Oh those smokers....

[FL_Cruiser64]

no place to call home. :p

 

I am a smoker too.

 

I hereby officially invite all smokers to join us on Royal Caribbean.

There are several reasons for that:

 

a) Royal Caribbean just changed their smoking rules and against all non smokers hope it will stay like that for a couple of years at least.

You still can smoke outside starboard side, on all balconies and only one lounge must be designated non smoking. I just came back from the Sovereign which is supposed to have the most strict policy of all Royal ships and I smoke pretty darn good.

 

b) The more smokers join Royal Caribbean and the more non smokers switch the less likely Royal Caribbean will make it much stricter. They have mega ships to fill and the lost revenue would be huge.

 

c) Celebrity is a more upscale cruise line than Royal Caribbean. I miss the days when Royal Caribbean at least separated itself from Carnival and Norwegian when it came to quality of cruisers. Nowadays, the cruisers sharing soda cards for a lousy savings of $40 grow. With the growth of Celebrity cruisers maybe we can bring Royal Caribbean back where it used to be.

 

Hope to see you at sea.

 

:D

[Davey Interweb]

...or smokers who prefer so-called "premium" lines could simply switch to Holland America.

[FL_Cruiser64]

...or smokers who prefer so-called "premium" lines could simply switch to Holland America.

 

Hey was my post deleted?

[claud925]

I just might take you up on that, FL Cruiser - as a Diamond Plus member (thanks to my Elite status on X), I like the free drinks that are offered in Concierge Lounges on Radiance-class RCL ships. And there's the higher allowance in OBC for future bookings and the free one-category upgrades.;)

[FL_Cruiser64]

I just might take you up on that, FL Cruiser - as a Diamond Plus member (thanks to my Elite status on X), I like the free drinks that are offered in Concierge Lounges on Radiance-class RCL ships. And there's the higher allowance in OBC for future bookings and the free one-category upgrades.;)

 

Since my last sales pitch was deleted. I welcome you aboard.

[marle7]

I still fear RCI will follow in the new year. I will watch and wait. In the meantime, my business goes to Cunard and HAL.

[FL_Cruiser64]

I still fear RCI will follow in the new year. I will watch and wait. In the meantime, my business goes to Cunard and HAL.

 

They won't. They just changed. They have to see first how their new policy works out. That alone will take a couple years. Plus with the Independence and the Genesis coming out they can not afford to lose just one passenger to Carnival.

[marle7]

They won't. They just changed. They have to see first how their new policy works out. That alone will take a couple years. Plus with the Independence and the Genesis coming out they can not afford to lose just one passenger to Carnival.

 

 

 

And Celbrity has the Solstice and the Equinox coming out. We shall see. As I've said on other posts, I've had several employees on RCI since December of 2007 tell me that the policies will be tightened in the new year of 2009. At this point, I'm not willing to risk it, never mind what happened to me on the Explorer. I'm not willing to put myself in the position of being falsely accused again. My dollars can go elsewhere, where they are appreciated.

[FL_Cruiser64]

And Celbrity has the Solstice and the Equinox coming out. We shall see. As I've said on other posts, I've had several employees on RCI since December of 2007 tell me that the policies will be tightened in the new year of 2009. At this point, I'm not willing to risk it, never mind what happened to me on the Explorer. I'm not willing to put myself in the position of being falsely accused again. My dollars can go elsewhere, where they are appreciated.

 

:confused:

[marle7]

You can read my Live from the Explorer thread for details! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=731401&page=2

[BobBeaSea]

You can read my Live from the Explorer thread for details! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=731401&page=2

 

marle, I would have been mightily peed off as well. Shelly obviously needs some more training :D. As for RCI doing the exchange conversion against your wishes, no surprise there. They (and other lines) have been doing it since time began, regardless of your "checking the box" as well as multiple visits to Guest Relations during the sailing to remind them. It is a tidy and lucrative profit centre for them. This is one of my all time peeves with RCI - they just refuse to comply.

 

As for this topic, I do expect RCI to eventually ban smoking on balconies - its just a question of when. I for one enjoy sitting on the balcony later at night quietly enjoying an after dinner drink and a cigarette. :)

[Captain Jake]

I still fear RCI will follow in the new year. I will watch and wait. In the meantime, my business goes to Cunard and HAL.

 

 

Its just a matter of time before all lines limit smoking.The new ships are going for more spa services to attract the healthy crowd.More profit giving a massage than from a smoker on nickel slots.Health clubs are popular to the 50+ crowd the largest segment of the cruise population thus more square footage per pax is dedicated to the health spa than ever.Times are changing

[marle7]

Its just a matter of time before all lines limit smoking.The new ships are going for more spa services to attract the healthy crowd.More profit giving a massage than from a smoker on nickel slots.Health clubs are popular to the 50+ crowd the largest segment of the cruise population thus more square footage per pax is dedicated to the health spa than ever.Times are changing

 

I don't disagree with you. I think they will too. In the meantime, I can still choose where to give my business to!

[FL_Cruiser64]

You can read my Live from the Explorer thread for details! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=731401&page=2

 

That's a risk we as smokers take" the harassment. Shelly may not even have been in your stateroom at all. Maybe an overzealous non smoker next to you was bothered by your smoking and reported to Shelly that you smoked in the cabin-just to mess with you. She gave you the letter without checking and then tried to cover her own 'lack of an investigation'.

 

I make always sure that the stateroom attendant knows we are smoking:

 

a) we asked for an ashtray (which you probably have done anyways)

b) we always have a little bag for our cigarette butts under the chair were we depose our ashtrays. We always tell the stateroom attendant not to worry about and to leave it there.

 

The funny thing is, if one person smokes on the balcony and by accident the door is open and another opens the stateroom door, the room becomes like a wind tunnel and the smoke is pulled all the way into the hallway. ;):D

 

Just don't be deterred by this incident. FL_Cruiser needs you all. :D

[Davey Interweb]

Its just a matter of time before all lines limit smoking.The new ships are going for more spa services to attract the healthy crowd.More profit giving a massage than from a smoker on nickel slots.Health clubs are popular to the 50+ crowd the largest segment of the cruise population thus more square footage per pax is dedicated to the health spa than ever.Times are changing

 

Sure, I'm pretty certain that cruise lines will continue to adopt increasingly stringent smoking policies, however your reasoning here makes no sense. What does a spa service have to do with the casino? If you're thinking that the spa is a greater potential source of revenue than the casino, you're woefully mistaken.

[marle7]

:D

 

Once bitten, twice shy. Our stateroom attendant did know we were smoking. he even lent me a lighter when mine was stolen in the Casino!

 

The one cabin next to us had smokers as well. On the other side, the balcony was too far away to be impacted as we had an owners suite and the window at the bedroom was between us and them and there was some distance between the two.

 

I never say never, but I'm not in any hurry to return to Royal Caribbean. I really do think they will follow Celebrity in the new year.

[BobBeaSea]

:D

 

Once bitten, twice shy. Our stateroom attendant did know we were smoking. he even lent me a lighter when mine was stolen in the Casino!

 

The one cabin next to us had smokers as well. On the other side, the balcony was too far away to be impacted as we had an owners suite and the window at the bedroom was between us and them and there was some distance between the two.

 

I never say never, but I'm not in any hurry to return to Royal Caribbean. I really do think they will follow Celebrity in the new year.

 

You had an owners suite? I did not know that. This makes the treatment you received even worse as one would think they would be even more "careful" in their treatment of those passengers booking the high end suites.

[Captain Jake]

Sure, I'm pretty certain that cruise lines will continue to adopt increasingly stringent smoking policies, however your reasoning here makes no sense. What does a spa service have to do with the casino? If you're thinking that the spa is a greater potential source of revenue than the casino, you're woefully mistaken.

 

 

You are wrong.Explain why they are increasing spa services and reducing smoking.Face the facts.Yeah the tables make money,but it stands to reason that massages ect make more profit than several smokers blowing ten bucks on nickel slots..Youcan blow several hundred bucks on a spa package.After a good massage the health concious cruiser may go down to the less smokey casino and blow a few bucks,but face it health living and fine wine is the trend and the ships know they can no longer survive catering to just heavy drinkers,gamblers and heavy eaters

[marle7]

I'm also one cruise away from being Diamond plus. I'd hate to think of this happening to anyone though, regardless of what type of cabin they had. Conversely, three weeks before that cruise, we were on the Enchantment, and smoked on the balcony only and had no issues at all.

[FL_Cruiser64]

Its just a matter of time before all lines limit smoking.The new ships are going for more spa services to attract the healthy crowd.More profit giving a massage than from a smoker on nickel slots.Health clubs are popular to the 50+ crowd the largest segment of the cruise population thus more square footage per pax is dedicated to the health spa than ever.Times are changing

 

They may limit more and more but the furthest I think RCI will go is to designate one side of the balconies as smoking or sections thereof.

 

While Celebrity has the Soltice and the Equinox coming out they are nothing (size wise) compared to the Independence, Genesis I and Genesis II.

 

The health crowd also spends less onboard compared to a drinking smoker. Sure a Spa Service is some money but don't forget the Spa Service on RCI is independently owned and RCI gets only a percentage. In the mean time the "healthy" people share soda cards and cappuccino's.

 

I always make the argument that smokers spend more. There is a lot of proof of that. Non smokers cried for non smoking nights in the casino yet when implemented it is only half full. Some ships abandon that policy i.e. on my Navigator cruise in November there was a non smoking night, the same cruise 5 month later no non smoking night. I asked the pit boss about that and he was laughing and said to me: non smoking night, you got to be kidding me.

 

Then they screamed for half-half in the Casino. Well the Sovereign has slots and tables designated as non smoking. Guess which ones are empty?

 

The Schooner Bar was always our favorite on RCI. Even with cheezy entertainment it was always rockin' and rollin'.

 

The Sovereign designated the Schooner Bar as non smoking. I walked through it several times. Half empty. The tables which were occupied had the Soda card cup which was shared by 4 people, other tables had cappuccino's, others had sprite or water. Only a handful had alcoholic beverages. several small cappuccinos only occasionally you saw a drink or two. The waiters and waitresses usually running around at 100mph were bored at the bar having casual conversations.

 

The percentage of non smokers spending any significant amount of money in onboard spending is much lower than their smoking counterparts. That's just the truth on Royal Caribbean and it was confirmed to me by dealers, pit bosses and waiters.

 

Royal Caribbean could have easily adopted a smoking policy just like Celebrity at the beginning of this year but they chosen not to. The demographics may just be a lot different than on Celebrity.

 

Royal has taken a dump in prices since acquiring Celebrity. Royal was above Carnival, NCL and Princess for many years. When they acquired Celebrity it became their line between mass market and luxury (Aza). With the dump in price they rely more on onboard spending than ever before.

 

I'd assume that the typical Celebrity non smoking cruiser spends enough money onboard to take the hit by maybe 10% smokers leaving the line (I believe in Celebrity's survey it was like 90% was for a ban on smoking on balconies/verandas). But Royal could not survive a hit by smokers leaving. The percentage is much higher on Royal Caribbean.

 

I always fight non smokers about the spending but when I hear that people are able to cash in the left overs of a $40 OBC on a 5 Night cruise I begin to wonder. Heck, a smoker may just spend that much in buying cigarettes alone. :D

 

The smoking policy on RCI stands for now. I'd say at least until the Genesis II (2010) goes into service. They need to evaluate onboard spending, loss of revenue first. For that you need a couple years.

 

In the mean time we all should work towards switching cruisers. All non smokers to Celebrity and all smokers to Royal Caribbean. LOL.

[Schplinky]

And Celbrity has the Solstice and the Equinox coming out.

 

I presume this announcement was actually spurred in part by the timing of Solstice and Equinox. By not allowing smoking, their fabrics will last a lot longer and will require fewer harsh cleaners to get the smell out. Also, with the Aqua Class, they are signaling that they are going in a healthy direction, like most hospitality retailers.

[Davey Interweb]

I presume this announcement was actually spurred in part by the timing of Solstice and Equinox. By not allowing smoking, their fabrics will last a lot longer and will require fewer harsh cleaners to get the smell out. Also, with the Aqua Class, they are signaling that they are going in a healthy direction, like most hospitality retailers.

 

Smoking will be permitted in limited port-side venues, though, so they'll still need to keep that Febreze handy. How does AquaClass promote health, exactly? Here I was thinking that this was just another interesting cash grab, like Princess's Sanctuary™

[arby70]

I am an ex-smoker and I am not one of those "soap box" ex-smokers either, so I do feel your pain. Even 7 years ago when I still smoked, I felt many times that I was treated like a second class citizen.

 

But it appears the world is going to the direction of non-smoking. Many hotels have no smoking policies, workplace environments require smokers to brave the cold to take a smoke break, and restaurants and bars are going that same direction. Many airports have no smoking areas in them so it requires you to go outside and often having to go through security again to gain entrance. Airplanes, buses and many trains have been non-smoking for years now.

 

My husband smokes a pipe, but he doesn't smoke in the cabin. I must say that both the cruiselines I have been on did a superb job making the cabins smell smoke free.

 

I understand why non-smokers want a smoke free environment because smoking and smokers do smell very bad. I had no idea how bad, until I had quit for a number of years. A number of people have allergies that are triggered by smoking, which causes health issues for those exposed to smoking, or a cabin that has been previously smoked in. But, smokers have a right to have a place to smoke; smoking afterall is not illegal.

 

I am not surprised that Celebrity has taken on this new policy. They have these these absolutely gorgeous ships starting to come out later this year so having them mostly smoke-free is going to keep the ship cleaner and more pristeeen in the long run. It's also a health benefit for all the people who work on the ship.

 

I think we'll see more of this because smokers are in the minority now and it's getting harder to enjoy that cig while traveling. I know because I still have to consider these things when booking travel with my husband. I just have to make adjustments (i.e. a hotel room on as low a floor as possible so he can get outside, or a cabin on a deck that's close to an elevator or deck he can smoke on).

 

Bottom line is that I think that more and more cruise lines will be adjusting their smoking policies as time goes on. I think there will always be places for people to smoke on the cruise ships, but there will be fewer places. I am not sure what the trend is for smoking in other states and countries, but Wyoming is seeing fewer and fewer smokers as time goes on. If this is the trend in other areas, I am sure that the cruise lines will inevitably go with what the majority of people want.

 

I would like to see Celebrity leave one or two of their smaller ships with the smoking policy they currently have left in place. This would give the smokers a choice to stay with Celebrity and not feel they have to leave the cruise line to enjoy themselves. At least this would give smokers and option as to whether they want to put up with the new policy or go with a ship that still retains the old policy.

[Captain Jake]

Yet despite all these claims that the smoker drinks and gamble more the health services are increasing and smoking is more restrctive.The data must show that the smokers are not providing all the revenue they think they are.Heck I saw tables nearly empty most nights on a cruise.I've learned I'd rather spend bucks on a massage than slots with poor payoffs and guess what ,if you don't book early the massage health services slots fill fast.You can always find an open slot or spaces open at any table.The new elebrity ships have a entire deck for spa living.The new RCCL ships are being called Genesis for a reason.Smokers dream on

[Captain Jake]

Smoking will be permitted in limited port-side venues, though, so they'll still need to keep that Febreze handy. How does AquaClass promote health, exactly? Here I was thinking that this was just another interesting cash grab, like Princess's Sanctuary™

 

 

It has a healthy dining venue on the same deck with priority to Aqua Class guest