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

[FlyingCruiser2]

53 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We just got off the Volendam last week and Vaping was not allowed in any cabins and restricted to the same locations as the smokers. Not sure where you got your information about Vaping on HAL ships.

Read Section 5 of the Cruise Contract.  Was surprised it’s there, but it is.  
 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/legal-privacy/cruise-contract

[Tom47]

36 minutes ago, FlyingCruiser2 said:

Read Section 5 of the Cruise Contract.  Was surprised it’s there, but it is.  
 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/legal-privacy/cruise-contract

Thanks, that is where I found smoking policy.

Edited September 8 by Tom47

[*Miss G*]

50 minutes ago, FlyingCruiser2 said:

Read Section 5 of the Cruise Contract.  Was surprised it’s there, but it is.  
 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/legal-privacy/cruise-contract

 

Ah yes.  The infamous web inconsistencies strike again.  Here is the info from the Know Before You Go.

 

[Tom47]

13 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Ah yes.  The infamous web inconsistencies strike again.  Here is the info from the Know Before You Go.

 

I have never cruised on HAL.  Evidently vaping was allowed at some point inside cabins as per contract language.

[Fouremco]

Vaping within your cabin (but not on your balcony) was initially allowed ever since it came into vogue. The rationale was/is that there is no residual smell or lingering second-hand smoke, so there is no impact on the next passengers to occupy the cabin, nor any need for cabin stewards to undertake additional measures when cleaning a cabin.

 

The question was raised as to why not on your balcony or elsewhere outside the ship, other than in designated smoking areas. The response from HAL was that it difficult to tell whether someone is smoking or vaping, particularly in the early days when vaping devices that looked exactly like cigarettes were more popular, and they didn't want to have crew members running around to check if someone was smoking or vaping. You couldn't be seen in your cabin, so that was ok, but not on your balcony where you might be seen and reported. 

 

Today, there is some apparent confusion, as pointed out by @*Miss G*. To add a bit more, there is even contradiction from one KBYG to another.

 

 

 

[terrydtx]

27 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Ah yes.  The infamous web inconsistencies strike again.  Here is the info from the Know Before You Go.

 

As far as I know this was the policy about Vaping on the Volendam this month. It was mentioned several times on the cruise.

 

We had continual problems with the cigarette smoke from the casino propagating up the forward stair wells all the way to our 6th deck. At times on sea days it was horrible. I hope someday HAL bans smoking in the casinos like other cruise lines.

[Tom47]

2 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

As far as I know this was the policy about Vaping on the Volendam this month. It was mentioned several times on the cruise.

 

We had continual problems with the cigarette smoke from the casino propagating up the forward stair wells all the way to our 6th deck. At times on sea days it was horrible. I hope someday HAL bans smoking in the casinos like other cruise lines.

Celebrity does not allow smoking in any indoors area, including the casino.

[terrydtx]

2 minutes ago, Tom47 said:

Celebrity does not allow smoking in any indoors area, including the casino.

Thats my point HAL needs to also stop smoking in the casinos like Celebrity.

[Mary229]

On 9/8/2024 at 6:30 PM, terrydtx said:

Thats my point HAL needs to also stop smoking in the casinos like Celebrity.

Certain ships do not allow smoking.  What they need to do is update their smoking policy website page so guests can make an informed decision 

[EtaC]

On my recent Oosterdam cruise smoking and vaping were only allowed outdoors near the bar on the port aft section by the Ocean View pool. No smoking was allowed inside the skin of the ship.

[IAcruising]

 

If you choose a cruise line that departs from The Netherlands, and has a 50% European guest manifest, you are going to have smoking.

 

Deal with it, or choose another line. In my experience, HAL is little different that most other cruise lines.

 

Smoking is legal, and common. It is what it is.

 

 

 

[Fouremco]

10 hours ago, IAcruising said:

HAL is little different that most other cruise lines.

HAL was one of the last to disallow smoking on balconies, and currently is one of the only lines to continue allowing smoking inside the ship.

[IAcruising]

7 hours ago, Fouremco said:

HAL was one of the last to disallow smoking on balconies, and currently is one of the only lines to continue allowing smoking inside the ship.

 

"one of the only lines". Really? I've yet to cruise when smoking wasn't allowed (somewhere) in the casino or designated smoking room (cigars, pipes, cigarettes, vape).

 

Granted, I've never sailed a small-ship luxury cruise, but every mass-market, big ship line I've been on allows it.

 

[CH_ca]

Has anyone stayed in a balcony cabin that is directly under the smoking area on the starboard side aft? Could you smell any cigarette smoke in your balcony?

 

[POA1]

Because it's an open area, I've never even smelled smoke by the aft pool. However, if you are really sensitive to smoke, you may want to rethink the location. When the ship is underway, I would think that the wind would take care of things.

[mwj]

We could never smell smoke. We did find a couple cigarette butts at times.

 

Why people think tossing their 'butts' overboard is acceptable behavior is beyond me.

 

[HamOp]

3 hours ago, mwj said:

We could never smell smoke. We did find a couple cigarette butts at times.

 

Why people think tossing their 'butts' overboard is acceptable behavior is beyond me.

 

Maybe if someone threw their "butts" overboard, it would solve the problem.😂

[Foggy Bay]

We were underneath the smoking area on the Konigsdam, and the only time we ever smelled smoke was when we were in port, and then, only rarely.  However, sitting out on the balcony (esp. in port), the voices were loud, the chairs being moved around were noisy, etc.  We were on a GTY, so took what we got, but I wouldn't book there again.  Not horrible, but definitely noise and action going on from early morning to late at night.

[cbr663]

6 hours ago, mwj said:

We could never smell smoke. We did find a couple cigarette butts at times.

 

Why people think tossing their 'butts' overboard is acceptable behavior is beyond me.

 

 

My guess is the butts blew out of the ashtrays and were not the result of people throwing them overboard.

[SanDiegian]

I agree with the comments having booked both the wrap-around Neptune Suite and the rear facing balconies on Deck 8. The smokers stay underneath the canopy on Deck 9 which is over 8161-8169 and there’s plenty of air-stream to blow away any smoke. Have a little trust in the designers who thought of this and positioned smoking where it makes the least annoyance. Even the crew smoke spot is up on top of Deck 14 by the mast-head you would never know about it unless you were searching for the “ship-coins”

[sciencewonk]

20 hours ago, CH_ca said:

Has anyone stayed in a balcony cabin that is directly under the smoking area on the starboard side aft? Could you smell any cigarette smoke in your balcony?

 

We stayed on a deck 6 aft suite on Noordam, directly below the smoking section (deck 9).  We didn't smell any smoke on our balcony.

[EtaC]

14 hours ago, mwj said:

We could never smell smoke. We did find a couple cigarette butts at times.

 

Why people think tossing their 'butts' overboard is acceptable behavior is beyond me.

 

Not just a ship thing. For far too many smokers the world is their ashtray. 

[rrraydon]

On 9/13/2024 at 10:10 PM, IAcruising said:

 

If you choose a cruise line that departs from The Netherlands, and has a 50% European guest manifest, you are going to have smoking.

 

Deal with it, or choose another line. In my experience, HAL is little different that most other cruise lines.

 

Smoking is legal, and common. It is what it is.

 

 

 

You are correct!

 

On that note, I'm currently looking at booking a B2B Alaska sailing on Zaandam or a 14 day on Nieuw Amsterdam. I've not yet sailed HA. 

I'm a smoker. Are there smoking areas on these vessels?

[KroozNut]

11 hours ago, rrraydon said:

You are correct!

 

On that note, I'm currently looking at booking a B2B Alaska sailing on Zaandam or a 14 day on Nieuw Amsterdam. I've not yet sailed HA. 

I'm a smoker. Are there smoking areas on these vessels?

Of course there are.

[jsn55]

13 hours ago, EtaC said:

Not just a ship thing. For far too many smokers the world is their ashtray. 

So true!  I am a smoker who tries to be discreet and respectful.  Everywhere I see signs of smokers who can't even be bothered to use the provided ashtray, but drop their cigarette butts on the ground.  Makes me just furious ... it's no wonder the 'world hates smokers'.  As far as throwing a cigarette off a ship, I can't even fathom what kind of idiot would do that.