This Thread Is To Be Used For All Discussions About HAL's On Board Smoking Policies

Discussions of post counts are off topic. This thread is about HAL's on board smoking policies. Please stay on topic.

Thanks.

Going to sail the Westerdam after being away for a while can anyone tell me if there is smoking in public aft outdoor areas or one side of the ship near the pool?

On our last cruise on the Niew Amsterdam, we were so disgusted with the cigarette smoke in the casino we stayed away, it is so unfair that a small number of addicts can't refrain for a couple of hours from their fix, it ruins the experience for the majority of peopl. Smoking SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED ANYWHERE INSIDE THE SHIP, in my opinion.

If you need nicotine that bad, go get some nicotine gum or lozenges.

I agree with you Normr; the smoke stench from the Niew Amsterdam casino was so bad; it was in the bar and hallway. Only one day after all day in port was the casino smell tolerable for a short while. Unfortunately, the casinos were not yet open. We found the casinos on the Princess to be full of cigarette smoke odor as well. However; Celebrity has been able to rid the stench by banning smoking in the casino. :)

Going to sail the Westerdam after being away for a while can anyone tell me if there is smoking in public aft outdoor areas or one side of the ship near the pool?

Hello!!!! Yes, there is smoking on the aft starboard side. Plenty of tables and chairs and a nice bar nearby.

Hello!!!! Yes, there is smoking on the aft starboard side. Plenty of tables and chairs and a nice bar nearby.

Thanks so much…is that you Sharon???

Andrea

The smokers who keep mentioning that the balcony dividers cannot possibly allow smoke fumes in neighboring balconies have failed to mention there are spaces above and below each partion. I did smell cigar and cigarette smoke on our balcony and the ship was at sea. Yes, it was nauseating enough to have to leave my balcony. There were no smokers on either balcony next to me.

 

While I cannot explain the physics of how it was possible; I experienced it and know somehow it happened. I have seen seen feather light objects float every which way in the breeze and I suppose smoke odor would weigh less and therefore float even more freely.

I have no problems with smokers. I feel it is my right to enjoy my balcony without the negative effects of someone else enjoying their balcony. We have not booked a future cruise on HAL for this reason.

I agree with you Normr; the smoke stench from the Niew Amsterdam casino was so bad; it was in the bar and hallway. Only one day after all day in port was the casino smell tolerable for a short while. Unfortunately, the casinos were not yet open. We found the casinos on the Princess to be full of cigarette smoke odor as well. However; Celebrity has been able to rid the stench by banning smoking in the casino. :)

My Wife and I were on the same cruise with you and took it all the way to Venice. Both of us don't smoke.

You had no smokers next to you but could smell cigarette smoke enough where it made you nauseated and you had to leave your balcony while at sea? I had a smoker next to us and didn't know he smoked until we were talking to him at the rail in Gibraltar. Smoke dissipates and cigarette smoke doesn't travel too far before it does.

I respectfully disagree with your comments on the Casino being smokey. I spent quite a bit of time in there and never found it to be the case. You are entitled to your opinion but believe your comments are highly exaggerated.

Yes Andrea!!! Glad I could help out......hope you are doing fine!

Yes Andrea!!! Glad I could help out......hope you are doing fine!

Doing well thanks for the info hope to sail with you again in the future!

I will continue to enjoy a cigar on my balcony on every cruise line. six am or midnight and never in port.

Not if I'm your neighbor.

Didn't know you could smoke on holland cruise lines . now we can plan our alaska cruise for next year with you guys ......

We noticed the absence of smoke in the casino, on our verandah, and in the outside smoking areas during our cruise.

This was a 14-nt cruise from Harwich, England, to Norway.

I spent many hours in the casino and never once saw anyone smoking. Once I thought I caught a whiff of a cigarette, but it was fleeting.

I know this was an anomaly, but it was a very pleasant one:)

I think nonsmokers are going to have to go to another cruise line because of HAL' s policy allowing smoking on balconies. I hate cigarette and cigar smells. I know people say you can't smell it on the balconies but this just isn't true. Good thing that I like Princess. So glad I never tried smoking and that none of my family or friends smoke.

I think nonsmokers are going to have to go to another cruise line because of HAL' s policy allowing smoking on balconies. I hate cigarette and cigar smells. I know people say you can't smell it on the balconies but this just isn't true. Good thing that I like Princess. So glad I never tried smoking and that none of my family or friends smoke.

There are many non-smokers such as myself that have no problem with smokers and don't plan on running to another Cruise Line. There is smoking on balconies on the other Cruise Lines including Princess although there was a ban. I rather be on a Ship where they give an ashtray for smokers to extinguish their butts than to be on a Ship where people are using cans, cups or bottles.

There are many non-smokers such as myself that have no problem with smokers and don't plan on running to another Cruise Line. There is smoking on balconies on the other Cruise Lines including Princess although there was a ban. I rather be on a Ship where they give an ashtray for smokers to extinguish their butts than to be on a Ship where people are using cans, cups or bottles.

Ditto!!

So surprised that our thread is still going!

I am a non smoker, but have no plans so far in changing!

Will be in Europe on our 3 Mediterranean cruise and we will see!

Did our B2B Carribean cruise in March, and had smokers on both sides and at least when the heard us come out having breakfast or our dinner were polite and finished and extinguished them out!

Did have some problems but do not need to rehash that on this thread which I already said prior!

Had my fingers crossed that it would have changed by now the policy but I doubt the CEO wants any changes or HAL just sees more people flocking to HAL.

Denise:)

Hi.. we have just booked a Holland cruise for November after 8 years of sailing other lines.. I have not read this entire thread, but someone told me that cigars are not allowed on the balcony.... I am not a smoker but do not mind cigerette smoke if it is not blown right at you.. but cigar smoke in my opinion is very strong and annoying... Thanks for your help..... No matter what.. I think we will enjoy sailing Holland America again.. I remember them being very classy ships with great food.

Cruisehappy gal:)

I have not read this entire thread, but someone told me that cigars are not allowed on the balcony....

Smoking, including smoking cigars and pipes, IS currently allowed on HAL balconies.

Thank you Ruth for your quick reply.... even though it was not the answer I wanted... Hopefully we will be lucky and stay clear of the cigars.. ha... I have just started reading the Holland Cruise Critic.. you are such a helpful person, with great answers for those of us who are not familiar with Holland.. Thank you for your time and great insight..

Cruise Happy gal:D

Mrdillion, in response to your post #2057 p.103; I did not exaggerate my smoking sensitivity nor my experience with smoke odors on the NA. I find it interesting you chose to question me when my post was merely agreeing with Norm's post #253.

In your past posts, you have stated you travel with smokers and you have voiced your preference of balcony and casino being smoking. I gather from this that you are around smokers and have a tolerance for the odor.

In my opinion, you cannot relate to my sensitivity as I cannot relate to how it might be traveling with the smokers you describe below from a past post.

Originally Posted by Mrdillion View Post

"I pop into this thread from time to time and see again that the majority of posts here are from the same posters.

It's really sad to see the hatred that people have toward those that smoke! It's also so ridiculous to embellish and and see how some portray smokers out to be something they are not! The Ships are 99.99% smoke-free! HAL is hardly "Ashtray of the Seas"! Let's get a grip here folks!

I am not a smoker and have never smoked! I will gladly cruise anytime with smokers over some of the Self-righteous non-smokers who show such hatred and lack of tolerance in their posts toward fellow passengers who are not doing anything illegal or breaking rules by smoking on their balconies or in designated smoking areas!

There are many passengers who cruise HAL where expecting them to get up, rush out of their rooms and go to a Designated Smoking Area especially on a cold weather cruise or leave their rooms at night before they retire can be a hardship for them. This is what is being asked of them because someone doesn't LIKE the whiff of a cigarette on a moving Ship sailing at 18 knots!

Very sad! ". End of your quote.

HAL is my least favorite cruise line. However, they are the only cruise line to still allow smoking on the balconies, which I enjoy immensely. Therefore, I will continue to sail with them, just for that privilege. If they ever institute a smoking ban on balconies, bye bye Hal.

HAL is my least favorite cruise line. However, they are the only cruise line to still allow smoking on the balconies, which I enjoy immensely. Therefore, I will continue to sail with them, just for that privilege. If they ever institute a smoking ban on balconies, bye bye Hal.

Smoking, drinking, and partying don't seem to fit the HAL cruise style but Holland America seems to be making a profit on their smoking permitted balconies. When they have trouble selling balcony cabins at a premium hopefully they will join the other cruise lines which ban smoking on balconies and you will be free to go back to your favorite cruise lines....or take a land based vacation!

HAL is my least favorite cruise line. However, they are the only cruise line to still allow smoking on the balconies, which I enjoy immensely. Therefore, I will continue to sail with them, just for that privilege. If they ever institute a smoking ban on balconies, bye bye Hal.

Thx for letting us know:rolleyes:.

Haven't visited the HAL site for a while. Wanted to see if smoking on balconies was still being allowed. I am super disappointed to read that this is still the case. On our last trip, we couldn't even sit outside for coffee in the morning without the smell and smoke coming onto our balcony. We splurged on a Neptune Suite. We loved that part, and can live with the smoke out by the pool (it was absolutely a full-on outdoor smoking salon all day into the nights) - as we can avoid that area. But the balcony allowance just puts it over the top for us. My DH has a medical issue that smoke exacerbates, so we have to pay extra attention to this. Until HAL changes this part of their policy, we won't sail with them again.

I am surmising that there has been an exodus of smokers from other lines to HAL, so there has been no financial impact to them - because after all, they aren't making this decision based on the health of their passengers!

Too bad. We enjoyed HAL very much but for this.

There are many non-smokers such as myself that have no problem with smokers and don't plan on running to another Cruise Line. There is smoking on balconies on the other Cruise Lines including Princess although there was a ban. I rather be on a Ship where they give an ashtray for smokers to extinguish their butts than to be on a Ship where people are using cans, cups or bottles.

Or throwing their (still) lit butts overboard, like we saw on Carnival Dream recently. Except the butts didn't go overboard, they landed on the Promenade Deck that goes around the ship.

Add us to those who are conflicted about booking with Holland America. We have sailed only on the Nieuw Amsterdam and Oosterdam. Enjoyed both but hated the smoke. Thought the staff was wonderful.

We love Celebrity for the smoking policy, and the S class ships.

We are intrigued by the Koningsdam and the 21 day Iceland/Fiords cruise, BUT...there's that smoking issue...and I think it will keep us away again. We like throwing our money away in a smoke-free environment :rolleyes:; and if we put money into a balcony or suite we want the assurance that it will be smoke free.

There is always going to be an issue with this for people...and we all vote with our dollars and how we choose to spend them. It is apparently financially feasible for HA to continue to get enough bookings regardless of the smoking issue....this astonishes me, but there it is! Enough non-smokers are apparently willing to roll the dice on the issue, and those who smoke are on board due to the policy.

Seems to me that they could designate sides of the ship as smoking or non and it would resolve the issue. But I've yet to see a way to make a room (casino) that allows smoking to make smoking a non-issue for those of us who hate cigarette smoke. Maybe the Koningsdam will have some space-age ventilation system? I think not...