RCCL change in smoking policy

[Karma5]

I was recently on Jewel and saw a person using an e-cig in the Schooner bar. I asked one of the bartenders about this and he said he would check to see if it was permissible. He returned a few minutes later and told it was all right to smoke there. I knew he was wrong but decided to leave the area instead. The next cruise I go on I will have a copy of RC policy on smoking with me and will show it to whoever makes another statement like that to me…………..

[Harooni]

I was recently on Jewel and saw a person using an e-cig in the Schooner bar. I asked one of the bartenders about this and he said he would check to see if it was permissible. He returned a few minutes later and told it was all right to smoke there. I knew he was wrong but decided to leave the area instead. The next cruise I go on I will have a copy of RC policy on smoking with me and will show it to whoever makes another statement like that to me…………..

 

thats not really smoking, its water vapor, there is no smell , and as i hate smoke and am allergic i have friends that e-smoke and it doesnt bother me in the least nor stink.

[Travel beagle]

And while your hubby is enjoying his smoke, I'm having my relaxed time on my balcony ruined by it because I'm the unlucky one that got stuck in the cabin near yours. Yes, the smoke does travel!

 

I guess you and some others posting are really not understanding my point of frustration. It is not the conflict between smokers and non smokers. It is that I booked this cruise line after verifying With TA and RCCL that their policy allowed smoking on balconies. Now with that said... If you and other non smokers had booked this line because they did not allow smoking on balconies and then in turn did not get notification that they were now allowing smoking - I believe you would be equally frustrated!! Because you would have paid for a trip with the intention of not having smokers on balconies near you... Have really gotten a lot of good information and tips from these boards; however I am finding some cc posters to be unnecessarily harsh , I think we are all on these boards to get and share information to make our trips fun

[tomatosauce]

Just a quick comment on e-cigs. By themselves they are fine however there is little to no regulation of the substances that are used with them. Some are relatively safe but some are much worse than traditional cigarettes.

 

Even as a non smoker I understand the annoyance of the OP and I hope that they get at least a symbolic victory from their TA.

[CRUZBUDS]

I guess you and some others posting are really not understanding my point of frustration. It is not the conflict between smokers and non smokers. It is that I booked this cruise line after verifying With TA and RCCL that their policy allowed smoking on balconies.

 

I don't know how anyone could not see your point. If they reversed themselves and allowed smoking on balconies again and I didn't find out in time to cancel, I'd be livid.

 

It likely won't be long until there are no lines that allow smoking on balconies, I understand you wanting to enjoy it while you can. For me that time can't come soon enough. We were talked into a Carnival cruise next year by friends, we're dreading the smoke, but we know what we signed up for.

[Ken076]

I guess you and some others posting are really not understanding my point of frustration. It is not the conflict between smokers and non smokers. It is that I booked this cruise line after verifying With TA and RCCL that their policy allowed smoking on balconies. Now with that said... If you and other non smokers had booked this line because they did not allow smoking on balconies and then in turn did not get notification that they were now allowing smoking - I believe you would be equally frustrated!! Because you would have paid for a trip with the intention of not having smokers on balconies near you... Have really gotten a lot of good information and tips from these boards; however I am finding some cc posters to be unnecessarily harsh , I think we are all on these boards to get and share information to make our trips fun

 

This topic does heat-up as the thread continues!

 

As mentioned above, this is probably the direction most cruiselines are headed. It may end-up that the European lines, like MSC will be the hold-outs and eventually maybe your only choice.

 

When did you book this cruise?

 

ken

Edited May 22, 2014 by Ken076

[negc]

I guess you and some others posting are really not understanding my point of frustration. It is not the conflict between smokers and non smokers. It is that I booked this cruise line after verifying With TA and RCCL that their policy allowed smoking on balconies. Now with that said... If you and other non smokers had booked this line because they did not allow smoking on balconies and then in turn did not get notification that they were now allowing smoking - I believe you would be equally frustrated!! Because you would have paid for a trip with the intention of not having smokers on balconies near you... Have really gotten a lot of good information and tips from these boards; however I am finding some cc posters to be unnecessarily harsh , I think we are all on these boards to get and share information to make our trips fun

 

Not sure why you didn't get the notice about the change in policy which was announced publicly and widely disseminated last September. It wasn't suddenly sprung on anyone who paid attention to what was going on. Perhaps a failure by your TA, assuming that you indicated to him or her your strong feelings about the issue, and, if so, you should be having this discussion with his or her agency, but you also bear a certain degree of responsibility to keep informed if an issue is that important to you. There has been no absence of discussion of the new smoking policy on this and other cruise boards over the past eight or so months so to put it a bit crudely, 'ignorance of the law' is no excuse. Even before the new policy was announced there was an abundance of discussion on the boards predicting that smoking on balconies was next to go.

The change wasn't sudden and when it was announced anyone who was displeased with the decision certainly had plenty of time to cancel their reservation without incurring a penalty. Sorry if it seems harsh to remind you of your responsibility to keep informed.

[CRUZBUDS]

This topic does heat-up as the thread continues!

 

As mentioned above, this is probably the direction most cruiselines are headed. It may end-up that the European lines, like MSC will be the hold-outs and eventually maybe your only choice.

 

When did you book this cruise?

 

ken

 

Nope MSC is ahead of Carnival, HAL, and Norweign. They do not allow balcony smoking. The list will continue to dwindle. :)

[coops]

I guess you and some others posting are really not understanding my point of frustration. It is not the conflict between smokers and non smokers. It is that I booked this cruise line after verifying With TA and RCCL that their policy allowed smoking on balconies. Now with that said... If you and other non smokers had booked this line because they did not allow smoking on balconies and then in turn did not get notification that they were now allowing smoking - I believe you would be equally frustrated!! Because you would have paid for a trip with the intention of not having smokers on balconies near you... Have really gotten a lot of good information and tips from these boards; however I am finding some cc posters to be unnecessarily harsh , I think we are all on these boards to get and share information to make our trips fun

 

Well said.

[coops]

Not sure why you didn't get the notice about the change in policy which was announced publicly and widely disseminated last September. It wasn't suddenly sprung on anyone who paid attention to what was going on. Perhaps a failure by your TA, assuming that you indicated to him or her your strong feelings about the issue, and, if so, you should be having this discussion with his or her agency, but you also bear a certain degree of responsibility to keep informed if an issue is that important to you. There has been no absence of discussion of the new smoking policy on this and other cruise boards over the past eight or so months so to put it a bit crudely, 'ignorance of the law' is no excuse. Even before the new policy was announced there was an abundance of discussion on the boards predicting that smoking on balconies was next to go.

The change wasn't sudden and when it was announced anyone who was displeased with the decision certainly had plenty of time to cancel their reservation without incurring a penalty. Sorry if it seems harsh to remind you of your responsibility to keep informed.[/QUOT

 

 

 

 

If I was not a member of Cruise Critic , then I would never have known the smoking policy of RCCL. When I book any cruise or cruiseline I book thru them before turning over to ta and never have I been told about the smoking policy.

 

I know the times are changing but not everyone goes on Cruise Critic or even a computer as crazy as that may sound. And yes it is up to each person to maybe ask questions on the smoking policy and some people might find it hard to believe you can't smoke on a balcony when it is outside. And not even think to inquire about it.

 

Please no flaming or bashing. JMHO

[negc]

You have a point. However, the OP has indicated that she has obtained much valuable information through reading CC threads and apparently isn't a stranger to these boards. So I would conclude that she bears some responsibility for not recognizing that the smoking policy was changing when it was prominently discussed on these boards for months prior to its implementation. Should the cruiseline contact each and every passenger individually, when they institute a policy change that may, or may not, be of interest to those passengers or is publicly announcing those changes, notifying the travel agent community, posting them on their website, and including them in their basic cruise documentation sufficient? As I wrote,she may have an issue with her travel agent but I think it is a stretch to claim that RCI was negligent in not personally notifying her of the change.

[sha88]

OP, I feel your pain. My sister-in-law and her husband are joining my husband and I for their very first cruise next year. She was so excited when she called to tell me that smoking was allowed on the balcony of Vision of the Seas. I told her the agent must have made a mistake and wanted to make sure they realized that before boarding the ship. Needless to say she was disappointed, but at least she knows before boarding the ship. Anyway, as an ex-smoker (and still missing it), not sure I would have gone on my first cruise with the rules as they are now. Everywhere you go now, it seems like they want smokers to go away. Give them a break!

[wassup4565]

I don't understand why some posters care about the risk of e-cigs for those who use them. These e-cig users are adults and they make their own choices, as is their right.

 

I also don't understand the comments from people who say they can smell the e-cigs. Does smelling something cause them harm? Because there are many smells in ships from passengers - perfume, scents in sunscreen and cosmetics, garlic breath, body odor, booze breath, and so on. Is the smell from e-cigs somehow more objectionable? And if so, why?

[tomatosauce]

I don't understand why some posters care about the risk of e-cigs for those who use them. These e-cig users are adults and they make their own choices, as is their right.

 

I also don't understand the comments from people who say they can smell the e-cigs. Does smelling something cause them harm? Because there are many smells in ships from passengers - perfume, scents in sunscreen and cosmetics, garlic breath, body odor, booze breath, and so on. Is the smell from e-cigs somehow more objectionable? And if so, why?

 

Rather than letting this thread slowly die off I thought that this deserved a response.

 

As a general rule you can only smell something if there are particles relating to it in the air. With the current state of regulation there is no easy way of knowing the contents and quality of what is used in the material that is consumed in the e-cigs and consequently the properties of the byproduct. Just because it is in a vapour does not mean that it is not carcinogenic (cancer causing). In summary smelling it may very well cause harm. Other people may object for other reasons but that is the reason that I have an issue with them.

[Out to sea!]

Nope MSC is ahead of Carnival, HAL, and Norweign. They do not allow balcony smoking. The list will continue to dwindle. :)

 

Maybe not. As the number of cruise lines that don't allow smoking on the balcony dwindles, smokers are moving to lines that allow it. As those cruise lines see an uptick in passengers that smoke, they will keep the balconies open for smoking. It becomes kind of their promo.

[shaggyofwv]

I agree, I am of the mindset that people have the right to do whatever they want with regards to their own health AS LONG as it does not affect the health of others.. For example, even though I am not a soda drinker, I was against the proposal to ban larger serving sizes of soda in new york...A person has the responsibility to care for his/her own health..but someone drinking soda does not affect my rights or health.. It has been proven that second hand smoke is almost if not just as dangerous as smoking..I have the right to sit on my balcony, which i paid a premium for, to enjoy FRESH air without breathing in smoke and subjecting myself to toxic fumes... I have no problem with there being certain limited closed off sections for smokers, however, I applaud the trend in the industry that has realized that people have a right to sit on their balcony without breathing in cancer causing fumes...

 

 

Agreed. I love the new policy and it is long overdue.

And I will gladly report someone who violates this new policy on a balcony near mine.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Out to sea!]

Agreed. I love the new policy and it is long overdue.

And I will gladly report someone who violates this new policy on a balcony near mine.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

As would I. Following the rules should be one's priority over self interest. Especially when there are options that would allow for participating in that self interest without breaking the rules.

[PennStateFan123]

I am waiting for the first cruise line to implement a "no passing gas" policy. That will be when I stop cruising :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited May 23, 2014 by PennStateFan123

[rktilleryj]

Convince your husband to stop smoking. Problem solved

[Travel beagle]

This topic does heat-up as the thread continues!

 

As mentioned above, this is probably the direction most cruiselines are headed. It may end-up that the European lines, like MSC will be the hold-outs and eventually maybe your only choice.

 

When did you book this cruise?

 

ken

 

may 23, 2013

[Travel beagle]

Convince your husband to stop smoking. Problem solved

so wish that would happen but after 25yrs of me trying everything to get him to quit - that is not likely to happen! LOL and I knew what I was getting myself into as he was a smoker when I married him :)

[Travel beagle]

You have a point. However, the OP has indicated that she has obtained much valuable information through reading CC threads and apparently isn't a stranger to these boards. So I would conclude that she bears some responsibility for not recognizing that the smoking policy was changing when it was prominently discussed on these boards for months prior to its implementation. Should the cruiseline contact each and every passenger individually, when they institute a policy change that may, or may not, be of interest to those passengers or is publicly announcing those changes, notifying the travel agent community, posting them on their website, and including them in their basic cruise documentation sufficient? As I wrote,she may have an issue with her travel agent but I think it is a stretch to claim that RCI was negligent in not personally notifying her of the change.

 

Yes I have been on cc but an new to all the boards and stuff- I deligently checked the smoking policy with RCCL and TA before booking - confirming that smoking was allowed on balcony prior to me booking 3 balcony cabins!! I have now confirmed that my TA was notified in sept and did not notify their customers - so yes I am seeking compensation with them - and yes I wish I would have seen the posts with regards to smoking changes - but I just recently - April 2014 starting checking this thread for information on drink packages - I have mostly spent my time on Alaska threads for information and suggestions on excursions and must do's. With that said - it is the responsiblity of the TA to notify customers of such a major change in policy - and for RCCL they could have put a notation on their smoking policy *that they were currently reviewing the smoking policy for changes* as that would have triggered most people to inquire on what changes were coming and to keep revisiting the policy. As stated I verbally as well as checked online the smoking policy to confirm that smoking was allowed - noting that I also checked with Celebrity lines smoking policy which did not allow smoking on balconies - no one ever mention that RCCL was currently review their policy -

And to answer your statement " Should the cruiseline contact each and every passenger individually " yes they should and they did for those who direct booked - RCCL told me they notified them 90 days out and all TA's in Sept 2013 - And to your other statement "that she bears some responsibility for not recognizing that the smoking policy was changing " I bear no repsponsibility for not knowing of the change - just because I am a cc member does not mean i should be reponsible for combing the threads for every detail - this is a major change and it is the responsibility of the RCCL and TA to notify their customers... remember we are the customers buying a product -

[Travel beagle]

Happy to say TA was very accommodating and compensated us for our inconvenience due to their error. Will definitely book with them again! And I will definitely check and recheck all policies on future ventures.. Lesson learned

Edited May 23, 2014 by Travel beagle

[Clarea]

Happy to say TA was very accommodating and compensated us for our inconvenience due to their error. Will definitely book with them again!

Glad to hear it worked out, and the TA was willing to help.

[Travel beagle]

Glad to hear it worked out, and the TA was willing to help.

 

Thank you! Me too :)