Norwegian Cruise Line to Stamp Out In-Cabin Smoking

[waverley7]

I am a smoker myself and I also have never smoked in my cabin but on the balcony only. I don't like the smell inside either. Until about a yr ago I never even thought my smoke was bothering anyone if I was outside, I just figured it blew into the air and away. My apologies for not realizing how bothersome this was to others. When the ship is sailing, does this still bother people? I can see it when it is idle but when moving I would think it would not blow up, just out.

 

I think what the lines need to do is make say Port side smoking balconies and Starboard side non smoking. Would that not solve alot of problems for everyone? We smokers wouldn't feel bad about subjecting you to our bad habit and feel guilty about smoking on the balcony and the non smokers wouldn't have to put up with the nastiness of the smell. Have they not thought of this??

 

Happy sailing everyone!!

[DHnDWplus2]

I am a smoker and am also fully aware that the smell bothers other people. I do my very best to ensure others don't suffer for my habit and have never smoked inside my cruise ship cabin. It never occurred to me that my balcony neighbors were affected by my smoking (until I started reading cruise critic). I would not be offended or "put off cruisin" if they wanted to restrict balcony smoking to one side of the ship. That being said, I do wish everyone was more tolerant. If we were all alike then life would be so boring!

[retired rascal]

YES YES YES....at least the smoke won't be in the vents or under the door from room to room. It's time to stop letting a minority of addicts ruin the environments of the majority of people who want to stay healthy and want to smell clean. I will cease before the rant gets reallly nasty.

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

Smokers are actually twice as careful as normal on a ship because contrary to what appears to be popular belief they don't want to be on a burning ship any more than you do.

 

Can you cite the empircal evidence to support your claim?:rolleyes:

[SFO-F/A]

The only problem is, more folks will be smoking on their balconies, which is no picnic for those of us who don't smoke and don't like it. On our last cruise, we kept having to close the balcony door (1 a.m., 3 a.m., etc) because the folks upwind would be smoking and coughing. Lines really need to offer no-smoking rooms with no smoking balconies.

I agree completely! Now more will be smoking on balconies and making it unpleasant for us who like fresh sea air! :(

[che5904]

Can you cite the empircal evidence to support your claim?:rolleyes:

 

I did not choose to answer the poster who posed the question as I did not wish to continue the argument. I tried to close that argument with a version of we agree to disagree, but obviously that was not going to drop it. So I chose to not respond.

 

The answer is quite simple and I don't have to go outside my own circle; myself, my husband, relatives and friends who smoke and have taken cruises state they are careful normally but are twice as careful when they are at sea.

 

Besides if Princess is the only thing that anyone can ever state that was a possibility of being caused by smoking then no one has much of a leg to stand on with this smoking causes fire on ships argument.

[che5904]

I agree completely! Now more will be smoking on balconies and making it unpleasant for us who like fresh sea air! :(

 

You are probably right. Since NCL has put this in place, smokers that wish to cruise will most likely be flocking to balconies, where at least they just have to step outside their cabin and not have to go locate the naughty spot. So there probably will be more around you than there used to be.

[Azure Moon]

I'm pleased with this change.

I've only had two very minor smoke related problems inside my 9 cabins (once on Carnival - Legend, one night smoke came through vent one night and once on NCL - my recent Spirit cruise where the books/ menu booklets or the tabletop smelled like stale smoke), besides having to see ugly cigarette burns on a couple of bathroom counters.

I'm glad the cabin stewards will have cleaner air while working and a have a little less work to do. :cool:

[Dolphins]

Just curious, do NCL ships have fire suppression systems on the balconies? I never thought to look.

 

There are no fire suppression systems (sprinklers) on most ship balconies because the ships often sail in below freezing weather. In addition, unlike the cabin interiors, there should be few, if any, combustible materials on a balcony.

[armymom28]

Better redo you research and you will find that the cause was never actually determined. "A smoldering cigarette is suspected as the cause of the blaze".

 

If you are truly concerned about fire, a moving ship is probably not a really good place to be since most are started in the engine room and it's pretty hard to move a ship without an engine. I'd be just as concerned if not more so, about the folks that insist on bringing their heavy duty hairdryers, their clothes steamers, their wonderful octopus' of power bars, extension cords etc, I've heard some claim to bring candles for romantic dinners in their cabins and one even brag about bringing a light bulb that was way over wattage to what the light fixture in his cabin would allow.

 

Smokers are actually twice as careful as normal on a ship because contrary to what appears to be popular belief they don't want to be on a burning ship any more than you do.

 

I for one being a smoker, agree with this!!!! What would make anyone think that I would want to be on a burning ship in the middle of the ocean anymore than a non smoker would want to be.:mad:

[Pokeraddict]

You would think the forward balcony cabins would be safe for smoke free but its just not true.

In 2009 we booked a last minute "gty" balcony Pacific Coastal cruise on the Pearl, we were assigned 9508 which is one or two down from front of ship but the balconies have what I call the "cut out".

We thought it would be good for no smoke but we were totally wrong.

Because of the cut out and ship design there are almost solid dividers floor to ceiling except there is about a 4/5 inch space at both top and botttom to allow water to flow across if ship was sinking (this is my guess only).

We had a younger couple with two kids on our left which is down wind and while they didn't smoke in their cabin I guess because of the kids they were chain smoking on the balcony morning noon and night and because of the design the smoke rises and lingers across the roof into your balcony and just sits because there is little to no breeze on these balconies.

 

We didn't complain because we paid a ridiculas price for a last minute pkg deal that also included flights and a 3 night stay in Las Vegas then back home to Canada.

 

But we would never book or take a chance with a gty balcony cabin again in case of getting one of the cut out balconies.

[SFO-F/A]

You would think the forward balcony cabins would be safe for smoke free but its just not true.

In 2009 we booked a last minute "gty" balcony Pacific Coastal cruise on the Pearl, we were assigned 9508 which is one or two down from front of ship but the balconies have what I call the "cut out".

We thought it would be good for no smoke but we were totally wrong.

Because of the cut out and ship design there are almost solid dividers floor to ceiling except there is about a 4/5 inch space at both top and botttom to allow water to flow across if ship was sinking (this is my guess only).

We had a younger couple with two kids on our left which is down wind and while they didn't smoke in their cabin I guess because of the kids they were chain smoking on the balcony morning noon and night and because of the design the smoke rises and lingers across the roof into your balcony and just sits because there is little to no breeze on these balconies.

 

We didn't complain because we paid a ridiculas price for a last minute pkg deal that also included flights and a 3 night stay in Las Vegas then back home to Canada.

 

But we would never book or take a chance with a gty balcony cabin again in case of getting one of the cut out balconies.

Thank you for this information. It's very good to know!

[newtocruisingcdn]

I enjoy a cigar after a hot day in the sun, I prefer my balcony, where my wife and I enjoy the tranquility. This is my vise... As a statment of not being able to win anywhere, on our RCL cruise, I wanted to have a cigar mid afternoon, so I ask where is it safe to go!!! I went to the back of the ship, lit up and zoned out to my surrounding, is life any better...... I was brought back to reality when a fellow passenger asked my to put it out or move as I was taking away the quality of life that she expected on her cruise.... Oh I should add she came to the area after I was there.... the moral you cannot please everyone

[mattie00]

I am a smoker and am also fully aware that the smell bothers other people. I do my very best to ensure others don't suffer for my habit and have never smoked inside my cruise ship cabin. It never occurred to me that my balcony neighbors were affected by my smoking (until I started reading cruise critic). I would not be offended or "put off cruisin" if they wanted to restrict balcony smoking to one side of the ship. That being said, I do wish everyone was more tolerant. If we were all alike then life would be so boring!

 

I SO agree with this post. I am a non-smoker (never even tried) in my 60's and agree that we should all be tolerant of one another's differences.:)

[onlysister]

If only the world was perfect. Nobody would smoke, or drink, or molest others, or beat children, or steal, or lie, or constantly gripe about anything. and a myriad of other things that bother someone that others do. I, myself, think that drinking is a bigger problem on cruise ships than smoking. How many smokers have fallen overboard just because they were smoking? Or due to excessive smoking got into fights on the ship? Are they going to ban drinking? or even put a set amount of drinks a day? Of course not. I don't like being subjected to these obnoxious people so I don't go where they are. I also don't go up to them and ask them not to drink because it is bad for them and they are upsetting me and my cruise.

 

I think it is good not to have smoking in cabins. But you can not totally ban it. It is something you will have to live with. If someone is smoking and you come to where they are, then I would say it is your problem, not theirs, they were there first. If you are in the casino and someone sits down next to you and lights up, you can be polite and ask them not to smoke near you. Every smoker I know, if asked politely, will not smoke near you then. It is the ones who start their little coughing jags and dirty looks and don't say anything about it bothering them who really take the cake. It is time to be adults and be polite.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Non-smokers who would like to enjoy a smoke-free balcony, should choose cabins near the front of the ship...smoke will naturally drift to the back of the ship while ship is moving...

 

This is not always true. We had the upper deck most front cabin & still were subjected to smoke from below.

Be prepared for an increase in balcony smoke now that Princess has it banned from rooms and balconies in Jan. as more smokers migrate to NCL in the future.

[BklynBorn47]

I enjoy a cigar after a hot day in the sun, I prefer my balcony, where my wife and I enjoy the tranquility. This is my vise... As a statment of not being able to win anywhere, on our RCL cruise, I wanted to have a cigar mid afternoon, so I ask where is it safe to go!!! I went to the back of the ship, lit up and zoned out to my surrounding, is life any better...... I was brought back to reality when a fellow passenger asked my to put it out or move as I was taking away the quality of life that she expected on her cruise.... Oh I should add she came to the area after I was there.... the moral you cannot please everyone

 

I don't really understand the distinction between types of smoke. Why can't cigar smokers just join the cigarette smokers in the designated smoking areas? Who exactly is objecting and insisting they be banned?

Are cigarette smokers not tolerant of cigar smokers? Non smokers would most likely not be hanging out in the smoking areas anyway.

[rvsullivan]

I am a smoker myself and I also have never smoked in my cabin but on the balcony only. I don't like the smell inside either. Until about a yr ago I never even thought my smoke was bothering anyone if I was outside, I just figured it blew into the air and away. My apologies for not realizing how bothersome this was to others. When the ship is sailing, does this still bother people? I can see it when it is idle but when moving I would think it would not blow up, just out.

 

I think what the lines need to do is make say Port side smoking balconies and Starboard side non smoking. Would that not solve alot of problems for everyone? We smokers wouldn't feel bad about subjecting you to our bad habit and feel guilty about smoking on the balcony and the non smokers wouldn't have to put up with the nastiness of the smell. Have they not thought of this??

 

Happy sailing everyone!!

 

 

It has been thought of! Here's the issue, when either side is not completely booked and it is near sail time, what do you do, sail empty? Nope, then the party that has no cabins available will say, put me on the other side, then it starts again.

Without starting another huge debate and I'm a non smoker, all of these discussions about smoking fail to consider the hydrocarbons and carcinogens from the stack of the ship and traffic in the cities the ships call on are as bad or worse than the cig. smoke. No one wants to fix that!!

[dmwnc1959]

Better redo you research and you will find that the cause was never actually determined. "A smoldering cigarette is suspected as the cause of the blaze".

 

Smokers are actually twice as careful as normal on a ship because contrary to what appears to be popular belief they don't want to be on a burning ship any more than you do.

 

A couple of points about your assertions. Here is a direct quote from the investigative body in charge of determining the Star Princess fire:

 

"The fire started on the balconies in the vicinity of staterooms C316 and C318, on deck 10..."It is highly probable that the cigarette end igniting the fire was discarded elsewhere."

 

Keep in mind that in the entire report NO other suspect source other than a cigarette was ever mentioned. None.

 

About your second point, another quote from the investigative report:

 

"Although passengers...were instructed to properly extinguish cigarette ends in the ash trays provided during the safety video shown throughout the day of embarkation, and in the safety literature provided in the staterooms, the cigarette ends found on balconies after the fire, and the scorching of a plastic chair by a discarded cigarette end, indicates that this instruction was not always adhered to."

[darrengs]

There are no fire suppression systems (sprinklers) on most ship balconies because the ships often sail in below freezing weather. In addition, unlike the cabin interiors, there should be few, if any, combustible materials on a balcony.

 

Interesting article about cruise lines not going far enough with safety and smoking came out today:

 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2011/08/articles/fires-1/cruise-lines-restrictions-on-smoking-fall-dangerously-short/

 

It appears that balconies are allowed to have combustible material and that was a big part of the Star Princess fire. Since that fire it appears Princess is the only line to add fire suppression to all of their ships.

[BklynBorn47]

It has been thought of! Here's the issue, when either side is not completely booked and it is near sail time, what do you do, sail empty? Nope, then the party that has no cabins available will say, put me on the other side, then it starts again.

Without starting another huge debate and I'm a non smoker, all of these discussions about smoking fail to consider the hydrocarbons and carcinogens from the stack of the ship and traffic in the cities the ships call on are as bad or worse than the cig. smoke. No one wants to fix that!!

 

I agree with the first part of your post. That was the problem with separate sections in restaurants. I found that non smoking was always filled, but you could always get a table with the smokers.

 

As to your second point, haven't we been piling on the environmental restrictions since the 70s? Starting with catalytic converters, scrubbers on smokestacks etc etc. I believe the air quality in cities is much better than it used to be. Not perfect, but better.

 

Now, if the top of the smoke stack were on the balcony next to or below me, yes, I'd really have a cause to complain.

[emcelh]

I don't really understand the distinction between types of smoke. Why can't cigar smokers just join the cigarette smokers in the designated smoking areas? Who exactly is objecting and insisting they be banned?

Are cigarette smokers not tolerant of cigar smokers? Non smokers would most likely not be hanging out in the smoking areas anyway.

 

I'm not suggesting they be banned but I've never met a cigar that smelled OK. Maybe there are some, I don't know. I smoked for over 40 years before quitting after a heart attack 6 years ago but, even back then, I was never able to be near someone smoking a cigar without experiencing slight nausea. Maybe others have the same reaction.

 

I've never been bothered by cigarette smoke on a balcony, although you do smell it from time to time. I do hope people respect the ban on cigars on balconies though.

[Richie2pies]

If you had one side of the ship designated as smoking, the zealous non-smokers would complain they still smelled smoke from the other side and the debate starts all over. Zealots will complain about smokers until smoking is banned everywhere including a private house.

[terracool]

Zealots will complain about smokers until smoking is banned everywhere including a private house.

 

THis is exactly true and a big part of the problem. I'm an ex-smoker, and generally smoke doesn't bother me. If I can occasionally smell smoke on my balcony, I would not freak out. If it was constant and pervasive, I might consider that it was negatively affecting a trip that cost a lot of money and for which I had high hopes. But I think anti-smokers need to be at least reasonable and not expect that they should never be in contact with any smoke at all.

 

I sympathize with smokers - their ability to legally smoke gets increasingly restricted every day. It seems like there has to be some reasonable balance. We have gotten away from a time when smokers got to smoke whenever and wherever regardless of the effect on others. Now we need to avoid going too far the other way.

 

I don't know if the Port/Starboard solution would work. Many cruises have very specific scenery advantages to being on one side or the other. As soon as one side was favored in the "nice view from the balcony" department, all heck would break loose.

[darrengs]

I found that by sticking to inside spaces (except the casino of course), I was guaranteed a smoke free environment. Balconies, pool area and promenade, were basically off limits. Although it did seem that on the Dawn the further up the "stadium seating" you went the more smoke free it was.