Ardent balcony chain smokers - Princess is the line for you!

[rocklinmom]

Wow that is horrible! I would be upset too, spending all that money for a balcony and not being able to use it. Cigarette and cigar smoke make me nauseous. And all because those lazy entitled smokers next to you refused to walk to the designated smoking areas. Princess needs to enforce their own policy and prevent this from happening again, not to mention the fire hazard. 

[DCThunder]

I wonder what would happen if the OP or someone did a 9-1-1 call reporting smelling smoke from the  cabin suspected of containing the balcony smokers?  I'd imagine a full-scale firefighting team response to that cabin, which would certainly be embarrassing or costly to the cabin occupants.

[MissP22]

49 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

I'm surprised that the offenders could not be caught in the act.  All smart phones have cameras built in, and I assume (though I don't know for certain) that CCTV cameras on the ship can capture activities on the balcony. 

Unfortunately, the cameras don't have completer views of every angle of all balconies. 

[JimmyVWine]

8 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Unfortunately, the cameras don't have completer views of every angle of all balconies. 

I guess I was assuming that the smokers would be standing at the rail and that they would be far enough out for a CCTV camera to see them.  If the cameras cannot capture what is going on at the rail (such as jumpers), then what's the point?  Plus, 90% of the balconies on Sky are so skinny that the difference between being at the rail and having your back pressed up against the sliding glass door is a matter of about 20 inches!

[MissP22]

Just now, JimmyVWine said:

I guess I was assuming that the smokers would be standing at the rail and that they would be far enough out for a CCTV camera to see them.  If the cameras cannot capture what is going on at the rail (such as jumpers), then what's the point?  Plus, 90% of the balconies on Sky are so skinny that the difference between being at the rail and having your back pressed up against the sliding glass door is a matter of about 20 inches!

The smokers have learned to be a little sneaky about smoking in public and sit back towards the door. They assume that as long as no one can see them the smell won't give them away. 

[chengkp75]

28 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

I wonder what would happen if the OP or someone did a 9-1-1 call reporting smelling smoke from the  cabin suspected of containing the balcony smokers?  I'd imagine a full-scale firefighting team response to that cabin, which would certainly be embarrassing or costly to the cabin occupants.

There is almost always a security response with a report to the bridge on status, before any firefighting response is called out.  Calling out the approximately 50-60 crew members, who would have to don heavy equipment to respond to the call, for something you know is not an emergency is completely irresponsible for the one making the call.

[Camberley]

I’d definitely write to Princess. It bugs me too when those entitled idiots think they can do what the heck they like on their balcony as the rules do not apply to them. And this is just utterly inexcusable. On the several occasions on cruises that we have had this happening, we rang straight through the main desk to flag this up and identify the cabin etc: and quite honestly we have no issue doing that. It stops it temporarily at least.,..

[MissP22]

48 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

There is almost always a security response with a report to the bridge on status, before any firefighting response is called out.  Calling out the approximately 50-60 crew members, who would have to don heavy equipment to respond to the call, for something you know is not an emergency is completely irresponsible for the one making the call.

I'm surprised they didn't say to pull the fire alarm. 😄

[Paula_MacFan]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

The smokers have learned to be a little sneaky about smoking in public and sit back towards the door. They assume that as long as no one can see them the smell won't give them away. 

Our smoking neighbors definitely sat way back by their door, out of sight. We were on the aft too, so I'm not sure if they thought nobody would see them or care back there?

 

On our next sail away I made a point to say hello to our other neighbors beside & above us (we were acquainted from land excursion). I don't think the smokers realized how many people are actually out on the aft and how sound carries.

 

I wished later I had recorded the screaming audio from their drunken domestic disturbance the prior night. I will know if it ever happens again. I was just taken aback as that had never happened to us in 20+ years of cruising (both the smoking & domestic disturbance).

[DCThunder]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

There is almost always a security response with a report to the bridge on status, before any firefighting response is called out.  Calling out the approximately 50-60 crew members, who would have to don heavy equipment to respond to the call, for something you know is not an emergency is completely irresponsible for the one making the call.

I take your point about a full-scale firefighting team response, but a security officer investigating a smoke claim would have the same effect.  Passengers couldn't deny a SO from entering the cabin as they might deny a steward access.

[Rfzz38W]

We got the annoying whiff of cig and cigar smoke from our balcony in addition to occasional smokestack exhaust on our TA last year. Our balcony was located on deck 14 under the aft pool so it may have come from the smoking area as well but almost certain also from nearby balcony. It was impossible to say which cabin or even deck but we did mention it to our steward. Nothing was done as far as I know.
 

[BlerkOne]

You can leave a sealed note for Captain, Hotel Director, anyone with Guest Services. If they want more info, tell them its personal. Doesn't Princess have a Facebook/Instagram/whatever page or three?

[Torfamm]

9 hours ago, CaribNomad said:

Thanks all, I will write.I wonder if the offenders tipped at the beginning of the voyage and more than us. It's the first time we've had this problem. And we're not looking for compensation - more to vent.

 

Is there a specific email, or do I go via this contact us page: https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/customerCare.page?

 

I also mentioned it whenever I could on the end of cruise feedback form.

You could start with customerrelations@princesscruises.com

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, DCThunder said:

I take your point about a full-scale firefighting team response, but a security officer investigating a smoke claim would have the same effect.  Passengers couldn't deny a SO from entering the cabin as they might deny a steward access.

I think it is a far different scenario if you call guest services and say "I smell smoke" than if you say "I smell cigarette smoke".  To me, JMHO, it would be like making a false 911 call.  Cigarette smoke is a nuisance, but not necessarily a safety situation, while smoke on a ship should always be treated as such, and the Security Officer will respond differently to the two scenarios.

[DCThunder]

12 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

I think it is a far different scenario if you call guest services and say "I smell smoke" than if you say "I smell cigarette smoke".  To me, JMHO, it would be like making a false 911 call.  Cigarette smoke is a nuisance, but not necessarily a safety situation, while smoke on a ship should always be treated as such, and the Security Officer will respond differently to the two scenarios.

Fair enough.  Thanks.

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

I think it is a far different scenario if you call guest services and say "I smell smoke" than if you say "I smell cigarette smoke".  To me, JMHO, it would be like making a false 911 call.  Cigarette smoke is a nuisance, but not necessarily a safety situation, while smoke on a ship should always be treated as such, and the Security Officer will respond differently to the two scenarios.

which scenario do you think is more likely to be ignored? Either should be promptly investigated. People smoke all kinds of things, legal and illegal.

 

OF course, if someone were to report someone might be smoking weed next door, that would give security probable cause to enter.

[Senga]

We were on Grand Princess and, unfortunately, the deck above us was for new crew/COVID passengers.   Not only were they allowed to smoke cigarettes on their balconies, some were smoking marijuana which is even more disgusting.

[chengkp75]

59 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

which scenario do you think is more likely to be ignored? Either should be promptly investigated. People smoke all kinds of things, legal and illegal.

 

OF course, if someone were to report someone might be smoking weed next door, that would give security probable cause to enter.

I don't believe either would be ignored, but the response would be different, less intense response for the cigarette.  I.e. the security officer might not have to rush and possibly fall and hurt himself responding to a cigarette smoke complaint. One is a 911 call, one is a "citizen's complaint".  Both are the responsibility of law enforcement, and so both would be investigated.

 

As someone has noted above, security does not need "probable cause" to enter a stateroom, you have given them that right, at any time and for any reason, with or without your knowledge or consent, when you agree to the ticket contract.

Edited October 30, 2023 by chengkp75

[Incognito1]

4 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

 I was just taken aback as that had never happened to us in 20+ years of cruising (both the smoking & domestic disturbance).

Guess you've never cruised Carnival 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

I don't believe either would be ignored, but the response would be different, less intense response for the cigarette.  I.e. the security officer might not have to rush and possibly fall and hurt himself responding to a cigarette smoke complaint. One is a 911 call, one is a "citizen's complaint".  Both are the responsibility of law enforcement, and so both would be investigated.

 

As someone has noted above, security does not need "probable cause" to enter a stateroom, you have given them that right, at any time and for any reason, with or without your knowledge or consent, when you agree to the ticket contract.

as someone noted above, a cigarette *could* start a fire.

 

No need for a security officer to injure him/herself, but certainly no need for one passenger to confront another passenger more likely resulting in harm. The security officer is trained for such encounters.

[CaribNomad]

3 hours ago, Torfamm said:

You could start with customerrelations@princesscruises.com

Thank you

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

as someone noted above, a cigarette *could* start a fire.

 

No need for a security officer to injure him/herself, but certainly no need for one passenger to confront another passenger more likely resulting in harm. The security officer is trained for such encounters.

And, as I said, it might have caused a fire, but the only conclusion drawn was that "in the absence of any definitive cause" it might have been a cigarette, since one was observed on a balcony on a previous day.

 

And, yes, you are correct, no passenger should confront another passenger, and typically, a call about smoking would go to the security office for their intervention, not someone from hotel services.

[CU64]

16 hours ago, david63 said:

Hindsight being the precise science that it is I would have escalated the issue up to the Captain if necessary. The cabin steward must have known that smoking was taking place as the smell would linger in the cabin, and what were they doing with the cigarette butts?

 

At the end of the day this is a major safety issue.

Agreed

[IndyKid]

If it was a balcony below ours I might be tempted to pee on them...

[jwattle]

15 hours ago, Bgwest said:

Please enlighten us. 
How exactly would you have (successfully) gone about arranging a meeting with the captain?

You work your way up the chain of command...you also don't necessarily need to "meet" with the Captain, but you can guarantee that your message catches his / her eyes.