How's the new HAL non smoking policy working out?

[BruceMuzz]

Here is a solution - make one side of ship's balcony cabins smoking and the other side of the ship's balcony cabins non-smoking.

 

The cruise lines had to stop that practice for a number of reasons.

 

More that half the passengers do not smoke. What happens when all the non-smoking balconies are sold and more non-smokers want a non-smoking balcony cabin on the smokling side?? Easy answer. The non-smokers sue the cruise line for discrimination.

 

Many passengers insist on having a cabin or balcony on a certain side of the ship. What if a smoking passenger inisists on a balcony cabin on the non-smoking side of the ship? Easy answer. The cruise line refuses to let him smoke there and he sues the cruise line for discrimination.

 

If the cruise line has smoking balconies on one side and non-smoking balconies on the other side, the changing demographics will force the line to sail with many empty cabins. That translates to lower profits. That translates to much higher cruise fares to make up the losses. That's not going to happen.

[sail7seas]

If and when the roughly 80% majority which are non-smokers for many of the itineraries make enough 'statement' by taking their dollars elsewhere, the cruise lines will respond. If non-smokers get fed up with losing use of their veranda for which they paid a lot of money and let the cruise line know that is why they are not booking, we will finally get 21st century conditions on the ships........ as regards being forced to breathe second hand smoke.

 

Money is always the largest motivator with cruise lines

 

IMO.......

[boaterette]

We're just back from 10 days on the Noordam. If someone smoked in our cabin (6097) on the previous cruise you definitely could not tell. The balcony was another story. 6095 was a cabin of smokers. It seemed every time we were on our balcony we were greeted with their unwanted cigarette smoke.

 

I wish their was an amicable solution to smoking on board. I agree with their rights to smoke on their balcony but where are my rights not to have to deal with the unpleasantness of it?

 

I am pretty sure your rights stopped when you booked on a cruiseline that allows smoking on the balcony. You did have the right to book on anyline that suited your needs and wants. I dont think there will ever be any amicable sloution.

[startwin]

I am pretty sure your rights stopped when you booked on a cruiseline that allows smoking on the balcony. You did have the right to book on anyline that suited your needs and wants. I dont think there will ever be any amicable sloution.

 

Hmm, I wonder about this. Is it disclosed to you when you purchase a cruise that smoking is allowed on balconies? Not everyone realises they have to research their vacation plans to such an extent, because these days you might not even think about such things - so few places you can smoke. So where is the onus - should HAL put a disclaimer on your booking? Should the TA tell you? Just thinking out loud....

 

And no, there is no amicable solution. But the day will come when the norm will be no smoking anywhere on board. Or at least very, very few places.

[hvsteve1]

I will soon find out but, from postings I've seen regarding the ages of HAL passengers, aren't they afraid smoking will cause their oxygen tanks to explode ? :D

[1 HappyCruiser]

Here is a solution - make one side of ship's balcony cabins smoking and the other side of the ship's balcony cabins non-smoking.

 

actually in the 'old days' that's how it was. that wouldn't suit a number of people now I'm thinking.;)

 

BruceMuzz spelled it out pretty clearly. There would be very few non smokers would knowingly book a smoking side of the ship and just choose another sailing.

I suspect that when NCL abandoned their smoking/non smoking idea years ago it was for that very reason.

[GeriatricNurse]

If and when the roughly 80% majority which are non-smokers for many of the itineraries make enough 'statement' by taking their dollars elsewhere, the cruise lines will respond. If non-smokers get fed up with losing use of their veranda for which they paid a lot of money and let the cruise line know that is why they are not booking, we will finally get 21st century conditions on the ships........ as regards being forced to breathe second hand smoke.

 

Money is always the largest motivator with cruise lines

 

IMO.......

 

So, Judy, are you, (as a non-smoker), going to "lead the charge", make a "statement", by taking your (cruise) dollars elsewhere, (so that you will not be forced to breath second hand smoke, on your balcony/verandah)?

[CtheW0rld]

It's worked well for me....I've stopped getting a lot of HAL mailings and emails as I asked them to remove me from both. I've also stopped wasting time researching HAL itineraries as we have little to no interest in them now. :)

 

same for me. i've given up cruising altogether. for me it was a conveyance - not an activity - and there are other ways to get to where i want to go. next stop: beijing.

[chrispb]

same for me. i've given up cruising altogether. for me it was a conveyance - not an activity - and there are other ways to get to where i want to go. next stop: beijing.

 

Yes, I see a cruise as a conveyance too. We're on Costa in March then in Burma later in the year, yay. Not giving up cruising altogether but for me I'll spend my money where it's appreciated.

 

I see that 80% non-smokers is still being trotted out. Nonsense. I've never had so many cigarettes bummed from me as I have in the US and on my last cruise. One cheeky woman sent her pal over to bum a cigarette then sent her back with it because she didn't like menthol.:D

[fleckle]

I will soon find out but, from postings I've seen regarding the ages of HAL passengers, aren't they afraid smoking will cause their oxygen tanks to explode ? :D

You post a smiley, but there really are people with oxygen tanks who smoke!

 

The first time we saw a woman in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank smoking on one of our trips we were incredulous. But we have seen a few others with oxygen tanks doing the same since then. :eek:

[Sea King]

So, Judy, are you, (as a non-smoker), going to "lead the charge", make a "statement", by taking your (cruise) dollars elsewhere, (so that you will not be forced to breath second hand smoke, on your balcony/verandah)?

 

whatever happened to the "good old days" when someone could voice an opinion about smoking without facing an editorial blitz

 

can't understand why clean air and not having to breath second hand smoke is such a hot button topic:eek:

 

as for putting signs into rooms alerting the world smoking is not allowed, c'mon .. think that one through:rolleyes:

 

first, you'd need an on-board survey for 2 years about whether more signs should be placed in rooms .. then another year to debate wording, color of type to be used, whether the ink was environmentally safe and of course the size of sign .. finally, what about the cost of printing, what languages you'd need to make sure everyone "got the message" and then the man hours needed to put the signs in the rooms, dust them off every night and replace when every pax tried to take one home as a souvenir

 

really complex issue here:D

[kazu]

whatever happened to the "good old days" when someone could voice an opinion about smoking without facing an editorial blitz

 

can't understand why clean air and not having to breath second hand smoke is such a hot button topic:eek:

 

as for putting signs into rooms alerting the world smoking is not allowed, c'mon .. think that one through:rolleyes:

 

first, you'd need an on-board survey for 2 years about whether more signs should be placed in rooms .. then another year to debate wording, color of type to be used, whether the ink was environmentally safe and of course the size of sign .. finally, what about the cost of printing, what languages you'd need to make sure everyone "got the message" and then the man hours needed to put the signs in the rooms, dust them off every night and replace when every pax tried to take one home as a souvenir

 

really complex issue here:D

 

:):)love the complex issues

[btorlv]

Here is a solution - make one side of ship's balcony cabins smoking and the other side of the ship's balcony cabins non-smoking.

Thats a smart idea.

[Boytjie]

I see that 80% non-smokers is still being trotted out. Nonsense. I've never had so many cigarettes bummed from me as I have in the US and on my last cruise. One cheeky woman sent her pal over to bum a cigarette then sent her back with it because she didn't like menthol.:D

 

 

Well, them sounds like reliable statistics...

[Opinions]

What happens when all the non-smoking balconies are sold and more non-smokers want a non-smoking balcony cabin on the smokling side?? Easy answer. The non-smokers sue the cruise line for discrimination.

 

 

What happens when I want early seating for dinner and there are too many early diners and I end up in late seating...Can I sue the cruiseline for discrimination?

[gremlinspapa]

CARNIVAL STILL ALLOWS BALCONY SMOKING---I can attest to this---our 12/5/11 cruise on Carnivals Triumph out of Galveston was ruined because some jerk ahead of our balcony was always out on his balcony smoking or burning some of the most foul-smelling, stinking cigars we have ever smelled.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Thats a smart idea.

 

See post #51

[BruceMuzz]

What happens when I want early seating for dinner and there are too many early diners and I end up in late seating...Can I sue the cruiseline for discrimination?

 

Many people do that already.

You certainly may join the party.

 

On our recent Christmas Cruise, we designated one of our swimming pools for Adults Only. All the others were for Children and Families.

As expected, we have received quite a few lawsuit claims for age discrimination, from the parents who insisted on taking their children to the one pool designated for adults.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Many people do that already.

You certainly may join the party.

 

On our recent Christmas Cruise, we designated one of our swimming pools for Adults Only. All the others were for Children and Families.

As expected, we have received quite a few lawsuit claims for age discrimination, from the parents who insisted on taking their children to the one pool designated for adults.

 

Well, bless their little peapickin' hearts. Ya gotta love their chutzpah. :rolleyes:

[cruisin'girl]

Many people do that already.

You certainly may join the party.

 

On our recent Christmas Cruise, we designated one of our swimming pools for Adults Only. All the others were for Children and Families.

As expected, we have received quite a few lawsuit claims for age discrimination, from the parents who insisted on taking their children to the one pool designated for adults.

LAWSUIT CLAIMS??? Crazy. For having an adult pool? The sad thing is I can believe it. I praise you for having an adult pool, especially over a holiday when there are a lot of children onboard.

[cruiser1812]

CARNIVAL STILL ALLOWS BALCONY SMOKING---I can attest to this---our 12/5/11 cruise on Carnivals Triumph out of Galveston was ruined because some jerk ahead of our balcony was always out on his balcony smoking or burning some of the most foul-smelling, stinking cigars we have ever smelled.

 

Your trip was Ruined? Because you smelled smoke?

[cruiser1812]

We're just back from 10 days on the Noordam. If someone smoked in our cabin (6097) on the previous cruise you definitely could not tell. The balcony was another story. 6095 was a cabin of smokers. It seemed every time we were on our balcony we were greeted with their unwanted cigarette smoke.

 

I wish their was an amicable solution to smoking on board. I agree with their rights to smoke on their balcony but where are my rights not to have to deal with the unpleasantness of it?

 

As a Smoker, I see how smoking on a balcony could be a problem. However, I think one should be able to smoke in their stateroom as these rooms seem to be thoroughly cleaned after each sailing. Cruiseline solutions...no smoking in staterooms or on balcony. Guess the cruiselines don't need our "smoker" dollars.

[sail7seas]

It takes a lot of work for stewards to rid a cabin of smoke odors to prepare the cabin for the next guests. Seeing there are very many more non-smokers than smokers, they must do the odor removal for all cabins. That equals time and money.

Ban smoking inside the cabins = save time and money.

 

Smoking on verandas........ no need for extra time and money to empty the dirty ashtray left behind by the smoker.

 

What the cruise line is saying IMO is they would rather save the cost of cleaning the cabin and subject the non-smoker veranda dweller to having to put up with a neighbor who smokes.

 

They value the saving more than the comfort and pleasure of their non-smoking guests.

 

JMO.......

It seems these days every decision a cruise line makes boils down to $$$.

 

 

 

[DizzyDallasDi]

It seems these days every decision a cruise line makes boils down to $$$.

 

A cruise line is a business. All businesses focus on the bottom line. It's how they survive. This is not a new concept nor something that has just started happening "these days."

[cruznbelle]

Hmmm another smoking thread... I'm posting because we just returned off the Zuiderdam which presented no issue in terms of cabin smell of any kind (I would definitely know) even though it was before the ban. Ironically we have eliminated Princess now and Celebrity (a while ago) from our considered lines as DH is a smoker. Never ever in the cabin btw :eek: - we purchase balcony rooms and yes he is VERY conscientious about his 'butts' and I certainly have no issue as a non-smoker sitting next to him. The casino bar - ahhhh - not so much fun... but I can say - the casino itself was the least smoky I've ever seen. Smokers hung out at the separated sports bar... not much at all in the casino. I HATE cigarette smoke - so I know... but I also dislike those who have to complain about smoke in an area designated as smoking - if ya don't care for it - MOVE - I do. Personally I'll be glad if/when he quits - but until then - I try to give him as much consideration as he does me which means we will cruise lines that allow for balcony smoking and not lines that don't. :)