No flames please -- just truly curious...

[jackdiamond]

By the way, the Solarium on the S class is very nice; and, it is close to the healthy eating area and the Persian Gardens. However, I do enjoy the T-pool, since it is a very good walking pool.

[kitty9]

We just returned home from our first cruise on Solstice, but our 27th overall on X, and I can honestly say, the casino was jammed packed every night, even last night when most people tend to go back to their cabins early to pack. I've been told by the casino manager that their casino profits have risen since the no smoking policy went into effect.

[LindaandJeff]

I am thrilled that I will be able to enjoy my balcony for once! I fully support the Celebrity policy. However, I am a little scared that now I will want to go in the casino, something I couldn't do before. It was a great way to save money. Now DH and I will want to visit often. Could be disastrous on the wallet!:eek:

[royalcruz]

We love the non-smoking policy. I think we spent more in the bars because the air was clean and comfortable. The only area that we had to avoid was the Sunset Bar and Lawn Club, as the cigar smoke was overwhelming. There also were cigar smokers just outside of the solarium door on the interior area of the pool deck (though I don't think they are supposed to smoke cigars there), so we did have to move to the other side of the Solarium.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

My dual-sided opinion:

1.)I'm tired of our society becoming one big giant condo-association where we gotta tell people how to live. I am vehemently against gov't fiat to force "non smoking" or "no trans fat" or such laws in PRIVATE businesses. Yeah, proponents will say that such behavior "costs the system money"...well, so do STD's and let me know when your Senator is going to inspect everyone's bed every night, to make sure the condom is being used properly.

2.)That being said I hate the smell of smoke.

3.)From my point of view, yes, they are doing fine. Our Mercury was full. I'm trying to book a friend into an X cruise and am finding them to be full. My previous NCL cruise, the casino reeked of smoke, I hardly played. (I love blackjack). On X I played multiple sessions daily. Because of no-smoke, I played alot more.

I feel that private businesses can make their rules, and customers can then vote with their dollars.

FWIW!

[ccruisequeen]

[quote name='kitty9']We just returned home from our first cruise on Solstice, but our 27th overall on X, and I can honestly say, the casino was jammed packed every night, even last night when most people tend to go back to their cabins early to pack. I've been told by the casino manager that their casino profits have risen since the no smoking policy went into effect.[/QUOTE]

yes, but were they winning?:cool: LOL

[Gonzo70]

[quote name='labeachcomber']This is very reassuring, and it is comforting to me to know that Celebrity is very responsive and is taking their new smoking policy seriously. Were you on the port side of the ship? We booked our cabin on the starboard "non-smoking" side, hoping to avoid any cigarette trouble at all. But I guess it's naive of me to think that smokers would know the policy ahead of time and only book cabins on the port side, hoping to still circumvent the balcony smoking rules.

I hate tattling on people, but I have no problem with it when it affects the enjoyment of my balcony. Do you know if your neighbor knew that it was you who had called security on him?[/QUOTE]

I had booked starboard side since most public smoking areas are port - I figured I'd be less likely to smell smoke from a public area on the starboard side. The neighbor did know it was me most likely as I asked him to refrain from smoking myself before I called guest relations. He got nasty to me when I told him that smoking was not allowed on balconies and that his smoke was bothering me. I then immediately called guest relations when he became argumentative, so I presume when security knocked on his door several minutes later that he knew it was because of me. If you were to just call without first speaking to the offender, then it is doubtful that they would know it was you - so that is certainly an option if you are concerned about the neighbor becoming aggressive or what not.

[labeachcomber]

[quote name='Gonzo70']I had booked starboard side since most public smoking areas are port - I figured I'd be less likely to smell smoke from a public area on the starboard side. The neighbor did know it was me most likely as I asked him to refrain from smoking myself before I called guest relations. He got nasty to me when I told him that smoking was not allowed on balconies and that his smoke was bothering me. I then immediately called guest relations when he became argumentative, so I presume when security knocked on his door several minutes later that he knew it was because of me. If you were to just call without first speaking to the offender, then it is doubtful that they would know it was you - so that is certainly an option if you are concerned about the neighbor becoming aggressive or what not.[/QUOTE]

Kudos to you! I think one of the reasons why there is so much nonsmoker vs smoker animosity is because of situations exactly like you describe. The smoker knows that he cannot smoke on the balcony. It is in the rules, and is clearly posted in the cabin. Yet he still does so, and then becomes angry with you even though he clearly is in the wrong.

I think though I might take a less confrontational approach and just call guest services and whisper into the phone. I think I'd feel uncomfortable knowing that I pissed off my neighbor and have to try to avoid bumping into him for the rest of the cruise.

[greeneg]

[color=red]"I think though I might take a less confrontational approach and just call guest services and whisper into the phone. I think I'd feel uncomfortable knowing that I pissed off my neighbor and have to try to avoid bumping into him for the rest of the cruise."[/color]

I don't think that I would worry about it very much, myself. The rules at this point are pretty well known, and Celebrity does distribute information on smoking restrictions on in the cabins and documents, so the only way that ignorance can be plead is to say that you didn't read the instructions. AND, fairly enough, the first violation does only generate a warning which is clearly but politely written; it's if a passenger ignores that, then the Ship's personel get more aggressive. The point is that ignorance of the rules is one thing, contempt of them is quite another, and I certainly have an equal right to enjoy my cruise and cabin amenities, particularly when I am in compliance with the Ship's Policies and my neighbor is not. Grump at me all you want, I will report violations.

[DocJohnB]

[quote name='greeneg']Two of our three Azamara Cruises were what I considered fairly priced, the third was a great bargain because of price drops after we had booked and made final payments, which Azamara honored. Given the recently announced target pricing for Azamara, that will be more than we will spend although we will still keep and eye on itineraries that look interesting in the hope of getting lucky.

Hopefully we will like the S-class. I have serious concerns about some of the reputed changes on the M class ships, particularly the loss of the THAL pool which was my favorite feature of those ships.

I may have to buy a punt and put-put around the water hazard in front of the green across the ship........[/QUOTE]

Morning Ed and Lois,

Mind if I but in here. We have sailed on all the Celebrity classes of ships. We liked the Zenith best. We booked a cruise on Solstice last March and I did have some of the same thoughts as you Ed. Comparatively speaking, the Solstice is huge. One of its' major drawbacks, IMO is the lack of an aft bank of elevators. Our veranda cabin was located almost to the rear of the ship and it was a "walk" sometimes. This lack of a 3rd bank of elevators also, IMO, slows up elevator service. There always seemed to be a wait of more than a few seconds for an elevator.

Having said that, this is the ONLY thing I dislike about the Solstice class. We are sailing on the Equinox in October and I believe that I have found the solution to my dislike. I simply booked a cabin right near the midships elevators. Should solve my "problem".

I believe you will like or even love the class, Ed.

[excitedofharpenden]

Hey John (and Ed and Lois;)) I'd agree about the wait for the elevators. It did take a long time, but I really wasn't bothered about the walk and being aft the lack of "through traffic" outside the cabin was good. Very quiet. Even though she is a big ship it never seemed like that and I felt there was a lot of space around. We docked back in Fort Lauderdale next to Oasis of the Seas. S-Class are pretty small really:)

Sorry, off the original topic:o

Phil

[greeneg]

[quote name='DocJohnB']Morning Ed and Lois,

Mind if I but in here. We have sailed on all the Celebrity classes of ships. We liked the Zenith best. We booked a cruise on Solstice last March and I did have some of the same thoughts as you Ed. Comparatively speaking, the Solstice is huge. One of its' major drawbacks, IMO is the lack of an aft bank of elevators. Our veranda cabin was located almost to the rear of the ship and it was a "walk" sometimes. This lack of a 3rd bank of elevators also, IMO, slows up elevator service. There always seemed to be a wait of more than a few seconds for an elevator.

Having said that, this is the ONLY thing I dislike about the Solstice class. We are sailing on the Equinox in October and I believe that I have found the solution to my dislike. I simply booked a cabin right near the midships elevators. Should solve my "problem".

I believe you will like or even love the class, Ed.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, John, Zenith was our favorite also. We're actually on the Equinox two weeks from today and are looking forward to being on board and learning about the ship first hand. We will also find out about how much of a problem the "missing" aft elevators are as we are in an aft balcony by choice. A positive thought on that is that I certain can put the extra exercise to good use so this may not be a bad thing. We will have a chance to experience the ship and I'm sure we'll have a great time.

BTW, we're on the same TA as you this fall, so will be looking forward to meeting you.

Best Regards,

[greeneg]

[quote name='excitedofharpenden']Hey John (and Ed and Lois;)) I'd agree about the wait for the elevators. It did take a long time, but I really wasn't bothered about the walk and being aft the lack of "through traffic" outside the cabin was good. Very quiet. Even though she is a big ship it never seemed like that and I felt there was a lot of space around. We docked back in Fort Lauderdale next to Oasis of the Seas. S-Class are pretty small really:)

Sorry, off the original topic:o

Phil[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Phil, your comments always appreciated. You know, I have never pictured you as the Homer Simpson type, though.

Best Regards,

Ed

[nikkin]

[quote name='DocJohnB']I think that is a valid observation.

As we probably all know, Carnival launched a completely smoke-free ship, the Paradise. Smoke free from the yards onward. Had some pretty strenuous regulations (i.e., booted off if caught, etc.). For non-smoking cruisers, it was a fantastic idea. However, non-smoking cruisers apparently did not/could not sustain its' profitability.

Celebrity hasn't completely banned smoking on its' ships, but they have minimized its' use. Sailing on Celebrity ships is now almost as comfortable as was the Paradise (for non-smokers).

Whether they will they be able to maintain their minimal smoking posture and maintain a profitable bottom line remains to be seen. I believe this question will take some time to be reliably answered. However, we have sailed twice in the past year and both sailings were filled (albeit, a transatlantic was deeply discounted). We are booked on the same cruise as Gonzo70 is this coming fall (another t/a), and that cruise is selling extremely well with prices rising (and I have no doubts that it will sail full).

I agree with Gonzo, that other lines are going to look hard at what Celebrity is doing in this regard. I suspect some may even come in line with Celebrity's policy over the next couple of years.

I personally believe Celebrity has it right in this debate.[/QUOTE]

Love your countdown clock!

[Ships R Great]

Aaaahhhhh---Zenith. Such a lovely little ship. Sailed on her ten times and that was not enough. The final cruise was really bitter-sweet. I actually teared up when I got my last glimpse of her as we drove away. (Silly me!)

Sorry, OT to the original topic, but I had to say my say about her. I have a model of her sitting on the TV where I see her everyday and relive those wonderful cruises. Now, Mercury has become my favorite. I just don't think I would enjoy the super-big ships.

On the $ benefits of non-smoking and the price of the RCL stock. The prices have yo-yo'ed for years. Down to $6 and up as high as $40. I don't know if the smoking policy has been the leading factor. But, maybe it could.

[SantaFeFan]

[quote name='greeneg']Hopefully we will like the S-class. I have serious concerns about some of the reputed changes on the M class ships, particularly the loss of the THAL pool which was my favorite feature of those ships. [/quote]

Nothing was said in the press releases about the M class that the Thalassotherapy pools are being removed. The S-class ships do not have them, however.

[bambam2972]

[quote name='h & m']We are looking forward to our first Celebrity cruise, several factors including timing and ports were part of our decision making, but the restricted smoking on board is a big plus factor.

The idea of only having to avoid a few areas on the ship in very appealing, and the casino may get a few of our dollars this cruise :)

Hilary[/quote]

Same here. We booked because the Mercury was sailing out of Charleston and because of the ports of call. We actually didn't learn about the smoking policy until months after we booked. That is just icing on the cake. I'm happy that we'll actually be able to enjoy our balcony!

[greeneg]

[quote name='SantaFeFan']Nothing was said in the press releases about the M class that the Thalassotherapy pools are being removed. The S-class ships do not have them, however.[/QUOTE]

I have seen several comments in other threads about the Thal pools on the M class ships are going to be replaced as part of the " Solticizing " process, supposedly starting this summer with Constellations drydock. Nothing official, and may not be true but have seen the comments. This would worry me.

[DocJohnB]

[QUOTE=excitedofharpenden;23256970We docked back in Fort Lauderdale next to Oasis of the Seas. S-Class are pretty small really:)

Sorry, off the original topic:o

Phil[/QUOTE]

Hell Phil, our Aircraft Carriers are "small" in comparison. :eek: :D

[DocJohnB]

[quote name='greeneg']Thanks, Phil, your comments always appreciated. You know, I have never pictured you as the Homer Simpson type, though.

Best Regards,

Ed[/QUOTE]

Ed,

I have met him.

He is.

[Lois R]

[quote name='DocJohnB']Ed,

I have met him.

He is.[/quote]

I have met Phil too....Homer Simpson? I have to disagree with you
John. They are nothing alike:eek:

Phil is a true Mench:D:)

[greeneg]

No respectable English Gentleman would drink DUF Beer......Not even Onslow.....

I rest my case.

[1980dory]

[quote name='greeneg']No respectable English Gentleman would drink DUF Beer......Not even Onslow.....

I rest my case.[/quote]

You know Onslow too? Sure he would drink Duff beer! He'd drink anything!:)

[greeneg]

I remember one time Onslow was served some sherry, he thought it tasted like "fairy pee". Not sure what category DUFF falls into, but I don't think that Homer is a student at the Open University.......Onslow is. Supposedly. :)

[1980dory]

[quote name='greeneg']I remember one time Onslow was served some sherry, he thought it tasted like "fairy pee". Not sure what category DUFF falls into, but I don't think that Homer is a student at the Open University.......Onslow is. Supposedly. :)[/quote]

I missed that one! I'm going to have to go back and watch the series again! Onslow was my favorite and Daisy was a very close second.
How about that car Onslow drove?:D