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

[cruz chic]

Cruz Chic I found it!

 

You brought up the Noordam in post 2551 (12 Oct 2015) that someone had reported no smoking in the casino. Then in post 2554 you said you found the original post at Post 2483 (30 Sep 2015) by tyler919 on a cruise leaving from Vancouver. Noordam moved to Australia in Oct 2015 where none of the cruise lines have smoking in the Casino anymore so there would be no smoking in the Casino down under. It has been down under ever since. Maybe when the left Vancouver for the TPAC they were getting ready for the inside smoking ban in Australia. Maybe that's why the Oak Room with its renovation meets Aussie regs.

 

Could be. Thx for finding it. I'm pretty sure that erewhon did report it too.

[sppunk]

That doc posted upthread is outdated. The casino has multiple smoke-free nights now, it's a HM decision on which nights allow it now.

 

Here is the relevant HAL policy:

 

Casino

- Active players only, when the casino is open

- Designated slot machines only

- Each sailing will offer one or more non-smoking nights depending upon the length of the voyage

 

Bolding mine.

[sail7seas]

Is your quote from the HAL site where they set out the smoking policy?

[MARLEY225]

Is there smoking allowed in the casino? Will be on this ship in a few weeks and wondered about this. I was pleasantly surprised in January on the Eurodam (which I had been on twice before) that smoking was no longer allowed anywhere in the casino.

[IRL_Joanie]

That doc posted upthread is outdated. The casino has multiple smoke-free nights now, it's a HM decision on which nights allow it now.

 

Here is the relevant HAL policy:

 

 

 

Bolding mine.

 

What I posted yesterday is directly from my current HAL Cruise Documents. It wasnot from the HAL Web Site.

 

I go by the Documents sent me by HAL.

 

Joanie

[mllewis48]

Is there smoking allowed in the casino? Will be on this ship in a few weeks and wondered about this. I was pleasantly surprised in January on the Eurodam (which I had been on twice before) that smoking was no longer allowed anywhere in the casino.

 

 

The change on the Eurodam is most likely because of the major changes in that area after the Dec. Dry Dock.

 

Most likely the NA still allows smoking in the Casino as it has not had the changes

 

I hope over time they do away with the Casino smoking, JMHO

 

 

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[sppunk]

Is your quote from the HAL site where they set out the smoking policy?

 

It is. Link here: http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-planning/PlanningAndAdvice.action?tabName=Shipboard+Life&contentMenu=Onboard+Policies&contentSubMenu=Is+Smoking+Allowed+On+Board

[sppunk]

What I posted yesterday is directly from my current HAL Cruise Documents. It wasnot from the HAL Web Site.

 

I go by the Documents sent me by HAL.

 

Joanie

 

The cruise docs aren't up to date. They're often wrong with gala night info too. The casino will be nonsmoking on very likely multiple nights. I for one celebrate this change.

 

FWIW, I've heard balcony smoking will likely banned in 2018 when the 2nd Pinnacle Class ship launches and the Veendam and Maasdam will probably be leaving the fleet

[erewhon]

I believe it was poster erewhon that posted it. I went back and looked at the posters posts for the last month and they have a lot of posts. It's seems to me it was posted a few months or more ago. I hope that poster happens by. I was on the Noordam in April 2015 and you could smoke at that time so it has to be after that date. It went into dry dock right after that so maybe that's when it changed. I don't recall non smoking nights being on gala nights but I may not have clued into it.

 

Replied to you nearly 3 hours ago, but the post has not appeared.

 

We boarded Noordam in Sydney Australia, October 25th 2015.

In our stateroom a letter from Captain Draper encouraging smokers to use the Oak Room instead of their balcony.

We were surprised as had not seen any such information on Cruise Critic.

 

When walking along the hallway beside the Oak Room it was quite obvious the room was being used by smokers.

[teamflames]

The cruise docs aren't up to date. They're often wrong with gala night info too. The casino will be nonsmoking on very likely multiple nights. I for one celebrate this change.

 

 

 

FWIW, I've heard balcony smoking will likely banned in 2018 when the 2nd Pinnacle Class ship launches and the Veendam and Maasdam will probably be leaving the fleet

 

 

Why would they allow smoking on one of their pinnacle class and then not the other? Why not just come out and ban it for the new ship?

 

 

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[nb125]

The cruise docs aren't up to date. They're often wrong with gala night info too. The casino will be nonsmoking on very likely multiple nights. I for one celebrate this change.

 

The web site is not up to date either. It is still saying smoking is allowed on the Sports and Observations Decks. This is not the case on the Noordam where the only outdoor smoking is the Seaview Bar.

[cruz chic]

Replied to you nearly 3 hours ago, but the post has not appeared.

 

We boarded Noordam in Sydney Australia, October 25th 2015.

In our stateroom a letter from Captain Draper encouraging smokers to use the Oak Room instead of their balcony.

We were surprised as had not seen any such information on Cruise Critic.

 

When walking along the hallway beside the Oak Room it was quite obvious the room was being used by smokers.

Thank you :).

[CHOPPERTESTER]

The cruise docs aren't up to date. They're often wrong with gala night info too. The casino will be nonsmoking on very likely multiple nights. I for one celebrate this change.

 

The web site is not up to date either. It is still saying smoking is allowed on the Sports and Observations Decks. This is not the case on the Noordam where the only outdoor smoking is the Seaview Bar.

 

Noordam is down under where HAL has different rules about smoking. As do most of the other cruise lines. Look at the smoking area deck plans for the Carnival Spirit. No interior smoking and the exterior areas are a lot less (no promenade, pool deck side, only on an upper deck in one area).

 

Only HAL ship with a non-smoking Casino every night of the cruise is the Eurodam. An experiment I think for HAL to decide if they'll move it fleet wide, coincidental that it was after a drydock with extensive changes in the Casino area. We'll know either way when KDAM starts sailing if they ban smoking in its Casino. All the other HAL ships will have a few non-smoking nights 1, 2 , 3 or more dependent upon the length of the cruise and the nights are usually the gala nights or elegant nights.

[nb125]

 

Noordam is down under where HAL has different rules about smoking. As do most of the other cruise lines. Look at the smoking area deck plans for the Carnival Spirit. No interior smoking and the exterior areas are a lot less (no promenade, pool deck side, only on an upper deck in one area).

 

Only HAL ship with a non-smoking Casino every night of the cruise is the Eurodam. An experiment I think for HAL to decide if they'll move it fleet wide, coincidental that it was after a drydock with extensive changes in the Casino area. We'll know either way when KDAM starts sailing if they ban smoking in its Casino. All the other HAL ships will have a few non-smoking nights 1, 2 , 3 or more dependent upon the length of the cruise and the nights are usually the gala nights or elegant nights.

 

It certainly wasn't down under when we were on it.

[OVgirl]

The cruise docs aren't up to date. They're often wrong with gala night info too. The casino will be nonsmoking on very likely multiple nights. I for one celebrate this change.

 

The web site is not up to date either. It is still saying smoking is allowed on the Sports and Observations Decks. This is not the case on the Noordam where the only outdoor smoking is the Seaview Bar.

 

This was also true on Eurodam in February. The only smoking areas were on balconies and aft seaview bar area. That could explain why some pax are noticing more of the smell at the aft pool. It's the only public place to smoke.

[Lizzie68]

 

Noordam is down under where HAL has different rules about smoking. As do most of the other cruise lines. Look at the smoking area deck plans for the Carnival Spirit. No interior smoking and the exterior areas are a lot less (no promenade, pool deck side, only on an upper deck in one area).

 

Only HAL ship with a non-smoking Casino every night of the cruise is the Eurodam. An experiment I think for HAL to decide if they'll move it fleet wide, coincidental that it was after a drydock with extensive changes in the Casino area. We'll know either way when KDAM starts sailing if they ban smoking in its Casino. All the other HAL ships will have a few non-smoking nights 1, 2 , 3 or more dependent upon the length of the cruise and the nights are usually the gala nights or elegant nights.

 

If it is the case that Noordam has this unique rule only while cruising around Australia, I wonder, then, why HAL does not adopt Canadian, and specifically western Canadian, laws while sailing the Inside Passage to Alaska. Very puzzling. We have pretty much the laws with regard to smoking as Australia does. No smoking anywhere inside at all, including casinos, no smoking on beaches and in parks, etc.

 

And of course the casino is never open while in port, so smoking there while bunkering is definitely not an option. No smoking anywhere outside during that time, including on your own balcony.

[sppunk]

 

This was also true on Eurodam in February. The only smoking areas were on balconies and aft seaview bar area. That could explain why some pax are noticing more of the smell at the aft pool. It's the only public place to smoke.

 

Cool! Less places to smoke the better. It's not safe and unhealthy to those nearby. YMMV.

 

The moral of the story is docs mean nothing, the phrase "changes may be made" at the end ensure it isn't any type of policy guarantee.

[sppunk]

Why would they allow smoking on one of their pinnacle class and then not the other? Why not just come out and ban it for the new ship?

 

 

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Sorry if I wasn't clear. I believe the fleetwide policy changes then.

[teamflames]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I believe the fleetwide policy changes then.

 

 

No I understood, just not sure why they wouldn't change fleet policy now with the intro of koningsdam ? Why let this ship get damaged by 2 years of smoking?

 

 

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[sppunk]

No I understood, just not sure why they wouldn't change fleet policy now with the intro of koningsdam ? Why let this ship get damaged by 2 years of smoking?

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

Because Seattle is stubborn.p is my best guess. The overwhelming majority of cruises clearly oppose smoking, I worth be surprised if it's as simple as a few higher ups smoke so are ignoring them.

[cruz chic]

Because Seattle is stubborn.p is my best guess. The overwhelming majority of cruises clearly oppose smoking, I worth be surprised if it's as simple as a few higher ups smoke so are ignoring them.

 

But Hal likes to post on Facebook that the smoking policy is what is wanted by most pax :D. I think you are right about the higher ups.

[suz1607]

All this is very interesting! I do smoke and do not like being lied to [ not saying who is spreading misinformation because I honestly do not know yet so please do not "jump" on me!].! Had a choice between HAL ships and called to see if the information on Cruise Critic concerning no smoking in casino on the Eurodam was correct. The person I was speaking with called ship services to be sure she was giving me correct information. I was told that Cruise Critic was not correct, was not an "official arm" of HAL and was quoted HAL's official policy concerning smoking. Was also told that you could only smoke if you were playing.

Edited March 7, 2016 by suz1607

[cruz chic]

All this is very interesting! I do smoke and do not like being lied to [ not saying who is spreading misinformation because I honestly do not know yet so please do not "jump" on me!].! Had a choice between HAL ships and called to see if the information on Cruise Critic concerning no smoking in casino on the Eurodam was correct. The person I was speaking with called ship services to be sure she was giving me correct information. I was told that Cruise Critic was not correct, was not an "official arm" of HAL and was quoted HAL's official policy concerning smoking. Was also told that you could only smoke if you were playing.

 

Seattle is known to give out incorrect information. Many people have reported the eurodam is now smoke free in the Casino.

[sapper1]

All this is very interesting! I do smoke and do not like being lied to [ not saying who is spreading misinformation because I honestly do not know yet so please do not "jump" on me!].! Had a choice between HAL ships and called to see if the information on Cruise Critic concerning no smoking in casino on the Eurodam was correct. The person I was speaking with called ship services to be sure she was giving me correct information. I was told that Cruise Critic was not correct, was not an "official arm" of HAL and was quoted HAL's official policy concerning smoking. Was also told that you could only smoke if you were playing.

 

If you speak to three different people at HAL you will get three different answers---on any subject and not just smoking.

 

Cruise Critic is admittedly not an official arm of HAL but I have learned over the years to listen to regular cruisers and what their experiences aboard different ships have been. Very often these experiences differ from official policy but for the most part, I believe the cruiser.

 

For instance, not related to smoking , but it is the official policy that there is no refund for a shore excursion cancelled onboard after the cutoff period. I cancelled an expensive excursion to Rome on the NA with less than 24 hours notice fully expecting to lose all my money as per official policy. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a full refund.

 

I am absolutely positive that had I phoned Ship Services prior to the cruise and asked about cancelling with a few hours notice I would have been quoted the official policy of no last minute refunds. I am also sure that Ship Services would tell you I am not correct in relating my experience.

 

What I am trying to say in a rambling way is that the interpretation of rules on most things varies from ship to ship and sometimes from day to day and from person to person. Please don't think I am jumping on you as that absolutely not the case.

Edited March 7, 2016 by sapper1

[OVgirl]

There is no wall between the casino and piano bar on Eurodam, so if smoking was allowed it would spread to this lounge as well as the Gallery Bar which also doesn't have a separating wall.