Smoking Policy

[sealady1]

Can anyone tell me what the smoking policy is for HAL ships? Are the cabins non-smoking? Do they have designated smoking areas? My husband and I do not smoke and we are hoping to have a cabin that is free from the smell of smoke.

[suse]

Can anyone tell me what the smoking policy is for HAL ships? Are the cabins non-smoking? Do they have designated smoking areas? My husband and I do not smoke and we are hoping to have a cabin that is free from the smell of smoke.

You can smoke as much as you want in your cabin and on your balcony. There also designated areas, including the casino, where you can smoke. Lots of smoking on the Promenade deck too.

No telling what kind of cabin you'll get, smoking or non. Good luck.:)

[Randyk47]

Smoking is permitted in cabins, on verandas, and in designated locations on the ship. There are not any non-smoking cabins at this time.

[TMWeddle]

To help make sure your cabin does not have a smoke odor call HAL and ask for a deep cleaning.

[jtl513]

On 10 HAL cruises we've never had a cabin that smelled of stale smoke, but maybe we've just been lucky. :)

[GeriatricNurse]

Can anyone tell me what the smoking policy is for HAL ships? Are the cabins non-smoking? Do they have designated smoking areas? My husband and I do not smoke and we are hoping to have a cabin that is free from the smell of smoke.

 

 

 

I am a non smoker as well. I just 'phone HAL Ship Services approximately two weeks before my cruise embarks and request a "deep cleaning" of my stateroom! If all non smokers did the same thing prior to their cruise then perhaps HAL would update their out of date policy permitting smoking in their staterooms!:mad:

[suse]

I am a non smoker as well. I just 'phone HAL Ship Services approximately two weeks before my cruise embarks and request a "deep cleaning" of my stateroom! If all non smokers did the same thing prior to their cruise then perhaps HAL would update their out of date policy permitting smoking in their staterooms!:mad:

They'll go bankrupt as well.

[suse]

They'll go bankrupt as well.

but I am with you in spirit.:)

[Randyk47]

I am a non smoker as well. I just 'phone HAL Ship Services approximately two weeks before my cruise embarks and request a "deep cleaning" of my stateroom! If all non smokers did the same thing prior to their cruise then perhaps HAL would update their out of date policy permitting smoking in their staterooms!:mad:

 

And when they do we'll update our cruise line list and remove HAL. :(

[Copper10-8]

Great idea! All non-smokers, go ahead and call HAL and demand a "deep cleaning" of your cabin. Now, make sure you make this demand before you board and discover whether or not there even IS a smell of smoke, faint or not! What are the chances anyway that there was a non-smoker in that cabin the week before?

But I digress and am out in left field again catching fly balls! Please, go ahead and call. That way, we are all ensured that our respective cabin steward(s) have more work on their plate(s) on turnaround day and all of us happy campers can then spend more time in the Lido since the cabins will now Shirley;) not be ready until, say 3:00 PM instead of 1:30 PM! Brilliant! Puts you square in the lead for the Mister Microphone!:cool:

That last great big "mother of all smokers versus non-smokers" thread just got put out of its missery a couple a days ago after all the endless arguments so we'll see how long this one lasts:rolleyes: Oh, and we all know, this one is gonna force HAL to change its completeley outdated smoking policy and make a difference!

[bob chico]

They'll go bankrupt as well.

No smoking policies don't seem to have affected the hotel industry (Marriott, Hyatt etc).

[suse]

No smoking policies don't seem to have affected the hotel industry (Marriott, Hyatt etc).

I agree. The hotels are fine. I meant that HAL will spend alot of money "deep cleaning" cabins. Time is money and so on.

[AlexandNessa]

BTW, HAL's smoking policy can be found right on its website:

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-planning/PlanningAndAdvice.action?tabName=Shipboard+Life&contentMenu=Onboard+Policies&contentSubMenu=Smoking

Note the following: Our ships do not have "nonsmoking" staterooms; however, all rooms are thoroughly cleaned after each cruise to assure the comfort of our guests.

Given that, I wonder if the peeps who call and request a deep cleaning actually get one that is any more thorough than a guest who doesn't call to request that deep cleaning. ;)

[madelinerose]

Popcorn and martinis, anyone? :D

 

I'm completely blizzard in. I'll take both, thank you. ;)+

 

Hmmm...should that have been blizzarded in? LOL

[usha]

Here ya go, Madelinerose!

Normally I disaprove of martinis this early in the day,

but you are snowed in....:D

[madelinerose]

Woo Hoo, usha! :D

[jtl513]

Oh, and we all know, this one is gonna force HAL to change its completeley outdated smoking policy and make a difference!

Dangnabbit, do you always have to be such a realist? :D I wonder how many millions of times the word 'smoking' has appeared on Cruise Critic? Any day now, someone will "see the light" at HAL! :rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Copper10-8]

Dangnabbit, do you always have to be such a realist? :D I wonder how many millions of times the word 'smoking' has appeared on Cruise Critic? Any day now, someone will "see the light" at HAL! :rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

 

;);)

[Jemima]

We are able to avoid most smoking and smoke smell on HAL cruises. We have had smoke smell in our cabin on one of twelve HAL cruises. That smoke was not from the cabin nor was it through the ventalation system. We had an outside cabin on the rear of the promenade deck. The smoke smell was sporadic and was apparently coming from smokers just outside our window. We had a promenade cabin on another HAL cruise and didn't have this problem. Possibly there was a crack in the window seal or else smokers were more likely to stand right by the window in the location. It was not pronounced enough for us to complain.

We've had balconies twice. The first time we had a smoker in an adjacent cabin, but they didn't smoke much. We only slightly smelled smoke 2 or 3 times. The second time there were no smokers in nearby cabins.

The casinos vary in permitting smoking. We don't go to the casino, but sometimes smell smoke when passing nearby. Smoking may be permitted in an adjoining lounge (not sure on this) and smoke smell has been reported in lounges by the casino.

Smoking is not permitted in other lounges with the exception of a small section of the Crows Nest on the R & S class ships and on one of the Vista class ships (the one that doesn't have an explorations cafe in the Crows Nest). We do find smoke smell very annoying when permitted in the Crows Nest. However, it is mostly a problem to non-smokers when there are a number of smokers or smokers sit right on the edge of their section. It is especially annoying during glacier viewing and at other times the Crows Nest is crowded.

We are also annoyed by smoking on outside decks when we are trying to view scenery or take photos.

However we otherwise really like HAL. The percentage of smokers is usually small but varies by cruise. HAL passengers are mostly polite, considerate and pleasant people including those who smoke. That means most HAL smokers will try to be considerate. We don't usually run into very much smoke on HAL cruises.

[dag144]

I have been on 20 HAL cruises latest one last month. I have always taken a cabin with a balcony or larger. I can say that I have never had a problem with a smoking smell in any of these 20 cabins. I have never had to ask for any special cleaning. HAL does an excellent job cleaning their cabins. Once I had a neighbor in an adjoining suite (I sprung for a deluxe suite on the Navigation deck of the Amsterdam.) The neighbor in the next suite did smoke a cigar, but I never smelled his smoke in the cabin.:)

[RevNeal]

Just off the Zaandam yesterday. For privacy purposes, and because Mom smokes in-cabin, she and I had separate cabins. It was nice. We were right next door to each other but, nevertheless, had perfect privacy. I NEVER smelled any smoke in my cabin, even though we were neighbors. I could smell smoke, of course, whenever I entered it, but that odor never traveled far into the corridor outside. On the second to the last day of our cruise the people across the hall from me found out Mom was a smoker and were surprised, saying that they never smelled any smoke through the AC system, nor did they find it present in the corridor (though, in truth, I thought one could always whiff it when Mom's door was open).

 

On that horrible morning of Disembarkation I had vacated my own cabin and had joined her in hers while we waited until our disembarkation number/color was called. While waiting our cabin steward knocked and came in to strip the bed. We asked if they would like us to vacate the cabin immediately and the steward paused for a moment and then said that if we wouldn't mind going next door to my cabin, it would allow them to "hit" her cabin almost immediately. On hearing this -- and with past threads of this nature in mind -- I asked the steward what he meant and he said that, since my mother had been a smoker, her cabin was detailed for special cleaning: the couch, mattress, carpet, and drapes would be sprayed with a neutralizing agent and allowed to sit before vacuuming and other cleaning would commence. I asked if this had been specifically requested by the cabin's future residents and he said no, that this was standard procedure after a cabin has been occupied by a smoker. When I inquired further about this he said that, by the mid-point of every cruise all cabin stewards are asked to identify which of their cabins have smokers in them; this list is compiled to speed the process whereby special treatment for each cabin is performed at turn-around. Only if the standard post-smoking turn-around clean is insufficient -- and it does, sometimes, happen that a cabin isn't sufficiently cleaned by the normal process -- will future residents of a cabin be able to tell that a smoker had been in it before them and ask for a secondary cleaning. I asked about AC filter replacement and he said that smokers being resident in a cabin will accelerate the pace at which those specific filters are replaced, though he didn't say by how much (and I don't think he knew, since that's an engineering issue). I've seen an engineering crew come into a cabin, pop open the AC vent (that square hang-down panel in the middle of the cabin), remove an old filter and slide in a new one, so I know it happens.

[fann1sh]

Excellent, informative post, RevNeal! Thanks so much.

[sealady1]

Thank you to everyone who replied to my question about HAL's smoking policy. I am sorry to anyone out there who may have been offended. I am a non smoker but I respect a person's right to smoke if they so choose. Just because I don't smoke and I hate the smell of smoke, I don't have the right to tell you what you can do in your cabin nor do you in mine. I will also try to avoid places where there could be excessive smoking such as the casino. I am not much of a gambler anyway. I didn't mean to start a debate, smokers versus non smokers.

I will NOT be calling HAL to request a deep cleaning. From what I have read on these boards, I trust that the cleaning crew already give the rooms a deep cleaning.

[sealady1]

Popcorn and martinis, anyone? :D

 

I'm completely blizzard in. I'll take both, thank you. ;)+

 

Hmmm...should that have been blizzarded in? LOL

Great sense of humor!! Bravo to you for taking a little heat off a hot debate.

[RevNeal]

I will NOT be calling HAL to request a deep cleaning. From what I have read on these boards, I trust that the cleaning crew already give the rooms a deep cleaning.

 

Keep in mind that, after you've boarded and arrived in your cabin, IF you have a problem -- whiff any smoke or ash residue or nicotine -- then please call and ask for extra cleaning.