenger. Carnival is trying this again when it failed in 2011. What should they ban next, drinking? How many drunks do you see on a normal cruise but guess that is how they make money so it is fine. As long as smoking is legal then I believe smokers should have rights as long as they are courteous and don't smoke in public areas. I have many nonsmoking friends but they believe in equality. Instead of making these drastic decisions why not find a compromise like certain balconies are smoking and certain one's are not. Guess that is too democratic, better to just make a blanket rule then reverse it in a year.

 

I am confused with the statement of Carnival is trying this again when it failed in 2011. What did they try and what failed?

[Life is Good Cruising]

The no smoke ban went into effect 1/1/14 and they(Royal) cancelled the "no smoking" in the casino on formal nights and allowed smoking in the casino at all times, at least 6 months or more, prior to that date. It did not coincide with the ban on 1/1/14.

[OGCFreddie]

The no smoke ban went into effect 1/1/14 and they(Royal) cancelled the "no smoking" in the casino on formal nights and allowed smoking in the casino at all times, at least 6 months or more, prior to that date. It did not coincide with the ban on 1/1/14.

 

I cruised on Radiance in October of 2013 and there were, indeed, still non-smoking formal nights. Perhaps they phased getting rid of these nights one ship at a time.

[LindaO]

I am confused with the statement of Carnival is trying this again when it failed in 2011. What did they try and what failed?

 

At one point Carnival tried a complete no smoking policy on at least one ship. The ship was completely smoke free. Not sure how long it lasted, but they changed the policy. It isn't really comparable to limiting smoking to certain areas....

[ahecht]

At one point Carnival tried a complete no smoking policy on at least one ship. The ship was completely smoke free. Not sure how long it lasted, but they changed the policy. It isn't really comparable to limiting smoking to certain areas....

 

The Carnival Paradise experiment was 16 years ago. Since then, the smoking rate has fallen from 25% to 18% (17% if you exclude those living below the poverty level who are unlikely to cruise).

[The Sunset Glow]

I cruised on Radiance in October of 2013 and there were, indeed, still non-smoking formal nights. Perhaps they phased getting rid of these nights one ship at a time.

 

We were on Independence in November 2013 and there was also no smoking in the casino on formal nights.

[CVU]

I cruised on Radiance in October of 2013 and there were, indeed, still non-smoking formal nights. Perhaps they phased getting rid of these nights one ship at a time.

 

Indy in Jan/Feb/Mar this year and Radiance in April from Hawaii to YVR, if I am remembering right? there was smoking on all nights, including formal.

We noticed the added slot machines in a non smoking area on Radiance by the card tables and by the Cashier.

Indy had more slots in their non smoking section also by the Cashier desk.

 

Radiance did a far better job of informing passengers of the new non smoking rule:).

 

Indy fell flat---with their one announcement pre-muster and once in the Compass-- at the on set of the new rule and following, on our other cruises. Never was there any more notification or even notes on the bed Day 1 about it etc.....

We had chain smokers on one aft corner balcony next to us --Jan. Week 1 of the new rule.....she put her ashes and cig. in a cup, we saw her, and I guess down the toilet?:rolleyes: So, they had no evidence.

 

That was not acted upon very well on IOS. It was better in March but we still had smokers on every one of our B2Bs. Standing at the rail and smoking as usual......

[negc]

We were on Independence in November 2013 and there was also no smoking in the casino on formal nights.

 

Unfortunately that no longer appears to be the case. The entrances to the Casino on the Brilliance were filled with smoke every evening including formal nights on the eastbound TA.

[The Sunset Glow]

Unfortunately that no longer appears to be the case. The entrances to the Casino on the Brilliance were filled with smoke every evening including formal nights on the eastbound TA.

 

 

That's what I've heard. Too bad.

 

 

 

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[pspercy]

On Navigator in late May, casino smoky every night, also got lots of sniffs on our balcony - some were definitely not tobacco !

 

Wish they'd adopt =X= policy on indoor smoking.

Edited July 11, 2014 by pspercy