Norwegian Cruise Line Bans Smoking on Balconies

[OhioGirl]

So just because you booked a high priced suite you should be able "to do whatever you want to do"? Policies such as these have to apply to all cabins. They cannot make exceptions just because someone paid a higher fare. You get lots of privileges in your GV, smoking on your balcony just won't be one of them.

 

We didn't ask to "have the right to smoke" I was just saying that was one of the things some in our group wanted to do! Oh My God! I'm sorry I posted anything!

 

Being in the GV doesn't come with privileges...it comes with a very steep price tag, you pay for what you get!

[JasonV1]

I forgot that, DOH.

 

Either way, anyone that jumps on day to day fluctuations in a stock as a sigh of something bad (other than on earnings release days, or some significant incident) has no idea how things really work.

 

Just watch NCL stock on a day where (if) Carnival or Royal announces a soft quarter or a loss, I bet NCL stock drops some as a result as well.

 

Now there you go using logic. Common sense and analysis of world events

 

No place for that on cc. Lol

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[NLH Arizona]

Agree with the folks about the ecigs -They are innocuous - no smell and vapor is gone in seconds.

Sorry to disagree, but yes some do smell and they smell really bad. I wouldn't have a problem with someone smoking an unflavored on on the balcony next to me, but if they smoke one of the ones, like I encountered in Las Vegas, I will be on the phone in a New York minute. The smell was much worse than the smell of a regular cigarette.

[ColinIllinois]

[BayouDoc]

Ohio girl:

I understand completely. I do not smoke but my wife does. She is considerate of others and will only smoke when and where no one else will be impacted. I think the fact that someone would out of confusion complain of someone using an e-cig because they thought they were smoking a real cigarette shows that the for some it is not necessarily that there is any impact on them at all, there is no way the "smoke" could be bothering them, but rather the mere sight is such an offense as to justify restricting someone's behavior. It bothers me that this attitude is so prevalent because in principle it shows that many think that it is appropriate for authorities to mandate social behavior instead of people being polite, civil, and moral on their own. I believe this is a milestone on the road to acceptance of totalitarianism. Freestyle cruising is a little less free now.

[vinnytman]

We didn't ask to "have the right to smoke" I was just saying that was one of the things some in our group wanted to do! Oh My God! I'm sorry I posted anything!

 

Being in the GV doesn't come with privileges...it comes with a very steep price tag, you pay for what you get!

 

Don't worry about the other posters, Sheila. We may be cancelling our GV as well, because we have more smokers travelling with us then non-smokers. And they're not excited about going down to the casino every time they want a cig.

 

I don't know what ship you're on, but on The Star & Dawn, there technically aren't any balconies in the GVs. There's private outdoor space and you're at the top of the ship. No one to bother with smoke. And that's why the people at NCL can't really give me an answer if it will be allowed in the outdoor space or not. I get the feeling they don't have everything figured out yet. I think we should start a GV thread about this and see how many people smokers travel in the GVs.

Edited July 18, 2014 by vinnytman

[KeithJenner]

We didn't ask to "have the right to smoke" I was just saying that was one of the things some in our group wanted to do! Oh My God! I'm sorry I posted anything!

 

Being in the GV doesn't come with privileges...it comes with a very steep price tag, you pay for what you get!

 

Not wanting to get into this really, but you did say "With the money we are spending for the Garden Villa, the 2 of them shouldn't have to run to the casino or some outdoor smoking area when they want to smoke!"

 

I can see why the other posted said what they did. It did read as if you were suggesting that you should get special treatment on this because of the cabin you are in.

[yj2cute]

We didn't ask to "have the right to smoke" I was just saying that was one of the things some in our group wanted to do! Oh My God! I'm sorry I posted anything!

 

Being in the GV doesn't come with privileges...it comes with a very steep price tag, you pay for what you get!

 

Don't get so worked up, with all the !!! and all. I was not trying to attack you. And you're correct. Privileges is not the right term. You have many additional amenities included in your purchase of a GV, things that others won't have. Unfortunately they cannot segregate the higher prices cabins to be able to smoke. It has to be all or none. I can understand why you would be concerned since this new policy isn't something you were planning on, but fortunately it's the new reality. All the smokers will simply have to adapt. I hope you decide to go on your cruise anyway and enjoy your fabulous GV.

 

Not wanting to get into this really, but you did say "With the money we are spending for the Garden Villa, the 2 of them shouldn't have to run to the casino or some outdoor smoking area when they want to smoke!"

 

I can see why the other posted said what they did. It did read as if you were suggesting that you should get special treatment on this because of the cabin you are in.

 

That's exactly how I read it.

Edited July 18, 2014 by yj2cute

[mpk218]

This may be an anomaly here on CC alone , But has anyone else noticed the very high number of smokers who say they will cancel their bookings..

So many of them had suites booked .. Go back and look .. Its very strange .

I think I know the answer to this but it would be speculation only and we certainly dont need any more of that here..

I sure hope NCL took this into consideration when making Their decision ..

Also , Im trying to figure out how NCL came to their conclusion. I dont recall being asked about smoking on any of their after cruise surveys , Do you .. ? Was it all based on phone calls/emails ?

If I were NCL I would take a close look at this for the simple reason CC is a tiny fraction of the cruising public. What do the real numbers translate to ???

 

Just an observation ;)

 

Carry on with the mud slinging..

[goldmom]

With the size of the sun deck on the GV, I can understand that it isn't really a balcony. It is at the top of the ship and I can't see how it would impact others if someone were to smoke up there. We have friends who also book the GV and they smoke, so I'm sure they would also be interested in how this plays out.

 

It may also be that if the rumors of insurance changes is in fact correct and if that is the real reason behind the balcony smoking ban, then it may be possible that NCL doesn't really have an answer about smoking on the GV sun deck yet as they may have to check whatever new insurance guidelines will be put into effect and see if that area meets whatever new mandates are set.

[mpk218]

With the size of the sun deck on the GV, I can understand that it isn't really a balcony. It is at the top of the ship and I can't see how it would impact others if someone were to smoke up there. We have friends who also book the GV and they smoke, so I'm sure they would also be interested in how this plays out.

 

It may also be that if the rumors of insurance changes is in fact correct and if that is the real reason behind the balcony smoking ban, then it may be possible that NCL doesn't really have an answer about smoking on the GV sun deck yet as they may have to check whatever new insurance guidelines will be put into effect and see if that area meets whatever new mandates are set.

 

I can tell you what the "Real Life " policy is going to be in the GV ..(outside).

What ash tray ? I dont see an ash tray .... ;)

 

Any takers ??

[mpk218]

Ok , last one then I really have to work... :D

 

The debate on percentages of smokers to non-smokers .

I agree with the 80/20 in the general public , But not on a cruise ship .

I just recalled that survey that was done here on CC quite a while ago , do remember ?.. Here it is . A bit surprising , No ?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=937097&highlight=smoking+survey

Edited July 18, 2014 by mpk218

[Ilovesailing]

This may be an anomaly here on CC alone , But has anyone else noticed the very high number of smokers who say they will cancel their bookings..

So many of them had suites booked .. Go back and look .. Its very strange

 

I disagree, for every smoker that cancels a non smoker will book. We use to cruise 2/3 times a year and almost all back to back or longer. Since smoking went to balconies only we chose to cruise once a year and land vacation the rest ( happy wife happy life)

this was because of the disgusting smoke and chain smokers we had to deal with on their balconies morning noon and night with the Med cruises being the worst.

[KeithJenner]

Ok , last one then I really have to work... :D

 

The debate on percentages of smokers to non-smokers .

I agree with the 80/20 in the general public , But not on a cruise ship .

I just recalled that survey that was done here on CC quite a while ago , do remember ?.. Here it is . A bit surprising , No ?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=937097&highlight=smoking+survey

 

That poll is quite interesting.

 

It is probably fairly inaccurate because the population was self selecting. I'd imagine smokers are more likely to respond to any thread with smoking in the title for example.

 

However, it wouldn't surprise me if the proportion of smokers on a cruise ship is higher than the general public. I imagine that the presence of the Casino means there are more gamblers on ships than the general public, and there are suggestions (whether true or not I don't know) that gamblers are more likely to smoke.

 

If the proportion of smokers is actually higher onboard than elsewhere then this could be argued at even more of a reason to restrict it. It would certainly be dangerous to be the one cruise line that still allows smoking. Cruise lines are reportedly very reliant on people who don't actually cruise that often, and those people are probably more representative of the general public. Becoming known as the smokers cruise line would be very dangerous if trying to attract them.

[mpk218]

That poll is quite interesting.

 

It is probably fairly inaccurate because the population was self selecting. I'd imagine smokers are more likely to respond to any thread with smoking in the title for example.

 

However, it wouldn't surprise me if the proportion of smokers on a cruise ship is higher than the general public. I imagine that the presence of the Casino means there are more gamblers on ships than the general public, and there are suggestions (whether true or not I don't know) that gamblers are more likely to smoke.

 

If the proportion of smokers is actually higher onboard than elsewhere then this could be argued at even more of a reason to restrict it. It would certainly be dangerous to be the one cruise line that still allows smoking. Cruise lines are reportedly very reliant on people who don't actually cruise that often, and those people are probably more representative of the general public. Becoming known as the smokers cruise line would be very dangerous if trying to attract them.

 

Are you kidding ?? Whenever a smoking thread pops up the non-smokers call in the troops and severely outweigh the smokers both in force and ferocity ..:eek:

[KeithJenner]

Are you kidding ?? Whenever a smoking thread pops up the non-smokers call in the troops and severely outweigh the smokers both in force and ferocity ..:eek:

 

 

Well, unless there are really more smokers on this board than non smokers, the result of that poll would back me up. :)

Edited July 18, 2014 by KeithJenner

[ColinIllinois]

That poll is quite interesting.

 

It is probably fairly inaccurate because the population was self selecting. I'd imagine smokers are more likely to respond to any thread with smoking in the title for example.

 

However, it wouldn't surprise me if the proportion of smokers on a cruise ship is higher than the general public. I imagine that the presence of the Casino means there are more gamblers on ships than the general public, and there are suggestions (whether true or not I don't know) that gamblers are more likely to smoke.

 

If the proportion of smokers is actually higher onboard than elsewhere then this could be argued at even more of a reason to restrict it. It would certainly be dangerous to be the one cruise line that still allows smoking. Cruise lines are reportedly very reliant on people who don't actually cruise that often, and those people are probably more representative of the general public. Becoming known as the smokers cruise line would be very dangerous if trying to attract them.

 

Also, that poll is five years old, had a small participation rate and additionally smoking laws and attitudes have changed immensely during that time.

 

Disclaimer: I have no dog in this fight. :D

[JasonV1]

This board isn't really representative of the average cruiser, especially among those of us who actively post.

 

I'm sure the admins could tell us but in terms of active posters it may be that there are a few thousand people at most who read these threads on a regular basis, and even fewer who contribute. And I'll bet I'm being generous there.

 

Additionally, that survey was done in a NCL thread, and even then only 305 people responded. If you believe the CDC numbers on smoking (20% of US adults), 305 people is far less than the number of smokers you would get on just a single cruise on any NCL boat. Just not a big enough sample size.

 

Ok , last one then I really have to work... :D

 

The debate on percentages of smokers to non-smokers .

I agree with the 80/20 in the general public , But not on a cruise ship .

I just recalled that survey that was done here on CC quite a while ago , do remember ?.. Here it is . A bit surprising , No ?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=937097&highlight=smoking+survey

[smokie36]

I forgot that, DOH.

 

Either way, anyone that jumps on day to day fluctuations in a stock as a sigh of something bad (other than on earnings release days, or some significant incident) has no idea how things really work.

 

Just watch NCL stock on a day where (if) Carnival or Royal announces a soft quarter or a loss, I bet NCL stock drops some as a result as well.

 

Jason, thank you for your invaluable knowledge and insight regarding the stock market. I don't "jump on" to check daily fluctuations - I just don't have the time as I'm too busy chain-smoking.

Sometimes I forget that light sarcasm (from my original post) might be taken so literally on CC.

I hope all have a great weekend!

[vinnytman]

So just because you booked a high priced suite you should be able "to do whatever you want to do"? Policies such as these have to apply to all cabins. They cannot make exceptions just because someone paid a higher fare. You get lots of privileges in your GV, smoking on your balcony just won't be one of them.

 

I don't think the issue has anything to with "doing whatever you want to do." Because the GVs have large private sundecks and NO BALCONIES, like The Star & Dawn, what is the rule? They're private areas at the top of the ship. NCL hasn't addressed the GVs sundecks & outdoor villa area.

 

Those of us who have booked GVs just want clarification from NCL. And they don't have an answer yet. Like I said in a previous post, from the calls I've made to NCL about the GVs sundecks & outdoor villa area, I think they're still trying to figure everything out and we'll probably find out soon.

[KeithJenner]

This board isn't really representative of the average cruiser, especially among those of us who actively post.

 

 

 

I'm sure the admins could tell us but in terms of active posters it may be that there are a few thousand people at most who read these threads on a regular basis, and even fewer who contribute. And I'll bet I'm being generous there.

 

 

 

Additionally, that survey was done in a NCL thread, and even then only 305 people responded. If you believe the CDC numbers on smoking (20% of US adults), 305 people is far less than the number of smokers you would get on just a single cruise on any NCL boat. Just not a big enough sample size.

 

 

You are absolutely correct about this board not being representative. We see examples all the time.

 

The sample size of that poll is certainly too small, and gives a margin of error of 17%. That would still indicate that more than 33% smoke, which is too high. Whilst the size doesn't help, it's the fact that the sample self selected that really causes the inaccuracy.

 

Any poll where people have to actively decide for themselves will be unreliable.

 

 

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[KateQ22003]

With the size of the sun deck on the GV, I can understand that it isn't really a balcony. It is at the top of the ship and I can't see how it would impact others if someone were to smoke up there. We have friends who also book the GV and they smoke, so I'm sure they would also be interested in how this plays out.

 

It may also be that if the rumors of insurance changes is in fact correct and if that is the real reason behind the balcony smoking ban, then it may be possible that NCL doesn't really have an answer about smoking on the GV sun deck yet as they may have to check whatever new insurance guidelines will be put into effect and see if that area meets whatever new mandates are set.

 

Keep in mind there isn't one GV, there are two. Smoking on one side might bother those on the other.

[mpk218]

But it certainly makes a statement does it not ??

Once again take things out of their original context to fit that square peg ..:rolleyes:

 

I think the six year olds that come here after school realize the poll is not representative of the general public .. But it does indicate more cruisers smoke than you thought.. Come on , be honest ..

Statisticians .... What do you think this is , a work Christmas Party..

[rostbp]

I'll put my "2 cents in". I am a gambler and going on a "casino at sea" cruise. Received a free oceanview room. They expect me to play in the casino. BUT, if the smoke is heavier than it has been in the past, I will not be going into the casino. They should at least have a few smoke free casino nights like other cruise lines.

[KeithJenner]

But it does indicate more cruisers smoke than you thought.. Come on , be honest ..

 

 

Nope, not even a little bit. :)