Weed Problem on Carnival Ships

[Silent Penguin]

On 9/18/2022 at 5:56 PM, starstruck05 said:

I was actually witness to Carnival enforcement of the no smoking policy on our cruise from Galveston. I meant to make a post about it. Our next door neighbor was smoking weed on the balcony making it unusable for anyone who didn't want to smell it. Personally , I don't care about people smoking whatever they want to smoke. I'm the only one of my friends who does not because I grew up with my grandma smoking cigarettes in the house and hated the smell. Still do but it's someone's own personal choice.

 

Anyway, so it was such a heavy amount of smoke and smell that none of the surrounding cabins could use their balconies. We ended up calling guest service as well as a few others. It stopped for a few hours and also we could hear is family arguing with him to stop doing it before and after security came. Then he did it again and security cane again. Wash rinse repeat 3 more times. 

 

So at the end of the cruise, we are in our room last minute packing and could hear commotion next door. The man received a letter from Carnival and his end of cruise bill that they give everyone and started screaming that he wasn't paying Carnival anything. He had been billed $500 for the smoking and could not leave the ship until it was paid. He family refused to help. He kept saying he didn't have anymore money. Security was at the door when we left our room. 

When I started reading your story, I thought we must have been on the same cruise!  On our last cruise, we had almost the same situation except we stayed down the hall from and not next door to the repeat offender. Even the part about security officers outside the offender's stateroom on the last night sounds familiar.  The morning we got off the ship,  we stopped at the Walmart in the port city. On the way out, we ran into a crew member we got to know from the ship and he confirmed that  "it happens on almost every sailing".  

[starstruck05]

4 minutes ago, Silent Penguin said:

When I started reading your story, I thought we must have been on the same cruise!  On our last cruise, we had almost the same situation except we stayed down the hall from and not next door to the repeat offender. Even the part about security officers outside the offender's stateroom on the last night sounds familiar.  The morning we got off the ship,  we stopped at the Walmart in the port city. On the way out, we ran into a crew member we got to know from the ship and he confirmed that  "it happens on almost every sailing".  

It was in April on the Dream but yes we spoke to someone who worked crew and they mentioned it too. Some ships take it more seriously than other. TBH probably would have just let him have his fun if it wasn't so much that we couldn't use our balconies we paid way too much money for.

[Silent Penguin]

11 hours ago, Socalf1fan said:

Cigar smoker here....the pot smell doesn't really bug me. As long as everyone is cool, I'm cool. Be an adult, be able to hold your #$%^ and don't pester others. Not hard to do, especially with the right kind of weed. I'm not a weed smoker (But yes I did inhale once or twice unlike Mr. Clinton). Hell if you see me on the Vista on this 9/24 cruise smoking a stogie come sit by me. I don't mind if you light up. It's your butt on the line not mine.

I kind of hate the smell of cigar smoke, but if a place allows smoking,  I don't feel like I have a right to complain about it when people do it.  That being said,  we were on a 15-day cruise, and there was a guy in the balcony room next to ours who would smoked a cigar on his balcony every morning and every afternoon. It was against the rules, and we could have reported him, but he was only smoking for 5 or so minutes.  It wasn't a big deal to me to go back inside and let him enjoy himself for a little while.  I think I would have felt the same way if he was smoking pot, which I also don't like the smell of.  I used to until I had a very bad weed experience of my own.  LOL. 

[Silent Penguin]

10 minutes ago, starstruck05 said:

It was in April on the Dream but yes we spoke to someone who worked crew and they mentioned it too. Some ships take it more seriously than other. TBH probably would have just let him have his fun if it wasn't so much that we couldn't use our balconies we paid way too much money for.

I agree completely.  And I just got done sharing a story along those lines, but it was about cigars and not pot.  

[iriecruising]

On 9/16/2022 at 4:10 AM, FSHLOT said:

I'd rather smell the weed and deal with pot heads then loud obnoxious drunks. imo

 

 

I have to agree here. Last cruise I did had both and the pot smokers were mellow and happy and the drunks were loud, obnoxious and messy!!! 

[iria64]

15 hours ago, Lane Hog said:

Meh. I haven't partoken since Reagan was in office, but this is just more fake outrage over nothing. 

Pot in a social setting is no worse than tobacco or alcohol.  Two of the three are just fine onboard, so why is this such an issue?

19 states have legalized recreational use, and another 10 permit medical use or have decriminalized offenses to that of a parking ticket.  I'll not be surprised if a majority of states legalize it for recreational use within the next five to ten years.

Two of the three are might be fine on board but only one is allowed anyplace on the ship.  Tobacco is limited to the casino and a smoking lounge and is not permitted in any other public space or your room/balcony.  Should pot be treated like tobacco... maybe.  The problem is there are many ports of call where it will be illegal even if it is legalized in the US.

[mz-s]

Just now, Yankeegirl49 said:

Im a pot head (a pothead too scared to bring it on the ship though) and I guarantee I can afford any cruise you can. 

 

Didn't mean to touch a nerve - just saying those who are hooked on pot so bad they have to sneak a smoke in their cabin's bathroom usually aren't cruising when prices are high.

[vamartha]

On 9/16/2022 at 9:34 AM, mz-s said:

 

Their current position isn't working. So they need to do something. Raise prices so the potheads don't cruise would be an easy way to solve the problem.

Considering all demographics imbibe, I don't think your solution would solve anything. And I'd a whole lot rather be on a ship full of stoned people than a ship full of drunks. There really isn't a comparison. One group is calm and happy with life and one group is unruly, arrogant and not enjoyable to be around. I'll let you decide which is which.

[mz-s]

3 minutes ago, vamartha said:

Considering all demographics imbibe, I don't think your solution would solve anything. And I'd a whole lot rather be on a ship full of stoned people than a ship full of drunks. There really isn't a comparison. One group is calm and happy with life and one group is unruly, arrogant and not enjoyable to be around. I'll let you decide which is which.

it really doesn’t matter Which substance you or I would rather be around as long as one of them is federally (and indeed internationally) illegal.

[thunderingherd11]

On 9/16/2022 at 9:34 AM, mz-s said:

 

Their current position isn't working. So they need to do something. Raise prices so the potheads don't cruise would be an easy way to solve the problem.

The problem is it is easy to smell, but not necessarily as easy to fine.  The smell carries and lingers.  

[sfaaa]

Perhaps. But Mexican and other Caribbean policia may not be so kind and understanding.

[FSHLOT]

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

Didn't mean to touch a nerve - just saying those who are hooked on pot so bad they have to sneak a smoke in their cabin's bathroom usually aren't cruising when prices are high.

Sorry, but that makes no sense at all. 

 

Your saying pot smokers (who sneak tokes) dont usually cruise with high prices? Thats way  off-base. 

[mz-s]

28 minutes ago, FSHLOT said:

Sorry, but that makes no sense at all. 

 

Your saying pot smokers (who sneak tokes) dont usually cruise with high prices? Thats way  off-base. 

 

I didn't smell pot in the hallways or coming off the balconies of cruises when they were $100+ per person per day in 2019. Certainly didn't smell it every cruise like I do now. That's all I'm saying.

Edited September 21, 2022 by mz-s

[DallasGuy75219]

5 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

I didn't smell pot in the hallways or coming off the balconies of cruises when they were $100+ per person per day in 2019. Certainly didn't smell it every cruise like I do now. That's all I'm saying.

The legalization (either for medicinal or recreational purposes) in many states has gotten people used to smoking it more regularly because they can now (legally) smoke more openly.  At the same time decriminalization tends to decrease prices due to open competition vs. prices for illicit drugs on the black market.

[FSHLOT]

8 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

I didn't smell pot in the hallways or coming off the balconies of cruises when they were $100+ per person per day in 2019. Certainly didn't smell it every cruise like I do now. That's all I'm saying. I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense to you, I'm not really sure how I could make it any clearer.

It's all good. 

 

I just don't think the price of the cruise has anything to do with it. 

[Empehi]

3 hours ago, thunderingherd11 said:

The problem is it is easy to smell, but not necessarily as easy to fine.  The smell carries and lingers.  

Dogs can find it when passengers board. Carnival apparently doesn't care.

 

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[Guest BasicSailor]

2 hours ago, FSHLOT said:

It's all good. 

 

I just don't think the price of the cruise has anything to do with it. 

Perhaps the price of Pot 🙃

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, Theosprey247 said:

The same for cigarettes. 

Current state and federal law prohibits the sale — but not the purchase — of single cigarettes removed from a package with a tobacco tax stamp. Doing so in Michigan is a misdemeanor punishable by $500 per offense.

[spleenstomper]

Holland America had no weed smell on my Alaska cruise last week. I found that interesting. Every carnival ship I have sailed on smelled of weed a plenty…. I don’t mind though. As others mentioned, I’d rather that than the drunks 

Edited September 24, 2022 by spleenstomper

[Brkintx]

I have strong opinions on illicit drug use, but honestly those opinions aren’t the issue in play for me. Wanna toke up on board? Do it in the smoking area.
Smoking pot (or anything else) on your balcony could actually kill people (fire started from a stray floating bit of ash actually has). 

[FSHLOT]

1 hour ago, Brkintx said:

I have strong opinions on illicit drug use, but honestly those opinions aren’t the issue in play for me. Wanna toke up on board? Do it in the smoking area.
Smoking pot (or anything else) on your balcony could actually kill people (fire started from a stray floating bit of ash actually has). 

Sorry, That was never proven. But people believe what they want. The courts say different.

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, FSHLOT said:

Sorry, That was never proven. But people believe what they want. The courts say different.

Do you think it is ok for people to smoke (legal or not federally legal substances) on their balcony?

[chengkp75]

4 hours ago, FSHLOT said:

Sorry, That was never proven. But people believe what they want. The courts say different.

There was never any court involved in the Star Princess fire, merely an investigation by the UK MAIB.

37 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Do you think it is ok for people to smoke (legal or not federally legal substances) on their balcony?

From a safety standpoint, I don't see a real problem.  I won't comment on the social aspects.

[deliver42]

Carnival, of all the cruise lines, cares less about rules being broken. That's why it's called Walmart of the Seas.

[Dthomas1]

On 9/20/2022 at 5:56 PM, Silent Penguin said:

When I started reading your story, I thought we must have been on the same cruise!  On our last cruise, we had almost the same situation except we stayed down the hall from and not next door to the repeat offender. Even the part about security officers outside the offender's stateroom on the last night sounds familiar.  The morning we got off the ship,  we stopped at the Walmart in the port city. On the way out, we ran into a crew member we got to know from the ship and he confirmed that  "it happens on almost every sailing".  

 

On 9/20/2022 at 5:56 PM, Silent Penguin said:

When I started reading your story, I thought we must have been on the same cruise!  On our last cruise, we had almost the same situation except we stayed down the hall from and not next door to the repeat offender. Even the part about security officers outside the offender's stateroom on the last night sounds familiar.  The morning we got off the ship,  we stopped at the Walmart in the port city. On the way out, we ran into a crew member we got to know from the ship and he confirmed that  "it happens on almost every sailing".  

FYI: You don't have to pay the fine to leave the ship. You'll have to sign a promissory that you agree to pay.