No flames please -- just truly curious...

[DHADEN]

...............

I am curious about how Celebrity's very strict smoking policy is affecting Celebrity's bottom line. Are the ships still sailing full? Are they still making as much $$ on alcohol sales and gambling?

................

 

To answer your original question about the bottom line. I would say it is going up.

 

I own RCI stock (which is Celebrity stock as well). Last year it was as low as $6 per share. Now (and you could say "since the smoking policy") it's back up to $26 per share. I would say that's a pretty good come-back.

 

Hope This Helps.

[Msrobnson]

3 interesting points

 

- We left Princess, because they inherited the heavy smokers from Celebrity who switched lines when Celebrity stopped smoking on balconies. So now Princess has more smokers booking balcony cabins, and if you are a non-smoker its really noticeable.

 

- As ships ban smoking in more areas... people who smoke move to book balcony cabins. So another problem with Princess is that the amount of smoking on balcony seems to go up as fewer public areas allow smoking.

 

- We are booking are next cruise with Celebrity, only because they promise a balcony without smoking. This is important to us because we like to eat breakfast in the morning on the Balcony, and that's unfortunately when the smokers all roll-out of bed and have to have that first smoke of the day. We want to smell the fresh sea air and eat a nice meal without the smell of smoke. One smoker can rob 5 cabins (down-wind) of this small but important pleasure.

 

This, too, has been my observation. Princess is my first choice in cruise line for several reasons. I know there are other lines out there that I would be happy with, namely Celebrity or HAL, but there are definitely things that are important to me personally that I would miss.

 

Until recently I would never have dreamed of sailing without a balcony, however the aggravation of not being able to get maximum enjoyment out of my balcony has me looking at inside cabins for the first time.

 

I think if the industry sees Celebrity being successful with its strict smoking policy, it will encourage others to follow.

[Gablin]

I was on Carnival's Paradise in 2003, and really enjoyed "breathing while cruising!" However, my granddaughter and I had a long conversation with one of the bartenders who said that her experience was that many of the Paradise passengers came in large groups who were members of religious denominations which prohibit smoking, drinking (even sodas!) and gambling.

She (the bartender) liked the fresh air but not the reduction in bar traffic and lower tip levels. She said the casino employees also felt the same.

 

The casino on Paradise was certainly not crowded, nor were the bars. I enjoyed that, of course, but the cruise line and the employees can't make money that way.

 

When Carnival moved the Paradise out of the Caribbean, they also stopped the nonsmoking policy. Since that policy was the major reason my family had cruised on Paradise, we haven't been back to Carnival since.

 

Celebrity is my first choice now, unless they can't provide the itinerary I want.

[Smartcookie]

Add me to the list of cruisers who are thrilled with a non-smoking ship.

 

I could barely stand walking through a smoke-filled casino let alone stay there and play.

[WineDown17]

Been thinking about this one some more.

 

I personally would pay a huge premium (think double+) for a non smoking ship if it were necessary .. My sons health is that important to me....

 

But dont think that is really necessary on X if the lines enforces current policies

 

We get a large balcony so we can spend time on it- no problem on X.

 

We avoid the smoking clubs .. and are pleased that the ones we like are the non smoking areas.. if one of our favorite venues was a smoking area, would be very disappointed. I am sure some run into this.

 

I agree- that as a larger % of travelers discover cruising, and the number of smokers drop (which is the demographic trend in the under 30 crowd..) there will be significant enough mass for another non smoking ship or ships...

[IrishCC]

I hate to make this my first post as it is such a controversial subject, but I am curious and I've done a search and not found the info I'm looking for.

 

I am curious about how Celebrity's very strict smoking policy is affecting Celebrity's bottom line. Are the ships still sailing full? Are they still making as much $$ on alcohol sales and gambling?

 

From what research I've done, it seems that the ships are still sailing full.

 

Bottom line is I'm wondering if Celebrity is as healthy financially as they were prior to the strict smoking policy because I'm wondering if other mainstream cruise lines will head in the same direction.

 

I am not a troll trying to "stir" things up. I will not be a one-post wonder. If someone wants to ask me a question, I will answer. Thank you.

We are taking our first cruise on Celebrity this April precisely because of the smoking policy. I had too many balcony experiences ruined by smokers on our previous RCCL cruises. I hope RCCL will get in line with Celebrity! Hopefully you don't get attacked by this posting . . .you certainly would have if you'd posted on the RCCL boards LOL!

[markstudy]

When Celebrity stopped smoking on balconies, Princess got more complaints. Because Princess inherited another 10% of hard core balcony smokers, on-top of the standard 20% that all ships get on average.

 

When the next cruise line cuts out smoking (who every that may be?) .....perhaps Princess picks-up another 10% of the hard core smokers.

 

My odds on Princess of enjoying my smoke-free balcony...went from 80% smoke free in 2005, to 70% smoke free in 2008, to hypothetically 60% smoke free in 2012.

 

These changes have a ripple effect...and the last cruise line to address this problem might do so because they have found that they inherited everyone else smokers. Not by choice;)

[JRT5000]

Just because Celebrity has banned smoking in cabins/balconies doesn't mean it doesn't happen. A few weeks ago we were on the Solstice and had issues with our neighbours smoking on their balcony. It wasn't every day but at least 4 nights we had to shut the balcony door at night because of the smell. Also we were often awaken in the morning with cigarette smoke and someone hacking.

 

One of our tablemates had the same problem.

[WineDown17]

Just because Celebrity has banned smoking in cabins/balconies doesn't mean it doesn't happen. A few weeks ago we were on the Solstice and had issues with our neighbours smoking on their balcony. It wasn't every day but at least 4 nights we had to shut the balcony door at night because of the smell. Also we were often awaken in the morning with cigarette smoke and someone hacking.

 

One of our tablemates had the same problem.

 

Did you alert guest services? Just curious..clearly enforcement needs to take place if any policy is to be effective.. Appreciate the info!

[Slumdog Millionaire]

Maybe after starting a thread like this, it will be my last post:eek:!

 

What can I say? I'm a much better reader than writer!!

I've been a professional wallflower most of my life. Works for me!

[beachnative]

We are new to Celebrity. We are diamond on RCCL and made the move to X because of the balcony no-smoking policy as well as their acceptance of us as Elite. We are looking forward to our cruise on the Solstice in July. That cruise was not in our original plans which had us sailing on the Liberty of the Seas while vacationing in Florida. After the smokers on a RCCL thread chanted "go to another cruise line if you don't like smoke on your balcony" and stated Celebrity's balcony policy, we extended our Florida trip by a week to include a week on the Solstice. We have even decided that if, while on board, we see that the policy is working we will book a cruise for the following week if a cabin is available. We are even considering canceling our Liberty of the Seas cruise and reserving the Solstice to replace it....maybe even making it a B2B2B. After putting up with smoke most of our lives we are excited that a cruise line has restricted it on balconies.

 

We have been waiting for reservations to open to book a Princess B2B out of Southampton, England in 2011 (amounting to 24 days at sea) but will abandon those plans if reports keep coming that Princess is becoming more smoky.

 

It appears that Celebrity has become our cruise line of choice.

[Host Anne]

My understanding is that Celebrity is taking action when a guest violates the non-smoking policy in cabins/balconies. It is important to notify guest services if you experience someone smoking on a balcony so they can enforce their rules.

 

Just a quick reminder, also, that no one here should be flamed for asking a question or stating an opinion. Please hit the triangle alert whenever you see a post that is rude, harassing or flaming another member. It is against Cruise Critic Guidelines. And just like Celebrity, we need your assistance when you see something that is against our guidelines!

[City_Woman]

When Celebrity stopped smoking on balconies, Princess got more complaints. Because Princess inherited another 10% of hard core balcony smokers, on-top of the standard 20% that all ships get on average.

 

When the next cruise line cuts out smoking (who every that may be?) .....perhaps Princess picks-up another 10% of the hard core smokers.

 

My odds on Princess of enjoying my smoke-free balcony...went from 80% smoke free in 2005, to 70% smoke free in 2008, to hypothetically 60% smoke free in 2012.

 

These changes have a ripple effect...and the last cruise line to address this problem might do so because they have found that they inherited everyone else smokers. Not by choice;)

 

I agree with what you said. Princess was our cruise line of choice until our last cruise. We were inundated with cigarettes during the day and during sleep time. And, yes, it seeped through the door way from the hallway into our cabin.

 

This was the first time we had experienced this problem, but I felt that it would not be the last.

 

When I learned that Celebrity was changing their smoking policy I was quite concerned. Wasn't sure I could afford Celebrity's prices.

 

Yes, I'm paying more for Celebrity than Princess. But, hubby and I agree that the environment Celebrity is giving us is worth it.

 

Those of us who are very pleased with changes need to tell Celebrity anytime we have the chance.

 

Sometimes we forget that positive feedback is as important as negative feedback.

 

Judy

[Gonzo70]

Just because Celebrity has banned smoking in cabins/balconies doesn't mean it doesn't happen. A few weeks ago we were on the Solstice and had issues with our neighbours smoking on their balcony. It wasn't every day but at least 4 nights we had to shut the balcony door at night because of the smell. Also we were often awaken in the morning with cigarette smoke and someone hacking.

 

One of our tablemates had the same problem.

 

As others have said, hopefully you reported this. This did happen once on my cruise on Equinox. I called guest relations and they had someone from security come to my stateroom within 2-3 minutes to take my complaint. The security rep was very friendly and insured me that the offending passenger would be dealt with. I did not notice him smoking again on the balcony (and I was out there quite a bit). I am not sure if he was fined, booted off, or what - but security definitely is enforcing the policy when they are aware of a violation.

[1980dory]

We are new to Celebrity. We are diamond on RCCL and made the move to X because of the balcony no-smoking policy as well as their acceptance of us as Elite. We are looking forward to our cruise on the Solstice in July. That cruise was not in our original plans which had us sailing on the Liberty of the Seas while vacationing in Florida. After the smokers on a RCCL thread chanted "go to another cruise line if you don't like smoke on your balcony" and stated Celebrity's balcony policy, we extended our Florida trip by a week to include a week on the Solstice. We have even decided that if, while on board, we see that the policy is working we will book a cruise for the following week if a cabin is available. We are even considering canceling our Liberty of the Seas cruise and reserving the Solstice to replace it....maybe even making it a B2B2B. After putting up with smoke most of our lives we are excited that a cruise line has restricted it on balconies

We have been waiting for reservations to open to book a Princess B2B out of Southampton, England in 2011 (amounting to 24 days at sea) but will abandon those plans if reports keep coming that Princess is becoming more smoky.

 

It appears that Celebrity has become our cruise line of choice.

 

 

We commend you for your stand!

We're on our first X cruise in April also and looking forward to the clean air. If our cruise turns out as expected, X has another customer for life (or at least until other lines get healthy).

We are really encouraged to read the tone of the posts on this thread and certainly hope that X is also reading them.

I can't say that we would pay double for a 'smokeless' cruise but we would be willing to pay more. Perhaps X could try an occassional 'totally smokeless cruise' just once in awhile as a test. If Cougar cruises and 'nudie' cruises are offered, then why not a smokeless cruise? Is the idea too farfetched?

Are you listening, X?

[WineDown17]

[quote name='Gonzo70']As others have said, hopefully you reported this. This did happen once on my cruise on Equinox. I called guest relations and they had someone from security come to my stateroom within 2-3 minutes to take my complaint. The security rep was very friendly and insured me that the offending passenger would be dealt with. I did not notice him smoking again on the balcony (and I was out there quite a bit). I am not sure if he was fined, booted off, or what - but security definitely is enforcing the policy when they are aware of a violation.[/quote]


Thanks for sharing that... I know I cant control everything when it comes to DS breathing... but as I would not bring him to the port side of the ship for example.. I would also hope that if someone was endangering his health in an area that should be "safe", I can count on the policy being enforced.

[greeneg]

[quote name='Gonzo70']As others have said, hopefully you reported this. This did happen once on my cruise on Equinox. I called guest relations and they had someone from security come to my stateroom within 2-3 minutes to take my complaint. The security rep was very friendly and insured me that the offending passenger would be dealt with. I did not notice him smoking again on the balcony (and I was out there quite a bit). I am not sure if he was fined, booted off, or what - but security definitely is enforcing the policy when they are aware of a violation.[/QUOTE]

This was exactly our experience on the Infinity last August in Alaska. We noticed smoking odor on our balcony from our next door neighbor and mentioned it to our Stateroom Attendant. She told us that that they had actually already received the warning letter by the time we mentioned it. We did not smell or notice cigarette smoke for the rest of the cruise, so apparently the Line is quite serious about the "new" policy.

[FinelyCruising]

If they have to be serious about any one of them, this is the one to be serious about!:)

[labeachcomber]

[quote name='Gonzo70']As others have said, hopefully you reported this. This did happen once on my cruise on Equinox. I called guest relations and they had someone from security come to my stateroom within 2-3 minutes to take my complaint. The security rep was very friendly and insured me that the offending passenger would be dealt with. I did not notice him smoking again on the balcony (and I was out there quite a bit). I am not sure if he was fined, booted off, or what - but security definitely is enforcing the policy when they are aware of a violation.[/QUOTE]

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?

[greeneg]

[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]

We were on the Port Side of the ship, but that actually makes not difference, you cannot smoke on any balcony, port, starboard, of aft, or actually anywhere outside of the designated smoking areas. Actually, the person who initiated the process on the Infinity was the Stateroom Attendant, apparently reporting smoking violations is part of their job.

Hope that clears up the question of smoking vs non-smoking side of the ship: there isn't one. There are designated smoking areas, and those are the only places that smoking is permitted.

[Lois R]

[quote name='greeneg']We were on the Port Side of the ship, but that actually makes not difference, you cannot smoke on any balcony, port, starboard, of aft, or actually anywhere outside of the designated smoking areas. Actually, the person who initiated the process on the Infinity was the Stateroom Attendant, apparently reporting smoking violations is part of their job.

Hope that clears up the question of smoking vs non-smoking side of the ship: there isn't one. There are designated smoking areas, and those are the only places that smoking is permitted.[/quote]

Hi Ed:)....your first cruise on an S class ship is coming soon?
I wonder if you are going to feel it is GIGANTIC after sailing with
Azamara......

[greeneg]

[quote name='Lois R']Hi Ed:)....your first cruise on an S class ship is coming soon?
I wonder if you are going to feel it is GIGANTIC after sailing with
Azamara......[/QUOTE]

Hi Lois, Gail and I wonder about that ourselves. After two trips on the Constellation and one on the Infinity we are at least comfortable on the M-Class Ships although we were thoroughly spoiled on the Journey and the Quest which are ideal sized for our wants. We will see how the S-Class measures up. We actually have two Equinox trips booked; if the first goes well and we like the ship we'll most likely do the Transatlantic also, otherwise we'll see.

Do you still have twinges of nostalgia for the Zenith also? :)

Ed

[Lois R]

[quote name='greeneg']Hi Lois, Gail and I wonder about that ourselves. After two trips on the Constellation and one on the Infinity we are at least comfortable on the M-Class Ships although we were thoroughly spoiled on the Journey and the Quest which are ideal sized for our wants. We will see how the S-Class measures up. We actually have two Equinox trips booked; if the first goes well and we like the ship we'll most likely do the Transatlantic also, otherwise we'll see.

Do you still have twinges of nostalgia for the Zenith also? :)

Ed[/quote]

Yes, although I only sailed her twice.;) I was lucky enough to do that the year before she left the fleet.
I know the S class gets mostly rave reviews but I still prefer the C and M class ships. I have never been able to try Azamara as their cruises
are more $ than I can afford.

[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........

[Coffeequeenj]

We are strongly considering X for our next cruise due to a truly horrible experience on a Princess cruise. Whenever we wanted to use our balcony the chain smokers above us were out if full force, even when asked to stop they wouldn't. It really was horrible! Whenever the ship was in a place like the Tracy Arm where you wanted to be out...there they were puffing away.
So my question is this-if non-smokers don't gamble and drink as much, what do we spend money on...because we do spend money...there must be some way for a cruiseline to come up with some type of different activities or programs to make money. I have to admit we arent' big drinkers and I never gamble and cruise. But, I do shop--a lot on vacation. I do hope that Celebrity remains smoke-free. I will probably never sail with Princess again, I do think the chain-smokers were the exception not the rule. But, not willing to risk it again--love spending time on the balcony...maybe special balcony packages--if they don't have them already. Just some thoughts.

CoffeequeenJ