Smoking is back in the casino

[cruisingguy007]

4 hours ago, PittsburghGirlee said:

Hey...I'll stay out of the casino with my stinky cigs if I can go back to smoking on my balcony in an open air environment .  For the love of everything holly...where did all those smoke balcony complainers think us smokers were going to go.  Not to mention that not everyone even has a balcony to smoke on. 

 

Be carful what you wish for....you just may get it!!

 

Oh  yeah, cruise on the MG, there are very little places you can smoke and less than 80 machines are in the smoking area.  There are also specific non smoking closed off rooms for you to peacefully enjoy your casino experience.

 

Just hang out in the smoking sections and skip the casino altogether. This whole tossing a bone "while actively gambling" BS and removing the casino bars is a clear signal that they only want you to put money in the machines and on the tables and will "allow/tolerate" you smoking as long as you are doing that only, no taking a break, grabbing a drink and having a smoke. Skipping the donations altogether will send a clearer message than letting them use you for donations and clearly not giving a crap about your overall cruise experience. No need for cheers either if you don't have a place to enjoy it in the evenings when it gets cold in the limited outdoor smoking areas. When you feel deprioritized and marginalized, you should respond accordingly. I know I will.

[staceyglow]

5 hours ago, PittsburghGirlee said:

Hey...I'll stay out of the casino with my stinky cigs if I can go back to smoking on my balcony in an open air environment .  For the love of everything holly...where did all those smoke balcony complainers think us smokers were going to go.  Not to mention that not everyone even has a balcony to smoke on. 

 

Be carful what you wish for....you just may get it!!

 

Oh  yeah, cruise on the MG, there are very little places you can smoke and less than 80 machines are in the smoking area.  There are also specific non smoking closed off rooms for you to peacefully enjoy your casino experience.

You have several options when you are a smoker

1. Casino

2. Designated outdoor smoking area

3. Nicotine patches or gum

4. Quit

 

If your carcinogenic, smelly smoke wafts over into my balcony, my choice is to either put up with it or leave my balcony, that I paid for just as much as you paid for yours.

[iluvthe-c]

Just to confirm:  The last Carnival cruise I was on was in 2018 or 2019.  We were very disappointed to find out that the lounge/disco allowed smoking after 10 p.m.  It was a totally enclosed space, one door.  Am I correct to assume from this thread that smoking is no longer allowed anywhere or anytime inside a Carnival ship other that the Casino?

Looking at a 2024 Panama Canal cruise and would consider Carnival if this was the case.  It was the one thing we hated about that cruise.  We don't gamble so allowed smoking in the Casino is not a major deterrent for us.

 

 

[ledges1]

2 minutes ago, iluvthe-c said:

Just to confirm:  The last Carnival cruise I was on was in 2018 or 2019.  We were very disappointed to find out that the lounge/disco allowed smoking after 10 p.m.  It was a totally enclosed space, one door.  Am I correct to assume from this thread that smoking is no longer allowed anywhere or anytime inside a Carnival ship other that the Casino?

Looking at a 2024 Panama Canal cruise and would consider Carnival if this was the case.  It was the one thing we hated about that cruise.  We don't gamble so allowed smoking in the Casino is not a major deterrent for us.

 

 

Currently only active players can smoke. There is no smoking at the casino bar. All others must go outside to designated smoking areas.

[BlerkOne]

On 3/14/2022 at 5:57 PM, staceyglow said:

If your carcinogenic, smelly smoke wafts over into my balcony, my choice is to either put up with it or leave my balcony, that I paid for just as much as you paid for yours.

Option C) Call Security

[mz-s]

1 hour ago, iluvthe-c said:

Just to confirm:  The last Carnival cruise I was on was in 2018 or 2019.  We were very disappointed to find out that the lounge/disco allowed smoking after 10 p.m.  It was a totally enclosed space, one door.  Am I correct to assume from this thread that smoking is no longer allowed anywhere or anytime inside a Carnival ship other that the Casino?

Looking at a 2024 Panama Canal cruise and would consider Carnival if this was the case.  It was the one thing we hated about that cruise.  We don't gamble so allowed smoking in the Casino is not a major deterrent for us.

 

 

 

Right, the discos on Carnival ships are nonsmoking now. This was a relatively recent change as you noted. Only the Casino "when actively playing" and the outdoor smoking section(s) at this point.

[PattyADifer]

I was so hoping smoking would never come back to indoor casino. Guess I am back to washing my hair every night when get back too room. Years ago, when we first started cruising, some ships had gaming tables in pool area. I can deal with the smoking there.

[64funwhisper]

I was on the Magic from Feb 26th till March 12th everytime I went down to the no smoking annex there was no more than 4 People in there it felt like a dungeon so people you have an option use it or stop complaining 

[roguebandit]

We were on the Breeze in September and kept catching people vaping in the non smoking anex that did not have a crap table. So had to play in the main smoking casino. Nothing is perfect.

[Deathloks]

Hum...was on the Vista in December and the (non-smoking) casino was dead for most of the week.  The only time it wasn't, was people walking around not playing much.  One table game filled on some nights, but usually over by 11 PM.  That being said, all this is simple math.  It's a casino.  What's the purpose of a casino ?  To make money.  When we talk CCL we are talking about 20B $ /year revenue.  Of that, 73-75% comes from tickets (including fly2fun, transfers, etc...), 23-25% from casino and usually around 1% in "other" revenues.  In short, it's a yearly revenue of 5B$/year for CCL we're talking about in the casino. 

 

That being said, the older people will remember that "not so long ago" (ok a long time ago) people could smoke almost everywhere on ships.  The last two things were balconies and cigar lounges (I still miss them).  So Carnival has done good about this.

 

One last thing.  Other cruise lines offer non-smoking casinos.  However almost ALL of those (maybe except 1) charge between 200-300$/night (for an inside cabin) to sail with them and have a very limited number of ships available.  Would Carnival customers be ready to pay that kind of money ?  Not me.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Deathloks

[famof4togo]

I am not a smoke and have no dog in this fight but...the point is valid and true.  The ONLY way the casinos will become non smoking is if/when the non smokers spend more money in the casino then the smokers.  So to those non smokers who want a smoke free casino...your best (sole) course of action is to spend more money in the casino....talking about it will not persuade any change.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

If someone were to wave a magic wand, and all casinos were smoke free (everywhere) - I wonder which vice smoking gamblers would give up... smoking, or gambling? Me thinks that most would strike a logical balance (logic surrounding vices -- interesting thought) and continue to gamble, while taking time for smoke breaks as needed.

 

Tom

[JulieAndBrian]

On 3/1/2022 at 11:35 AM, justafem said:

I'm going on the Ruby in May. Can you tell me where the smoking area is please?

 

 

 

Not true.  Smokers will smoke.  

 

I was on the Ruby (princess) last month and the casino was dead.  My server (who kept popping in every 3 minutes) said her cash tips were down 90% from 3 weeks before, with about the same pax count.  

 

I'm a smoker, so every time I reached for a smoke, I'd have to cash out my slot, grab my drink, jacket, any other incidentals, go to the elevator bank, ride 10 levels, walk to the smoking section, jabber with humans, then think about going back to the casino.  

 

I stopped going to the casino.  As did every other smoker.  Oh sure, we'd pop in there to use our complementary casino credit, but I didn't spend a penny of my own money and walked away with $300.  I "earned" 22 points.  Normally I'd have thousands, if not 10's of thousands and get an immediate offer of a free cruise from the pit boss.  I didn't even get a "book now" discounted casino offer shoved under the door the day before disembarkment.  

 

Then there's the people who only smoke when they drink. Or only smoke when they gamble. Or smoke when they cruise.  Or any combination of the 3.  It's a social thing. 

 

Cruise lines and casinos have tried completely nonsmoking.  It (obviously) didn't work.  You can't ignore 20% of the population, especially that 20% who really do spend the most money at the machines. 

 

Cruise lines also sell cigars, that's why they have cigar bars, huge mark-up.  That was also lost during that brief time of no inside smoking.  

 

It's a fine line.  

 

[justafem]

9 hours ago, JulieAndBrian said:

 

Smoking areas are currently on deck 7, port side, deck 15 forward by the entrance to the spa, just left of tradewinds bar, casino and cigar bar (inside the casino, weirdly enough).

 

If they close down inside smoking, smoking will still be allowed on deck 7 and deck 15, both of which are outside.  

 

I'll be back on the ruby in less than 2 weeks for B2B's.  

[justafem]

On 3/22/2022 at 6:40 AM, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

If someone were to wave a magic wand, and all casinos were smoke free (everywhere) - I wonder which vice smoking gamblers would give up... smoking, or gambling? Me thinks that most would strike a logical balance (logic surrounding vices -- interesting thought) and continue to gamble, while taking time for smoke breaks as needed.

 

Tom

Not true.  I was on the Ruby last month, when it was a completely nonsmoking casino. Smokers didn't gamble.  Well, we tried, but it was such a pain to get up and relocate every time we wanted to smoke, we stopped going back.  Completely.  I've stated before, I normally leave with a free cruise offer, this time I had 22 points.  They didn't make a penny off me.  

 

If I want to smoke and gamble, I can download gambling sites on my phone and do it that way.  I can't download a cigarette.  Casinos know they are dealing with competition from all sides.   

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

5 minutes ago, justafem said:

Not true.  I was on the Ruby last month, when it was a completely nonsmoking casino. Smokers didn't gamble.  Well, we tried, but it was such a pain to get up and relocate every time we wanted to smoke, we stopped going back.  Completely.  I've stated before, I normally leave with a free cruise offer, this time I had 22 points.  They didn't make a penny off me.  

 

If I want to smoke and gamble, I can download gambling sites on my phone and do it that way.  I can't download a cigarette.  Casinos know they are dealing with competition from all sides.   

 

What's "not true"? I was pondering in generalities, not speaking to individuals. I can understand your situation and, given that, it was appropriate that they didn't earn any $ from you. I have no-played the casino on more that one occasion due to various situations. That's the only way we have to "vote" (not that our vote is always noted).

 

Tom

[JulieAndBrian]

On 3/28/2022 at 4:50 AM, justafem said:

FOWARD on deck 15? For sure? My most recent trips were on the Grand & it's in the back outside the nightclub (I still call it "the disco" lol).  We were worried bc the agent put us in a forward cabin this time, so this is great news for us! Thank you!

On 3/28/2022 at 4:50 AM, justafem said:

 

Smoking areas are currently on deck 7, port side, deck 15 forward by the entrance to the spa, just left of tradewinds bar, casino and cigar bar (inside the casino, weirdly enough).

 

If they close down inside smoking, smoking will still be allowed on deck 7 and deck 15, both of which are outside.  

 

I'll be back on the ruby in less than 2 weeks for B2B's.