Single Smoking Thread (Use for all smoking discussions on HAL) )

[jsn55]

5 hours ago, Mountainduo said:

Maybe in your universe it never moved.  The universe I live in, as well as 2800 other passengers last week, it had moved.

 

I was on the Rotterdam last week, and without question the smoking area was on the port side, away from the Sea View Bar.  I don't drink, but I do smoke.  And I KNOW where I was smoking last week......port side.  I am continuing this week, and it is back on the starboard side, as it had been on all my previous Rotterdam cruises.

The cruiseline wanted to see how many people noticed, and how many people cared.  I get a big charge out of all this.  When you board a ship, go find the smoking area.  What a challenge!!

[Ipeeinthepools]

5 hours ago, Mountainduo said:

Maybe in your universe it never moved.  The universe I live in, as well as 2800 other passengers last week, it had moved.

 

I was on the Rotterdam last week, and without question the smoking area was on the port side, away from the Sea View Bar.  I don't drink, but I do smoke.  And I KNOW where I was smoking last week......port side.  I am continuing this week, and it is back on the starboard side, as it had been on all my previous Rotterdam cruises.

 

Perhaps there was some maintenance or construction they needed to do on starboard side last week so they moved it to the port side for the week.  Thanks for your observations.     

[SUESEABE]

12 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Perhaps there was some maintenance or construction they needed to do on starboard side last week so they moved it to the port side for the week.  Thanks for your observations.    

The information I read on another post by a passenger of the Rotterdam who was told by a crew member that  the smoking section on the Lido deck moved to the other side of the pool (the port side) in an attempt to make the Sea View Bar smoke-free. Apparently the trial failed.

[ZN1300]

On 7/22/2024 at 10:31 PM, jsn55 said:

But why would anyone visit a bar close to a smoking area if smoking bothers them?  Not like there aren't many other choices.  I'm not being snide, I'm just curious.

Why do people smoke? I used to smoke but the COPD got so bad I needed major surgery. Now I don't want to breath nasty smoke at all.

[Wayward Son]

I just boarded the Rotterdam. The smoking section at the Sea View bar is nearly standing room only. If I were to extrapolate, I would say at least 15% of the passengers on this ship smoke. Obviously, if they are confined to one small area of the ship, that area is going to expand. That's just the way it is.

[HamOp]

14 hours ago, ZN1300 said:

Why do people smoke? I used to smoke but the COPD got so bad I needed major surgery. Now I don't want to breath nasty smoke at all.

People smoke for several reasons.  Some started when they were younger and it was cool and socially acceptable.  Some find it relaxing.  No doubt many smokers would like to quit, but the addiction of nicotine is too strong.

I'm guessing that the "nasty" smoke you speak of, was not nasty when you were a smoker.

[ZN1300]

8 hours ago, HamOp said:

People smoke for several reasons.  Some started when they were younger and it was cool and socially acceptable.  Some find it relaxing.  No doubt many smokers would like to quit, but the addiction of nicotine is too strong.

I'm guessing that the "nasty" smoke you speak of, was not nasty when you were a smoker.

People smoke because they are addicted. I know it's hard to quit. I did it about 25 years ago. If you want to you can do it. When you do, you'll see how much of a filthy habit it was. If you keep smoking, you will be "relaxing" in a grave many years too soon. I posted a picture of myself after the surgery I had to go through because of smoking, but it was taken down. I guess no one wants to see reality. I didn't even post a picture of my scars.

[IAcruising]

16 hours ago, ZN1300 said:

I posted a picture of myself after the surgery I had to go through because of smoking, but it was taken down. I guess no one wants to see reality.

 

Your reality is your own and bears no resemblance to mine. You should consider that other's opinions are different, and not to paint the world with such a broad brush

[ZN1300]

1 hour ago, IAcruising said:

 

Your reality is your own and bears no resemblance to mine. You should consider that other's opinions are different, and not to paint the world with such a broad brush

I like to relax with clean sea air, not noxious tobacco smoke. You can keep smoking, I don't care. Your reality is clouded by smoke.

[KroozNut]

44 minutes ago, ZN1300 said:

I like to relax with clean sea air, not noxious tobacco smoke.

 

I'm curious if you felt this same way 25 years ago when you were still smoking.

[HamOp]

16 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

 

I'm curious if you felt this same way 25 years ago when you were still smoking.

I have found the most rabid and vocal anti-smoker to be the former smoker who has quit.

[IAcruising]

1 hour ago, ZN1300 said:

I like to relax with clean sea air, not noxious tobacco smoke. 

 

 

Are you saying you cannot on a Holland America cruise?

 

Edited August 4 by IAcruising

[Ipeeinthepools]

13 minutes ago, IAcruising said:

 

 

Are you saying you cannot on a Holland America cruise?

 

You can't at the Sea View Bar if you want clean sea air.

[KroozNut]

57 minutes ago, HamOp said:

I have found the most rabid and vocal anti-smoker to be the former smoker who has quit.

 

You're right.. I'm one of those former smokers (quit 12 years ago), and I continue to be amazed by many of comments in this discussion.

[kirkc]

As a person who quit 30+ years ago I have to say that in retrospect it was a pretty vile habit. Everything smelled like smoke. Really glad I quit. You just have to have the mindset to change.  So much profound evidence that it will be harmful and now the cost. It’s over $8 a pack now.

 

With regard to smoking on ships…I really wish it was banned from all area inside the ship. On the Rotterdam smoke from the casino drifts down the stairs into the music venue. This makes the area  unusable for lots of passengers by subjecting them to secondhand smoke.

[IAcruising]

1 hour ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

You can't at the Sea View Bar if you want clean sea air.

 

Ok.

[IAcruising]

2 hours ago, kirkc said:

On the Rotterdam smoke from the casino drifts down the stairs into the music venue. This makes the area  unusable for lots of passengers by subjecting them to secondhand smoke.

 

This is categorically untrue as of today. There is no smoke smell at all on deck 2. Mrs. IA, my non-smoking wife as my witness. She hates it. I would hear about it. 

 

[kirkc]

If it is untrue I’d love to know how they fixed the issue. I’ll check for myself in November.

[*Miss G*]

42 minutes ago, kirkc said:

If it is untrue I’d love to know how they fixed the issue. I’ll check for myself in November.

 

We spent pretty much every evening in the piano bar in April/May and never smelt a thing.  (And there were a lot of sea days as part of it was a transatlantic.) I suppose it could be explained away by saying there were not many smokers on the ship but I didn’t pay attention to whether there were or not.  I was too busy enjoying my cruise!

[IAcruising]

13 hours ago, kirkc said:

If it is untrue I’d love to know how they fixed the issue. I’ll check for myself in November.

 

Only about 1/3 of the casino is currently smoking. Perhaps that's changed recently? I am a little upset that there are no video poker machines in the smoking area. 

 

[terrydtx]

17 hours ago, kirkc said:

With regard to smoking on ships…I really wish it was banned from all area inside the ship. On the Rotterdam smoke from the casino drifts down the stairs into the music venue. This makes the area  unusable for lots of passengers by subjecting them to secondhand smoke.

This was the same on the Koningsdam last November. This was a 7day California Coastal cruise and I have never seen so many smokers as were on this cruise. It was impossible to get anywhere near the casino with all of the smoke. The Seaview bar was also full of smokers every day making it impossible for us to enjoy.

[jsn55]

19 hours ago, kirkc said:

As a person who quit 30+ years ago I have to say that in retrospect it was a pretty vile habit. Everything smelled like smoke. Really glad I quit. You just have to have the mindset to change.  So much profound evidence that it will be harmful and now the cost. It’s over $8 a pack now.

 

With regard to smoking on ships…I really wish it was banned from all area inside the ship. On the Rotterdam smoke from the casino drifts down the stairs into the music venue. This makes the area  unusable for lots of passengers by subjecting them to secondhand smoke.

I couldn't agree more.  I'm a smoker and see clearly that there's no reason in the world for smoking inside a ship.  If the cruiselines really were smart, they'd set up a mini-casino in a hermetically-sealed room somewhere and let people smoke away.  Otherwise, just go outside, guys, it's a no-brainer.  

Edited August 5 by jsn55

[mightycruisequeen]

1 hour ago, jsn55 said:

I couldn't agree more.  I'm a smoker and see clearly that there's no reason in the world for smoking inside a ship.  If the cruiselines really were smart, they'd set up a mini-casino in a hermetically-sealed room somewhere and let people smoke away.  Otherwise, just go outside, guys, it's a no-brainer.  

I really, really like the hermetically sealed room idea.  A place for the smokers to smoke all they want, with no impact to anyone else!

 

[IAcruising]

4 minutes ago, mightycruisequeen said:

I really, really like the hermetically sealed room idea.  A place for the smokers to smoke all they want, with no impact to anyone else!

 

 

They are doing that on NCL ships. Unless you happen to walk by at exactly the moment the door opens, you can't smell a thing In the casino. It seems to work.

 

[scooter6139]

8 minutes ago, IAcruising said:

 

They are doing that on NCL ships. Unless you happen to walk by at exactly the moment the door opens, you can't smell a thing In the casino. It seems to work.

 

I've come across a few morons standing there, smoking, with the door open, as they peer inside as if trying to decide to enter or not.   🙄