Other Peoples Smoke

[caviargal]

Thanks, everyone. I was just really shocked to see that smoking was allowed at all in the dining room. It has been years since ships have banned dining room smoking so it was quite unexpected.

 

I feel better about it now but hope they do eventually change that policy. Seems antiquated to me....

[jgn]

There was smoking in the dining room on Seabourn Spirit last November. As Martha said about Regent, it was in a corner of the dining room but it was there! I understand that now there is a no smoking policy in the dining room. The worst for me (who is a former smoker who now hates cigarette smoke!), however, was in the main lounge where one third was designated for smokers. I think that is now smoke-free. (I hope! We have 30 days coming up on the Pride in October).

Don't know about any other cruise line's policies.

Jean

[dougburns]

The smoking areas in all of the public rooms aboard RSSC ships have special ventilation. All are aft on the port side except the dining room aboard Navigator, which is forward on the port side. If there are ash trays in an area, it's a smoking area. There is no smoking in the theater, the Observation Lounge, or any of the specialty restaurants. Even though there are ash trays by the elevators, I've never smoked, nor seen folks smoking near them, or in the passageways.

[cathy_kearns]

We just got off the Navigator July 8th, and if there was smoking allowed in the Compass Rose I'll just have to take your word for it. We sat all over in the dining room and never smelled any smoke. Perhaps people sailing the Baltic just aren't smokers.

[bogie113]

I suspect the reason a lot of people didn't realize that the smoking policies are so liberal on RSSC is because so few people still smoke. I would think that the percentage of smokers vs. non-smokers is dwingling. [YEAH]

[bennett2005]

First I am not a smoker. Have never been.

 

What really gets me is all the people in the last few years that have developed this huge allergy to smoke. Where were all these thousands of people 20 years ago when smoking was much more common. I think being so ultra sensitive is a crock of crap.

 

Now go ahead and flame away.

[suefalls]

I am a smoker, and conscientious about where I smoke. I also wonder about the extreme amount of people that now have "smoke allergies". I am not in disagreement that second-hand smoke has been proven to be dangerous.( I only smoke in designated smoking areas, and then not if it bothers someone.

I think that I have heard that there is a sudden increase in the amount of cases of asthma , so that may explain the smoke allergy as well as perfume etc. I think this is from all of the chemicals and gases we use in the country ( environmental) and that our bodies are letting us know, we have a problem. I am hoping to quit eventually. I just keep trying and hope it happens soon.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

What a lovely word, "dwingling"! As someone who is not a smoker, but has lived with second-hand smoke most of my life, I have sympathy for smokers. I also have sympathy for the non-smokers, sometimes especially the ex-smokers. I agree about the "smoke-allergy" thing too, although I sympathize with asthma sufferers, for sure. For myself, I hate the smell of cigar smoke, for example; it makes me ill (nauseous), but I don't think that is an allergy.

[MarnaLou]

Technically I think that an allergy is an adverse immunological response to a protein and I bet there is precious little protein in cigarette smoke. I think people just use that term to mean that it makes them feel bad when they inhale it, whether that problem is a sore throat, an asthma event, or a headache (which happens to me). The toxic overload idea is probably pretty much spot on. I was in the grocery store the other day when a woman came in wearing so much perfume I could smell her two aisles away and I immediately got that shocked-feeling-in-my-brain that signals an impending migraine for me. Fortunately my husband was with me and I abandoned the cart to his care and got the heck out of that place. This woman was so heavily fragranced that people were turning and staring at her.

 

Both my husband's doctor and mine have posted signs in their offices in the last year or so asking people to refrain from wearing fragrances when visiting those offices. Something is going on.

[newyorkgolfer41]

MarnaLou, there is such a posting in my doctor's office as well about avoiding colognes. On a lighter note, my Grandmother will turn 94 in October and smokes like a chimney. Smoking, bingo, and a shot of Jim Beam whiskey each night seems to be her life. I'm hoping that I have her good genes. I have an older brother who quit smoking about 5 years ago but still loves to inhale 2nd hand smoke. It is embarassing to watch him stand so close to a smoker just so he can deep breath to get his "fix". Other ex-smokers seem to go the opposite route and frail their arms if someone around them smokes to the point of being rude even if they're clearly in a designated smoking area or outside.

 

As I mentioned to the OP, I have never noticed smoking to be a big issue on RSSC ships. The clientele seem to have enough manners to only smoke in designated areas. As non smokers, we too try to be courteous to the point we cancelled an Oceania cruise because our good friends/the couple we are travelling with smoke (didn't know about their strict policy at the time we booked).

[GreatTimes]

There was smoking in the dining room on Seabourn Spirit last November. As Martha said about Regent, it was in a corner of the dining room but it was there! I understand that now there is a no smoking policy in the dining room. The worst for me (who is a former smoker who now hates cigarette smoke!), however, was in the main lounge where one third was designated for smokers. I think that is now smoke-free. (I hope! We have 30 days coming up on the Pride in October).

Don't know about any other cruise line's policies.

Jean

 

Jean: All restaurants on Seabourn ships are non-smoking. The main lounge is also non-smoking during shows. However, the lounge used for afternoon tea still has a smoking section. They are making grogress, but are not yet there.

 

Enjoy your cruise in October.

 

All restaurants or eating venues on all ships should be non-smoking.

[Iamboatman]

Seabourn insistuted a no smoking in the restaurants and only in designated areas in the lounges effective January 1, 2006. That is the reaons for the difference in experiences. jgn cruised in November before the change.

[PaulaJK]

We were on Voyager for a month this past winter. There was a small area of the diningroom allotted for smoking. A bank of potted plants acted as a divider and,I assume, an absorber. We didn't smell any smoke in the diningroom.

I certainly don't pretend to know what the answer is to the problem of your neighbors smoking on their balcony.....but we had a neighbor who enjoyed cigars.....and the aroma/odor was quite strong. Luckily, we're not allergic but it was intrusive & annoying.

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I really don't understand why when a poster asks re; dress code, several others respond along the lines of go as you wish, be comfortable! There's an established dress code for a reason. If you don't like the dress code of a party, restaurant, country club or other venue you don't have to go there....but if you go there, you are expected to observe the published code. At per diems approaching $1000 per day on some of the luxury lines, why would you want to dine w. people in cut off jeans, tees and flip flops? On the ships of 'yore long pants and collared shirts were the minimum for entry into diningrooms.

[bogie113]

I will go a step further with regard to the smoking issue. No one "has to smoke" so if their smoking makes even one person uncomfortable, they should just abstain. Those who posted that a little second hand smoke never hurt anyone really don't know what they are talking about. I certainly couldn't say if it does or doesn't, but if there is a chance that it can hurt, I don't want to be around it, and I certainly don't want my husband [who recently successfully battled throat cancer] to be exposed at all.

 

Where there are 700 pax on a ship, you could be certain that many have health issues that could probably be exaserbated by 1st hand, 2nd hand or even 3rd hand smoke [if there is such a thing].

 

With regard to the dress code, I agree "when in Rome"!!! I sure don't want to get all gussied up to sit next to people who are wearing the same clothes they wore for touring during the day. At our Club no one can wear blue jeans [even expensive dress jeans] after 5PM.

 

Soooooo, now I have given my opinion, and as my DH says, "opinions are like bellybuttons, everybody has one" :)

 

Bogie

[mrlevin]

Bogie:

 

You know there are going to be smokers on board the ship; any ship. If you are that anti smoking, why don't you find another vacation option where you don't have to expose yourself to smokers?

 

This is getting a little old.

 

Marc

[Iamboatman]

While I do not want to debate whether someone has the ability to stop smoking (many would say it is extraordinarily hard), one thing is for certain: It is far easier to stop cruising.

If someone is strongly intolerant of smoking, perfume, children, jeans, or whatever to the extent that it will "ruin" their cruise or otherwise cause incredible heartache, then choose another type of vacation.

The smokers, perfume wearers, children and jean wearers also get to go on cruises. As long as they are respectful of the rules regarding their conduct, one would hope those who do not engage in them will respect their right to do them...and also abide by the rules.