Quit smoking cruises

I wonder if this Carnival “Quit Smoking” Cruise (back in 2002) turned out to be a huge success or a total failure or something in between.

The "participants slip up while onboard" part is not very clear. It can't be that hard to make a ship completely smoke free? You'd have to bribe crew members? A ship full of people who just quit smoking must be a nightmare to the crew, btw. :)

I haven't seen any ads selling this even when specifically looking for it on Google.

But, New Year is coming up and at these times booking such a cruise is something I might want to do. Maybe not actually sail, but booking with a strict no refund cancellation policy. Similar to the "proof of actually being really serious this time" by throwing my whole stash of perfectly good cigarettes in the trash every few years.

That is interesting. As a smoker, I used to take an airline called Muse Air which was smoke free. Compared to current standards, it was luxurious. Went bust.

Your post is likely to draw more negative comment and aversive therapy than you can stand and will eventually be shut down by the monitors due to extreme insults. Good luck in any event.

I'm not sure why there should be insults.

I'm not sure why there should be insults.

Because more times than not, all smoking threads of any kind end up with insults either by those who are for or against smoking. Seems like all smoking threads eventually go south.

I'm not sure why there should be insults.

Because smoking threads (even those only remotely smoking related) are a real hot topic on the cruise boards. If you would check around on the various cruiseline boards, you'll find this out.

Carnival had a "smoke-free" ship...no smoking allowed....they stopped, because there will always be smokers....until they make smoking illegal. Then, the smokers will be "in the closet", so to speak.

I started cruising as a smoker, however I found the first cruise soooo relaxing that I had no need to smoke, as were the second and third. Now I don't smoke at all.

I started smoking, and drinking at age 14.

john

That is interesting. As a smoker, I used to take an airline called Muse Air which was smoke free.

That was a very long time ago- Muse Air went out of business in 1987. And the smoking ban on all airplanes operating in the US started a phase in the same year, with a full ban by 1998.

What is the point of this thread? It makes no sense whatsoever. Quitting smoking isn't something that will happen in a 7 day cruise. Plus, who's going to book a quit smoking cruise, spending hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars when they could attempt this at home. BTW, I think the OP might be referencing Carnival's experiment gone wrong. Their ship, Paradise, was totally smoke free, but at that time, smoking wasn't nearly as disliked as it is now, so that ship, and it's no smoking, failed.

OP, what other strange threads will you be starting?

That was a very long time ago- Muse Air went out of business in 1987. And the smoking ban on all airplanes operating in the US started a phase in the same year, with a full ban by 1998.

True. I didn't remember how long ago it was, but looked it up and it turned out to be that they operated from 1981 to 1987. I also didn't think it lasted that long. I just took short flights in Texas, and the planes were so comfortable, even as a smoker, I couldn't understand why more people didn't fly them.

To answer the original question: the Carnival non-smoking ship turned out to be a colossal failure. All crew members--even those with no passenger contact--were required to sign a contract that if they were found not only smoking but even in mere possession of tobacco (for their use on their few hours off the ship while in port) they would be immediately terminated and put off at the next stop. At that time--and even now--virtually all young men from Southern and Eastern Asian countries smoked, and that is where the large majority of below-deck plumbers, electricians and painters are recruited from. Far, far more crew were booted off than passengers, effectively stopping this experiment in its tracks.

I was never more stressed than when I was a smoker. Stressed out of my head all-the-time......and we fool ourselves into thinking that smoking reduces our stress. For me, quite the opposite. Could never have done a cruise to stop smoking....

Ok,

I confess

I could never do it at that time.

It took a major scare of my life to quit cold turkey. I am thankful and grateful that I am smoke free almost 4 years. And healthier and wiser and richer.

A person has to be ready to quit, it is hard to preschedule this to happen, I know because I always delayed the date and/or quit soon after I started, always saying----next time.

I guess I am one of the lucky ones to really have the *hit scared out of me to see the writing on the wall.

The first year I put all my cigarette money in an envelope and on the first anniversary I had $1500.

This upcoming May 20, 2015 will officially be 4 years.

A smoke free quitting cruise.......I bet the black market was very profitable on that sailing, probably used their rum runners:eek:

Thanks for letting me rant.

Proud to not be smoking......................

Sea Ya

I wonder if this Carnival “Quit Smoking” Cruise (back in 2002) turned out to be a huge success or a total failure or something in between.

If it was a huge success, there would be more of them in the last 12 years. My guess is that it was a huge failure.

Seems like a bad idea: imagine a few thousand cold-turkey quitters confined to a ship - there would likely be fights breaking out all over as a critical mass of tense people interacted.

I tried cold turkey a couple of times - did not work. I switched to a pipe and almost chain smoked for the first week, then tapered off until after a month I just had an unlit pipe giving me the scent and slight flavor, after two months I no longer had tobacco in it, using it just as a pacifier; after three months I was done. This was in 1982 after 25 years of Luckies and Pall Malls.

What is the point of this thread? It makes no sense whatsoever. Quitting smoking isn't something that will happen in a 7 day cruise.

 

OP, what other strange threads will you be starting?

Not strange at all. I quite while cruising for 7 days, after 60 years +++ as a smoker.:)

john

Can you imagine being on a ship with 3000 people trying to quit smoking. It would be a very interesting experience.

DON

What is the point of this thread? It makes no sense whatsoever.

The point is: I like the subject. As a smoker I tried to find a cruise like that and couldn't find it, so I ask. Apparently even -successful- Carnival at some point thought it should test the idea so it's not that ridiculous.

OP, what other strange threads will you be starting?

If I'd start a new thread it will probably again be a strange one to you, something general about the cruising industry and why they don't do this, offer that, or things I find odd.

Questions about OBC, flights, excursions, cabins etc. I can ask my TA if I cannot find the answer within seconds by searching CC, so I wouldn't start threads about those.

Then again, I have seen questions that I find strange, ranging from hair dryers, wash cloths to the actual thread count in Egyptian cotton. Those are threads that I wouldn't start.

Not strange at all. I quite while cruising for 7 days, after 60 years +++ as a smoker.:)

 

john

Thanks for the support, and congratulations! While on board I noticed I smoked a LOT less than I do on land. During land based holidays that were equally relaxing there would be no difference. If I'm still smoking boarding my next cruise I hope to disembark smoke-free, too!

To answer the original question: the Carnival non-smoking ship turned out to be a colossal failure. All crew members--even those with no passenger contact--were required to sign a contract that if they were found not only smoking but even in mere possession of tobacco (for their use on their few hours off the ship while in port) they would be immediately terminated and put off at the next stop. At that time--and even now--virtually all young men from Southern and Eastern Asian countries smoked, and that is where the large majority of below-deck plumbers, electricians and painters are recruited from. Far, far more crew were booted off than passengers, effectively stopping this experiment in its tracks.

Thank you. I never saw a crew member smoke (apart from one officer, in a designated smoking area that obviously would not be available) and wouldn't mind them smoking in crew areas. If the loss of crew was the only reason for the experiment to stop I hope some line will try again sometime, this time only booting smoking passengers .

Seems like a bad idea: imagine a few thousand cold-turkey quitters confined to a ship - there would likely be fights breaking out all over as a critical mass of tense people interacted.

 

I tried cold turkey a couple of times - did not work. I switched to a pipe and almost chain smoked for the first week, then tapered off until after a month I just had an unlit pipe giving me the scent and slight flavor, after two months I no longer had tobacco in it, using it just as a pacifier; after three months I was done. This was in 1982 after 25 years of Luckies and Pall Malls.

Maybe I should try a pipe, too :)

A smoke free quitting cruise.......I bet the black market was very profitable on that sailing, probably used their rum runners:eek:

 

Proud to not be smoking......................

It would be a ship filled with passengers on a mission. The black market would be run by crew members who'd be off the ship very soon.

Congratulations to you too for not smoking!

Carnival had a "smoke-free" ship...no smoking allowed....they stopped, because there will always be smokers....until they make smoking illegal. Then, the smokers will be "in the closet", so to speak.

We went on the Carnival Paradise in March 2001 because it was a no-smoking ship (this was the intention from the beginning). It was so nice to be on a ship with no stench from tobacco, no holes in the carpet, and no concern about making sure you were on the starboard side of the pool deck to make sure you didn't walk into a cloud of smoke.

But Carnival failed, IMO, to properly market this ship. When I first was at a travel agency (the one to do with cars) to ask about fares, I mentioned we were interested in the Paradise because smoking wasn't allowed. The TA didn't know about this. After our cruise, we did a post-cruise stay in the Florida Keys and whenever we ran into a family, I mentioned the Paradise. People didn't know there was a no-smoking ship. On our end-of-the-cruise comment survey, I suggested the ship be relocated to the west coast as there will be plenty takers for this.

As for the usual argument that non-smokers don't drink or gamble as much, I avoid going in to the casinos because of the smoke. Even on non-smoking nights, there's still the residual odor that I find offensive. On the Paradise I did go in to the casino and hit the slots.