This Thread Is To Be Used For All Discussions About HAL's On Board Smoking Policies

If you wanted to have more impact you'd be better off asking for the mailing address rather than the email address. Paper feedback is always more impressive to an Enterprise than electronic feedback.

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Smokers from the US are very conscious of no smoking zones. I doubt very many are truly unaware of the new door signage and other communications.

HAL had attracted a disproportionately large number of smokers which helped fill their cabins. Now the cruise line is playing both sides of the debate with lax enforcement of a new policy.

HAL had attracted a disproportionately large number of smokers which helped fill their cabins.

Because the policy has been changed this thread is being closed. Thanks to all of you for staying within our guidelines.

Regardless of how many HAL cruises we may or may not have taken, the point is that HAL has banned smoking on balconies January 2017 going forward. The history of smoking in the past is irrelevant to this point.

I doubt HAL's decision was based on a sudden concern for the health of their customers, but, rather on a market analysis that showed higher profits from the new policy.

Those of us that have booked because of this policy have a reasonable expectation of this rule being enforced.

My continuing patronage will be based on this enforcement.

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The koningsdam has moved it' smoking are from seaview pool port side to starboard side. The smoking side is now the side with the bar. Apparently this was a decision that came from corporate office with little thought.

Now the bar staff and waitors are constantly in the smoking area and customers who want to go grab a drink have to stand in second hand smoke. The nice fabric patio furniture is also being covered in smoke.

I complained to one of the higher ups and he said that himself as well as the hotel director are all trying to get it changed back and all agree with the above problems. I have noticed over the past few days that they are slowly moving the fabric patio couches and chairs to the non smoking side.

I have no issue with the smoking areas, it just makes no sense to me why they would want to compromise the health of their staff and ruin their new beautiful furniture

On all the other HAL ships the smoking has always been right in the area of the sea view bar.

By the way -- you would be surprised at the number of crew who do smoke.

On all the other HAL ships the smoking has always been right in the area of the sea view bar.

By the way -- you would be surprised at the number of crew who do smoke.

Choosing to smoke is your choice. Having continuous second hand smoke exposure is not necessary if there are other options..for crew and passengers ..having the smoking on the other side has worked for a year on the koningsdam and the officer I spoke to said it was a corporate decision with no actual thought to ramifications...he said it was another decision where corporate didn't take into account the opinions of the people who actually work on the ships.... that is why he said it has been escalated to the highest level to deal with it

Just off the Zuiderdam today. The smoking section is right in front of the Seaview bar and, if I recall correctly, it has been that way on the Nieuw Amsterdam, Eurodam and Volendam. As previously stated, many of the staff, from all different departments, are smokers and are often up there with the guests. Since the smoking areas are very limited this is the most crowded area on the ship and some serious drinking takes place right in that section. It would be very inconvenient for the staff to be running from the bar area to the smoking area if they were on opposite sides.

Helen

The koningsdam has moved it' smoking are from seaview pool port side to starboard side. The smoking side is now the side with the bar. Apparently this was a decision that came from corporate office with little thought.

 

Now the bar staff and waitors are constantly in the smoking area and customers who want to go grab a drink have to stand in second hand smoke. The nice fabric patio furniture is also being covered in smoke.

 

I complained to one of the higher ups and he said that himself as well as the hotel director are all trying to get it changed back and all agree with the above problems. I have noticed over the past few days that they are slowly moving the fabric patio couches and chairs to the non smoking side.

 

I have no issue with the smoking areas, it just makes no sense to me why they would want to compromise the health of their staff and ruin their new beautiful furniture

I'm just off Kdam and I noticed there was smoking on both sides. People were smoking in those nice chairs on starboard side, and at the tables on port side. I don't know what the rules were, but no one was stopping them.

As previously stated, many of the staff, from all different departments, are smokers and are often up there with the guests. Since the smoking areas are very limited this is the most crowded area on the ship and some serious drinking takes place right in that section. It would be very inconvenient for the staff to be running from the bar area to the smoking area if they were on opposite sides.

I'm not exactly sure what you're saying here. I can't say that I've ever seen staff smoking while on the job.

I'm just off Kdam and I noticed there was smoking on both sides. People were smoking in those nice chairs on starboard side, and at the tables on port side. I don't know what the rules were, but no one was stopping them.

 

 

 

I'm not exactly sure what you're saying here. I can't say that I've ever seen staff smoking while on the job.

Sorry for the confusion. I'm not saying they're smoking while they're working but they are smoking when they get a break. The bar staff doesn't sit at the tables but they do "hide" in the corners of the smoking area. The staff from other departments do come up to the smoking area and sit with everyone else.

Helen

I can't say that I've ever seen staff smoking while on the job.

No, but during their breaks for sure. I don't smoke, but DW does, and whenever I went up to Deck 9 Starboard side Seaview Bar (smoking area) to meet her, there was always a handful of the ship's staff (in uniform) having a smoke while on their breaks.

Since the smoking areas are very limited this is the most crowded area on the ship and some serious drinking takes place right in that section. It would be very inconvenient for the staff to be running from the bar area to the smoking area if they were on opposite sides.

That's exactly what happened on Koningsdam a few months ago. The weather was such than only smokers were outside, portside. The bar on starboard was empty. Crew was walking constantly from one side to the other.

That's exactly what happened on Koningsdam a few months ago. The weather was such than only smokers were outside, portside. The bar on starboard was empty. Crew was walking constantly from one side to the other.

Exactly! Plus the Smoking Area is busy from early a.m. until late at night. The Non-Smoking area is rarely busy and when it has people it is usually peak daytime hours of 11:00 until 3:00 pm.

This move makes a lot of sense especially for the Servers!

My room is on deck 4 directly in line with the Sea View bar's location. Do you think there's a chance I could smell the smoke from the smokers at the Sea View bar coming down? Thx

My room is on deck 4 directly in line with the Sea View bar's location. Do you think there's a chance I could smell the smoke from the smokers at the Sea View bar coming down? Thx

Nope ... not a chance!

Wow. We weren't great fans of the aft pool area on the K to begin with (compared to the NA and the Eurodam). Now that smoking's allowed on the "good" side, we definitely won't be booking the Koningsdam again.

Part way through the last cruise they moved half of the nice furniture from the smoking side to the non smoking side. Crew have said they are planning to move all of it over but it hasn't happened yet.

Perhaps someday we won't even have to discuss smoking on ships.

Are there any totally nonsmoking ships? Surely they would be popular!

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Just wondering if indeed the smoking section has been moved from the port to the starboard side on the Koningsdam? The official doc that HAL puts out defining their policy states that it is on the port side, which is the opposite side of the bar. I am hoping that it is still on the port side and the bar will not be filled with smokers, especially since the bar on the deck above allows smoking. That would mean no outdoor smoke free bars in the rear of the ship?

Just wondering if indeed the smoking section has been moved from the port to the starboard side on the Koningsdam? The official doc that HAL puts out defining their policy states that it is on the port side, which is the opposite side of the bar. I am hoping that it is still on the port side and the bar will not be filled with smokers, especially since the bar on the deck above allows smoking. That would mean no outdoor smoke free bars in the rear of the ship?

We got off the K on Dec 20 and smoking was on the bar side.(starboard)

It just may be possible that it's now the starboard (bar) side on most, if not all of the 'dam ships.

It was on the starboard (bar) side for our Oosterdam cruise last Fall.

:*

It just may be possible that it's now the starboard (bar) side on most, if not all of the 'dam ships.

 

It was on the starboard (bar) side for our Oosterdam cruise last Fall.

Every Ship we’ve been on has had Smoking on Starboard by the Bar. Prinsendam has the Seaview Bar on Port side and Smoking was there. First time that we saw Smoking not by Seaview Bar was our two Kdam Cruises before the change.

I am hoping that it is still on the port side and the bar will not be filled with smokers, especially since the bar on the deck above allows smoking. That would mean no outdoor smoke free bars in the rear of the ship?

A little confused? What Bar on the Deck above Seaview Bar allows Smoking? The Bar on the Deck above that’s in the middle by NYDeli is Smoke-Free. Also, on all the Ships we’ve been on they no longer allow Smoking at the Seaview Bar itself (just at the tables).

Every Ship we’ve been on has had Smoking on Starboard by the Bar. First time that we saw Smoking not by Seaview Bar was our two Kdam Cruises before the change.

Sounds like they're bringing Kdam in line with the rest of their fleet.