Cigarette smokers on cruise ships

[Mike981]

On 4/10/2019 at 9:07 PM, klfrodo said:

It will happen some day. Probably long after you and I are gone.

 

I smoked for over 30 years. Trying to quit has been the hardest thing Ive ever done.

Patches, meds, everything. Quit for 6 mos and the monkey starts screaming at me. Smoke for a month, get disqusted with myself and quit again. Then the monkey. It’s a never ending nightmare. 

 

I've confidence in you. You can do this.

[davekathy]

On 4/10/2019 at 8:07 PM, klfrodo said:

It will happen some day. Probably long after you and I are gone.

 

I smoked for over 30 years. Trying to quit has been the hardest thing Ive ever done.

Patches, meds, everything. Quit for 6 mos and the monkey starts screaming at me. Smoke for a month, get disqusted with myself and quit again. Then the monkey. It’s a never ending nightmare. 

 

I smoked for 26 years and quit 28 years ago. Cold turkey. You need a motivator and the desire to quit has to be for you and only you.  My motivator was we were on the North Shore (Hawaii) in 1991 and there was a guy hooked up to an oxygen bottle. He removed the tube from his nose, lite up a cigarette and with every drag coughed up a lung. That's when I quit, cold turkey and have never had the desire since. Good luck and I hope you can kick the habit.  One of the best things I ever did. 

[leaveitallbehind]

17 minutes ago, davekathy said:

I smoked for 26 years and quit 28 years ago. Cold turkey. You need a motivator and the desire to quit has to be for you and only you.  My motivator was we were on the North Shore (Hawaii) in 1991 and there was a guy hooked up to an oxygen bottle. He removed the tube from his nose, lite up a cigarette and with every drag coughed up a lung. That's when I quit, cold turkey and have never had the desire since. Good luck and I hope you can kick the habit.  One of the best things I ever did. 

Wow.  Good for you as well!  Agree, one heck of a motivator!

[Mike981]

India appears to be the fastest growing population turning to cigarettes.

 

I never started and I believe the reason is I got the 'you know what' scared out of me when I was 10. I a gentleman I knew used a voice box and always wore a scarf. One day he lifted the scarf and took a cigarette and inserted it into a hole in his neck and took a drag. CRAZY!

[davekathy]

10 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Wow.  Good for you as well!  Agree, one heck of a motivator!

Plus not only having good health but the money I'm saving. More cruises...😀

Edited April 13, 2019 by davekathy

[leaveitallbehind]

4 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Plus not only having good health but the money I'm saving. More cruises...😀

The definition of a real win-win!

[SantaFeFan]

8 hours ago, ontheweb said:

......in too many of those ships, you have to go through the casino to get to other places, often including the main dining room.....

 

There are always ways to get around the ship without going through the casino. I know of zero ships where to get from one end to the other, the only pathway is through the casino. Makes absolutely no sense to claim that there is only one deck on the ship that always has to be used to get from one end to the other. Forcing people to use only one room on only one deck is a safety hazard and a ship would never be allowed to be designed that way. 

 

On all the ships I have ever been on it was quite easy to avoid the casino. Dealing with the smoke in that room is a choice, not a requirement.

Edited April 13, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[cb at sea]

As long as there are still numerous smokers, the cruise lines will provide a place for them to do it.  They don't want to turn away the $$$.  Carnival tried a totally "non-smoking" ship, and it didn't work well.

 

There are more areas for non-smokers than for smokers.  Just steer clear of the smoking areas.  Some lines even do "smoke-free" nights in the casino...so it is getting better.

[SantaFeFan]

1 hour ago, cb at sea said:

.....Carnival tried a totally "non-smoking" ship, and it didn't work well.....

 

That was over twenty years ago! Things are much different today. Trends are down, fewer and fewer places still allow it, and there is much more awareness. Using an experiment that occurred so long ago to argue that it can't work today is not relevant in today's environment. 

Edited April 14, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[OCruisers]

The stats do not include those who cruise with a SO or friends/family  who still smoke or fume.  

Not very likely to cruise on a ship that was TOTALLY non smoking.  

 

 

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 4/12/2019 at 8:28 PM, lenquixote66 said:

In my humble opinion smoking should be banned on every ship .People fail to realize that they are killing themselves and others. Too many friends of mine laughed at the idea and have died from lung cancer.

 

 

I prefer freedom.

- a non-smoker

[tip]

And I prefer the freedom NOT to breathe second hand smoke.

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

There are always ways to get around the ship without going through the casino. I know of zero ships where to get from one end to the other, the only pathway is through the casino. Makes absolutely no sense to claim that there is only one deck on the ship that always has to be used to get from one end to the other. Forcing people to use only one room on only one deck is a safety hazard and a ship would never be allowed to be designed that way. 

 

On all the ships I have ever been on it was quite easy to avoid the casino. Dealing with the smoke in that room is a choice, not a requirement.

When I mentioned the casino as a smoking area, I was responding to another poster who said the cruise lines had limited smoking to just a very few outside areas. IMHO, having to avoid smoke  to get to places within the ship is not consistent with limiting smoke. It should not be an obstacle course to avoid those areas.

 

It is sort of like saving the environment by getting rid of straws and pens while doing illegal dumping in Glacier Bay. 

[SantaFeFan]

4 hours ago, tip said:

And I prefer the freedom NOT to breathe second hand smoke.

 

Same here, and I never have to. It is very easy to do so. 

 

Not sure why avoiding second hand smoke is so difficult for you. 

[Joebucks]

14 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

That was over twenty years ago! Things are much different today. Trends are down, fewer and fewer places still allow it, and there is much more awareness. Using an experiment that occurred so long ago to argue that it can't work today is not relevant in today's environment. 

 

There are many studies out there that show how much gambling and smoking go hand in hand. Many are afraid to admit how some just have addictive tendencies. Gambling is big money to be made. You have people literally willing to sit there and hand you money for hours on end and you're going to get rid of that because of a few people who just "can't avoid the smoke"? They tried it out because of the claim that it would be better for the cruise line's interest. Yet here we are today with nearly all cruise lines still offering it, Vegas still offering it, etc etc. It's there for a reason. The casinos know more about the casino business than a few internet experts.

 

Here's one article. There are tons out there.

 

http://www.ncpgambling.org/files/public/GamblingSmoking.pdf

 

GAMBLING AND SMOKING
• Gamblers have high rates of tobacco use and there is a linear
relationship between gambling severity and both smoking frequency
and nicotine dependency (Rodda et al. 2004)
• New Zealand study showed 58% of problem gamblers were daily
smokers versus 22% of non-problem gamblers (Ministry of Health
2006)
• Gamblers who smoked daily gambled more days and spent more
money than non-daily smokers. They craved gambling more and
had lower perceived control over gambling (Petry & Oricken 2002)
• 41.6% of heavy gamblers are smokers versus 30.1% of recreation
smokers and 21.3% of non smokers (Smith & Ferris, 1996)

 

[SantaFeFan]

Just now, Joebucks said:

 

There are many studies out there that show how much gambling and smoking go hand in hand. Many are afraid to admit how some just have addictive tendencies. Gambling is big money to be made. You have people literally willing to sit there and hand you money for hours on end and you're going to get rid of that because of a few people who just "can't avoid the smoke"? They tried it out because of the claim that it would be better for the cruise line's interest. Yet here we are today with nearly all cruise lines still offering it, Vegas still offering it, etc etc. It's there for a reason. The casinos know more about the casino business than a few internet experts.

 

Celebrity eliminated smoking in their casinos 10 years ago and they are doing quite well, with four industry leading ships just launched or under construction. They have proven that it can work. I think they know quite a lot about the cruise business. Which, considering they are a cruise line, is much more important than knowing about the casino business. 

[Toofarfromthesea]

4 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

Same here, and I never have to. It is very easy to do so. 

 

Not sure why avoiding second hand smoke is so difficult for you. 

 

Because it is easier, and more in keeping with the times, to just play the victim rather than just avoiding the situation.

[Velvetwater]

 

Stick the smokers in a room on a lower less public deck or near the funnel at the very top.

 

That way those that enjoy our health and fresh air can wander the ship and it's outdoor decks without the worry of cancer stick fumes.

 

I find bizarre that some lines allow smoking indoors in the casino where it pollutes the rest of the public decks around it.

[SantaFeFan]

40 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Because it is easier, and more in keeping with the times, to just play the victim rather than just avoiding the situation.

 

Makes one wonder how they survive out in the wild when the simple task of avoiding 2nd hand smoke on a cruise ship is so much of a challenge. 

[SRF]

On 4/10/2019 at 6:13 PM, navybankerteacher said:

Smoking has been steadily declining since the mid 1960’s when health warnings were required on packs and TV advertising stopped.  In 2000 about 23% of US adults still smoked;  in 2005 it had dropped to just above 20%;  by 2016 the rate had fallen to just over 15%.

 

At what point do you feel mass market lines will decide they have more to gain from accommodating non-smokers than they will lose by turning away smokers?

 

As long as non-smokers do not care, the lines will probably not want to turn away as much as 10% if potential market;  but if smokers drop to about 5%, it is very likely that a greater number of non-smokers will see it as a make-or-break matter — and will avoid ships which permit any smoking.

 

At what percentage do you think that tipping  point is likely to occur?

 

The overall smoking rate has nothing to do with it.

 

What DOES matter, is the smoking percentage of cruising passengers.   And based on our last cruise (just got off the ship yesterday), a fairly high number on board smoke.

 

I could see further restricting or eliminating smoking indoors, but not banning it entirely on the mass market lines.

 

For indoors, maybe they need to plan on smoking booths like you see in airports in Europe.

[Bookish Angel]

On April 13, 2019 at 2:57 PM, Mike981 said:

I've confidence in you. You can do this.

MIke 981, that was such a kind thing to say.   The world needs more encouragers.

 

klfrodo, you might benefit from reading Michael Pollan's recent book How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence.  There is some compelling info about the use of psychedelics for smoking cessation.  Sending you stop smoking vibes!

 

I don't smoke but find it quite easy to avoid second-hand smoke.

Edited April 19, 2019 by Bookish Angel