Mariner Balcony-smoking?

[puddinhd58]

My hubby and I will be first time cruisers on June 10th to Alaska. I understand that other than one or two places on the ship, it is smoke free.

Can someone explain to me why you cannot smoke on your balcony? I don't understand that...??? You are outside...

[Pam]

The biggest reason is, because it's a rule. There were a lot of people who were unhappy when Regent made the rule, but they have managed with the smoking areas that are available.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Because if you threw your cigarette butt off the ship, it could cause a fire, and because the smoke could bother your neighbour.

 

I know, it's overkill, but there it is.

[giustot]

Smoking on balconies does bother others who are also on their balconies nearby. They can't avoid the balcony smoke like they can avoid the smoking areas by not going near them.

 

I also feel the old belief that smoking is OK if it's done outside no longer applies. Tom.

[Friscorays]

1. Secondhand smoke is a health risk: "The current Surgeon General’s Report concluded that SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT THERE IS NO RISK FREE LEVEL OF EXPOSURE TO SECONDHAND SMOKE".

 

Sources and more details:

 

http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35422

 

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/factsheets/factsheet6.html

 

2. Smoking is a fire risk at sea. Ashes, butts, matches, etc thrown off of a balcony could blow back onto another area of the ship and start a fire.

 

3. The odor of cigarette smoke is quite distasteful to the majority of non-smokers. Smokers are in the minority these days so it is likely that there will be non-smokers in the cabins next to smokers. The non-smokers are paying customers as well and have a right to enjoy some fresh sea air on their balcony.

[Cattravel10]

Hello - I am also on the June 10 cruise and yes, I smoke. Was quite unhappy to hear that Regent no longer allows smoking on balconies but can also understand. It really can offend your neighbors. Thought it would be a real problem for me but it wasn't. See you in the Connoisseur(sp?) Club. It's a wonderful area to indulge in our habit.

[traveller333]

I don't think it was that it bothered neighbors as much as the fire hazzard after the fire on Princess ship. Personally, I never cared if neighbors smoked on their balcony or not but I do care if someone could be dumb enough to through a cigarette overboard and it were to blow back on the ship.

[puddinhd58]

Had I known this very restricted rule was in place I would not have booked on this cruise...:confused:

 

And for Friscorays;

 

2. Smoking is a fire risk at sea. Ashes, butts, matches, etc thrown off of a balcony could blow back onto another area of the ship and start a fire.

I would NEVER throw a light cigarette off the balcony or any other piece of trash....

3. The odor of cigarette smoke is quite distasteful to the majority of non-smokers. Smokers are in the minority these days so it is likely that there will be non-smokers in the cabins next to smokers. The non-smokers are paying customers as well and have a right to enjoy some fresh sea air on their balcony.

Well, I am a paying customer also, and I find quite a few things "distasteful" but keep it to myself.

 

I have seen, heard and read the info you so kindly posted for my information. Here is some info for you.....

 

The Facts About Second Hand Smoke

(Finally)

 

 

http://www.davehitt.com/facts/index.html

 

 

 

 

I will of course follow the rules. I certainly don't mean to start a "flaming" thread.

 

How about the towns in Alaska? Is there smoking allowed in the restaurants, etc?

 

Cattravel,

See you in the Connoisseur(sp?) Club. It's a wonderful area to indulge in our habit.

 

 

I look forward to meeting you there! I am sure I will spend a fair amount of time there with our friends.

My hubby and I are going on our first cruise with dear friends of ours. It is their first cruise also.

We are all going to celebrate our 50th!! We have all turned or are turning 50 in the past year/future year.

 

I know we will have a wonderful time in spite of this issue.

[Cattravel10]

Yes, you will have a fabulous time!!! Do not know about smoking in restaurants in Alaska (food tooo good on the Mariner), but you will find bars in AK that do allow smoking. Love visiting the local bars, but for only one or two, LOL!! Then back on the ship - the Mariner really is wonderful!!!

[RachelG]

Before the institution of the no smoking on balconies rule, if you were in a room next to someone who smoked on their balcony, the smoke blew right into your balcony (and your room if you opened the sliders). On one cruise, I never went on my balcony (which I paid for) because of the smoke coming from the room next door.

I can choose to avoid the public areas of the ship where smoking is allowed, but I should be able to enjoy my own suite and balcony without having to breath noxious fumes.

[Travelcat2]

The following is the smoking law in Alaska:

 

Alaska

• No statewide smoking ban.
  
• Anchorage, July 1, 2007, banned in all enclosed workplaces, including bars, restaurants, and private clubs.[4]
  
• Juneau, January 2, 2008, banned in all enclosed workplaces, including bars, restaurants, and private clubs.[5]
  

Note: Many places in the world have stricter smoking bans than in the U.S. For instance, England, Northern and Southern Ireland, just to name a few countries prohibit smoking in bars, restaurants and workplaces.

 

When we were in Alaska last year, we did not notice smoking inside any establishment (may not be the law, but it is the practice).

[cruiseej]

I would NEVER throw a light cigarette off the balcony or any other piece of trash....

 

The problem is, not everyone is as considerate or careful or intelligent. It only takes one careless or thoughtless person to endanger the lives of everyone aboard. The Princess fire in 2006, traced to an errant cigarette, killed one, injured 11 and burned nearly 100 cabins before it was extinguished.

 

Star Princess fire photo and story

 

I think safety concerns, even more than non-smoking passenger comfort, spurred this part of Regent's current shipboard smoking policy.

 

-- Eric

[JMARINER]

Had I known this very restricted rule was in place I would not have booked on this cruise...:confused:

 

And for Friscorays;

 

 

 

I have seen, heard and read the info you so kindly posted for my information. Here is some info for you.....

 

The Facts About Second Hand Smoke

(Finally)

 

 

http://www.davehitt.com/facts/index.html

 

 

The real reason, (beside it being "the rule") is:

1. Insurance rates, and

2. Proposed new SOLA rules, particularly proposed by Britain.

 

Give it five years and all cruise ships will have only smoking in restricted areas.

 

As to your "Facts about second hand smoke" above, there have been dozens of studies proving the dangers of 2nd and 3rd hand smoke since the '93 study quoted in your link.

 

And yes. Regent WILL enforce their rules and I have heard they have kicked passengers off the ship.

 

J

[Hambagahle]

We had a neighbour who smoked on his balcony a couple of years ago (when it was still allowed by Regent). The smoke drifted into our suite. We are non-smokers, not so much on health grounds but because neither of us can stand the smell. (And we don't understand why anyone would want to surround him/herself with this horrid smell!!) There was nothing we could do but keep our door closed when the neighbours were outside on their balcony. This was very unfair, I thought. Why should we have been deprived of the right to go outside because someone was making that smell??

 

I wish Regent would ban smoking altogether. The smells that sneak out under the door of the Connaiseur Club are quite disgusting!

[NoviceCruiser3]

Safety, of course, has to be above all else, no matter how careful you think you are with your cigarette.

 

The issue of second hand smoke aside for the moment, there are people who suffer from chronic disorders such as COPD, asthma, etc. and their conditions can be set off (in a life-threatening way) by just the smallest amount of cig. smoke. Yes, it is that serious. No, they don't have to live in a bubble, but they do have to be careful, and wafting smoke from a neighboring balcony is harmful.

 

So, if you choose to smoke in general, that is your choice. But please have respect for the health, safety, and welfare of your fellow passengers (yours, too, really, since if the ship catches fire, you'll be affected).

[jina]

I am very similar to Hambagahle, and BTW, DH and I are also on the June 10 sailing - I can't wait! We have a roll call which hasn't had much action lately -please join :-)

 

My husband is actually allergic to smoke - often he cannot even smell the smoke before his eyes get all red and close up. I am very sensitive to the smoke, having had a statewide ban in California for years - it makes me really sick. If all goes well, I will be 20 weeks pregnant on this cruise, and will do whatever I can to avoid any second hand smoke so I am glad there are designated places to smoke, as I will avoid them.

 

We used to always reserve suites at the front of the ship so we could actually spend time on our balconies as otherwise, the second we'd open our balcony door, our suite would be enveloped in smoke, my husband would not be able to see, I would get sick, and we'd have to vacate our suite for a few hours (not much fun in the middle of the night). You may think that's extreme, but it's my reality. Before the new policy we had asked Regent why they could not designate a certain area of the ship as smoke free (or smoking) so we could just choose suites away from the smoking section but they said it was not possible. Then they banned it - we were thrilled because we thought this meant we would be less likely to get sick, and could enjoy our cruise more. But on our last cruise (post ban), we found ourselves getting smoked out of our suite several times. We had complained to our stewardess, as well as the front desk, but the final night when we finally confronted our neighbor who was smoking (we happened to be on the balcony when he lit up) he said he had no idea there was a ban so no one had ever told him (or he was lying to us). All in all, it was one of the low points of our cruise as we really wanted to just be able to open our balcony door without worry but that wasn't the case throughout the cruise. If we do find ourselves getting smoked out of our suite on this next sailing, we will be going straight to the officers of the ship to make sure the passenger is aware of the ban so it stops- we learned our lesson on relying on our stewardess and the front desk. I do respect people's right to smoke - I just wish there was a way that I could not be subjected to the smoke. Wasn't there a smoke-free cigarette invented? How I wish those were in use!

 

Not to start a riot, but another pet peeve of mine is smoking in cars with the window open and cigarette hanging out of the car, which sickens me if I happen to have my car windows open (or vent), or I'm walking my dog on the street and a car with a dangling cigarette drives by - I have to breathe the second hand smoke long after the car has gone. Blech. I wish there were a law where one had to smoke with the window closed so they can breathe the second hand smoke instead of me. Again it comes back to how I wish people who smoked were the only ones impacted by it - also wishing for those smokeless cigarettes to get in style.

[Bearnaise]

But on our last cruise (post ban), we found ourselves getting smoked out of our suite several times.

As an occasional smoker (alcohol induced) who can't stand the smell of smoke in non-smoking areas, I totally sympathize. Because of the rule in effect on our June Mariner cruise, I restricted myself to occasionally lighting up in the C Club, or at the pool bar, or outside of the Horizon Lounge, the three "legal" areas. The C Club ventilation system and closed door go pretty far keeping the smoke from infiltrating beyond the room and because of the aft location, the Horizon Lounge outdoor smoking doesn't impact non-smokers unless they're standing out there with the smokers. The pool bar smoke can blow over to the La Veranda tables and some of those tables are designated smoking tables, but it's otherwise very very easy to get away from smoke the majority of the time.

 

We also had an balcony offender on our cruise, but I fortunately only noticed it once. You are correct in that the smoke from another's balcony not only easily infiltrates a neighboring balcony, as not only was it very strong in my nose and a nasty contrast to the otherwise pristine Alaskan air, but enough got sucked inside when opening and closing the balcony door that there was a lingering odor inside our stateroom for some time after. Had it recurred during our cruise, I might have notified crew in hopes they could find the offender, but like I said, we only noticed it on one occasion. I can very much appreciate the joys of smoking on one's balcony with cocktail in hand, but I also appreciate how it impacts others and have no problem respecting the no-smoking rule on balconies and the rest of the ship.

 

Not to start a riot, but another pet peeve of mine is smoking in cars with the window open and cigarette hanging out of the car, which sickens me if I happen to have my car windows open (or vent), or I'm walking my dog on the street and a car with a dangling cigarette drives by - I have to breathe the second hand smoke long after the car has gone. Blech. I wish there were a law where one had to smoke with the window closed so they can breathe the second hand smoke instead of me. Again it comes back to how I wish people who smoked were the only ones impacted by it - also wishing for those smokeless cigarettes to get in style.

My pet peeve is smokers in front of me in the Starbucks drive-thru line so I get a carful of second-hand when I open the window to order and all that lingering smoke at the window to pay.

 

And then there are those who insist on smoking at gas stations :mad:

[dougburns]

Switch to Silversea. We did when Regent changed the policy and we're happier with SS after 14 Regent cruises. Cost is about the same for Mariner or Shadow.

[lkakers]

Well, I am a paying customer also, and I find quite a few things "distasteful" but keep it to myself.

 

I know this issue may be a dead horse, but I just wanted to beat it a bit more.

 

In my experience, the above quote is typically of many smokers' belief that cigarette smoke is simply a minor temporary annoyance.

 

First, it's not minor, if you're a non-smoker. If you're a smoker, you don't notice it -- it's like being near somebody with horrible body odor: you have a hard time abiding it, but the person stewing in the stench doesn't notice it at all. It doesn't mean that it is unnoticeable or unobtrusive. If you were sitting on your balcony, in your cabin or at a dinner table and your surroundings were so flooded with bad body odor that you could hardly smell anything else, you would have a problem with it, and you'd demand respite.

 

Second, it's not temporary. Cigarette smoke has properties that make it attach itself to clothing, furnishings, hair and skin. It lingers and continues emitting its scent for hours. If you were experiencing that terrible body odor, but it had clung to your clothing and the interior of nostrils so that you couldn't get away from the scent, even if you left the area where the scent was "contained," you again would be distressed by it.

 

Neither I nor my DH are allergic to smoke, and I wouldn't say we are particularly sensitive to it (but perhaps we are, I admit that), but it really is more intrusive and disruptive than many smokers can understand.

 

My two cents.

[Travelcat2]

I agree that this subject is a dead horse -- except to those new to Regent and

who ask about the policy. Unfortunately, this subject generally turns into a unnecessary debate.

 

Regent has it's policies and they have to be adhered to. They lost passengers when this policy went into effect to other cruise lines where smoking is permitted. On the other hand, people that prefer smoke-free environments switched to cruise lines where smoking is very limited. The policy is what it is!

 

Input to the Regent board is read (on occasion) by Regent management. Many things can be impacted by the voices of their customers. . . this is not one of them (IMPO).