An unpopular subject - smoking

[seatrial]

alwaysfrantic,

 

For me 11 out of 13 cabins had no significant smell. If you have a problem, my suggestion is calmly go to the front desk and ask to be moved. If this is not possible, ask to meet with the head of housekeeping at your cabin ASAP. Decide exactly what you want done. Curtains replaced, bedspreads, pillows etc. Lay out exactly what you want in a face-to-face meeting. Be nice about it and I think that you can get the smell under control. I made the mistake of not meeting with someone. They sprinkled some powder on the carpet and that was supposed to help. It did not. Try to get a problem resolved before leaving port. Be calm and nice, but be upfront and honest about your situation.

 

Remember your cabin will most likely be just fine.

[jhannah]

We have never smelled smoke in our cabins. They usually do a great job of cleaning. Maybe contrary experiences were cases where shortcuts were taken in the turnaround process.

 

'Vegas Jim

 

[MBeamTX]

I wouldn't worry about this too much. On 5 cruises, I've never experienced any residual smoke odor in our cabin. (Smoke and ashes on the verandah is another matter, however. ) I'm a former smoker but really get ill from breathing smoke now, so I do notice it. The stewards seem to do a very good job of eliminating the odor most of the time.

 

On the notion of designating certain cabins as smoking or non-smoking, there is one key reason the hotel analogy doesn't hold up: you generally don't reserve a specific room at a hotel, as you do in choosing a ship's cabin. It would be expensive to manage an inventory that was designated smoking/non-smoking as well as fore/aft/mid-ships, inside/outside, standard cabin/balcony/suite, etc. etc. Hotel rooms are not segmented into so many categories.

 

I suspect that eventually cabins will become non-smoking, as the proportion of the population that smokes continues to dwindle; that the bars and lounges will always have a smoking section; and that the casino will continue to be the smoker's haven. Just my guess, though.

 

Happy cruising,

Susan

 

Looking forward to an early Christmas on the Westerdam, December 12-19.

[wcolucci]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by seatrial:

By the way eating in cabins is really quite different than smoking. .........

 

just a feeble attempt at humor

 

 

 

Also most food residue is noncarcinogenic.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

You may want to avoid my chili

[ryansmemom]

Alwaysfrantic,

 

In my 13 cruises I have never had a problem with residue smoke in a cabin. I suffer from chronic asthma and take medication daily and also use a rescue inhaler. I do beleive that the odds are, you will be OK.

 

However, if you do have any problem, meet with the Guest Relations Manager immediatly and if you do not get a satisfactory resolution to your problem talk to the Hotel Manager. Get a note from your doctor and you can also enlist the aid of the ship's doctor. This is a serious health issue so you do need to be prepared.

 

When we were on the Rotterdam we did have an odor problem in our room as did some others. It was a chemical odor that caused me to wheeze. The crew set up an ozone machine that did clear the odor. I know that they set coffee grounds around some other rooms to clear the odor. The people in those rooms were troubled by the odor, but did not have health issues. I don't know what the coffee grounds really accomplished, perhaps they masked the odor. I'd ask for the Ozone machine.

 

I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise. HAL has been in this business for a long time. They want people to enjoy themselves and return. I truly beleive they will solve any problem they are able to solve as long as they are able to understand it.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Linda

 

Thanks for listening

[TedC]

Sincere congratulations to all of you who have successfully quit smoking!

 

Trouble is, after I quit I gained over 100 pounds. (I "quit" when I was 11. One cigarette was enough to tell me that breathing smoke into my body wasn't the smart thing to do.)

 

I have always worried about being assigned to a cabin that reeked of smoke. It hasn't happened yet, but we have been in hotel rooms that allegedly were "non-smoking" that still reeked of smoke.

[dexter]

After having puffed on cigs for around 35 years I quit 6 years ago and it was surprisingly easy. Ask you doctor for some zyban and then take 3 or 5 days off work. Stay in bed and when you get up you'll be over them. That's how I did it. Yes, I did gain about 40 pounds but at least my lungs and my heart are healthy. I can lose the weight, but I can't get a new life. stopping smoking is easier than you think. Give it a try. Food will taste soooo good again.

[F5Loar]

Since my previous post got Xed from the board maybe this one I'll try to say it a different way. In our 22 cruises our first one to experience stale smoke in our cabin was last week on the Maasdam, Deck A outside cabin. At first we assumed it had to have been the previous guest was a chain smoker since it had only been a few hours since we passed one another. We mentioned the foul smoke odor to our steward the first day and he seemed to wave some magic smellaway stuff that did seem to clear it up.

The next day it was back so we assumed this time it had to be the room or rooms beside us.

The steward said no one was a smoker in this area and he knew the ones who were smoking in their cabins. After some careful examination we came to the conclusion it was coming in during the time the A/C was blowing.

I narrowed it down to the A/C vent in our room is bringing in this smoke odor. I then noticed our room did not have individual air filters like most modern ships have. It uses a central air filter somewhere in the hallway which we could smell the smoke too. It was only on our floor our side of the ship. The return air is circulated by the vents in your door. Since there is nothing we could do to have the central filter changed and whoevers job it is to do such a maitanence chore did not do it we will not return to the Maasdam as a result.

It really put a dark cloud on our otherwise great cruise last week. Fighting smoke around the ship is one thing, it's big enough to get away from it, but when you have it in your cabin and the ship is full you are stuck.

Glad to hear I am not alone in stale smoke smells ruining your cruise vacation. I hope to live long enough to see the day smoking is banned in all public closed places and that would include staterooms on ships.

 

Till we sail on the Zuiderdam

 

Til we sail on the Mariner of The Seas RCL

until we sail on the Disney Wonder

til we sail the ms Maasdam

[imsulin]

I doubt that anyone is "allergic" to cigarette smoke. (over-used term). They are definitely affected by it, though. I've NEVER been in a cabin on any cruise line that even had a hint of smoke-smell in it. You need to remember that cruise lines like HAL are very popular with Europeans, Asians, South Americans, etc., where smoking is the norm, and is to be expected. HAL was one of the very last lines to close the smoking area in their dining rooms. Hotels/motels don't book 7-night stays - they book one night at a time (generally) and can afford to offer smoking/non-smoking rooms. Cruise lines want to fill up their ships each week. It's how they make money. The CCL non-smoking Paradise was not a financially successful business venture for Carnival, and that's why it's changing to a smoking ship in Oct. (I think?) My experience on HAL has been that the non-smokers "stealthily" remove the ashtrays on the port side of the ship (what are they doing there anyway, since this is outdoors, and their non-smoking side of the ship is starboard?) I just go to the aft pool bar and request another ashtray. Then - even though I'm on the port side - in the open air - I always ask those around me if they mind if I smoke. All of a sudden, I have met several new friends who want to share my ashtray!

[MBeamTX]

I don't understand the conspiracy theory. Maybe non-smokers are moving the ashtray off the table because (a) they don't need it, and (b) if it's been used, they don't want the smelly thing in front of them?

 

As for why a non-smoker is sitting on the smoking side of the ship, well, probably because when the non-smoking 77.5% of the population is assigned only 50% of the deck space, they're going to need to look for somewhere else to sit. (Smoking prevalence stats here: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/research_data/adults_prev/prevali.htm)

 

But I'm just speculating.

 

Happy cruising,

Susan

 

Looking forward to an early Christmas on the Westerdam, December 12-19.

[darnapar]

I still wonder how smoking in a cabin is not cosidered a fire hazard but an iron is?

 

Many places in Europe are now banning smoking.

[seatrial]

F5Loar,

 

I'm sorry that your cruise was impacted by smoke. I must say that this issue is now something that I do "worry" about a little before going on a cruise. I think that there should be a push to stop smoking in cabins. I really don't think that this would be that big of a problem for smokers. The cruise lines would save money from the extra cleaning and burnt furnishings. I just can't understand why anyone smokes these days. It's really out of style...just stop already.

[Peggy Sue]

husband has asthma and we both dislike the smell of smoke. Last year on the zuiderdam our cabin had no traces of smoke at all. I was a bit concerned when the TA advised you could not select a non-smoking cabin. Hope we will find the same cabin conditions later this year on the oosterdam.

 

good suggestions to meet with the hotel manager and have as much stuff swapped out that may smell of smoke. I agree with others that it can, and does, ruin a non-smokers day to smell stale smoke. I do not have a problem with anyone smoking, just personally don't like to be anywhere near it. We were disppointed to find there were smokers in the cabin next to ours..but when they were out on the verandah smoking, we went inside..wasn't an issue, as we never really seemed to be out on the verandah much at the same time anyway.

 

this will always be a hot issue as every smoking or non-smoking individual does have strong feeling about their rights .. we just hope the cruise lines try their best to accomodate those on both sides of the fence!

 

now, if they could just come up with a non-smoking section in the casino...

 

Peggy Sue

 

Oosterdam

 

Oosterdam

 

[F5Loar]

Since the debate seems to be running 50/50 can't all the cruise lines just split the darn ship in half and let all the cabins on port side be non-smoking and the other side for the smokers who can't get enough of their stale nasty stinking air. That would make us all happy so we can get alone with one another.

And we promise not to move your ashtrays and signs if we can get our own clean smelling rooms on every ship we board. I would hope you would promise not to take that last puff holding it in as you enter the elevators, letting it out inside the elevator. I agree to that smoking in ones room is more of safety/fire issue than a moral one. I would think the ship lines would save tremendously on their fire insurance rates if they stop the cabin smoking. Maybe, just maybe in my lifetime I will see the day it is safe for all to enjoy a cruise without fear of second hand smoke.

 

Till we sail on the Zuiderdam

 

Til we sail on the Mariner of The Seas RCL

until we sail on the Disney Wonder

til we sail the ms Maasdam

[alwaysfrantic]

I really am surprised that smoking is allowed in the cabins. It seems to be a great fire hazard. Many fires reported on our news are due to a person falling asleep in bed with a cigarette or a dropped cigarette on upolstered furniture.

 

I am not suggesting making the ship non smoking, but to not have the option of retreating to a smoke free cabin doesn't seem quite right.

[lknick]

The passion surrounding smoking is akin to the passion of the civil rights protests of the 1960s, complete with the misstatement of facts. <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> probably because when the non-smoking 77.5% of the population is assigned only 50% of the deck space <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>By count on three ships, only about 10% of the available seats in public areas are designated smoking. But half of the outdoor seats are assigned to smokers...so of course this make the point that too many seats are assigned to smokers and forgives non-smokers squatting in smoking areas.

 

The horror is that fanatics, for whatever reason, have forgotten others have privileges, not only them. All this yammering does is only divides us, and makes those who smoke more and more protective of what they consider their rights. Soon non-smokers will insist that smokers wear identifying arm bands to identify them. Wasn't this tried in Germany during the 1930s?

 

But back to Somewhere's post. The question was asked and answered.

 

40 cruises: mainly Cunard, Carnival, HAL, NCL, RCI, Starclipper, Seabourn. ~511 days total, ~325 on HAL

[Globaliser]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by imsulin:

I doubt that anyone is "allergic" to cigarette smoke. (over-used term).<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Well, it makes my eyes water, makes me sneeze repeatedly, makes my throat tight and sore and my voice hoarse. All these symptoms are indistinguishable from my hay fever symptoms. Not "allergic"? - I don't think so.

 

But I will agree with you that the other symptoms that follow afterwards - the increased heart rate and bowel cramps - probably aren't allergic. They're still pretty unpleasant.

 

And that's why I appreciate it greatly when smokers are considerate. It is a pity that so many of them aren't.

 

____________________________________________________________

 

Jewel of the Seas 1-3 May 2004 - see my review here, and my photos here.

[Host Walt]

This forum is about cruising, not smoking. If you want to discuss smoking and associated subjects, please go to a Message Board designed for such discussion:

 

For antismokers, Anti-Smoking Meetup

 

For smokers, Closet Smokers Message Boards

 

Walt Tuthill

Cruise Board Moderator

 

Contact at Shiptender@aol.com