Total ban on smoking? Yes or no

[Jimnbigd]

Excuse me, but I´m capable of reading and understanding a simple question and answering it. I´m well aware of "Yes" meaning no smoking and thus my answer was the strong "NO" I posted.

 

I see no reason to ban smoking and I don´t want to see non-smoking cruises.

 

Sorry. My mistake.

[ehfl]

So are you implying that that smokers only travel in the "bargain crowd" and that non-smokers are "high end"? I'm sure that Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Whoopi Goldberg, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch, Britney Spears, Pierce Brosnan, Pat Benatar, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro,

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Ben Affleck, Goldie Hawn, Drew Barrymore, George Harrison, Leonard Nimoy, Sean Penn, Bill Cosby, Bo Derek, David Letterman, Kevin Costner and Christina Aguilera might have something to say about that.

 

 

I've never seen celebriities on a cruise. I think you're selecting a small segment of society.

 

If you look at the statistics for the broad population (not the population of actors), you will see that as education and income go up, the percent of people that smoke goes down.

 

You may not like the facts...but they are still the facts.

[SomeBeach]

LOL,

reminds me again of that crazy lady on my last cruise, when there was a fire alarm one afternoon and the crew (not the passengers !!!) where called to muster.

Talking to this lady later on she stated how she and her husband emptied the safe, grabbed their life vests and got out on the balcony (Deck 11) considering how to jump and swim over to get ashore.

 

I was in disbelieve and had a hard time to not laugh but simply state for heavens sake WHY???:eek:

 

To all those not being there, we were still tied securly to the pier and all she needed to do to escape was walking across to port side, a few decks down and leave the ship over the gangway;):D

 

OMG! She was a riot! How we contained our laughter I'll never know.

[SomeBeach]

LOL If we had to man the lifebots for real i think there would be quite a few people needing a smoke including non smokers:rolleyes:

 

Seriously. I think I'd be begging for one at that point! And I don't even know how to smoke a cigarette! (I've tried--it wasn't pretty! :eek:

 

Bummer is that you are only to take your meds should you need to go to the lifeboat, no cigs, no alcohol. :rolleyes:

(ok, I know smokers will have them hidden somewhere)

[OGCFreddie]

I've never seen celebriities on a cruise. I think you're selecting a small segment of society.

 

If you look at the statistics for the broad population (not the population of actors), you will see that as education and income go up, the percent of people that smoke goes down.

 

You may not like the facts...but they are still the facts.

The facts are the facts and whether or not I like them or not is not the issue. I was simply trying to say that a person should not paint their opinion with such a large brush. The poster's statement was that only lower classed people smoked. I was only trying to prove that there are exceptions to every rule.

 

And...by the way...I HAVE seen celebrities on a cruise :p

 

Have a great day, all! Happy cruising!

[CruiseAwayWithMe]

I voted "YES". I'm surprised that the poll is split nearly 50/50. :eek:

[suzski]

I voted "YES". I'm surprised that the poll is split nearly 50/50. :eek:

 

I think the main reason is that smoking is LEGAL....therefore, it seems wrong to many to infringe upon that.

[cruzkitty]

I vote no ban!!

[akcruz]

I voted "YES". I'm surprised that the poll is split nearly 50/50. :eek:

 

I think the main reason is that smoking is LEGAL....therefore, it seems wrong to many to infringe upon that.

 

Not sure the intent of the 1st post I quoted, but I took it the opposite of the 2nd one. Actually if you add then together there are more than 50% that feel smoking needs to be more restrictive than it currently is.

 

While I don't think it should be 100% banned, I think it is just a matter of time. For instance at the company I work for 20 years ago I sat next to someone who smoked at their desk. Today, there is no smoking allowed anywhere on the company premises, even in your own car. People who want to smoke during the day walk outside, down the street and stand in a little gully besides the road to get their fix. Of course, they are only limited while at work which is different than a ship, but the times are changing.

[MMCS Cruiser]

I think the main reason is that smoking is LEGAL....therefore, it seems wrong to many to infringe upon that.

 

It's legal to jump off a cliff too.

 

It's legal to put your lips around the tailpipe on your car and suck exhaust fumes.

 

It some states it's legal to smoke marijuana with a doctors consent.

 

So what.

[marci22]

The hospital by us used to allow smoking in designated areas; now you have to completely leave the property to smoke.

[crewchief482]

I'm for total smoking ban in all public areas -- especially on the pool and sun decks !!!!!!

[PrincesScuba]

 

BTW, no need to keep count, simply set it up as a poll.

 

 

And just for the record from a non-smoker and someone who doesn´t like the smoke my answer is a strong NO!

I agree with Gunnar. And with his laughicons. :D

[twoputt.plusone]

I voted for a ban in public areas only. And yes I'm a non-smoker. RCI has always done a good job of removing the smoke from cabins, so this way they don't allienate their smoking customers.

[Goofyisme]

It's legal to jump off a cliff too.

 

It's legal to put your lips around the tailpipe on your car and suck exhaust fumes.

 

It some states it's legal to smoke marijuana with a doctors consent.

 

So what.

 

Well you got 2 out of 3 wrong, that seems about normal.

[BobBeaSea]

I'm impressed, allergies to smoke have only been mentioned once or so, so far :D.

It is the numbers the cruise lines look at, not polls on Cruise Critic. The numbers say 20.5% or so of the population still smokes and this number has stalled since 2004. Due to this, the mass market lines will never ban smoking entirely - just won't happen. No smoker will ever knowingly get on a non smoking ship. The reason the numbers are important is smokers travel with non smokers, meaning a potential of 40% or more of the mass market cruise lines target market is gone. If I'm a shareholder of a mass market cruise line who banned smoking entirely, I'd be furious. The mass market lines are competing with AI's in the Caribbean, Mexico etc., where access to smoking is much more prevalent than on cruise ships.

 

Those who have been cruising for a long, long time know full well the great strides the lines have made in reducing access to smokers. They have been accomodating the wishes of non smokers and I believe they have reached a point where "fairness" prevails. Naturally this won't satisfy the more rabid proponents of either side of this topic, thats OK though. If those on the rabid yes side had set foot on a cruise ship 20 years ago - it would have been their first and last cruise :). The lines can't please everyone but I think they have done a pretty good job trying to satisfy the majority of cruisers, at least the rational cruisers.

 

For the record I voted no.

[Jimnbigd]

I don't want a complete smoking ban. That did not work on the Carnival Paradise, did it? But...On my last cruise, the Carnival Ecstasy, I could not enjoy listening to Lorraine in the piano bar because of all the smoke. Likewise, I find it annoying when I'm playing a slot machine at the casino, and someone sits at the slot next to me and lights up. Surely there can be some compromise.

 

I remember when people smoked anywhere in movie theaters. Then, it was "smoking on the left side only." Now of course it is no smoking anywhere. I suspect ships might go that direction eventually. We'll see. I'm sure there was a time when smoking was allowed in the dining room. On my first NCL cruises, smoking was allowed in left half of the lounge. Now it is not allowed anywhere. I guess my point here is there is already a ban on smoking in some areas. I wonder who chooses what areas? Why, say, the lounge but not the casino?

 

One more point. Cigar smoking is limited. I don't think anyone can walk into the casino and light up a cigar. Why should it be different with cigarettes?

[jerin]

I personally wouldn't mind, but I doubt that it would be practical. They lose some money from people like me in the casinos and bars with the smoke, but I'm sure they make it up with people who prefer to smoke in these venues -- especially with smoking being limited in so many land-based restaurants and bars, it might actually attract some smokers to cruising.

[Addict]

I'm impressed, allergies to smoke have only been mentioned once or so, so far :D.

It is the numbers the cruise lines look at, not polls on Cruise Critic. The numbers say 20.5% or so of the population still smokes and this number has stalled since 2004. Due to this, the mass market lines will never ban smoking entirely - just won't happen. No smoker will ever knowingly get on a non smoking ship. The reason the numbers are important is smokers travel with non smokers, meaning a potential of 40% or more of the mass market cruise lines target market is gone. If I'm a shareholder of a mass market cruise line who banned smoking entirely, I'd be furious. The mass market lines are competing with AI's in the Caribbean, Mexico etc., where access to smoking is much more prevalent than on cruise ships.

 

Those who have been cruising for a long, long time know full well the great strides the lines have made in reducing access to smokers. They have been accomodating the wishes of non smokers and I believe they have reached a point where "fairness" prevails. Naturally this won't satisfy the more rabid proponents of either side of this topic, thats OK though. If those on the rabid yes side had set foot on a cruise ship 20 years ago - it would have been their first and last cruise :). The lines can't please everyone but I think they have done a pretty good job trying to satisfy the majority of cruisers, at least the rational cruisers.

 

For the record I voted no.

 

I just wanted to say this is the most civilised, reasonable and sensible post about this subject that I have ever seen on CC!!

 

I voted NO!!!

[msbptg]

YES!!! And tell me once again, why am I breathing in your filthy second hand smoke from across the deck????

[msbptg]

RE--It is the numbers the cruise lines look at, not polls on Cruise Critic. The numbers say 20.5% or so of the population still smokes" So have cruises with all smokers..simple as that..Because I really don,t want to breathe in your nasty smell.

[BobBeaSea]

RE--It is the numbers the cruise lines look at, not polls on Cruise Critic. The numbers say 20.5% or so of the population still smokes" So have cruises with all smokers..simple as that..Because I really don,t want to breathe in your nasty smell.

 

I think the mass market lines are taking a more reasonable approach to the subject but perhaps they will give your suggestion some thought - just write a letter and send it to them. I'm sure it will be taken seriously. :D

[patned]

Who ever started this thread is very very stupid

 

Who ever started this thread is very very stupid

 

So, can I pencil you in as a strong NO?

 

I finally had time to read all the posts. I want to thank everyone for their input. Since the poll was introduced the YES and NO have been running pretty well neck and neck. The third option is running a respectable 14%.

 

There is only a few days left in the poll and unless the United Tobacco Producers or Non-Smokers R Us come in en mass I do not think the numbers will change that much.

 

I feel that a fair number of the posts have provided very interesting comments both for and against. OK, there were a few personal attacks and a bit of bickering back and forth. There is really no need for that but with over 170 posts they were few and far between.

 

Some posts made me laugh out loud....the Britney Spears comment comes to mind.

 

For me it was posts like #95 by GONZO70 and #160 by AKCRUZ and just recently #168 by Jimnbigd that look at compromise and not a total ban as the best solution.

 

One of the most recent posts, #167 by BobBeaSea was one of my favourites. For the record BobBeaSea voted NO.

 

As a former smoker I remember how difficult it was to quit and I should also know that not everyone can stop smoking. Some cruises like the trans-Atlantic are at sea for 8 straight days. Surely there is a compromise. I like the compromise that Celebrity Cruise Lines has introduced. They allow some smoking but not in public areas like the casino.

 

Yes there are some very strong NO and YES votes out there but I believe that the majority of the 500 votes fall somewhere in between the two extremes.

 

Cheers

[aloha of the seas]

I may not want smokers around me, but I have to admit that they have every right to cruise that I do. If we reduce the number of people who can cruise by eliminating the smokers, it will only drive up the cost of the cruise. I think I can tolerate the smokers in confined areas to keep the cost of the cruise down. So maybe we need to think a little harder about how we treat our fellow passengers who smoke.

[OGCFreddie]

YES!!! And tell me once again, why am I breathing in your filthy second hand smoke from across the deck????

Probably for the same reason that I am breathing in the noxious fumes from your cheap cologne. Because it's there. :p