How bad is the smoking?

Hello, we are considering a cruise with NCL for next summer and everything looks good except for one detail. I saw that NCL allows players in the casino to smoke. I'm very much a gambler but very much not a smoker. I live in Ohio where it is illegal to smoke indoors and am not used to cigarette smoke. How bad is the smoke in the NCL casino? I been told there is no non smoking section, so how well is it ventilated? Where are the other smoking areas in the ships?

Which ship?

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I have been on 14 cruises and am generally fairly sensitive to smoking. The smell has varied greatly, even different voyages on the same ship. Typically the casino is the smokiest, but I have been on ships I've barely noticed it there. I wish I could tell you it is more than a crap shoot, but that what it is.

I don't cruise on the mega ships, only the smaller (Pearl, Jewel, etc.) and the smoking in the casino can get really bad. It has been bad enough that I have stopped gambling and I'm a big gambler. One of the issues is that folks come in to just smoke and not gamble and it makes the smoke all that much more worse.

Which ship?

 

 

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Escape. I found an article from 2015 that says that they had plans to build a dividing wall for non smoking and smoking areas. But, I also saw where some disputed this article and said it never happened. I called and talked to one rep who said that there was a wall when she was on the ship about a year ago but had nothing in writing. 2 others reps recited the policy for fleetwide with no specifics on Escape.

Escape. I found an article from 2015 that says that they had plans to build a dividing wall for non smoking and smoking areas. But, I also saw where some disputed this article and said it never happened. I called and talked to one rep who said that there was a wall when she was on the ship about a year ago but had nothing in writing. 2 others reps recited the policy for fleetwide with no specifics on Escape.

I don't think that wall was ever built.

Most of the mainstream cruise ships allow smoking in the casinos, just like most US land-based casinos. There used to be other indoor smoking areas, but since they've restricted indoor smoking to the casinos, the casinos are pretty smokey. Many people come in just to smoke. You can visit the casino and gauge for yourself how much of a deterrent it is. There are many, many other things to do on cruises, so I wouldn't let it stop me from cruising.

I find it is terrible in the casino, as an asthmatic I can't walk through and have to cross a deck above

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On the Escape it is mostly just a kind of general stale smoke smell which is tolerable to me. If some one is actively smoking next to or near me in the casino then I have to move, which is not good if you are on table games or a hot slot. It really can vary on the active smoking from cruise to cruise. I don't use the casino as much as I would if it were non smoking because of these issues. Love the nonsmoking casinos on Celebrity and you get a free drink package too, but like NCL for a change also. Will be on the Escape July 15th, so the smoking is not bad enough to keep me away, but wish they would make the casino nonsmoking.

Mary Ann

Actually most land based casinos do NOT allow smoking at all. None in AC, or Maryland do I know that for a fact. Also on the cruise ship smoking is allowed for ACTIVE PLAYERS ONLY. It is not an open smoking area.

If this is true, then why do they all sit at the casino bar, not playing anything, and smoke up the place?

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Escape. I found an article from 2015 that says that they had plans to build a dividing wall for non smoking and smoking areas. But, I also saw where some disputed this article and said it never happened. I called and talked to one rep who said that there was a wall when she was on the ship about a year ago but had nothing in writing. 2 others reps recited the policy for fleetwide with no specifics on Escape.

I can say that the smoke would be the primary reason for me NOT to return to the Escape, and I just sailed last week. The odor around Taste/Savor in the morning was obvious and gross, and I'm being kind. And these restaurants are one deck below the Casino!

Actually most land based casinos do NOT allow smoking at all. None in AC, or Maryland do I know that for a fact. Also on the cruise ship smoking is allowed for ACTIVE PLAYERS ONLY. It is not an open smoking area.

All Atlantic City Casinos allow smoking. There was a brief period where they tried to limit it to enclosed smoking areas, but they lost money and now are ALL smoking. I was just there last week and visit regularly.

On the Pearl I couldn't enjoy the casino due to the smoke. Even if nobody was around me smoking the furnishings smelled strongly of smoke. I left.

Book a celebrity cruise. Their casinos are smoke free

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If this is true, then why do they all sit at the casino bar, not playing anything, and smoke up the place?

 

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Used to be balcony smoking. With that eliminated more smokers congregate in the casino to smoke.

I just got home from a cruise on the Dawn. The smoke from the casino wafted into Gatsby's Lounge.

We just returned from a Baltic cruise on the Getaway. I am a dyed-in-the-wool non-smoker, and generally hold my breath and rush through the casino if I absolutely MUST to get from one place to another. On this cruise, I barely noticed smoke, even on sea days when the casino was open. I was pretty surprised, frankly. I did see a notice that smoking was only allowed if you were actually playing; no idea if it is enforced, or not. Perhaps this cruise was an anomaly?

We just returned from a Baltic cruise on the Getaway. I am a dyed-in-the-wool non-smoker, and generally hold my breath and rush through the casino if I absolutely MUST to get from one place to another. On this cruise, I barely noticed smoke, even on sea days when the casino was open. I was pretty surprised, frankly. I did see a notice that smoking was only allowed if you were actually playing; no idea if it is enforced, or not. Perhaps this cruise was an anomaly?

Personally I find Med cruises to be more of sophisticated mix of pax that aren't there to gamble party or drink 24/7 but rather tour the historical sites have a nice meal and show and bed by 11

Imho I'm thinking a Baltic cruise is similar....cruising for history and sites versus cruising to party gamble drink and such

And before anyone asks...party cruises mean more smokers to me.

Much different than a Carib cruise

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Recently on the Spirit and Getaway, on those ships there is no smoking at the bars in the casino (this is enforced). As far as I can remember the same holds true for the Epic and Sky. There are some poker slot machines at the bar, that would be smoke free.

All Atlantic City Casinos allow smoking. There was a brief period where they tried to limit it to enclosed smoking areas, but they lost money and now are ALL smoking. I was just there last week and visit regularly.

I think NCL should do the same. It's ridiculous! You can't smoke anywhere else...yet they allow it in the casino. Give the smokers their own area for heaven sakes...and make it enclosed so the smoke does not ruin the surrounding air for the non-smoking passengers. This coming from an x-smoker who always respected the rules.

Not so....they have designated smoking areas in the Atlantic City casinos. You can't smoke just anywhere while playing.

Theoretically yes, but it's as smokey in the non-smoking areas as it is in the designated smoking areas. And it only applies to slots and poker rooms. There might be a non-smoking table game, but it's sandwiched between two smoking tables and behind another. So for all intents and purposes, there are no smoke-free areas in AC casinos.

I agree, in the casino it's very hard to get away from it -- virtually impossible. On our last cruise, the casino was rather empty at times, and so not many people were smoking in it, but there seemed to be always at least a couple.

As for the rest of the ship -- all ships I have been on -- I have found I'd have to go out of my way to be around someone who was actively smoking, as there are few designated smoking areas, and if I have no need to be there, I'm not.

I guess you can smell stale smoke sometimes, here and there, depending on the ship you are on. If the cigar lounge is busy and the door opens, and you are sitting near it, you will smell smoke. I think it really depends on how sensitive to the smell you are. I guess I am not very sensitive to it because it's never been a problem for me personally.

Not so....they have designated smoking areas in the Atlantic City casinos. You can't smoke just anywhere while playing.

I think NCL should do the same. It's ridiculous! You can't smoke anywhere else...yet they allow it in the casino. Give the smokers their own area for heaven sakes...and make it enclosed so the smoke does not ruin the surrounding air for the non-smoking passengers. This coming from an x-smoker who always respected the rules.

That makes sense to me. Its almost exactly what this article from 2015 says the plan was. I'm not sure what happened.

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Norwegian-Escape-casino-to-have-nonsmoking-area

I was on the Epic in March. I found the casino to be pretty unbearable. They had n/s section of slots in the hallway. Fun for shorts spells as the ambience was very poor.

In 2015 on the Jewel the casino was great. Never crowded. Not smoky.

On my two Sun cruises the casino was nice in the daytime but as it got more crowded at night it was more smoky.

So, as another poster said, ship to ship, week to week, can change.

I just play it by ear. If the casino is too smoky for me to enjoy I just find something else to do.

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Recently on the Spirit and Getaway, on those ships there is no smoking at the bars in the casino (this is enforced). As far as I can remember the same holds true for the Epic and Sky. There are some poker slot machines at the bar, that would be smoke free.

But the bar is inside the casino correct?

The casino is smoking correct?

Or are you saying the casino bars are located in the non smoking area of the casino?

Fwiw....smoking or non smoking makes little difference as the smoke knows no boundaries

The only way to realistically keep part of the casino non smoking is to fully wall off the smoking section and make sure there is no way for the smoke to seep to the non smoking side

In other words....enclose the smokers not the non smokers

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