Please be honest

[tami99]

There is another recent thread about smoking but I don't want to hijack it. We are supposed to be on the Pride in July. I am really worried about the smoking. Just how bad will it be? I have read that the ships are really stinky....I have read that it isn't bad at all. I have read you can get smoke wafting on your balcony. I have read the rooms don't smell. I have read that if you have an adjoining room, you might smell smoke through the door if the person in the next cabin is smoking. I guess it all depends on who you talk to. Do people light up in the dining areas?

 

I really need to know because I'm thinking maybe a cruise might not be for us afterall.

 

For those of you who have cruised with kids....how did you feel about the whole thing and how bad was it for your kids?

[Gingee]

I have never smelled smoke in the cabin area. In fact I don't remember any smoke anywhere. I didn't have little kids with me but since I don't smoke, I seem to pick up any smoke smells. Go and enjoy!!!!!!!!

[Cruise Gypsy]

There is another recent thread about smoking but I don't want to hijack it. We are supposed to be on the Pride in July. I am really worried about the smoking. Just how bad will it be? I have read that the ships are really stinky....I have read that it isn't bad at all. I have read you can get smoke wafting on your balcony. I have read the rooms don't smell. I have read that if you have an adjoining room, you might smell smoke through the door if the person in the next cabin is smoking. I guess it all depends on who you talk to. Do people light up in the dining areas?

 

I really need to know because I'm thinking maybe a cruise might not be for us afterall.

 

For those of you who have cruised with kids....how did you feel about the whole thing and how bad was it for your kids?

 

The cruise lines can be very different regarding their smoking policies. I have not cruised Carnival so I can't speak for their ships. I do know the other lines such as Celebrity have significantly restricted the smoking on their ships. Here is a link to Celebrity's policy:

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/beforeyourcruise/faq/home.do;jsessionid=0000R4UrqJXWgJYctHjY6NcG0A_:12hdbcuh7;jsessionid=0000WPB30atqnFX2cZfitw_DqcO:12h3rnd1c?faqSubjectName=Ship+and+Stateroom+Details&faqId=572&pagename=faq_answers

 

I mainly cruise Princess and they do allow smoking in the Staterooms and balconies and other designated areas of the ship. We do not smoke and never have had a real problem with smoke except in the Casino but Princess offers non-smoking nights. I don't think any ship allows smoking in the Dining Room.

 

I hope this helps.

[SuitCaseBears]

I am VERY sensitive to cigarette smoke. I can smell someone smoking in a car near me even with my windows closed.

 

I've never been bothered on Princess, Crystal, HAL or Regent.

 

Which isn't to say you might not be on a cruise with a person next door who's clothing reeks of cigarette smoke and who you can smell when he or she walks by. But the odds of that are not great.

 

But it seems that some people will complain about 1 minute of a 7 day cruise and make it sound like it was going on the whole week - and in fact in their minds it was. I tend to forget the bad stuff - sometimes having a bad memory is a blessing.

 

Many cruise lines no longer allow smoking in the cabins, I suggest you find and stick to one of them if you're worried. I don't think ANY Of them allow smoking in the dining room.

[CALMOM]

If you are that concerned about smoking and you have kids, then you should consider DCL. Of course, you'll have to pay the price, which is high. I would say that you should not cruise Carnival, as they allow smoking in cabins, balconies some of the indoor areas (but not many) and on one side of the ship on deck (I believe the port side). The second cruise line that I would suggest is Celebrity, they do not allow smoking in cabins or balconies.

[LOUBLOU]

:)Hi there, We have been on Hal, Princess and Royal and only smelled smoke in the designated areas. The Casino is a smoking area so we learned to by pass that floor and even went up a deck or down to avoid that area. There were tables in the pool area and we gave them a wide berth too. All in all we did not have trouble with the smell on people either or in the rooms. Perhaps some could complain about perfume too. It is really important to remember this when travelling abroad. " It is not wrong, it is just different". This helps you keep a good attitude when you encounter things you don't like. You have your ways and they have theirs. Just keep your mind on what is good for you and seek that out. Many will say don't sweat the small stuff. This too is good to focus on.

 

We travelled with our triplets at age 16 during October. I wondered if there would be others on board during the school year. Well there was lots of youth and they had the time of their lives. The tears ran at the end of the 7 days and they still talk about it. Now in 6 weeks we leave for 15 days on Coral Princess to do the FLL to LA thru the Panama Canal. Longer time away, more activities and Grad and Birthday for the 3 to celebrate. You make the holiday special. Bring treats for your room, dress up clothes and what ever makes your family relax. It is up to you to let your days flow and make the best in difficult situations. The last one we were on as a couple the pools were all closed after the 1st day. Think of all the kids who were dissapointed. We hope they found all the other activities to do and made the best of it. Make memories and you will not regret that you laughed at yourself and others and how many times you could say "OH dear!" :D

Lou

[Taxguy77]

I have cruised both as a smoker and a non-smoked (thank God). Celebrity is quite smoke-free, while HAL caters to smokers, but has better beds and larger rooms. Americans do not smoke as much as they used to, and it has not been a deal-breaker with us.

[paul929207]

Go to the Carnival Website. They should have their smoking policy. It may be in something like FAQ. If you can't find it, call them.

[shopril]

I too am non-smoker and very sensitive to the smoke. Once we had an adjoining room (not by request) and our neighbors were smokers. Our cabin reeked of smoke. Bring on the duct tape. Hubby always wondered why I broought it. We all around the door and that took care of it. Of course we could not sit on our balcony when they were out since we were downwind.

I do wish there was an answer to the balcony issue. Tough call because I do not begrudge the smokers - it is their choice. But I paid for a balcony and there are times I cannot use it because of the smoke.

[boulders]

I'm sensitive to smoke too. I usually go for oceanviews so can't speak to the balcony smoke smell issue.

 

Celebrity doesn't allow smoking on balconies or in cabins. Princess and HAL DO allow smoking in cabins and balconies. DCL, Carnival and RCCL don't allow smoking in cabins, but do on balconies. Of the last 2, I prefer RCCL since on RCCL it's very easy to avoid the smoking areas whereas on Carnival, it's not. The casino (smoking) on Carnival was smack dab in the middle of the main thoroughfare.

[alicam]

There is another recent thread about smoking but I don't want to hijack it. We are supposed to be on the Pride in July. I am really worried about the smoking. Just how bad will it be? I have read that the ships are really stinky....I have read that it isn't bad at all. I have read you can get smoke wafting on your balcony. I have read the rooms don't smell. I have read that if you have an adjoining room, you might smell smoke through the door if the person in the next cabin is smoking. I guess it all depends on who you talk to. Do people light up in the dining areas?

 

I really need to know because I'm thinking maybe a cruise might not be for us afterall.

 

For those of you who have cruised with kids....how did you feel about the whole thing and how bad was it for your kids?

Don't worry about what you have read...every instance could be different based on cabin location, occupants there, wind direction, etc....I would go and enjoy and not spend my time worrying about what might or might not happen. And no...people do not light up in the dining room...as for how bad is it for kids...I think any travel experience away from home is a good one...but that is what I think...others may differ

[tami99]

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate your input!

 

Paul, I have already read the smoking policy on Carnival and that's why I am posting this in the first place. Smoking IS allowed in the cabins. Someone on this thread said Carnival doesn't allow it in the cabins but that's incorrect. They don't allow it in the spa cabins...but not the other ones. I didn't even see any options for getting a spa cabin.

 

We can only sail out of Baltimore so I'm not sure if there are other cruises lines leaving from there on the dates we can go, so I'll check it out. Otherwise, I'll just go on our cruise as planned with a smile on my face and hope for the best.

[WeBeGone]

The only place I've ever been bothered by smoke is in the casino. In that case, I just move to a less smoky part of the room.

[Blondilu]

The only time I've been bothered was when I was actually sitting in a smoking area. Couldn't complain since it was my choice to be there. I was sitting with a companion but had to leave after a couple of minutes, it was that bad. But, wasn't bothered anywhere else on the ship.

[tulsacubfan]

Only place I was "bothered" was walking through the casino (we don't gamble so didn't stop but did have to walk through the area) and some of the bars ("sports" bar and piano bar). Very easy to avoid.

 

You asked about dining areas and I don't recall anyone answering that part - the dining rooms are nonsmoking.

[RetireeWannabee]

you simply aren't going to know until you arrive how many/how considerate the smoking pax are.

 

don't worry, there are more smoke free zones than smoking-allowed, it won't be hard to dodge it.

[tami99]

Thanks Tulsa and Retiree! Wish me luck (although we still have a way to go before cruise date)!

[toberman]

We are both 'smokers', but are very cognizant of the fact that most people are not. Therefore we restrict our habit to the places where it is allowed. Even then, we won't smoke in the room (only on the balcony), and we always ask for non-smoking rooms when we book hotels. Can't stand the smell of those smoking rooms any more. As well, we can't stay in the Casino on smoking days. I think you will find this the norm when you're travelling. Most know it's an addiction and wish they didn't have it, but are willing to be considerate to those that don't.

That being said - there are those that don't care, just like someone posted here, sometimes (especially in confined spaces like elevators, buffet lines etc) women who wear unreasonable amounts of perfume can be way more problematic than someone who smokes, and you can get away from!!

[Blondilu]

I totally agree with the perfume issue. It can be just as bad as smoking. Worse, really. Smoking is so regulated and as has been said, most smokers are pretty considerate. But people wearing perfume don't seem to realise how potent it is.

[Sea Born]

I'm sensitive to smoke too. I usually go for oceanviews so can't speak to the balcony smoke smell issue.

 

Celebrity doesn't allow smoking on balconies or in cabins. Princess and HAL DO allow smoking in cabins and balconies. DCL, Carnival and RCCL don't allow smoking in cabins, but do on balconies. Of the last 2, I prefer RCCL since on RCCL it's very easy to avoid the smoking areas whereas on Carnival, it's not. The casino (smoking) on Carnival was smack dab in the middle of the main thoroughfare.

 

Carnival DOES allow smoking in the cabins, EXCEPT for the Spa cabins.

 

Sue

[morecruise4me]

We were just on a the Caribbean Princess and had a balcony cabin. We had also heard about smoke being a problem if someone smoked on their balcony. First day we noticed that one of our near neighbors smoked. We occasionally caught a whiff of it if the wind was right, but it wasn't constant or bothersome (and I REALLY don't like smoke). When we walked down the hallway, you could smell which cabins had someone smoking, but it never leaked into our cabin.

[CFD130]

I am VERY sensitive to cigarette smoke. I can smell someone smoking in a car near me even with my windows closed.

 

I've never been bothered on Princess, Crystal, HAL or Regent.

 

Which isn't to say you might not be on a cruise with a person next door who's clothing reeks of cigarette smoke and who you can smell when he or she walks by. But the odds of that are not great.

 

But it seems that some people will complain about 1 minute of a 7 day cruise and make it sound like it was going on the whole week - and in fact in their minds it was. I tend to forget the bad stuff - sometimes having a bad memory is a blessing.

 

Many cruise lines no longer allow smoking in the cabins, I suggest you find and stick to one of them if you're worried. I don't think ANY Of them allow smoking in the dining room.

 

 

You can SMELL smoke through closed windows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:

[tami99]

You can SMELL smoke through closed windows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:

 

 

Funny, I believe them though. I can hear the television frequency from another room or when walking by a house, even without hearing the sound.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Funny, I believe them though. I can hear the television frequency from another room or when walking by a house, even without hearing the sound.

 

What??

 

###

[Cruisin' Chick]

I have been on six Carnival cruises (betw 1994 and 2002), including on the Paradise when it was a no-smoking ship (it was very clean smelling and one of our favorite cruises for so many reasons tied into the no-smoking rule).

 

I am very sensitive to the smell of tobacco, growing up with a cigar-smoking father (whose medical specialty was diseases of the chest, go figure). My preteen daughter suffers from asthma. So we try to stay away from smokers as much as possible.

 

That said, I have never entered a cabin on a ship, Carnival or Princess, that smelled of tobacco. I have been in hotel rooms that absolutely reeked of that awful smell (even on a non-smoking floor, thanks Miami Airport Radisson for having the stinkiest rooms). If you do find a bad smell when you first get to your cabin, find your cabin steward and asked them to take care of it (there is a spray they can use, and if that doesn't work, insist that the curtains and bedding get switched out).

 

On some cruises, we have been able to walk down the hallway and be able to tell which cabins had the smokers. The worst is if someone is smoking in the hallway and stinks up the place. If you run into such a person, point out that there are places that they can smoke -- that smoking in the hallway should be avoided.

 

If there is a smoking lounge (Princess has cigar lounges) on your ship, check out the deck plan and make sure it's not on a path you would be taking a lot (like in between your cabin and the closest elevator). On the Island Princess, the cigar lounge was on the grand atrium which was truly a bad location for it. I'm not sure if Carnival has cigar lounges. Hopefully not.

 

We never get a balcony, and after reading a lot about smokers on them, I don't think we ever will want one. We also avoid the casino.

 

And there has not been any smoking in any dining rooms for at least ten years. We were once considering going on Royal Caribbean (this was around 1997) and discovered that there was a smoking area in the d.r., so we booked on Carnival. But they no longer have smoking in their dining room.

 

As for kids, I find cruiseships to be a great way for a family to vacation together. My daughter was 23 months, 3 years and 5 years on her Carnival cruises. Camp Carnival was great for her. Lots of activities.

 

To ensure that there is plenty of kids, make sure to book when school is out. Of course then it costs a bit more (higher demand), but your child will have plenty of potential companions.

 

Unfortunately, the ships that often have stricter rules about smoking tend to be the least child-friendly (Regent, Oceania, Celebrity) or more costly (Disney). Royal Caribbean is child friendly and has a no-smoking in the cabins policy. The reason we wouldn't go on that line is that they don't have self-service laundries. As we're now doing longer cruises, this is a must for us.