Vaping Signs Removed…My conversation with the Revenue Director

[Harborgirl246]

Thank you for taking this to the next level. Very appreciated.

[mac_tlc]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

 

I'm sorry, I know I wasn't in the room with you, but I couldn't disagree more with your take away based on the first comment. Corporate has decided that the signage, not the policy, is the problem. Vaping in the casino is here to stay and IMO is only phase 1.

First a big thank you to @Georgia_Peaches for being our spokesperson.

 

The cynic in me, however, agrees with @RichYak— If we just don’t put up the signs, everything is ok. Are they going to allow it or not? If so, it is only a matter of time before word of mouth spreads. So maybe it slows down the number of vapers, but the policy stands—— and that is the real problem.

 

mac_tlc

[Cap_D]

Definitely not in favor of allowing smoking and vaping inside and except in designated areas.  What's also troubling here is that the policy was changed and impacts customers that paid under the prior policy before the experiments.  If the company is going to be making changes, they should do so in a transparent manner that allows for one to make an informed decision.  No one would have been planning the vape in the casino or anywhere inside on the ship when they made a reservation.  

[Algebralovr]

Thank you so much!  I am acquainted with a couple of the Revenue Directors.  I can absolutely see them saying, “let’s see what happens if….” Then walking it back after feedback.  
 

I know a couple of medical workers (nurses, respiratory techs, etc ) who smoke and they get through their shifts by chewing gum.  In one case, LOTS of gum.  
 

They have an addiction.  They know smoking is bad. They lead stressful lives.  Smoking helps in various ways.  It is banned on hospital property.  Gum is their solution.

 

Maybe the casino hosts can offer sticks of gum to people who have a package of cigarettes or a vape pen in their shirt pocket.  😄

[Georgia_Peaches]

38 minutes ago, 39august said:

My thanks also for taking your time to meet and to post. Were all the signs, including the large ones at the entrance removed, or just the little scattered about signs, please?

All signs are gone. 

[Spif Barwunkel]

Why am I not surprised that Ms. Peaches has combined her Cagney & Lacey sleuthing skills with her Murphy Brown journalistic expertise in order to overtly run head-first into the vapor trails, seeking the story, with absolutely no regard for her own safety. And, on a "mostly-free" cruise at that. She took time away from their time in order to make time for us...nice! Meanwhile, covertly settled somewhere close by, Mr. Peaches waits and watches, with beverage in hand, ready to spring into action should his wife require assistance. Don't let the mysterious man in the "faces" shirt fool you. He is primed and ready. 

 

 

[RichYak]

10 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

If we just don’t put up the signs, everything is ok.

Correct. After overwhelming negative response Celebrity has deiced to... reverse course on the policy?.... no... wait for it... they've removed the signs! No signs mean no pictures of them on social media and far fewer emails to corporate. Problem solved. The vaping continues, but the problem has been addressed as far as Celebrity is concerned. They have no shame, none.

[Georgia_Peaches]

25 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

First a big thank you to @Georgia_Peaches for being our spokesperson.

 

The cynic in me, however, agrees with @RichYak— If we just don’t put up the signs, everything is ok. Are they going to allow it or not? If so, it is only a matter of time before word of mouth spreads. So maybe it slows down the number of vapers, but the policy stands—— and that is the real problem.

 

mac_tlc

I’m remaining optimistic for now. One of the easiest ways to walk this asinine test back is to quietly remove the signs and pretend it never happened. A save face for them. However, it’s only the first step… the feedback must continue. 

[TourDeCruise]

Thank you for following up on this issue. IMO this change (even if only temporary) is wrong on all levels, especially on a health level. Removing the signs sends the wrong message. No sign, but you can vape in the casino. No signs in any other venues will lead people to think okay in any venue or to be daring enough to try in any venue. So much for Healthy at Seas - or was that another cruise line that advertised this? I thought Celebrity had a Healthy at Seas program which apparently is being replaced with Vaping at Seas at least on Eclipse and Equinox. Hopefully this trial will be a colossal failure.

Edited July 5, 2023 by TourDeCruise

[davekathy]

A sharpie and a piece of masking tape would have corrected the vaping sign. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

13 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Why am I not surprised that Ms. Peaches has combined her Cagney & Lacey sleuthing skills with her Murphy Brown journalistic expertise in order to overtly run head-first into the vapor trails, seeking the story, with absolutely no regard for her own safety. And, on a "mostly-free" cruise at that. She took time away from their time in order to make time for us...nice! Meanwhile, covertly settled somewhere close by, Mr. Peaches waits and watches, with beverage in hand, ready to spring into action should his wife require assistance. Don't let the mysterious man in the "faces" shirt fool you. He is primed and ready. 

 

 

You have made my day!  😀

[Silkroad]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

While she maintained that this is only a test and no final decision has been made, she admitted that A LOT of feedback has been received and based on this, corporate has instructed that the signage be removed in favor of word of mouth instead

Thank you for using so much of your vacation time on the vaping issue! 
 

While it appears that your meeting was productive, I have questions about the phrase “the signage be removed in favor of word of mouth instead”. That sounds like they’re telling people they can vape in the casino, but they’re not letting the non-vapers know they may encounter vaping in the casino. That would be unconscionable. 
 

Ideally, we should be apprised of changes to the smoking/vaping policy before booking a cruise, but we should absolutely know about any changes made before boarding or while aboard. If Celebrity is allowing vaping in the casino, signs to that affect should be posted at every entrance! 
 

 

[CruisinNole]

35 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

All signs are gone. 

So all signs are gone but the vaping continues?

[gerelmx]

zero and two tries

[ChucktownSteve]

47 minutes ago, Algebralovr said:

Maybe the casino hosts can offer sticks of gum to people who have a package of cigarettes or a vape pen in their shirt pocket.  😄

 

But that would cost Celebrity MONEY!

[Orator]

2 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

 

But that would cost Celebrity MONEY!

Hide the cost in a raise in fares.

[ChucktownSteve]

Just now, Orator said:

Hide the cost in a raise in fares.

Yeah, that's the ticket!

[Dar & Bob]

2 hours ago, long time lurker said:

I board on the 8th and will be watching. If this trial is still in place they won’t like my post cruise survey answer to “How did we care for your health onboard”. Do they have negative numbers?

Don't wait for the survey go to GS right away.

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I felt like it was easier to start a separate thread so as not to get lost in the shuffle of the current threads on the subject of the new vaping policy. 
 

The Marketing & Revenue director took time to sit down with me and hear my concerns about the new policy. She was extremely engaging and took notes to pass along to corporate. While she maintained that this is only a test and no final decision has been made, she admitted that A LOT of feedback has been received and based on this, corporate has instructed that the signage be removed in favor of word of mouth instead. 
 

I raised several concerns including:

 

1. Enforcement of the “while actively playing” rule and mentioned the vapers who were vaping while watching the slot tournament. 
2. The awkward position it puts the crew in who have to enforce the policy. 
3. The health concerns for everyone. 
4.  The changing of the Celebrity brand and what attracted me to Celebrity in the first place

5.  What changes will this open the door to if this is implemented permanently?

 

Our conversation concluded with assurances that the feedback was valuable and would continue to be collected and analyzed. 
 

My take away from this is that they are already walking back on this little experiment by removing the signs. Experienced Celebrity cruisers already know the policy and those who are new will not know the difference as long as the signs remain hidden….hence, making word of mouth more difficult. 
 

She is also aware of the threads here on CC as well as other social media platforms. 
 

Don’t let up on the feedback…it’s working!

Thanks for giving up your time.

X's response seems similar to that with the compolsary AI debacle where it took sometime before the policy was pretty much dropped.

For now a plea for everyone (for or against) to make their opinions known to directly to Celebrity. 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, Silkroad said:

Thank you for using so much of your vacation time on the vaping issue! 
 

While it appears that your meeting was productive, I have questions about the phrase “the signage be removed in favor of word of mouth instead”. That sounds like they’re telling people they can vape in the casino, but they’re not letting the non-vapers know they may encounter vaping in the casino. That would be unconscionable. 
 

Ideally, we should be apprised of changes to the smoking/vaping policy before booking a cruise, but we should absolutely know about any changes made before boarding or while aboard. If Celebrity is allowing vaping in the casino, signs to that affect should be posted at every entrance! 
 

 

100% agree. I also have to wonder if “word of mouth” were her words or if she was parroting corporate based on the email instructions they received. I guess our July 8th folks we’ll keep us posted. 

Edited July 5, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, CruisinNole said:

So all signs are gone but the vaping continues?

My understanding is that although the signs are gone, if one were to vape while actively playing, they would not be stopped. That’s why the feedback is so important. FWIW, I didn’t see any vaping last night…granted, we spent more time in other places. 

[hcat]

Thanks to  GP, those writing in,   and all on board who have  made their opposition feelings known. 

 

The bar area will be a day and night vaper lounge.  How stupid  of X for not anticipating this,,.OR  for a we don't care attitude!  Management by Royal trained folks is the main issue.   They do not get  it!

[hiccups]

4 hours ago, Bandman said:

Currently on board as well. We left the casino one night earlier in the week due to vape smoke swirling around us. So glad they might have already reconsidered. 

I hope you note this on your post-cruise survey, if you haven't mentioned it already.  I'd hate to see the policy change permanently.

[horseymike]

Thanks again peaches for your efforts to nip this in the bud.

For what it’s worth, I did send an email to Celebrity’s executive office.

executiveoffice@celebrity.com  explaining my concerns about permitting vaping in the casino.

 I didn’t think it could hurt.

[mailmama]

Is there an email to corporate where we can voice our concerns/opinions? I also cruise Celebrity due to the no smoking policy.