Smoking policy

[shoshona2]

Hi Crepmen,

 

Apparently you have the wrong info on RCCL. There is NO smoking allowed in cabins, but your wife can use the veranda to smoke. Have a great trip.

 

Sheila

[greeneg]

Just so there is no doubt, here's a link to the current RCCL smoking policy as described on their website:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do;jsessionid=0000CunhvHew2y7cyoRM7j8hIIL:13hldcctq?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=Onboard+Policies&faqId=3101&faqSubjectId=333&faqType=faq

 

Hope that's useful. Enjoy your cruise.

[pijod]

I asked a simple question and got a GREAT answer. Hardly any smoking. But it appears I've started the great debate. The non-smokers will win the debate because the smokers will be dead sooner. :eek: The End!

[G'ma]

I asked a simple question and got a GREAT answer. Hardly any smoking. But it appears I've started the great debate. The non-smokers will win the debate because the smokers will be dead sooner. :eek: The End!

 

Statistically speaking, you are incorrect.

 

Personally speaking, your post shows the sensitivity of a rock.

[pijod]

The only thing I am sensitive to on cruise ships is smoking where it is not appropriate. Also hacking phlegm filled cruise 'mates' who are curled up in a corner of the ship sneaking another deathstick in a place they should be ashamed of lighting up. I know it's an addiction but kick the habit before you kick up your heels and smoke where you offend others. It appears a fair amount of smokers on cruises do not care about anyone around them and I find that offensive. I don't fart around them.

[Pengawin3]

Hello, for all intents and purposes my name is Rosa Parks and I will no longer sit at the back of the bus!!!

 

I am sick and tired of being the poster child for everything that is wrong in the world by being a smoker. This is no longer a matter of accomodation, it is downright discrimination. We are now the last bastion of tolerable intolerance in this world. Well, smokers AND fat people.

 

Azamara provided two smoking areas on the Journey. Well, how nice of them!!! One on deck 9 starboard by the pool bar and another on deck 10 port in the Looking Glass lounge. Oh, and no smoking on your balcony. Why have a balcony then??? (we didn't, but those that did were not amused by this "rule").

 

The pool bar smoking area was a monument to uncomfortableness (is that even a word?). Six wooden tables with four hard wooden chairs each in a non-ventilated corner by a door that many had to walk thru to gain access to the pool. Hmmm, not very smart.

 

The non-smoking lounge area at the port aft of the pool section was a plush oasis obviously reserved for those, much better, non-smoking people. I guess smokers can't be trusted with anything nice OR comfortable.

 

Okay, it wasn't ALL bad. We DID get to be right by the bar. (sarcasm intended)

 

As to the Looking Glass lounge smoking section... It DID have upholstered couches, a couple tables with nice chairs. Oh, and NO burn holes. I guess we CAN be trusted with nice stuff. The ventilation was horrible for all. Just a stick type fan/air purifier to filter the 20 or more who gathered there nightly. The really bad thing was we were literally at the BACK OF THE BUS. So far at the back that if one of us wasn't physically sitting at the bar, and things were slow, the staff would close the bar!!! *****???? Guess our money isn't any good either.

 

So this is what it has come to. Smokers are being shunned, ridiculed, discriminated against AND treated as untouchables. WOW.

 

The reality is that cigarette smoke is less harmful than all the crap in the air one comes in contact with on a daily basis. Jog in Los Angeles daily and you will ingest the same amount of carcinogens as if you smoked two packs a day. I guess it's time to start denigrating drivers now!!!

 

Okay, my rant is at an end. Now if I could just get everyone to stop dousing themselves in perfume MY life would be great!!!

 

 

Let the flaming begin.

[cruisePRN]

Quit smoking, Problem solved.

[TravelingProf]

I would not say that smokers experience discrimination in the same way that large people or GLBT or minorities or women experience discrimination. Smoking, while a personal choice, becomes a public nuisance as it cannot be contained and thus poses a real health issue to non-smokers who come in contact with it, especially for those with allergies or respiratory problems. Discriminatory practices are the irrational (and mean) actions and limitations against people for what they are (gay, Black, Asian, overweight) not for their actions which have repercussions for others, such as smoking.

 

Smokers choose to smoke (which is their prerogative) but must understand that they cannot force that choice on others. When smoking is in a designated area, non-smokers can choose to avoid the area; when smokers smoke on their balconies, their neighbors have no choice but inhale the smoke.

[Pengawin3]

Anyone ever have their cruise ruined by too much perfume??? Found that to be a problem on our Journey sailing.

 

It's more annoying than smoke, IMO.

[Pengawin3]

Stop slamming the poor German man. He is correct that he did not get up to date info. I was just on the Journey with many from Germany and the UK and they were uninformed about the smoking policy on Azamara.

They booked balconies for the sole purpose of being able to have a smoke in the morning without having to dress, etc. only to be told they couldn't smoke out there. Wasted money AND a less than fabulous cruise for them.

There's plenty of fresh air for the non smokers. You're on a ship in open waters for Christ's sake!!!! Stop bashing smokers. And stop saying "just quit". It's more addictive than heroin, you morons. Get off your non smoking high horses.

 

btw: I do not smoke any more, but cannot abide this or any discrimination.

[Project_gal]

Stop slamming the poor German man. He is correct that he did not get up to date info. I was just on the Journey with many from Germany and the UK and they were uninformed about the smoking policy on Azamara.

They booked balconies for the sole purpose of being able to have a smoke in the morning without having to dress, etc. only to be told they couldn't smoke out there. Wasted money AND a less than fabulous cruise for them.

There's plenty of fresh air for the non smokers. You're on a ship in open waters for Christ's sake!!!! Stop bashing smokers. And stop saying "just quit". It's more addictive than heroin, you morons. Get off your non smoking high horses.

 

btw: I do not smoke any more, but cannot abide this or any discrimination.

 

I am sorry but as I said before, I have a UK brochure dated November 2007 which clearly sets out the current smoking policy. If it is important to smokers, surely it is their responsibility to check what the rules are before they book.

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

As there are already several threads on the topic of Smoking, it's been merged.

 

I realize this topic will always be difficult, but please keep in mind, that once the name calling starts, I wont be sympathetic, and the thread will be closed. Where it goes, is up to you.

 

Thank you for your consideration.

[TravelingProf]

Pengawin,

 

you stated:

 

"Hello, for all intents and purposes my name is Rosa Parks and I will no longer sit at the back of the bus!!!

 

I am sick and tired of being the poster child for everything that is wrong in the world by being a smoker. This is no longer a matter of accomodation, it is downright discrimination. We are now the last bastion of tolerable intolerance in this world. Well, smokers AND fat people."

 

And my response not only acknowledged your point but was a direct response to it. Also, there is no reason to be so disrespectful and downright mean. I understand the difficulties of smoking addiction--I smoked for 25 years. But as a smoker I understood my responsibility to keep my smoke away from others.

 

If your experience on the Journey caused you to quit smoking, you should be praising Azamara, not flaming it.

[greeneg]

C'mon folks, as Host Andy said, if this thread becomes personal, then he will close it. And he will. And should.

 

There are some things that are givens, one of the most significant is that Smoking is probably one of, if not the most, difficult addictions from which to recover. Nicotine stimulates the major pleasure centers in the brain directly, (there is hard, scientific evidence on this) and gives just a wonderful glow. Quitting smoking is very, very difficult and not everyone can do it.

 

Most of us who started smoking did it as teens or students, when we knew we were indestructable and who cared back then anyway.......

 

Well, as time has gone by, and we've learned more about smoking and its effects on health, the risks and harm have become more and more apparently, and more and more people have become aware that they really have to do what is necessary to quit. Those people who never smoked, as well as those who have quit, have also become increasingly aware that simple sharing an environs with a smoker puts them at risk also. Again, take this as a given, the evidence is there, and is readilly available.

 

The third given is that no sane set of "rights" permits, let alone guarentees, that one person may put others at risk without their consent. In a nutshell, then, the smoker is discriminated against by necessity, since the group as a whole must be protected from the smoker unless they choose to share that environment. Unfortunately for those who do choose smoke, their number has declined significantly over recent years, and this means that their habit has become more and more restricted. You can expect this trend to continue, witness the anti-smoking rules recently placed in bars in London and cafes in Paris!

 

As both a Physican and an ex-smoker ( Chimney Class), I appreciate both the addictive power of the Drug ( Nicotine) and the difficult hold that it maintains on a person--it has been almost 20 years since I quit and I wouldn't DARE pickup a cigarette. I assure you that I remember how very hard and unpleasant it was for me to quite. I also apprecitate the very real health risks that smoking presents, both to the smoker and those around him, and have to come down on the side of those who say not in my neighborhood.

 

This is the Way of the World now, I think that the best that you who choose to smoke can do is to be certain that you follow the rules, that probably minimizes the unpleasantness for everyone concerned.

 

So let's keep it clean, stick to established facts, and not call names. :)

[Pengawin3]

If one is predisposed to get lung cancer then one will get it whether one has smoked or not.

 

There are people who HAVE smoked all their lives and never get lung cancer. Just as there are people who have NEVER smoked and gotten lung cancer.

 

Not all smokers will get cancer, just as not all fat people have bad cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes. It's in the genes, man.

 

And no, I will not praise Azamara for getting me to kick the habit. They did nothing to help me stop smoking. Well, I take that back. Negative reinforcement might count as something. (that's sarcasm, in case you're not getting it)

 

I did it because the cigarettes I was smoking were much too harsh (that's all that was available onboard) and my throat hurt. I had the sense to stop, and have been able to stay off them despite access to my regular brand. My DH, on the otherhand is very addicted and has continued to smoke even with a nasty cold.

 

I've had my say. I am now finished with this particular thread.

 

Time to start a "stop wearing perfume in public because it makes it hard for me to breath" thread.

[lisiamc]

Hello, for all intents and purposes my name is Rosa Parks and I will no longer sit at the back of the bus!!!

 

I am sick and tired of being the poster child for everything that is wrong in the world by being a smoker. This is no longer a matter of accomodation, it is downright discrimination. We are now the last bastion of tolerable intolerance in this world. Well, smokers AND fat people.

 

Azamara provided two smoking areas on the Journey. Well, how nice of them!!! One on deck 9 starboard by the pool bar and another on deck 10 port in the Looking Glass lounge. Oh, and no smoking on your balcony. Why have a balcony then??? (we didn't, but those that did were not amused by this "rule").

 

The pool bar smoking area was a monument to uncomfortableness (is that even a word?). Six wooden tables with four hard wooden chairs each in a non-ventilated corner by a door that many had to walk thru to gain access to the pool. Hmmm, not very smart.

 

The non-smoking lounge area at the port aft of the pool section was a plush oasis obviously reserved for those, much better, non-smoking people. I guess smokers can't be trusted with anything nice OR comfortable.

 

Okay, it wasn't ALL bad. We DID get to be right by the bar. (sarcasm intended)

 

As to the Looking Glass lounge smoking section... It DID have upholstered couches, a couple tables with nice chairs. Oh, and NO burn holes. I guess we CAN be trusted with nice stuff. The ventilation was horrible for all. Just a stick type fan/air purifier to filter the 20 or more who gathered there nightly. The really bad thing was we were literally at the BACK OF THE BUS. So far at the back that if one of us wasn't physically sitting at the bar, and things were slow, the staff would close the bar!!! *****???? Guess our money isn't any good either.

 

So this is what it has come to. Smokers are being shunned, ridiculed, discriminated against AND treated as untouchables. WOW.

 

The reality is that cigarette smoke is less harmful than all the crap in the air one comes in contact with on a daily basis. Jog in Los Angeles daily and you will ingest the same amount of carcinogens as if you smoked two packs a day. I guess it's time to start denigrating drivers now!!!

 

Okay, my rant is at an end. Now if I could just get everyone to stop dousing themselves in perfume MY life would be great!!!

 

 

Let the flaming begin.

 

I'm 52. When I was younger, it sometimes seemed that everyone (except me) smoked. I was well into my twenties before I ate a meal in a room where no one was smoking, and much older before this became a regular event. Non-smoking tables/sections in restaurants were unheard of. I was 27 before smoking was relegated to the break room where I worked (and there was only one break room.) It seemed like smokers had all the rights and non-smokers were just party poopers. A considerate smoker would ask "Do you mind if I smoke?" and the only polite answer was "Of course I don't mind."

 

Things changed very slowly, and now that there are actually cruise ships with non-smoking cabins and balconies, I just can't feel sorry about the changes. I don't care whether a person smokes or not, and I would never say "Oh, just quit if the new rules bother you," but I still like the new rules.

 

I spent a long, long time as a minority member at the back of this particular bus, and I'm thrilled to be a member of the majority now.

 

Lisa

[Susan-M]

Not all smokers will get cancer....

 

True, but cigarette smoking is the main cause of lung cancer and according to statistics, approximately 90% of lung cancer cases are attributed to cigarette smoking.

 

Congratulations on your achievement.:)

[greeneg]

And of course, you have to add in the issues of Heart Disease, Peripheral Artery Disease, Chronic Lung Diseases such as COPD and Asthma, which are much more wide-spread than just Lung Cancer alone. And this particular list does go on.

 

Sucessfully quiting is a grand accomplishment of which you should be justly proud. Perhaps you'll even save enough money to take another cruise.....hope it works out that way for you.

[gillianrose]

Stop slamming the poor German man. He is correct that he did not get up to date info. I was just on the Journey with many from Germany and the UK and they were uninformed about the smoking policy on Azamara.

 

Sorry, that's not true. I read and speak German and I found information online from last year (in German) that clearly stated the smoking restrictions.

[gillianrose]

They booked balconies for the sole purpose of being able to have a smoke in the morning without having to dress, etc. only to be told they couldn't smoke out there.

 

Uh huh. Just simply to smoke out there? No other reason?

 

Most people, or so it certainly seems from Cruise Critic posts over the years, LOVE balconies and book them when they can afford them and it has absolutely nothing to do with smoking. Yes, people actually enjoy balconies for many reasons having nothing to do with polluting the air of folks downwind of them! Shocking news, eh?

 

Face it, the vast majority of people who cruise and the vast majority of people who book balconies are NON-SMOKERS.

[DougK]

I know I'm going to regret jumping into the middle of a smoking thread, but I just couldn't let this pass...

 

You are mixing together two different concepts: discrimination against a *person* and discrimination against an *activity*. None of Azamara's rules in any way discriminate against a smoker. Smokers are welcome in any part of the ship, at any activities, etc. The only discrimination is against the *activity* of smoking. That activity is allowed in only two limited areas. But as long as smokers are not actively engaged in smoking at the moment, they are unrestricted in any way. This is vastly different from the historical discrimination you reference; that discrimination was against people based on race or religion, and was a permanent discrimination, not limited to short periods of activity. A better analogy is making love -- Azamara limits the areas where that's allowed (staterooms only), but allows the lovemakers among us to otherwise freely use the ship, as long as we're not actively making love.:)

 

Doug

[sab92000]

are cigars allowed in the 2 smoking areas?

[swigso]

are cigars allowed in the 2 smoking areas?

 

Only the outdoor area near the pool if I remember correctly from our trip on the Quest.

[mstrc1]

I know I'm going to regret jumping into the middle of a smoking thread, but I just couldn't let this pass...

 

You are mixing together two different concepts: discrimination against a *person* and discrimination against an *activity*. None of Azamara's rules in any way discriminate against a smoker. Smokers are welcome in any part of the ship, at any activities, etc. The only discrimination is against the *activity* of smoking. That activity is allowed in only two limited areas. But as long as smokers are not actively engaged in smoking at the moment, they are unrestricted in any way. This is vastly different from the historical discrimination you reference; that discrimination was against people based on race or religion, and was a permanent discrimination, not limited to short periods of activity. A better analogy is making love -- Azamara limits the areas where that's allowed (staterooms only), but allows the lovemakers among us to otherwise freely use the ship, as long as we're not actively making love.:)

 

Doug

 

Good post Doug. Very good point of view and there are parts of this that really make me laugh. Thanks for posting.

[gillianrose]

Only the outdoor area near the pool if I remember correctly from our trip on the Quest.

 

The above post was a reply about where cigars can be smoked.

 

Frankly, I think cigars should be banned in their entirety in any area on any ship where they can be smelled by those who do not wish to smell them. If there is a small room for the cigar smokers, totally self-contained, with no cigar-odor-drift, then MAYBE that's OK, but still....UGH, and what a waste of space to accomodate the very few cigar smokers that would cruise these lines. Catering to these few folks, encouraging it, is something I personally find very objectionable.

 

Cigars are extremely stinky and cause a lot of negative experiences for nearly everyone but the cigar smoker.