RCCL further limits smoking, can X be far behind

[Schplinky]

Yes Schlimpy I care more for my wife than for wandering around in a ship - pity me ! Yes I would love for her to quit but when we got married we both smoked and I feel there is a commitment involved, especially after 40+ years. I hope that when you kiss the ship it kisses back !

:D :D :D Il navigatore pazzo.

 

Actually, I tend to kiss my partner, not the ship.

 

You do realize that the only thing that has changed on RCL is the smoking in the cabin rule, right? The rest of those rules were already in place, as they were on Celebrity (I am presuming that you follow the rules).

 

That smoking in one's room is more important than all the other aspects of a cruise is sad. I would not hop to another line over this but I suppose we all have different deal-breakers.

[luvocean9]

That smoking in one's room is more important than all the other aspects of a cruise is sad.

 

I agree, but the entire addiction is sad. Smokers are treated like they have the plague and they know they are harming their health; yet they continue to smoke. When addicted, the urge to smoke is so strong. The time between each cig is withdrawal and each cig is therefore pleasurable. As a former smoker, I understand it all too well.

 

If I were booked for a non-balcony cabin as a smoker, I too would consider changing to another cruise. Otherwise, I would always be on edge, which is not how one wants to spend a vacation.

 

Thus as much as I hate to be around it, I have to say that I hope that if Celebrity and the others restrict smoking, they will give an effective date somewhat in the future. This gives folks a chance to go to other lines or to quit smoking well in advance of their cruise.

 

As a non-smoker, I would be more inclined to book with a non-smoking ship, but would still probably book primarily based on itinerary, quality, price & service.

[gracecarmo]

Now I am curious: When cruiselines banned smoking in their dining rooms, did one line institute it? And did other lines follow suit?

As a non smoker, I recall being on ships where they supposidly had a "non smoking" area....ha. the smell was really quite annoying even though we were in that area.

I think now, if a line went back to that concept I would find another ship.

[nu2sea]

Since Atlantic City started a large smoking ban in the casinos they have seen a large drop in revenues. It is also one of the reasons the Paradise didn't make it as a non smoking ship, bar and casino revenues were very poor even though the ship was full. This was stated at the time by the chairman of Carnival... It is all a business decision as someone else stated. For some reason, smoking, drinking and Casinos go together. I know people who only smoke when they are in the casino, don't smoke at home, work or anywhere else, only in the casino.

 

I think you are right, there is something about cigarettes, alcohol and casinos that all go together. I just wish I didn't have to walk through the casino in the evening. The irony is that we usually have to walk through the port side (smoking) after the evening show because the starboard side of the casino is always so crowded with other non smokers either passing through or playing on the machines.

 

Which says to me that even though cigarettes, alcohol and casinos go together, there are some who are willing to enjoy the latter without the former.

 

On the other hand, we usually travel in a Celebrity Suite (no balcony) and have never had a problem with the smell of cigarette smoke in the cabin.

 

Safety alone would be a very good argument for banning smoking in the staterooms, and after what we saw on the Princess ship, on the balconies as well. Perhaps a small smoking lounge on each deck that is properly ventilated would encourage smokers to walk down the hall to have a cigarette safely.

 

Susan

[usha]

How great is that. RCCL is banning smoking in all their staterooms. All of them! And one lounge per ship. Can X be far behind.

Wouldn't that just be a dream come true if Celebrity adopted the same smoking restrictions, and even made pax balconies smoke free????:D

One can only hope...

[Stacky]

If they are going to ban smoking - why not ban perfumes also? Some of the scents are so overbearing that you can hardly breathe - but has anyone ever tried to put limitations on where it can be worn? Yes - I'm a smoker and I try to be considerate of others by following the rules as to where you may or may not smoke. I also carry a bag to put my butts in so I'm not littering. However, I can get into an elevator where someone's perfume is so potent that I can't breathe - but no one makes an issue of that. My solution for no smoking places is to avoid going there - why can't non smokers avoid a smoking area?

[DrKoob]

Ban perfume as well. Works for me. Gives me the same sinus headache as second hand smoke. Good perfume should only be applied so that someone you are intimate with can smell it. Not every person who passes within half a mile.

[Shirley and Les]

Well, now that we have gotten to the subject of banning other substances, what about diesel fuel exhaust? If you do a quick internet search on diesel exhaust, you will find it contains most of the same carcinogens (sp?) as cigarette smoke. Although it is tough to find quanitative information, I suspect a sudden downdraft from those exhaust stacks, covered by the shroud with the big 'X' on it, would be potentially more harmful to passengers than cigarette smoke wafting from one balcony to the next.

I often wonder why those that complain of sensitivity to cigarette smoke are on cruise ships in the first place due to the likelihood of exposure to diesel exhaust.

No, I am not a smoker. However, I do think there are bigger issues that need addressed.

Les

[dkjretired]

Also, I was under the impression that Paradise failed as a result of not getting group bookings. Another problem is , many people like to cruise different ships and different itineraries. And from what I have read, there are more smokers are carnival then other lines

 

 

All that you said about Atlantic City is true however some of those slot parlors in Pa were open before April 15 and the monies taken in as compared to last year has been up but since the April 15 changes each month has been bad. I have spoken to many employees down there and they are very concerned. I also think it is politically incorrect to mention that the smoking ban might be the cause of lower revenues, remember NJ is a very liberal state. The next couple of months will be difficult to guage as it was July of last year that the casinos were closed by the Governor so he could raise our taxes.

 

AT the time that Carnival switched the Paradise to smoking, the head of Carnival gave as the reason the revenues from the bars and casino being below the other ships even though Paradise was fully booked.

 

Celebrity will probably follow what Royal Caribbean has done but you can bet at this time that the casinos will be the last to go non-smoking.

[mama02girls]

I just got back from a Carnival cruise. After dinner each night my friend and I tried to go to the piano bar, disco, casino, etc. We would have loved to have some drinks and chat or spend money in the casino. NO WAY. Each night we tried a few places. One night we actually sat for a few minutes in the piano bar, only to leave the place practically gagging. It was a shame because the guy was so great and we really wanted to stay and have a few drinks. We went out on the deck for a half hour in the wind to air our clothes so we wouldn't carry the strong smell back to our cabin.

 

I KNOW Carnival is losing big bucks because of the smoking situation. We actually discussed this with several other cruisers. We would have each had 3 or 4 drinks (6-8 total for the two of us) each night, and I had planned $25-$50 each night for the casino which never got spent.

 

The one place that was non-smoking was loud, and normally I would have loved it, cuz the music was great, but I had a headache that night, so I was really looking for a piano bar type place. It just felt that the entire ship was a smoking ship.

 

On our RCCL cruise last year, the guy above us and the guy below us both smoked. We traveled in April, and there were some really great nights, but it seemed our smoking "friends" were always on their balconies and we ended up coming in earlier than we would have liked.

I would love a non smoking ship. Ahhh.

[cruise182]

All that you said about Atlantic City is true however some of those slot parlors in Pa were open before April 15 and the monies taken in as compared to last year has been up but since the April 15 changes each month has been bad. I have spoken to many employees down there and they are very concerned. I also think it is politically incorrect to mention that the smoking ban might be the cause of lower revenues, remember NJ is a very liberal state. The next couple of months will be difficult to guage as it was July of last year that the casinos were closed by the Governor so he could raise our taxes.

 

AT the time that Carnival switched the Paradise to smoking, the head of Carnival gave as the reason the revenues from the bars and casino being below the other ships even though Paradise was fully booked.

 

Celebrity will probably follow what Royal Caribbean has done but you can bet at this time that the casinos will be the last to go non-smoking.

Being that you are from NJ, I am sure you have much more knowledge

then I do. Anyway, I do agree, the casino will be the last place they will ban Smoking. I am a former smoker. 2 years. I haven’t gotten to the stage where I hate the smoke. Some family members still smoke and when I visit, I do not mind smelling the smoke. Maybe in a few years I will be at the stage where I hate it.

[kathy9]

On our Millie cruise 05/03/07 we couldn't walk through the casino the smoke was so bad. Unfortunately the people who were smoking couldn't abide by the rules to only smoke in certain areas. We also had to go outside to get past certain lounges. Hopefully they will really limit smoking areas and enforce the rules. Good health to all. Kathy

[CaribbeanBound]

Bad news for the conscientious smoker. Good news for the rest of us.

[bayroad]

Maybe all smoking cruiseships and all non smoking cruiseships would be feasible.

[Hlitner]

On a very serious note I spent nearly a lifetime involved in Health Economics and, in the USA we really need to encourage those smokers to smoke more! Why? Well, the taxes on cigarettes are a major funding source for major health programs and the 49 state "tobacco settlement" has given the states a mulit-billion dollar windfall as the tobacco companies pay-off billions to avoid more litigation. And of course the big winner due to smoking is the Social Security Program. If smokers were to all quit it would be devastating to social security. Why? Because smokers live a much shorter life than non-smokers (nearly 10% reduction in life span) which saves the social security system a fortune in payments. So, we really need all you smokers to keep dying young to help sustain the already strained social security program. Its an ugly truth,,,but it is a truth. In fact, I think the cruise lines should have "all smoking" ships! I wonder how well they would book?

 

Hank