Single Smoking Thread (Use for all smoking discussions on HAL) )

[SUESEABE]

@richstowe Agree, it was a different cruise ship world smoking wise. To me the worst was my very first HAL cruise in 1985 and smoking was permitted in the MDR. That was annoying as hell.😒

[KroozNut]

10 hours ago, SUESEABE said:

@richstowe Agree, it was a different cruise ship world smoking wise. To me the worst was my very first HAL cruise in 1985 and smoking was permitted in the MDR. That was annoying as hell.😒

It was a different smoking world everywhere. Smoking was allowed in land based restaurants and airplanes back then too. Smoking restrictions on cruise ships have evolved over the years just as they have in all other facets of our lives.

[terrydtx]

Currently on the Koingsdam and haven't been on any cruise ship in 10 years that reeks so bad of cigarettes.  We couldn't go into the shops because of the smoke from the casino. All of the. hallways on deck 3 and 2 forward smell of cigarettes.  HAL needs to step up and ban smoking in any interior spaces on their ships including the casinos. Can't even use the Lido pool and bar because of the smokers too.

Edited November 5, 2023 by terrydtx

[AV8rix]

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

 Can't even use the Lido pool and bar because of the smokers too.

Huh?  They don't have smoking at the Lido pool.  Only on one side of the aft outdoor Seaview pool.  Are there really smokers at the Lido pool now?  I'll be boarding Kdam in three weeks and I hope smoking at the Lido pool is not a new policy.

[Ipeeinthepools]

6 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Currently on the Koingsdam and haven't been on any cruise ship in 10 years that reeks so bad of cigarettes.  We couldn't go into the shops because of the smoke from the casino. All of the. hallways on deck 3 and 2 forward smell of cigarettes.  HAL needs to step up and ban smoking in any interior spaces on their ships including the casinos. Can't even use the Lido pool and bar because of the smokers too.

Sorry the smoke is disrupting your cruise, we experienced the same thing on the Rotterdam.  I agree with you that HAL needs to step up and eliminate all indoor smoking.

[terrydtx]

10 hours ago, AV8rix said:

Huh?  They don't have smoking at the Lido pool.  Only on one side of the aft outdoor Seaview pool.  Are there really smokers at the Lido pool now?  I'll be boarding Kdam in three weeks and I hope smoking at the Lido pool is not a new policy.

My apologies I meant the Seaview pool but smoking was on bith sides of the pool with no enforcement of rules by the crew.

[terrydtx]

8 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Sorry the smoke is disrupting your cruise, we experienced the same thing on the Rotterdam.  I agree with you that HAL needs to step up and eliminate all indoor smoking.

This is the worse of any HAL ship in the last 10 years i have been on. We couldn't spend any time in shops from spillover of smoke from the casino.

[KroozNut]

Smoking is not allowed in the Lido pool area of any HAL ship, including Koningsdam.

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, KroozNut said:

Smoking is not allowed in the Lido pool area of any HAL ship, including Koningsdam.

As I said above I mentioned the wrong pool, it was the Seaview pool with all the smokers on both sides of the pool. My bad.

[KroozNut]

3 hours ago, terrydtx said:

As I said above I mentioned the wrong pool, it was the Seaview pool with all the smokers on both sides of the pool. My bad.

On Koningsdam, and other similarly configured HAL ships, the designated smoking area is at the Seaview Bar area, which is deck 9 starboard side aft.
Smoking is not allowed on the port side of that area, so "all the smokers on both sides of the pool" would not be accurate.

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

On Koningsdam, and other similarly configured HAL ships, the designated smoking area is at the Seaview Bar area, which is deck 9 starboard side aft.
Smoking is not allowed on the port side of that area, so "all the smokers on both sides of the pool" would not be accurate.

Well it may not be the rules, but the smokers were sitting on both sides of the deck all around the pool yesterday and when I complained to guest services all I got was "we will look into it". Again today we walked down to the shops on deck 3 and the casino smoke was in the shops area as well, just like yesterday. Like I have said it is time to eliminate all interior smoking including the casino.

[KroozNut]

23 hours ago, terrydtx said:

They can keep the smokers to the Seaview pool but they need to enforce that no smoking is done on the Starboard side of the deck. 

The smoking area literally IS the starboard side of the Seaview Pool area. It's the port side that is nonsmoking.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

On 11/6/2023 at 4:16 PM, terrydtx said:

Other cruise lines do not allow smoking in the Casinos and it is time for HAL to do the same, if they cannot keep the smoke confined to the casino....

 

Yep - Celebrity has that down!

 

Tom

[jsn55]

On 8/26/2023 at 7:06 AM, terrydtx said:

Last year on the Oosterdam the guy in the cabin directly below us chain smoked on his balcony. We even saw him flick his butts over the side of the ship. We complained to guest services and they immediately sent as officer to investigate and after two such trips to our cabin they also saw the guy. He was told if he continued to smoke on his balcony he would be taken off the ship at the next port. He still smoked and we called guest services a third time and when we stopped in Croatia the next day we saw him and his wife being escorted off the ship with their luggage. No more smoke from below us after that. The problem is the ship's crew cannot do anything until they actually catch a smoker on the balcony.

Great story, made my morning.  I'm a casual smoker and morons like this make my blood boil.  There are almost always places to have a cigarette anywhere you go ... and smokers should be grateful instead of myopic.  Very happy to hear that these people were properly 'punished'.  

[jsn55]

On 8/26/2023 at 5:43 PM, Toad said:

Omg, pleeeeeease let’s not start this again! I agree with Kazu, there is a thread for this.  I quit doing CC for a while because of all the negativity, snarky remarks, and entitlements expressed by both sides on this issue a few years ago.   I am sure it has been asked and answered above.  
 

I read CC to plan my cruises, read about changes in HAL policies, and to live vicariously thru others cruise experience. 

Being realistic, not snarky.  Since threads are usually clearly labeled, why read those that you don't want to read?

[jsn55]

On 9/11/2023 at 4:12 PM, markwfpb said:

 

 

Yep, I get it. I've had many friends over the years who smoke (and three who have sadly died from cancer years later - ugh). I'm not against smoking areas on ships at all. But when people don't follow the rules, that's the problem, of course.

I simply don't understand HAL's policy on enforcing the rules. Like I said, the people I reported it to were somewhat appalled that it was even happening. But it seemed like it was up to that cabin's steward to enforce the rules (that's who guest services called, at least) but maybe I'm wrong. Shouldn't it be escalated to Security rather than a lowly steward working for tips? There were several times when a pack of Marlboros (and a yellow pack his wife smokes) were on the balcony table during the day. And to clarify, the smoke was very noticeable even though it was a few balconies below and forward. I'm not highly sensitive to smoke - but our balcony seemed to be in the perfect draft for the smoke. I was told other people had reported it as well, for what it's worth.

 

I so agree about who should deal with the smokers.  Cabin stewards are really excellent at taking care of pax and making them happy.  To expect them to confront a smoking pax is quite ridiculous.  The problem, of course, is catching someone actually smoking on a balcony.  Not sure how you'd get a photo from your balcony ... stick your hand out around the partition?  But counting on the stewards is very myopic.

[mightycruisequeen]

10 hours ago, jsn55 said:

I so agree about who should deal with the smokers.  Cabin stewards are really excellent at taking care of pax and making them happy.  To expect them to confront a smoking pax is quite ridiculous.  The problem, of course, is catching someone actually smoking on a balcony.  Not sure how you'd get a photo from your balcony ... stick your hand out around the partition?  But counting on the stewards is very myopic.

I agree.  I don't think the cabin stewards should be expected to deal with the smoking scofflaws anymore than I think the security personnel should be expected to make my bed!

[Ipeeinthepools]

11 hours ago, jsn55 said:

I so agree about who should deal with the smokers.  Cabin stewards are really excellent at taking care of pax and making them happy.  To expect them to confront a smoking pax is quite ridiculous.  The problem, of course, is catching someone actually smoking on a balcony.  Not sure how you'd get a photo from your balcony ... stick your hand out around the partition?  But counting on the stewards is very myopic.

There are lots of cameras monitoring the balconies, it’s likely that security would see pictures of someone standing by the balcony railing smoking or flicking butts overboard.

[jsn55]

12 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

There are lots of cameras monitoring the balconies, it’s likely that security would see pictures of someone standing by the balcony railing smoking or flicking butts overboard.

Interesting ... since balcony doors are clear glass, this sounds like it might be an invasion of privacy issue.  Certainly I've never been informed that my balcony may be observed by a camera.  Logistically it seems like an impossible task given the sheer numbers of balconies on a cruiseship.  Not trying to start an argument or be critical ... just find this an interesting  statement and I'm curious.

[Ipeeinthepools]

47 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Interesting ... since balcony doors are clear glass, this sounds like it might be an invasion of privacy issue.  Certainly I've never been informed that my balcony may be observed by a camera.  Logistically it seems like an impossible task given the sheer numbers of balconies on a cruiseship.  Not trying to start an argument or be critical ... just find this an interesting  statement and I'm curious.

Just to be clear what I wrote.  I described the area by the balcony railings, not someone looking into your cabin.  Your outdoor balcony is a public area and subject to camera surveillance.  Maybe you should consider that before you decide to join the balcony club, smoke or flick your butts into the ocean.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Ipeeinthepools

[terrydtx]

14 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

There are lots of cameras monitoring the balconies, it’s likely that security would see pictures of someone standing by the balcony railing smoking or flicking butts overboard.

I am sure that was how the guy below us on the Oosterdam got caught for the third strike and off the ship. After my 2 complaints the cameras must have kept better watch on his balcony. He spent a lot of time on his balcony smoking.

[Fouremco]

10 hours ago, jsn55 said:

Interesting ... since balcony doors are clear glass, this sounds like it might be an invasion of privacy issue.  Certainly I've never been informed that my balcony may be observed by a camera.  Logistically it seems like an impossible task given the sheer numbers of balconies on a cruiseship.  Not trying to start an argument or be critical ... just find this an interesting  statement and I'm curious.

There's no need to be concerned about ship cameras peeking in your cabin. Here's a typical camera angle (in this case taken from my balcony on the Nieuw Statendam) showing a range of balconies with no view of the cabins at all.

 

[jsn55]

12 hours ago, Fouremco said:

There's no need to be concerned about ship cameras peeking in your cabin. Here's a typical camera angle (in this case taken from my balcony on the Nieuw Statendam) showing a range of balconies with no view of the cabins at all.

 

This is about what I figured.  If someone is smoking on a balcony, would they be standing right at the rail doing so?  Well, I guess if they're so braindead that they smoke on a balcony, anything is possible.  Like texting while driving, throwing cigarette butts off your balcony ranks right up there for stupid.

[Duane S.]

Just got home from 9 day on Rotterdam and one of the biggest negatives for the cruise was the smoking in the casino, the smell carried to the BB King Blues club and forward to the world theatre, There is NO reason non smokers should be subjected to secondhand smoke on any ship interior deck, anyone who thinks the smell of smoke  on deck 2 and 3 is minimal or tolerable either has a poor sense of smell, or is or lives with a smoker. HAL needs to ban smoking from the interior of the ship, we passed up on multiple opportunities to play black jack in the casino just because of the atrocious amount of smoke in the room.

 

Ok said my 2 cents.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

2 hours ago, Duane S. said:

Just got home from 9 day on Rotterdam and one of the biggest negatives for the cruise was the smoking in the casino, the smell carried to the BB King Blues club and forward to the world theatre, There is NO reason non smokers should be subjected to secondhand smoke on any ship interior deck, anyone who thinks the smell of smoke  on deck 2 and 3 is minimal or tolerable either has a poor sense of smell, or is or lives with a smoker. HAL needs to ban smoking from the interior of the ship, we passed up on multiple opportunities to play black jack in the casino just because of the atrocious amount of smoke in the room.

 

Ok said my 2 cents.

 

That's sad to hear...  😞

 

Tom