Maybe Covid is the end of smoking in the casino?

[Barry ATL]

So, will the return to cruising under Covid rules change smoking rules?  I have not been on Princess in many years, I have read that the Casino still allows smoking in certain areas.  Will indoor smoking be allowed anywhere due to masks being removed?  If so, what will the rules be for this?  Here is the current FAQ from the Princess website on smoking:

 

Designated Smoking Areas
Clearly marked “Designated Smoking Areas” are available onboard and include a sufficient number of ashtrays that are emptied regularly. Generally, these areas include cigar lounges, a section of the nightclub, as well as a portion of the open decks. The Casino and Casino Bar are non-smoking areas on board, with the exception of designated slot machines where guests are permitted to smoke only while playing at those machines. All table games are non-smoking. The Casino will also have one or more non-smoking nights (6 pm to closing), depending on length of voyage. Show lounges, dining rooms and all food services areas on board all Princess ships are non-smoking. As a safety precaution, guests are reminded to properly dispose of cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco, which are never to be thrown overboard as this may be sucked back into the ship and cause fires.

 

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/onboard/experience.jsp

Edited February 20, 2021 by Barry ATL

[Lady Arwen]

Nobody really knows until cruises resume.  Yes, unfortunately, smoking is allowed in the casino.  Do not be fooled by the “designated areas”, because people walk around the casino with lit cigarettes and they are not stopped.  The casino stinks of smoke and even on the no smoking nights, the casino smells of stale smoke.  Celebrity banned all smoking indoors many years ago and HAL is slowly phasing it out of their casinos, too.  I sincerely wish that Princess would just pull the plug and ban all indoor smoking.  The new covid safety protocols may just be the catalyst to do so.  One can only hope.

[skynight]

In the covid protocol era it seems it would not be wise to allow indoor smoking as you would have to remove your mask and exhaled smoke could carry the virus. This would seem to be more of an indoor protocol issue, but is also an outdoor one. One would not want to be near someone that is exhaling smoke as well as someone that is actually forcing the exhale of smoke. A forced exhale would probably travel farther thus increasing the six foot distance protocol. It's something cruise lines will have to address. Personally we do not plan to cruise during the covid protocol era which we think may last well into 2022. 

[iluvcruzin]

2 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

Nobody really knows until cruises resume.  Yes, unfortunately, smoking is allowed in the casino.  Do not be fooled by the “designated areas”, because people walk around the casino with lit cigarettes and they are not stopped.  The casino stinks of smoke and even on the no smoking nights, the casino smells of stale smoke.  Celebrity banned all smoking indoors many years ago and HAL is slowly phasing it out of their casinos, too.  I sincerely wish that Princess would just pull the plug and ban all indoor smoking.  The new covid safety protocols may just be the catalyst to do so.  One can only hope.

Or at least have a small humidor room fore or aft on a lower level away from the major public areas.  That would be nice for the masses. 

 

[memoak]

I do not foresee masks to be required once we have all vaccinated passengers. As an ex smoker I would like to see no smoking in the casino but I doubt it will happen in the near future 

[MCC retired]

A possible bright outcome from this pandemic 👍

The stink in the casino would probably take a very deep cleaning 

or may never dissipate .

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

I do not foresee masks to be required once we have all vaccinated passengers. As an ex smoker I would like to see no smoking in the casino but I doubt it will happen in the near future 

I wonder if before smoking was banned on airplanes anyone foresaw that.

 

Sometime before smoking was banned on airplanes, we were flying from NY to San Francisco where one of my younger brothers was getting married. We were one row behind the smoking section. The couple in front of us had lit cigarettes the entire way. Actually, they were not even smoking them, only holding lit cigarettes. I truly thought I was going to die! 

 

So no smoking in the casino, especially when you have to go through it to get to the dining room, would truly be a wonderful thing.

 

[By The Bay]

Not a problem for cruising down-under. There is no smoking in the casino on cruise ships sailing from Australia. There are designated outside areas for smoking.

[john watson]

I do not think smoking and mask wearing relate in terms of not being able to smoke because drinking and eating fall into the same scenario - you cannot do both in each case and the latter two are generally permitted.  The former is restricted and it would seem logical, like it or not,  that the pre-existing rules would remain whatever they were.

 

Regards John

[azbirdmom]

Most of our local casinos here in the Phoenix Arizona area have "temporarily" prohibited smoking in their casinos due to the pandemic.  I would not be surprised if Princess returns with no smoking allowed anywhere indoors.  I really enjoyed playing in a smoke free casino when we've cruised from Australia and I sure hope that they extend this policy fleetwide.

[Ombud]

3 hours ago, By The Bay said:

Not a problem for cruising down-under. There is no smoking in the casino on cruise ships sailing from Australia. There are designated outside areas for smoking.

Maybe that's why I thought it was only in Churchill's (unfortunately sports bar)

[txjim09]

I used to spend a lot of time in the Far East for work and masks were common in the more polluted areas.  Never stopped anyone from smoking through the masks.

 

Yea, masks for pollution --- smoking ---  never figured it out....

[brisalta]

If Princess banned smoking from the casino I might actually consider gambling in them.

I suspect they are losing some income by allowing smoking in the casino especially with cruises that originate in California.

[Daniel A]

10 hours ago, Barry ATL said:

So, will the return to cruising under Covid rules change smoking rules?  I have not been on Princess in many years, I have read that the Casino still allows smoking in certain areas.  Will indoor smoking be allowed anywhere due to masks being removed?  If so, what will the rules be for this? 

Do you think Princess will also ban drinking and eating onboard?  These activities also require removal of a mask.  I just don't see the issue of mask removal to affect the sales of beverages or the consumption of food.  I suspect that masks will not be required if everybody on board has been vaccinated and research shows vaccinated individuals do not transmit Covid.  So, in the long run, I don't think Covid will affect any decision to become smoke free.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

25 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Do you think Princess will also ban drinking and eating onboard?  These activities also require removal of a mask.  I just don't see the issue of mask removal to affect the sales of beverages or the consumption of food.  I suspect that masks will not be required if everybody on board has been vaccinated and research shows vaccinated individuals do not transmit Covid.  So, in the long run, I don't think Covid will affect any decision to become smoke free.

Please provide a link to this research. As a statistician, I have been very pleased with the easy access to all the original research papers. One of the major flaws I found in the first studies on Pfizer and Moderna  was the lack of testing for asymptotic cases among vaccinated participants.  Hence, the CDC recommendation to continue wearing masks after vaccination.  

Edited February 21, 2021 by HaveDogWillTravel

[Barry ATL]

1 hour ago, Daniel A said:

Do you think Princess will also ban drinking and eating onboard?  These activities also require removal of a mask.  I just don't see the issue of mask removal to affect the sales of beverages or the consumption of food.  I suspect that masks will not be required if everybody on board has been vaccinated and research shows vaccinated individuals do not transmit Covid.  So, in the long run, I don't think Covid will affect any decision to become smoke free.

 I have been to two land based Casinos that have "temporarily" made all indoor spaces non-smoking because of mask wearing.  At the casinos they only allow a mask to be removed while eating at a designated tables in the restaurants.  The tables were spaced more than 10 feet apart.  Harrah's is a large company that did use Covid to change their smoking policies.

 

I am just raising the question.  I think mask wearing is going to be required when we return to cruising and I think the cruise lines are not going to take any chances.  One mistake could shut them down again.

[caribill]

31 minutes ago, Barry ATL said:

 I have been to two land based Casinos that have "temporarily" made all indoor spaces non-smoking because of mask wearing.  At the casinos they only allow a mask to be removed while eating at a designated tables in the restaurants. 

 

Did they also ban drinking while in the casino?

[Barry ATL]

4 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

Did they also ban drinking while in the casino?

 

The last casino I was in had very specific rules about drinking.  In the gambling area one could only drink while sitting and had to put the mask back up after each sip.  There were "minders" coming around to constantly remind people to comply.

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Do you think Princess will also ban drinking and eating onboard?  These activities also require removal of a mask.  I just don't see the issue of mask removal to affect the sales of beverages or the consumption of food.  I suspect that masks will not be required if everybody on board has been vaccinated and research shows vaccinated individuals do not transmit Covid.  So, in the long run, I don't think Covid will affect any decision to become smoke free.

The only similarity you see between smoking and eating or drinking is one has to take their mask off? When one eats or drinks, does the food or drink then end up in the air? When one smokes, does the smoke go out into the air? Do people get cancer from second hand food or drink? Do people get cancer from second hand smoke?

 

Do you still see no difference?

[Lady Arwen]

8 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Do you think Princess will also ban drinking and eating onboard?  These activities also require removal of a mask.  I just don't see the issue of mask removal to affect the sales of beverages or the consumption of food.  I suspect that masks will not be required if everybody on board has been vaccinated and research shows vaccinated individuals do not transmit Covid.  So, in the long run, I don't think Covid will affect any decision to become smoke free.

I hope that Princess takes this opportunity to follow Celebrity’s lead and ban all indoor smoking, masks or no masks.  HAL is also now banning smoking on most of their ships.  I think the covid safety protocols will give them a reason to “temporarily” ban indoor smoking and then it will just become standard policy across the fleet permanently.  There is absolutely no reason to provide indoor smoking for people anymore.  Smokers have adjusted well to only outdoor smoking in all of the US and Canada.

[susancruzs]

I frequent the casino and would be very happy if they made the casino smoke free.  I've seen people in the casino for smoke breaks, not gambling.  I don't understand why they haven't done it, maybe it will be when cruising starts up again.

[Steelers36]

While this topic likely belongs on the smoking policy sticky that the Mods have never removed despite the policy changing years ago.  Perhaps this will renew the debate.  I can tell you that we and our friends are four Princess customers who would be happy to see a total ban on indoor smoking.

 

[Daniel A]

19 hours ago, Barry ATL said:

So, will the return to cruising under Covid rules change smoking rules?  Will indoor smoking be allowed anywhere due to masks being removed? 

 

8 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Please provide a link to this research. As a statistician, I have been very pleased with the easy access to all the original research papers. One of the major flaws I found in the first studies on Pfizer and Moderna  was the lack of testing for asymptotic cases among vaccinated participants.  Hence, the CDC recommendation to continue wearing masks after vaccination.  

My statement said "I suspect that masks will not be required if everybody on board has been vaccinated and research shows vaccinated individuals do not transmit Covid."  I'm not making a statement about any currently available research, I was indicating an additional condition which would need to be met in order to remove a mask requirement.  However here is a link that will show the CDC is already leaning in that direction probably  based on interim studies results.  CDC: "Although the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from vaccinated persons to others is still uncertain, vaccination has been demonstrated to prevent symptomatic COVID-19; symptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission is thought to have a greater role in transmission than purely asymptomatic transmission. "    Link:  Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC

 

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

The only similarity you see between smoking and eating or drinking is one has to take their mask off? When one eats or drinks, does the food or drink then end up in the air? When one smokes, does the smoke go out into the air? Do people get cancer from second hand food or drink? Do people get cancer from second hand smoke?

 

Do you still see no difference?

My response has nothing to do with the relationship between smoking and cancer.  I'm not defending smoking, I'm responding to the OP's question:  "Will indoor smoking be allowed anywhere due to masks being removed? "  The point is if they are going to ban certain conduct based on the need to remove a mask while engaged in that conduct why would they limit if to only banning smoking?  I don't think Princess will abandon liquor sales due to the need to remove a mask and they certainly can't ban eating either.  Would they ban use of the swimming pools because of the need to remove masks?  I just don't think banning smoking would be a result of Covid mask mandates.  It will probably happen that all smoking will be banned someday but that would most likely come from public pressure from the marketplace - not due to Covid.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Daniel A said:

 

My statement said "I suspect that masks will not be required if everybody on board has been vaccinated and research shows vaccinated individuals do not transmit Covid."  I'm not making a statement about any currently available research, I was indicating an additional condition which would need to be met in order to remove a mask requirement.  However here is a link that will show the CDC is already leaning in that direction probably  based on interim studies results.  CDC: "Although the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from vaccinated persons to others is still uncertain, vaccination has been demonstrated to prevent symptomatic COVID-19; symptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission is thought to have a greater role in transmission than purely asymptomatic transmission. "    Link:  Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC

 

My response has nothing to do with the relationship between smoking and cancer.  I'm not defending smoking, I'm responding to the OP's question:  "Will indoor smoking be allowed anywhere due to masks being removed? "  The point is if they are going to ban certain conduct based on the need to remove a mask while engaged in that conduct why would they limit if to only banning smoking?  I don't think Princess will abandon liquor sales due to the need to remove a mask and they certainly can't ban eating either.  Would they ban use of the swimming pools because of the need to remove masks?  I just don't think banning smoking would be a result of Covid mask mandates.  It will probably happen that all smoking will be banned someday but that would most likely come from public pressure from the marketplace - not due to Covid.

You only responded to the part of my post about cancer---none from second hand eating and drinking, but from second hand smoke. That was just to emphasize the main point of my post  that neither eating or drinking puts anything in the air while smoking does. You conveniently ignored the main point of my post.

 

Let us not forget that Covid is an AIRBORNE VIRUS.

[Lady Arwen]

2 hours ago, Daniel A said:

 

My statement said "I suspect that masks will not be required if everybody on board has been vaccinated and research shows vaccinated individuals do not transmit Covid."  I'm not making a statement about any currently available research, I was indicating an additional condition which would need to be met in order to remove a mask requirement.  However here is a link that will show the CDC is already leaning in that direction probably  based on interim studies results.  CDC: "Although the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from vaccinated persons to others is still uncertain, vaccination has been demonstrated to prevent symptomatic COVID-19; symptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission is thought to have a greater role in transmission than purely asymptomatic transmission. "    Link:  Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC

 

My response has nothing to do with the relationship between smoking and cancer.  I'm not defending smoking, I'm responding to the OP's question:  "Will indoor smoking be allowed anywhere due to masks being removed? "  The point is if they are going to ban certain conduct based on the need to remove a mask while engaged in that conduct why would they limit if to only banning smoking?  I don't think Princess will abandon liquor sales due to the need to remove a mask and they certainly can't ban eating either.  Would they ban use of the swimming pools because of the need to remove masks?  I just don't think banning smoking would be a result of Covid mask mandates.  It will probably happen that all smoking will be banned someday but that would most likely come from public pressure from the marketplace - not due to Covid.

I honestly believe that Covid safety protocols will give Princess a “reason”, or at least the incentive, to inform their passengers that smoking will be “temporarily” suspended and then in time it will just become a permanent policy.  Of course, I could be mistaken and smoke will still be a huge issue for many people because Princess will refuse to move into this century as far as cigarette smoking goes.  Time will tell.