Non-smokers: Choosing Princess, Celebrity, HAL, or RCL

[gkbeach]

Like many who have cruised the major lines, I think if we are honest we would say that for comparable size and age ships, the cruise experience - including cabins, food, service, entertainment, etc. - all are good to very good. There is some difference in the passenger demograpics, with Carnival seeming to be younger, HAL somewhat older, Disney with more small children, RCL more active, etc., but assuming comparable ships, we like many have chosen our cruises based on the itinerary. One factor - the policy on smoking - will probably be a major factor in future decisions on which line to choose. Those who have not cruised before may be surprised to learn that while smoking has been banned for many years in office buildings, hotel rooms and balconies, and restaurants, some cruise lines allow smoking in staterooms, on balconies, and in most other areas. Some potential passengers will select a cruise line only if it allows smoking in staterooms, on verandahs, and on outdoor deck areas. Others will seek a cruise line that does not, or allows smoking only in designated areas outside. If you are a non-smoker, walking down a smoky corridor to your room, sleeping in a room occupied by smokers the week before, relaxing on your varandah or sitting or sunning on deck with smokers a few feet away is not an experience they want. Smokers currently comprise about 20% of the population, and they will choose cruise lines that allow smoking in rooms, verandahs and on deck. My guess is that a far higher percentage will choose cruise lines that do not. Cruise lines in the furure may limit areas where smoking is allowed or ban it all together. Review the cruise line policy on smoking before you book.

[terigo]

Review the cruise line policy on smoking before you book.

 

This is good advice, just as doing a search in a forum to see how many times this issue has been brought up is a good idea, too.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Amen, Terigo!

[CtheW0rld]

indeed.

 

last week i called hal, carnival, costa, princess and cunard to be removed from their mailing lists. i won't tolerate such restrictive policies. their loss. my gain, too, since i no longer will be getting so much junk mail and i'm helping the environment, too.

[m steve]

Lack of restrictions makes a lot of difference. Never walked down a passageway filled with smoke on any ship. Some people have vivid imaginations. They make stuff up like Glenn Beck does with news.

[rafinmd]

To the OP: Is there some specific reason someone who has one prior post 4 years ago and shows no evidence of having ever booking or taking a HAL cruise is posting this and only on this forum?

 

Roy

[Randyk47]

indeed.

 

last week i called hal, carnival, costa, princess and cunard to be removed from their mailing lists. i won't tolerate such restrictive policies. their loss. my gain, too, since i no longer will be getting so much junk mail and i'm helping the environment, too.

 

I haven't pulled the plug, so to speak, on HAL or Carnival yet but have on Celebrity and Azamara because of their policies. I'll give them credit, I asked they stop sending emails and mailings and they have. I canceled one cruise because of their policies and no sense of booking any more or even looking at their itineraries, etc.

[igraf]

Why are you still on this forum if you don't want to sail with HAL anymore?

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

 

 

indeed.

 

last week i called hal, carnival, costa, princess and cunard to be removed from their mailing lists. i won't tolerate such restrictive policies. their loss. my gain, too, since i no longer will be getting so much junk mail and i'm helping the environment, too.

[igraf]

Good for you. I love sailing with HAL, but will be considering Celebrity in the future for the sake of clean healthy air (and healthy people).

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

Like many who have cruised the major lines, I think if we are honest we would say that for comparable size and age ships, the cruise experience - including cabins, food, service, entertainment, etc. - all are good to very good. There is some difference in the passenger demograpics, with Carnival seeming to be younger, HAL somewhat older, Disney with more small children, RCL more active, etc., but assuming comparable ships, we like many have chosen our cruises based on the itinerary. One factor - the policy on smoking - will probably be a major factor in future decisions on which line to choose. Those who have not cruised before may be surprised to learn that while smoking has been banned for many years in office buildings, hotel rooms and balconies, and restaurants, some cruise lines allow smoking in staterooms, on balconies, and in most other areas. Some potential passengers will select a cruise line only if it allows smoking in staterooms, on verandahs, and on outdoor deck areas. Others will seek a cruise line that does not, or allows smoking only in designated areas outside. If you are a non-smoker, walking down a smoky corridor to your room, sleeping in a room occupied by smokers the week before, relaxing on your varandah or sitting or sunning on deck with smokers a few feet away is not an experience they want. Smokers currently comprise about 20% of the population, and they will choose cruise lines that allow smoking in rooms, verandahs and on deck. My guess is that a far higher percentage will choose cruise lines that do not. Cruise lines in the furure may limit areas where smoking is allowed or ban it all together. Review the cruise line policy on smoking before you book.

[chrispb]

Review the cruise line policy on smoking before you book.

 

As a smoker, I always do. I'm sure non-smokers do the same.

[Martel63]

... One factor - the policy on smoking - will probably be a major factor in future decisions on which line to choose... Review the cruise line policy on smoking before you book.

 

Good advice! Wouldn't want to take any chances on not being able to enjoy my cigars! :p

[George C]

I do not think the smoke is bad on any of the lines mentioned rccl/princess/costa and hal. But if you really have a problem and want to avoid smoke I would do Celebrity, there were only a few small areas that smoking was aloud when we did the Solictice last year, that was the only casino that had 100 percent non smoking.

[fann1sh]

There would be few - to ZERO - smoking threads if people did their research, weighed their options, and made an informed choice. It might be necessary to give up certain things to get others.

 

I make compromises every time I book a cruise.

 

I'm sick of people who book a line, then complain about the policies of the line they picked.

 

There would be few - to ZERO - dress code threads if people....

 

...well, you get the idea.

[TracieABD]

[Vic The Parrot]

...well, you get the idea.

 

 

 

Obviously, some don't ...

[Vic The Parrot]

Tracie

 

 

 

The LOOK on his face sez it all! LOL

[TracieABD]

Tracie

 

 

 

The LOOK on his face sez it all! LOL

Exactly... :o

[berkyvdr]

Is there someone who can tell me what the non-smoking/smoking policies are for the major lines? (in a quick excel spread sheet or something) We are non-smokers but have sailed with Carnival, HAL and Norwegian and are in the future sailing with Celebrity.

[jimmy2x]

Is there someone who can tell me what the non-smoking/smoking policies are for the major lines? (in a quick excel spread sheet or something) We are non-smokers but have sailed with Carnival, HAL and Norwegian and are in the future sailing with Celebrity.

 

This should help if you really do not already know.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=225

[boaterette]

I agree witht he statement to research the smoking policies if that is an issue for you. I do. I was looking forward to sailing on Celebrity until they changed thier policy. We all want to be comfortable when we are paying good money for our vacations.

[JeffCoud]

To the OP: Is there some specific reason someone who has one prior post 4 years ago and shows no evidence of having ever booking or taking a HAL cruise is posting this and only on this forum?

 

Roy

 

This is called "trolling" of course!

[Gablin]

The original poster may very well have been reading posts all of this time and only now found something to post about. Or, not.

 

I was gone from HAL for eleven years, and recently cruised again on the Veendam. Tobacco smoke is a big issue for me, as I am missing part of one lung and also have a granddaughter with very serious asthma.

 

The Veendam was fine in most places, except on the deck with the casino. The upper dining room, at one end, and the upper show room at the other, are most easily reached by walking through the area called "Mix." This area usually had a lot of tobacco smoke from the casino.

 

The alternative to walking through the smoke was go down two decks or up one deck to get from one end of the ship to the other. The deck that has the lower dining room and the main floor of the show room does not have access all of the way through.

 

Using the computers was uncomfortable the only time I tried it, as the smoke from the casino "bled" into this area.

 

Even though I now have 48 days with HAL, I will be looking at Celebrity also. Tobacco smoke is only one issue, but it is as important as itinerary to me.

[comcox]

Like many who have cruised the major lines, I think if we are honest we would say that for comparable size and age ships, the cruise experience - including cabins, food, service, entertainment, etc. - all are good to very good. There is some difference in the passenger demograpics, with Carnival seeming to be younger, HAL somewhat older, Disney with more small children, RCL more active, etc., but assuming comparable ships, we like many have chosen our cruises based on the itinerary. One factor - the policy on smoking - will probably be a major factor in future decisions on which line to choose. Those who have not cruised before may be surprised to learn that while smoking has been banned for many years in office buildings, hotel rooms and balconies, and restaurants, some cruise lines allow smoking in staterooms, on balconies, and in most other areas. Some potential passengers will select a cruise line only if it allows smoking in staterooms, on verandahs, and on outdoor deck areas. Others will seek a cruise line that does not, or allows smoking only in designated areas outside. If you are a non-smoker, walking down a smoky corridor to your room, sleeping in a room occupied by smokers the week before, relaxing on your varandah or sitting or sunning on deck with smokers a few feet away is not an experience they want. Smokers currently comprise about 20% of the population, and they will choose cruise lines that allow smoking in rooms, verandahs and on deck. My guess is that a far higher percentage will choose cruise lines that do not. Cruise lines in the furure may limit areas where smoking is allowed or ban it all together. Review the cruise line policy on smoking before you book.

 

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Even though Holland America had been my favorite cruise line, I will no longer book a cruise with them nor with Princess or the other smoke-filled cruise lines. My husband and I now only cruise with Azamara or Oceania.

[m steve]

HAL, Princess and other Carnival owned ships all allow some smoking like on balconies while X, Oceania, Regent and others are severely restricted. So it's easy to make a decision if smiking is involved. My partner smokes so that limits us as well as those who want to avoid any smoking. That's why there's vanilla and chocolate.

[Karennella]

Remember that not only people from the US and other English speaking countries cruise on Carnival Corporation cruises and a higher proportion of some other nationalities are smokers. Obviously Carnival make a commercial decision about their ships and we make a personal decision about our smoking exposure.

I have never smoked a cigarette in my whole life yet smoking actually does not bother me. But we have chosen HA over a European line for our next cruise as our friends with whom we are travelling have health issues with smoking.