Poll: HAL Smoking Survey

[Susan-M]

Good!

 

I think if I had not noted in my Celebrity forum survey that HAL's smoking policy is under review, Princess would not be the front runner. :)

 

I would be curious to see where HAL smokers will go if a more restrictive policy is introduced and they choose not to stay with HAL .... anyone want to start a new poll?

[howndder]

I am confused. Why is Susan-M, running these polls? She has already told us that she is very happy by the new policy rules and will make it easier to book Celebrity. There are 3 polls on the Celebrity board that this lady is running. What is the purpose of the polls. Isn't one lines changes enough? Is she the arbiter of smoking on all cruise lines?

Some of the posters are non-smokers, doesn't this skewer the results when they take part in these polls? Where is the objectivity. Haven't we all discussed this add infinitum? No one is a winner in this kind of policy. True the smokers will be gone, but in losing 25% of their passengers, how will the cruise lines make up that kind off losses? Not from new non-smokers, as historically speaking the cruiselines only add about 3-5% in newbies per year. I think things will come to a head once the loss of revenues are tabulated. Then the lines that haven't made policy changes will decide if it is financially feasable to out-law smoking. I guess we'll all have to wait and see.

I am in the process of cancelling all of our previously booked Celebrity cruises and if Holland makes these changes, we will drop them too.

I know of tons and tons of places that would do anything to get our vacation dollars. Even though we would really hate to give up cruising, we also won't be told where and when we can smoke. I don't think anyone would want to spend a ton of money to take a trip that would be so uncomfortable for them.

It will be interesting to see what changes are coming in the next few months as more and more lines re-evaluate their own policys regarding smoking and to find out if financially speaking this is viable.

Can't we please drop these threads? Haven't we all said our fare share of thoughts on this subject? What good, is accomplished, by having this poll?

I hope I haven't offended anyone with my remarks as they are not meant in that way. But this subject is becoming so borrring.

[Susan-M]

I am confused. Why is Susan-M, running these polls?

 

Because the topic is of interest to many people. So far, 411 people have voted in this poll ... and less than 5 have complained about the poll itself.

 

I have two polls on the Celebrity forum ... one for smokers and one for non-smokers. One of them has been closed.

[vbmom87]

I don't think anyone would want to spend a ton of money to take a trip that would be so uncomfortable for them.

 

Exactly. Many non-smokers like me with asthma find being around smoke very uncomfortable.

But this subject is becoming so borrring.

 

As has been said before, you don't have to click on the links that have smoking in the title. Skip them over and find something that appeals to you more.

[serendipity1499]

If it happens to be something that you really want to read, try highlighting the text with your curser (as if you were going to copy-paste it). That will make it easier to read. It's what I do to read really tiny print as well as print that is in light colors. Not the pink ... I'm not having any trouble reading it today.

 

RevNeal..Thanks so much for the great idea about highlighting with the cursor...I too was having trouble reading the pink until it was in bold..Now I can read it..Someone asked if we had trouble reading pink/reds etc in books & magazines & I do..As a subscriber to Readers Digest, the new thing is to have articles which begin with colored pages & colored writing..I have an awful time with that..Must be old age..;) .

 

SusanM..Thanks for posting this poll..I also find it inrteresting...

 

Cheers :) Betty

[serendipity1499]

As a former smoker, married to someone who is very allergic to everything, I understand both smokers & non-smokers way of thinking..My Son, who smokes, does it out on our Lanai, when he & his family visit us, & I'm OK with that..

 

Don't believe that HAL would completely ban smoking & believe there should be some sort of compromise..

 

We were on Oceania last Dec & the smokers had two places on the ship where they could smoke, one inside & one outside..The smokers seemed to accept it & we stayed away from the smoking area..Every one seemed to be content...Even the Shore Excursion Manager had to smoke in one of those two areas...Would imagine the rest of the crew also had their smoking areas..

 

Oceania put a passenger off one of their ships for smoking on the balcony after he was warned about it once, & continued to do so...

 

Cheers:) Betty

[kryos]

There are many more of us non-smokers than there are smokers and our numbers will grow as the numbers of smokers will decrease. Two of the largest premium hotel chains, Marriott and Starwood, do not offer any rooms in which anyone may smoke, nor do they permit smoking inside any of their buildings. They recognize the trend that is WORLDWIDE.

Interesting enough, I see many cruise lines' smoking policies actually getting more liberal over time, and I'll tell you why.

 

Have you visited the RCI board recently? A lot of talk over there is about these "Total Immersion Cruises." People are getting phone calls left and right telling them that their cruise has become a British Immersion Cruise, or a Latin American Immersion Cruise, etc. What that means is that the cruise line is realizing that their bread is no longer buttered with the American dollar anymore and when the cruise is departing from Europe or South America, they are sometimes making the cruise a "Total Immersion" one. What that means is that everything onboard will be geared to that culture ... menus in the dining room will be printed in that language, activities will be conducted with that language being the primary one ... and traditions, etc., onboard will be geared to the predominant culture. So, if you wind up on an Asian Total Immersion cruise, and it is true that many Asians smoke, then policies regarding smoking may be relaxed on that particular cruise in deference to the predominant culture onboard.

 

So, my guess is that if anything, we might see more smoking on some of these cruise lines in the coming months ... simply because the cruise lines are beginning to focus more and more of their marketing efforts on people of other countries whose currency is still strong. With the dollar and the U.S. economy tanking, cruise lines are realizing that they'd better focus their marketing efforts elsewhere ... on people who still have the money to cruise ... because from what I understand, cancellations are wayyyyyyy up here in the U.S.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[JimVrhovac]

Have noticed that a lot of you want HAL to change everything to meet your specific demands regardless of what other may think or feel.

 

There is an alternative answer to this situation. If you like the changes that Celebrity has introduced you should:

 

CHANGE TO CELEBRITY CRUISE LINES

 

and leave HAL the way it is. The way that we enjoy it.

 

If you don't like something speak by how you spend your money. Instead of running your fingers on the keyboard contact your TA today and change your bookings to Celebrity.

 

I have a box of bandaids ready for the flamming......

 

Jim (without Ruth)...

[sail7seas]

:) Jim.....:)

 

I understand your point but will not be moving over to Celebrity nor stop expressing my opinion.

 

All of us should always continue to express our viewpoints, don't 'cha think?

 

[usha]

Have noticed that a lot of you want HAL to change everything to meet your specific demands regardless of what other may think or feel.

I've noticed that a lot of us (well, actually, most of us) want HAL to change their smoking policy.:)

[serendipity1499]

Interesting enough, I see many cruise lines' smoking policies actually getting more liberal over time, and I'll tell you why.

 

Have you visited the RCI board recently? A lot of talk over there is about these "Total Immersion Cruises." People are getting phone calls left and right telling them that their cruise has become a British Immersion Cruise, or a Latin American Immersion Cruise, etc. What that means is that the cruise line is realizing that their bread is no longer buttered with the American dollar anymore and when the cruise is departing from Europe or South America, they are sometimes making the cruise a "Total Immersion" one. What that means is that everything onboard will be geared to that culture ... menus in the dining room will be printed in that language, activities will be conducted with that language being the primary one ... and traditions, etc., onboard will be geared to the predominant culture. So, if you wind up on an Asian Total Immersion cruise, and it is true that many Asians smoke, then policies regarding smoking may be relaxed on that particular cruise in deference to the predominant culture onboard.

 

So, my guess is that if anything, we might see more smoking on some of these cruise lines in the coming months ... simply because the cruise lines are beginning to focus more and more of their marketing efforts on people of other countries whose currency is still strong. -rita

 

Actually Rita, believe you are incorrect..Once a policy is in effect I sure can't see a relaxation of a smoking ban..Think about it, I can see it now..Some person who wants to make a buck will sue because someone blew smoke in his face & he became ill & the Crew on the ship did not enforce the smoking ban...;) LOL

 

There are many countries in this world which either ban smoking in public places now or will in the very near future. Many Asian Countries such as China incl. Hong Kong, plus Indonesia, Singapore etc. ban smoking in public places...…It’s just a matter of time before other Asian nations follow suit...The 2008 Olympics in China will be a smoke-free zone. China’s ban on smoking in public places has been in effect for 10 years. In New Delhi you can’t smoke while driving. Agreed, Japan could take more time as 47% of men & 11% of women smoke..They may be one of the last ones to ban smoking..Right now 95 percent of all taxis in Japan are smoke-free..Lots of European, South American, Australia/New Zealand & African Countries have laws which are in effect now or soon will be banning smoking in public places… Dubai nationals who smoke in public place will be hit with heavy fines... In Feb. Mexican Legislators voted to ban smoking in eateries, bars and all public places..

Check out the following WEB sites. You will be amazed at the number of Countries, Hotels, & Resorts etc. which have smoking bans..I know I was..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_smoking_bans

http://www.inforesearchlab.com/bansmoking.chtml

Per inforesearch-Turkey, is extending its existing smoking ban to bars and restaurants starting 2009..In Sept. 2008, Singapore's smoking ban will include restaurants, all entertainment outlets incl. pubs, nightclubs, café's, karaoke lounges and even the Formula One Grand Prix…Finally, take a look at Cuba's smoking ban..Amazing!

JMO...Cheers:)

 

Betty

[vbmom87]

Have noticed that a lot of you want HAL to change everything to meet your specific demands regardless of what other may think or feel.

 

There is an alternative answer to this situation. If you like the changes that Celebrity has introduced you should:

 

CHANGE TO CELEBRITY CRUISE LINES

 

and leave HAL the way it is. The way that we enjoy it.

 

If you don't like something speak by how you spend your money. Instead of running your fingers on the keyboard contact your TA today and change your bookings to Celebrity.

 

I have a box of bandaids ready for the flamming......

 

Jim (without Ruth)...

 

I am going on my first cruise this June on HAL. If we do love cruising, I will be one who will go with the cruiseline that has stricter smoking regulations. I like the idea of choices and I will chose the best choice for me. I have asthma that is triggered by smoke among other things. It is not pleasant to have an asthma attack. A bad one leaves you in bad straights sometimes for weeks, even months. My last bad episode was triggered by smells in a hotel room. It took four months of extensive treatments to get me to the point that I could carry on my daily activities without being out of breath. Unlike others on this board, I have no allegiences to any one line. Now that different lines are giving us more choices, I will be more educated for my next cruise.

[JimVrhovac]

You premise is falicious....

 

The cruise critic board members as a group are a very small percentage of the people that cruise HAL. You are a small part of a small percentage.

 

You opinion is important to you but in the scheme of things it is insignificant. You are overrating your importance and ability to influence the policies and the decisions made by HAL.

 

HAL probably monitors this board to see current trends and thought but if you really think the CEO of HAL reads your posts and lets them influence him and his decisions you are living in a dreemword.

 

This is not a personal attack. I am just stating the facts.

 

HAL will do what it needs to do to keep its ships full and as they increase their reliance in South American and European passanger (who smoke more than US citizens) you may see the trend reverse itself.

 

Wouldn'it be nice if they changed the Piano Bar into a cigar lounge. Made the Sports Bar smoking again so we could sit there and have a drink while our spouses played the slots.

 

Gave back the who top half of the Oceans bar to the smokers and relegated non smokers to the lower half of the bar.

 

If you want to talk about health aspects. Why not put a ban on large meals for anyone who is more than 10% over their weight. We could put scales at the beginning of each serving line and insist that you be weighhed and then a card is set on your tray so the servers can see your weight and only serve you low calorie foods if you are overweight.... Be carefull for what you wish for

 

Jim (without Ruth)

[CowPrincess]

Well, we've just booked another HAL cruise and will cancel it if they change the smoking policy. Our friends will cancel, too, because the reason for us all cruising together is to spend time together. We'll find somewhere else to spend our vacation money. I realize that HAL doesn't care a bit about me or my friends, but smokers still have a few rights, and can vote with our dollars.

 

I may have to reassess my reluctance to cruise Princess again, but if HAL's smoking policy remains as-is, I'll stick with HAL.

[kryos]

Hi Rita, I agree. I was surprised that the survey included mention of a 'total ban' ... but I can't see that happening.

I don't see a total ban either, though I do imagine the revised smoking policy could very well be something along the lines of that of Oceania ... a couple of very small outdoor smoking areas. No smoking in cabins, on balconies, or in any indoor area of the ship, including bars and lounges.

 

Of course, if HAL becomes that restrictive, I won't be sailing her any longer ... but I'm sure my preferences are very low down on HAL's totem pole. They will do that which benefits their bottom line ... and nothing more and nothing less. Sadly, I think the non-smokers have us on this one. They are clearly in the majority and I think HAL will probably want to cater to their needs. After all, for every smoker HAL will lose with a more restrictive smoking policy, there will probably be 100 non-smokers ready to take their place.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

As far as them tipping the scales back to favoring smoking, dream on...:p it ain't gonna happen.

Trust me, if HAL ever decided to market certain cruises overseas, and the country in which they were marketing them was apt to have a large smoking population (such as Asia), you'd better believe the scales could be tipped back to favor smokers onboard. It's all a matter of "following the money," my friend ... nothing more and nothing less.

 

The U.S. economy is tanking right now, and HAL may have no choice but to market its cruises primarily to people from other countries. If that's the case, the shipboard policies and procedures will be slanted toward their comfort and convenience ... you'd better believe it.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[serendipity1499]

Merle, Forgot to mention that like you we've had almost the same Number of cruises you've had..14 cruises a total of 184 days of which 100 have been on HAL..Cheers..Betty

[gillianrose]

Trust me, if HAL ever decided to market certain cruises overseas, and the country in which they were marketing them was apt to have a large smoking population (such as Asia), you'd better believe the scales could be tipped back to favor smokers onboard.

 

I just read some Japanese news and websites. The figure I saw quoted is 30.9% smoking in Japan, and that was considered to be large, but certainly no where near the majority of the population. The trend there, as here, is towards less smoking.

 

There is a Japanese website called KINEN-STYLE (KINEN means "NO SMOKING") that lists smoke-free restaurants, smoke-free transportation, etc.

 

http://www.kinen-style.com/ (Original Japanese website)

 

http://en.kinen-style.com/ (English-language version of website)

 

This website will be useful for people on Asian cruises.

[gillianrose]

Trust me, if HAL ever decided to market certain cruises overseas, and the country in which they were marketing them was apt to have a large smoking population (such as Asia), you'd better believe the scales could be tipped back to favor smokers onboard. It's all a matter of "following the money," my friend ... nothing more and nothing less.

 

I just visited the official STAR CRUISES website. It states "Smoking is permitted on open decks and at designated public areas only. "

 

Read it for yourself:

 

http://www.starcruises.com/newweb/guide/onboard.aspx

 

That ASIAN cruise line ALREADY has a stricter policy on smoking than HAL!

[Host Walt]

It's true; the topic is smoking on cruises, not fat people, perfume, babies in hot tubs, drunks, flatulance, unruly children, etc., not on this thread, anyway:o ....:)

 

Not quite.

 

The topic is a poll of members about how they will react to a change in smoking policy.

 

All posts that are not responding to that topic have been removed because they are not on topic.

[Susan-M]

 

How can you possibly ascribe any particular motivation to why a survey (HAL's or CC's???) is about, unless you are the one initiating the survey?

 

 

My motivation for initiating the CC survey was just out of curiosity to see what the response would be from CC members to HAL's survey questions. I do think that HAL's reason for initiating the survey was with a view to restricting smoking to fewer areas. If they had planned to leave the smoking policy as is, their survey questions would have been completely different.

[Susan-M]

Thanks everyone for your votes and input! :)

[gillianrose]

My motivation for initiating the CC survey was just out of curiosity to see what the response would be from CC members to HAL's survey questions. I do think that HAL's reason for initiating the survey was with a view to restricting smoking to fewer areas. If they had planned to leave the smoking policy as is, their survey questions would have been completely different.

 

I appreciate very much that you posted the survey; however, a travel writer friend of mine emailed me that she has been in touch with HAL (at a senior level within the organization) and was told that there is no such survey on board their ships.

 

So, is HAL "listening" or not?

[marle7]

I appreciate very much that you posted the survey; however, a travel writer friend of mine emailed me that she has been in touch with HAL (at a senior level within the organization) and was told that there is no such survey on board their ships.

 

So, is HAL "listening" or not?

 

Several people have reported getting this questionnaire. So it may not be a question of whether HAL is listening, as has HAL head office sanctioned such questionnaires.

[Opinions]

I appreciate very much that you posted the survey; however, a travel writer friend of mine emailed me that she has been in touch with HAL (at a senior level within the organization) and was told that there is no such survey on board their ships.

 

So, is HAL "listening" or not?

 

I just returned from a 24 day cruise on the Zuiderdam.(April 26-May 20)...A smoking survey form was placed in our stateroom after 12 days...Another survey was placed in the room at the end of the cruise...