This Thread Is To Be Used For All Discussions About HAL's On Board Smoking Policies

[sugcarol]

I think HAL is only getting a small amount of complaining about balcony smoking, most never mention it except the few who post here. It's all about the money, if complaining non-smokers eventually become really common they will change the policy. Currently HAL allows smoking on balconies, if folks don't want that there are other cruise lines to choose from. Seems a waste of energy to complain here when nothing can be done about it.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

... Seems a waste of energy to complain here when nothing can be done about it.

 

I waste a lot of energy... just ask Cheryl ! :eek:

 

Tom

[sail7seas]

I would not make that sort of promise, nor twist someone else's arm, to get them on to a vacation with me that they might regret over people doing something allowed.

 

I agree.

 

It's a good idea to never make a promise you do not know you can keep. You cannot promise HAL's smoking policy will be such at the time of your cruise that she will not be disturbed by the stink of second hand smoke.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I agree.

 

It's a good idea to never make a promise you do not know you can keep. You cannot promise HAL's smoking policy will be such at the time of your cruise that she will not be disturbed by the stink of second hand smoke.

 

I'm REALLY hoping for one of two "interventions". I'm bound and determined to sail HAL in 2016 (you may recall it will have been 50 years since I've been on HAL at that point). We've got an aft corner suite on the Koningsdam and hope that it will be a large space which we can enjoy. Either by HAL coming around and banning balcony smoking or by simply getting LUCKY and not having smoke snake around into our space - the back of the ship can be tricky, wind-flow wise.

 

My first hope (the HAL policy change) fades a bit more with time - as 11/16 will be here before you know it, and no doubt they'd like to implement this change with as much warning as possible. At a minimum I'd think ~3 months notice, so that those (smokers) with reservations will not be in the penalty period of their bookings.

 

This could very well be a "one and done" for us with HAL (not counting 1966), but we're going forward full steam ahead with this one. FINGERS CROSSED !!

 

Tom

[kennicott]

With regard to the HAL balcony smoking issue, it has been such a relatively long time since we canceled our two cruises on them and not booked future ones, I have lost tract of other policy/code changes implemented on HAL. So now we just became aware of at least one of those changes, not good at all for us even if they had changed their balcony smoking policy.

 

HAL has discarded their formal nights and subsequent dress recommendations. Heretofore it was this: "On festive formal evenings, women usually wear cocktail dresses or gowns and men usually wear business suits or tuxedos. In order to complement your fellow guests, HAL asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening."

 

Today, HAL requires only a minimum of a short sleeve polo shirt, for males, on formal nights (now Gala Nights). HAL does like to indicate that it prefers for guests, male, to wear on their ships a shirt with a tie and pants on Gala Nights. Perhaps so, I'm sure they aren't going to kick me off when I wear my tux while being seated with the T-shirt crowd. In summary, HAL, during their Gala nights (formal nights) one can get by with a fancy T-Shirt if it has a collar.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

With regard to the HAL balcony smoking issue, it has been such a relatively long time since we canceled our two cruises on them and not booked future ones, I have lost tract of other policy/code changes implemented on HAL. So now we just became aware of at least one of those changes, not good at all for us even if they had changed their balcony smoking policy.

 

HAL has discarded their formal nights and subsequent dress recommendations. Heretofore it was this: "On festive formal evenings, women usually wear cocktail dresses or gowns and men usually wear business suits or tuxedos. In order to complement your fellow guests, HAL asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening."

 

Today, HAL requires only a minimum of a short sleeve polo shirt, for males, on formal nights (now Gala Nights). HAL does like to indicate that it prefers for guests, male, to wear on their ships a shirt with a tie and pants on Gala Nights. Perhaps so, I'm sure they aren't going to kick me off when I wear my tux while being seated with the T-shirt crowd. In summary, HAL, during their Gala nights (formal nights) one can get by with a fancy T-Shirt if it has a collar.

 

I will say, however, that at least these changes are in line with what's occurring on other lines - which gives us hope that HAL has the ability to follow the lead of others...

 

Tom

[Aquahound]

HAL has discarded their formal nights and subsequent dress recommendations.

 

That is slowly becoming the major cruise line standard. NCL did this long ago (no suprise there). Also, just after HAL made this change, so did Celebrity. It's only a matter of time before the other lines fall in.

[ithaca gal]

With the minority of passengers smoking but being catered to ....... And the minority of people not wanting to dress up for dinner but being catered to ..... How long until ball caps will be mandatory in the MDR?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

With the minority of passengers smoking but being catered to ....... And the minority of people not wanting to dress up for dinner but being catered to ..... How long until ball caps will be mandatory in the MDR?

 

I wonder how much the cruise lines decision regarding changes to the dress code is due to guest requests vs. it simply being their response so that they don't have to enforce the old code which was more and more being infringed upon.

 

Tom

[jtl513]

Probably because most of the general public simply don't care strongly about it one way or the other.

 

While you might not mind all, the non smokers I know hate the smell.

All I am saying is that I believe the majority of HAL cruisers must not strongly oppose the current policy or it would not still be the policy.

[taxmantoo]

I wonder how much the cruise lines decision regarding changes to the dress code is due to guest requests vs. it simply being their response so that they don't have to enforce the old code which was more and more being infringed upon.

 

Tom

 

Funny isn't it that the relaxation of the dress code sort of coincides with the perceived increase of smokers from other lines converging on HAL :rolleyes:

[cruz chic]

All I am saying is that I believe the majority of HAL cruisers must not strongly oppose the current policy or it would not still be the policy.

 

I believe that is immaterial. Hal is the ashtray of the seas because they feel there is some financial uptick for them. When it doesn't, smoking will end. I can't believe that most people don't mind breathing smoke in. If that was true smoking would still be allowed everywhere.

Edited December 21, 2015 by cruz chic

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

All I am saying is that I believe the majority of HAL cruisers must not strongly oppose the current policy or it would not still be the policy.

 

I'd love to see them send out a questionnaire to a good sample size group - inquiring whether or not past guests are opposed to their neighbors smoking on their balcony. Answers from guests not regularly booking balcony cabins would be filtered out.

 

My guess is, at this point at least, HAL does not really want to have definitive numbers as to how they feel about it, even though they likely already know - this way they can feign ignorance. That survey would probably come down across party lines (smokers vs. non-smokers) - with perhaps a small percentage of non-smokers of the lot favoring the "freedom" and/or "rights" of their neighbors.

 

Tom

[SteveH2508]

Funny isn't it that the relaxation of the dress code sort of coincides with the perceived increase of smokers from other lines converging on HAL :rolleyes:

 

Sarcastic smiley noted - implication of this post shows a flawed logic - i.e. this is a complete non sequitur.:D;):rolleyes:

 

Maybe it shows that smokers are generally more chilled out and relaxed about un-important, pointless rules (dress code not smoking rules BTW) (Yes, I get that this is a controversial post - I just want to witness the self-righteous fireworks):D.

Edited December 21, 2015 by SteveH2508

[cruz chic]

I'd love to see them send out a questionnaire to a good sample size group - inquiring whether or not past guests are opposed to their neighbors smoking on their balcony. Answers from guests not regularly booking balcony cabins would be filtered out.

 

My guess is, at this point at least, HAL does not really want to have definitive numbers as to how they feel about it, even though they likely already know - this way they can feign ignorance. That survey would probably come down across party lines (smokers vs. non-smokers) - with perhaps a small percentage of non-smokers of the lot favoring the "freedom" and/or "rights" of their neighbors.

 

Tom

 

They did a questionnaire for several years. They cut it out after a while.

[Aquahound]

Funny isn't it that the relaxation of the dress code sort of coincides with the perceived increase of smokers from other lines converging on HAL :rolleyes:

 

I don't think that's true at all. Celebrity also relaxed their dress code and they have the most restrictive smoking policy of all the major lines.

 

But you do have a point. There's nothing good about a tuxedo that reeks of cigarette smoke.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

They did a questionnaire for several years. They cut it out after a while.

 

I get questionnaires following cruises (other lines) all the time. Do you mean that you recall a HAL questionnaire about smoking?

 

Tom

[dmg1956]

I wonder how much the cruise lines decision regarding changes to the dress code is due to guest requests vs. it simply being their response so that they don't have to enforce the old code which was more and more being infringed upon.

 

Tom

 

Hey Ithacagal...love you comment. I'm with you. Paul

[jtl513]

Do you mean that you recall a HAL questionnaire about smoking?

Yes, on every HAL cruise for about 3 years IIRC, starting around mid 2008. Questions like "Would you continue to sail HAL if smoking was banned?" It got a lot of anti-smokers' hopes up for a while. Edited December 21, 2015 by jtl513

[kevingastreich]

With the minority of passengers smoking but being catered to ....... And the minority of people not wanting to dress up for dinner but being catered to ..... How long until ball caps will be mandatory in the MDR?

 

This made me laugh. HeHe:p

[sail7seas]

All I am saying is that I believe the majority of HAL cruisers must not strongly oppose the current policy or it would not still be the policy.

 

In the past, when things seemed to follow some logic, I might have agreed with you. These days, I often find no logic in choices corporations are making including HAL and their smoking policy. Don't try to be logical..... it doesn't seem to work anymore. :rolleyes:

 

[jtl513]

... we won't sail HAL again until they either ban balcony smoking, or have some non-balcony rooms that are much larger than what they have on their current ships. We simply can't take the risk of booking anything with a balcony (although we usually book large suites), and the non-balcony rooms are just too small for us.

So book the suite, and IF you are near a smoker treat it as a "non-balcony large room " by not going out there.

[Host Walt]

Topic drift again.

 

The topic is HAL's on board smoking policies.

 

Thanks

[tip]

We have sailed with HAL six times. We enjoy the ambiance and the product that HAL offers. We shall not sail with her again until the smoking policy on balconies is changed. I have not checked into the HAL boards for some time now. As 2015 draws to a close, I thought I would check in this morning and I find that HAL is still stuck in the 20th Century.:(

[tim22361]

We have sailed with HAL six times. We enjoy the ambiance and the product that HAL offers. We shall not sail with her again until the smoking policy on balconies is changed. I have not checked into the HAL boards for some time now. As 2015 draws to a close, I thought I would check in this morning and I find that HAL is still stuck in the 20th Century.:(

 

 

HAL is not "stuck in the 20th Century." HAL is meeting a market demand.

 

And good for them.