Is It Time For a 100% Smoke-Free Cruise?

[chengkp75]

That and also the possibility of someone causing a fire onboard the ship with their cigarette. Honestly, I am very concerned about the possibility of a fire at sea and this, even more than the health issue, makes me want to sail on a non-smoking cruise ship. For both of these reasons, any cruise line that switched to No Smoking at all would have my patronage in a heartbeat.

 

I was thinking about how cruising has changed. It used to be that most cruisers were adults. But with the types of cruises we have nowadays - extremely family oriented on NCL, RCCL and Disney, and many people nowadays are very health oriented, I'm really surprised that some of these lines have not switched to non smoking.

 

I've got to say that in my experience, and from data I've seen, fires at sea caused by cigarettes are rare, and when they do happen, they tend to be very small, unlike those on land. Even the Star Princess, which is dragged out by the anti-smoking groups (I don't smoke, by the way), was not proved to be caused by a cigarette, but only that it was assumed to be a cigarette, as no other cause could be determined. While I have experienced several fires onboard ships, and a few on cruise ships, none have ever been from cigarettes.

Edited November 16, 2015 by chengkp75

[Donray]

Guess no one remembers Renaissance Cruise line with R ships. They were both smoke free and no one under 18 free.

 

Went broke because of 9/11.

Edited November 16, 2015 by Donray

[cruisemom42]

I'm not a smoker but it doesn't matter at all to me if a ship is entirely nonsmoking or just mostly nonsmoking.

 

For those who advocate only outdoor smoking areas, what are smokers to do in rough weather when outdoor decks are closed? It may not be so common in the Caribbean but certainly does occur with some frequency in other areas.

[AmazedByCruising]

Just got to agree with the bolded portion of Steve's post. While every CC member calls out the casino as the boogey-man of smoke, you haven't been in crew bar during hours of operation. It makes the casino look like a NIH clean room. While smoking in the US has dropped, I don't believe that it has changed much overseas in the Philippines, Indonesia, or Easter Europe, where much of the crew come from.

 

IMHO, the question is whether guests wanting to go on a 100% smoke-free cruise would object if the crew did smoke out of sight and out of smell. I've never seen crew members smoke, but probably a majority does. Like, would a large percentage of vegetarians stay away from a vegetarian restaurant after finding out that the cook or waiter eats meat at home? Also, nobody objects to crew being in uniform on a clothes-optional cruise.

 

I started a thread a year ago about this, and the main problem with a previous attempt seemed to be the crew, and then some bad marketing.

[chengkp75]

IMHO, the question is whether guests wanting to go on a 100% smoke-free cruise would object if the crew did smoke out of sight and out of smell. I've never seen crew members smoke, but probably a majority does. Like, would a large percentage of vegetarians stay away from a vegetarian restaurant after finding out that the cook or waiter eats meat at home? Also, nobody objects to crew being in uniform on a clothes-optional cruise.

 

I started a thread a year ago about this, and the main problem with a previous attempt seemed to be the crew, and then some bad marketing.

 

The big problem is making the crew areas "out of smell" short of redesigning the entire ship's ventilation system. The ventilation system is subdivided into "vertical fire zones", so that all decks, both crew and passenger, within a fire zone share a pretty much common ventilation system. So, unless you restricted crew smoking to limited areas, like the passengers, each fire zone would get some smoke co-mingling.

 

While it is actually a safety issue regarding clothes for crew, and I know you're being tongue in cheek, I have had instances where LGBT cruises have complained that there were too many crew of the opposite sex.

[CoffeHound]

I am a smoker and have tried many times to quit and failed yes I am a failure.

 

I am from the UK and so therefore I am very used to smoking outside only, I do think that cruiseships could ban smoking in the inside spaces as long as they provide a small outside space to smoke or a few outside spaces.Hopefully this would satisfy the non smokers

 

An observation from my last cruise on Oasis in September was that the smoking side of the casion was horrible choking smokey and yes I am a smoker, but was packed out every night. The non smoking side was virtually empty ever night so not sure what conclusions can be drawn from this.

 

Personally, my conclusion is, that similar to myself, many non-smokers found the smell of smoke very objectionable on the "non-smoking" side and thus avoided the casino. This was my experience on the Grand Princess in September and was one of the things that made me really miss Celebrity's no inside smoking policy.

 

BTW it is not only smokers who drink and gamble- I love to do both but Princess did not get any of my money on my last cruise because it was so unpleasant in the casino for me.

 

I would LOVE a 100% non-smoking ship but would more than happily settle for no smoking indoors and smoking confined to outdoor spaces that are limited and hopefully avoidable by me.

[Cruisin' Chick]

How quaint that people trot out this chestnut as an argument. :rolleyes:

 

Carnival tried it almost two decades ago (1998, to be precise) when smoking restrictions were not even close to what they are now in almost every American city, and many major European cities. It was a good idea way ahead of it's time.

 

Today, there is much more awareness of the dangers of smoking, both first hand and second hand, and societal norms have moved solidly towards heavily restricting where smoking is allowed. Rare is the restaurant, cocktail lounge, and bar where smoking is allowed. Most hotels ban smoking in all areas. Even public areas are seeing more and more restrictions.

 

Plus, only about 18% of Americans still smoke, and the percentages of smoking in many developed countries are dropping rapidly as people become educated on the dangers.

 

So, cb-at-sea, trotting out that old statistic is a fools errand. I strongly believe that a totally non smoking ship would do just fine today. The fact is that the cruise lines that restrict smoking the most have done quite well. Celebrity was one of the first lines to ban smoking in all inside areas, and they saw a jump in bookings immediately after the new policy was announced. That certainly wasn't what the naysayers predicted.

 

Times have changed. Some people are dinosaurs when it comes to their defense of smoking. :rolleyes:

 

The problem is the smoke travels to the non smoking side chasing away those non smokers who don't want to deal with it. We would definitely go to the casino much more if it were completely non smoking (look at Celebrity, the casino revenue has supposedly gone up since they went non smoking!) so any data you get now will be flawed. We try on our cruises and sometimes stay, sometimes not depends on the crowds in there.

 

As for the original question, while I would love to see a non smoking ship I don't think it will happen for a long time yet. Too many families that have one smoker in them that will keep them all away. Its not like a flight that is a set amount of hours, it is days where they would be restricted. I can see smoking areas getting smaller and smaller, but never going away altogether.

 

As for the Paradise, the other problem I heard was that it did the same itineraries over and over so people who like to change it up a bit didn't have an option. It was do the same cruise again and again for the non smoking aspect.

 

I notice that over and over again people will say that the Paradise's no smoking policy was a failure. But as I said in a previous post, I think much of the problem was the lack of proper marketing. If TAs didn't know about it at the time, either Carnival wasn't getting the word out to them or TAs weren't keeping up with the trade news.

 

Personally I'm not going to willingly sit in a room such as a casino that is partially smoking. And unless the crew can work miracles on the days that smoking is banned in a casino where people were smoking the day before, there's still going to be a noticeable smell. We have walked into a hotel room that obviously had been smoked in and have to leave to go to the front desk to demand a different room.

 

The smoking rate has definitely decreased since our cruise on the Paradise. I imagine that the number of new smokers hasn't been that much to offset those who have quit. Maybe in ten or so years, cruise lines will be happily offering non-smoking cruises.

[SuiteTraveler]

For those who advocate only outdoor smoking areas, what are smokers to do in rough weather when outdoor decks are closed? It may not be so common in the Caribbean but certainly does occur with some frequency in other areas.

 

The same thing they do on long international flights - not smoke.

[tip]

To answer the OP's question, yes not only is it time, but it is way overdue!

 

As to those who try to use the, "It has been tried before and did not work" excuse, it is now fifteen years later. In case you did not notice, times are a changing!

[flamomo]

A 100% smoke-free / tobacco-free cruise ship is a silly idea, particularly when one considers the small percentage of users of tobacco products as compared to the number of non-users these days. The number of places on cruise ships where smoking is allowed are very few, and mostly outdoors, where they can be avoided by those offended by a whiff of smoke. So why would it be necessary to dedicate an entire ship to non-smokers?

[Davebhoy]

None of the direct members of my family smoke so making a cruise 100% smoke free would be ok by us, but we've never had a particularly bad experience that would make it a big selling point for us.

 

I'm happy enough with the cruiselines providing decent facilities both indoor and outdoor to keep the smokers happy although I expect the areas will continue to shrink as the number of smokers reduces. I'm also happy enough to ask anyone smoking in the 'wrong' area to put it out, but not a problem Ive ran into too often.

[AmazedByCruising]

The big problem is making the crew areas "out of smell" short of redesigning the entire ship's ventilation system. The ventilation system is subdivided into "vertical fire zones", so that all decks, both crew and passenger, within a fire zone share a pretty much common ventilation system. So, unless you restricted crew smoking to limited areas, like the passengers, each fire zone would get some smoke co-mingling.

 

While it is actually a safety issue regarding clothes for crew, and I know you're being tongue in cheek, I have had instances where LGBT cruises have complained that there were too many crew of the opposite sex.

 

LOL. I wonder how those conversations at guest relations went. "I kind of expected the crew, you know, see it's just that, well...". "This is not a brothel sir". "Yeah I know, but still..".

 

More serious, what's the problem with restricting smoking areas for crew? As a smoking passenger I don't mind either.

[chengkp75]

LOL. I wonder how those conversations at guest relations went. "I kind of expected the crew, you know, see it's just that, well...". "This is not a brothel sir". "Yeah I know, but still..".

 

More serious, what's the problem with restricting smoking areas for crew? As a smoking passenger I don't mind either.

 

The more that smoking areas for crew are restricted, you get into the situation we started talking about, where you are restricting the pool of crew who will sail on the ship. As I've said, most crew come from countries where smoking is not restricted, and they would not want to spend months at a time in an environment where it is. Since they are not allowed to smoke during work hours, and they are "on call" for emergencies when off duty, so they feel that their living conditions should be as free of restrictions as possible, given the safety requirements of life at sea. And certain areas of the crew spaces are already restricted, like the mess halls.

[Velvetwater]

It would be fantastic.

 

Times are different now and soceity is more health concious. However I would still cruise for ports first.

[crabbdock]

Yes smokers have declined in the US, but have risen world wide. More people smoke now then ever. 1 out of ever 3 humans, still smoke world wide, and most cruise companies travel world wide, not just in the US.

And really, how many of the ones who want a non smoking cruise, will pick it just because it is non smoking?? There are already ships that have very limited smoking, why aren't the non smokers sailing those?? Because of price and itineraries!!! So the non smokers would still be on the ships that have more smoking areas, and still complaining!!!

 

Myself.. Im ready for a ship that allows only smokers, and we can smoke all over, now that's one I would sail on.. No dirty looks, no having to get up in the morning, get dressed, and walk forever just to get to a smoking area.. That might be wet and cold...

I know as a smoker, the first thing I do when considering a ship, is where are the smoking areas.. So I do believe a smokers only ship would do very well...

Now, I would love to see the companies do a better job at dividing the smoking areas. Why cant we have a bar/casino on one end that is for smokers, and one on the other end for non smokers?? I know I would hang out there a lot more and spend more money, and so would the non smokers.. I don't go to the casino now because I hate the dirty looks I get for smoking. But if I had a bar and dance floor in the same room as a casino, that would get me to play..lol

[Bonnie J.]

Crew have a smoke 'room'. On a behind the scene tour we went to the smokers room on a ship and the open deck in the very back of Fantasy Class ships is for smokers. It is the deck below the Serenity deck but you never smell the smoke.

[sloopsailor]

Yes smokers have declined in the US, but have risen world wide. More people smoke now then ever. 1 out of ever 3 humans, still smoke world wide, and most cruise companies travel world wide, not just in the US......

 

That statistic is quite the red herring. True, reports are that smoking is slightly on the rise worldwide. But only in poor, third world countries. All the developed countries that have a rich enough economy that it's residents can afford to cruise have seen significant drops in smoking in the last decade.

 

Since it's people from the more affluent countries with dropping smoking rates who spend money on cruising, it is no risk to the cruise lines with restrictive smoking policies that smoking is increasing in the demographics that can't afford to spend their meager income on a cruise.

 

Let's keep the facts relevant and not spin them to make an invalid point.

 

Myself.. Im ready for a ship that allows only smokers, and we can smoke all over, now that's one I would sail on.. No dirty looks, no having to get up in the morning, get dressed, and walk forever just to get to a smoking area.. That might be wet and cold...

I know as a smoker, the first thing I do when considering a ship, is where are the smoking areas.. So I do believe a smokers only ship would do very well....

 

The fact that the first thing you do when considering a ship is where the smoking areas are makes it quite clear why you trot out such dubious statistics in the first place. I pity you that your first decision is on where the smoking ares are rather than on the itinerary or the other amenities of the ship. :rolleyes:

Edited November 18, 2015 by sloopsailor

[Doug S]

That statistic is quite the red herring. True, reports are that smoking is slightly on the rise worldwide. But only in poor, third world countries. All the developed countries that have a rich enough economy that it's residents can afford to cruise have seen significant drops in smoking in the last decade.

 

Since it's people from the more affluent countries with dropping smoking rates who spend money on cruising, it is no risk to the cruise lines with restrictive smoking policies that smoking is increasing in the demographics that can't afford to spend their meager income on a cruise.

 

Let's keep the facts relevant and not spin them to make an invalid point.

 

I agree with you in most cases, but I do know the Asian market is pretty smoke heavy and would be an exception. One reason I am not interested in an Asian market cruise. Not interested in dealing with the stench.

[SantaFeFan]

I agree with you in most cases, but I do know the Asian market is pretty smoke heavy and would be an exception. One reason I am not interested in an Asian market cruise. Not interested in dealing with the stench.

 

We cruised from Singapore to Hong Kong in February this year on Celebrity. Never had an issue with smokers on board. Even the smoking areas were not that busy. I dob't recall seeing a large number of Asians aboard. I suspect that the majority of passengers were not from Asia, but from the US, Canada, Australia and Europe.

 

We spent a week on land prior to our cruise, visiting Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia. Never had issues with being near local people smoking. There were some, but didn't seem to be that many. Of course, we were mostly in areas that tourists would visit, which may be the reason fewer smokers were evident.

Edited November 18, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[SteveH2508]

I agree with you in most cases, but I do know the Asian market is pretty smoke heavy and would be an exception. One reason I am not interested in an Asian market cruise. Not interested in dealing with the stench.

 

So let me get this straight - you are going to write off cruising to a large part of the world (some very interesting parts), because you might get a whiff of tobacco smoke?:confused:

[moniquet]

A list here of smokers in each country. Greece is the top. Just so you can plan your trip:D

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_cigarette_consumption_per_capita

[sgb]

If I had the opportunity to cruise to see other parts of the world for their culture and beauty, I would jump at the chance. I can always walk away from smoke, but if I accidentally got around smoke, than I can always shower. But, I would never turn down that opportunity....life is just to short not to enjoy it. I guess I have been blessed that smoking from other people has not bothered me, just to busy enjoying life.

[SantaFeFan]

A list here of smokers in each country. Greece is the top. Just so you can plan your trip:D

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_cigarette_consumption_per_capita

 

Interesting list. It is noteworthy that contrary to what Doug S claims, many Asian countries appear to smoke LESS than the Unites States, where he is from. The majority of Asian countries smoke less, including Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, to name a few. And some significantly less. Japan and China do smoke more, but they aren't the bulk of Asian peoples.

 

That stereotypical myth that Asians smoke more is false.

[chengkp75]

Interesting Japan and China do smoke more, but they aren't the bulk of Asian peoples.

 

That stereotypical myth that Asians smoke more is false.

 

China isn't the "bulk" of Asian peoples? They are the bulk of the world's people. :p

[Bigdasher]

No it is not acceptable to ostracise smokers like this. If we are going to have smoke free cruises, then perhaps we ought to have alcohol free cruises too. The public health cost of alcohol and its externalities far outweighs that of cigarette smoking, but alcohol drinking is so socially acceptable ( in fact you are viewed as having something wrong with you if you don't drink), whereas if you smoke, you are treated like a leper.

 

And by the way, I am not a smoker