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

[dockman]

So what do YOU do when somebody just totally ignores the no smoking areas like on LP deck and is smoking a cigar or even cigs....i absolutely hate it when i am out for my exercise walk and somebody ruins the entire experience with smoke...especially when they stand torwards the bow and the smoke drifts down the entire length of the ship....cigs not so bad but i can smell those nasty cigars from very far away...

 

I have tried...asking a holland employee to tell them there is no smoking there but of course the crew seems to not want to have a confrontatiion.

 

I have tried asking nicely for them to not do it.

 

I have tried asking that at least they move to stern so it will be blown away.

 

I have tried to ignore it.

 

I have tried just giving them a nasty look hoping they would get the message.

 

On my last cruise as we sailed away from YVR there were dozens of people on the LP deck enjoying the nice clean air at sailaway time....and of course some IDIOT shows up near the bow smoking a giant long nasty smelling cigar.....he was fairly belligerent about it and refused to do anything until at least six or seven different people told him the smoking area was top back pool deck...finally he gave everyone nasty glares and left.

 

As an ex smoker i know a lot of smokers think nobody can smell the smoke but they are WRONG. Once you quit you can smell it a mile away...and it really doesn't smell very good at all.

[smi889]

So I come on here to find smoking areas on the Veendam and see more about non-smoking. I email HAL and get a response that one can smoke at the Seaview Bar which doesn't exist on that ship. Bar at the Retreat is in the area that Seaview would normally be. Then you read yes and no about the Casino. Woe is me, tired of the Lines not keeping info up to date then getting on board and being disappointed.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

After the wine policy fiasco, I'm betting HAL would give 6 months notice of a change in the smoking policy. Pretty fair, I think.

 

Could you bring me up to speed on the issue with wine? Inquiring minds don't want to search ! :D

 

Tom

[cruz chic]

Could you bring me up to speed on the issue with wine? Inquiring minds don't want to search ! :D

 

Tom

 

On Hal you used to be able to bring on any amount iof wine that you wanted and only pay corkage when you drank it anywhere but your cabin. They changed the policy with very little notice. People had a bird on CC about it and wrote letters etc and they relented. I'm a wine drinker and it didn't make a huge dirpfference to me. Some think that any change is the end of the world. Just look at the koningsdam thread and you can see that.

[LMaxwell]

Hal would have to give at least 90 days notice so it's too late for the first cruise.

 

No they wouldn't. Look at E-Dam casino. Did they give people 90 days notice? No. They can change whatever they wish whenever they wish. Extending a courtesy so people have options is one thing, but they have no obligation to do so with 90 days notice.

[sammiedawg]

Smoking is a safety issue and there is no need for a waiting period to implement. Princess immediately implemented no smoking Balconies after the fire on Star Princess. We were onboard shortly thereafter, they had someone on both sides of the bridge watching the balconies.

[jtl513]

Could you bring me up to speed on the issue with wine? Inquiring minds don't want to search ! :D

 

Tom

Off topic for this thread, but - current rule: one bottle per adult (21, not 18) of 750 ml or less at embarkation is corkage free for in-cabin consumption. You can bring on as much as you like from any port (including embarkation) for $18/bottle and you can then drink it anywhere. One exception is if you visit a winery on a HAL tour you can bring back additional (I think it's one bottle pp) corkage free ... if bought at that winery. Edited January 28, 2016 by jtl513

[cruz chic]

No they wouldn't. Look at E-Dam casino. Did they give people 90 days notice? No. They can change whatever they wish whenever they wish. Extending a courtesy so people have options is one thing, but they have no obligation to do so with 90 days notice.

 

I never said it was an obligation. What I should have said is:

 

"As a courtesy, Hal will give at least 90 days"

 

There is no way Hal is going to flip a switch and say tomorrow there will be no smoking on balconies. Surely you realize that stopping smoking in one venue is not the same as ending balcony smoking? Weren't you the poster that had the inside info that smoking on balconies was supposed to end quite a while back?

[cruz chic]

Smoking is a safety issue and there is no need for a waiting period to implement. Princess immediately implemented no smoking Balconies after the fire on Star Princess. We were onboard shortly thereafter, they had someone on both sides of the bridge watching the balconies.

 

Well, I hope we will see immediate implementation to the change. How long did carnival give?

[LMaxwell]

I never said it was an obligation. What I should have said is:

 

"As a courtesy, Hal will give at least 90 days"

 

There is no way Hal is going to flip a switch and say tomorrow there will be no smoking on balconies. Surely you realize that stopping smoking in one venue is not the same as ending balcony smoking? Weren't you the poster that had the inside info that smoking on balconies was supposed to end quite a while back?

 

Yes, information changes based on the market. I have decided I won't share any more information of that nature on here.

 

1. I don't need the aggravation and venom from angry internet strangers that could not possibly be satisfied.

2. It is prudent to not risk the livelihood of someone by sharing that type of information.

 

The thing I realize is that they can, and have, changed policies without advanced notice as fit their business needs.

[Aquahound]

Well, I hope we will see immediate implementation to the change. How long did carnival give?

 

Carnival made their announcement in July 2014, for the change implemented on Oct 9, 2014. So, 3 months notice.

 

NCL also made their announcement in July 2014, for the change implemented in November 2014. 4 months notice.

 

Royal Caribbean made their announcement in Sep 2014, for the change implemented on Jan 1, 2015. 4 months notice.

 

So it seems 90-120 days is the norm, so I would imagine HAL would do similar. I couldn't find how much notice Princess and Celebrity gave...the original lines to ban it several years ago.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Aquahound

[Hlitner]

Perhaps we should thank HAL for their current smoking policies. We have an outside cabin booked for an upcoming 8 week Prinsendam cruise. Yesterday, we were offered a pretty decent upsell offer to both mini and full suites. I asked DW, "are you interested in upgrading to a suite with balcony?" Her quick answer, "why should we pay thousands of dollars for a balcony we probably can't use because of smokers?" So we are saving those thousands of dollars plus all the additional thousands we save by never gambling in a HAL Casino (they all smell like dirty ashtrays). And perhaps there is another message in the upsell offer. This is for a HAL Grand Cruise on their smallest ship. And yet, only a few weeks before the voyage they apparently have a substantial number of suites remaining unsold. We cannot help but wonder if others also have adopted our attitude which is why pay for a balcony you cannot use?

 

Hank

[cruz chic]

Carnival made their announcement in July 2014, for the change implemented on Oct 9, 2014. So, 3 months notice.

 

NCL also made their announcement in July 2014, for the change implemented in November 2014. 4 months notice.

 

Royal Caribbean made their announcement in Sep 2014, for the change implemented on Jan 1, 2015. 4 months notice.

 

So it seems 90-120 days is the norm, so I would imagine HAL would do similar. I couldn't find how much notice Princess and Celebrity gave...the original lines to ban it several years ago.

 

Thank you for the information. I reported the same for ncl. You would think that Hal would extend the same courtesy NOT requirement for the balcony smoking change.

[cruisemom42]

Smoking is a safety issue and there is no need for a waiting period to implement. Princess immediately implemented no smoking Balconies after the fire on Star Princess. We were onboard shortly thereafter, they had someone on both sides of the bridge watching the balconies.

 

This is not true.

 

 

The fire on Star Princess was in 2006: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Princess

 

Princess did not ban balcony smoking until January 2012: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1559878

 

 

Right after the Star Princess fire, Princess DID install new smoke detectors and replaced flammable items on their balconies. But they continued to allow smoking for another six years.

[cruisemom42]

I think other lines have done the same as a curtesy, but it's definitely not a requirement.

 

Fingers crossed for Konsingdam. It's the only thing holding us back from being super excited and hoping for a similar itinerary on another line.

 

 

If HAL were going to make an exception regarding balcony smoking (or indeed, start the ball rolling fleetwide) with Koningsdam, I firmly believe they would have already announced it -- particularly as Koningsdam's initial season starts in April in the Med, and many people will already have paid for airfare, etc.

[sppunk]

My friend in HAL HQ says much to his dismay there is no talk of banning balcony smoking.

[cruz chic]

This is not true.

 

 

The fire on Star Princess was in 2006: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Princess

 

Princess did not ban balcony smoking until January 2012: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1559878

 

 

Right after the Star Princess fire, Princess DID install new smoke detectors and replaced flammable items on their balconies. But they continued to allow smoking for another six years.

 

Thanks for the information. I didn't think it had been that long since princess stopped balcony smoking.

If HAL were going to make an exception regarding balcony smoking (or indeed, start the ball rolling fleetwide) with Koningsdam, I firmly believe they would have already announced it -- particularly as Koningsdam's initial season starts in April in the Med, and many people will already have paid for airfare, etc.

 

I agree. I'm quite confident there will be smoking on the koningsdam.

[cruz chic]

My friend in HAL HQ says much to his dismay there is no talk of banning balcony smoking.

 

I've heard from my source that there is a lot of fighting within the ranks about ending smoking. It's not going to happen any time soon.

[sppunk]

I've heard from my source that there is a lot of fighting within the ranks about ending smoking. It's not going to happen any time soon.

Yeah, mine is in fleet planning so I think he'd have an idea. :)

 

They may prohibit it in the casino but it won't be ending on balconies. It's very disappointing.

[sail7seas]

 

<snip>

 

 

I agree. I'm quite confident there will be smoking on the koningsdam.

 

I agree and admit I am surprised.

I really thought for a while HAL would start banning verandah smoking when Koningsdam joined the fleet but it appears that will not happen.

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I agree and admit I am surprised.

I really thought for a while HAL would start banning verandah smoking when Koningsdam joined the fleet but it appears that will not happen.

 

 

Perhaps on their next ship... or the one after that...

 

Tom

[jtl513]

I agree and admit I am surprised.

I really thought for a while HAL would start banning verandah smoking when Koningsdam joined the fleet but it appears that will not happen.

 

Maybe they don't want to take the chance of cancellations on the Premiere Voyage! :D

[ithaca gal]

Perhaps we should thank HAL for their current smoking policies. We have an outside cabin booked for an upcoming 8 week Prinsendam cruise. Yesterday, we were offered a pretty decent upsell offer to both mini and full suites. I asked DW, "are you interested in upgrading to a suite with balcony?" Her quick answer, "why should we pay thousands of dollars for a balcony we probably can't use because of smokers?" So we are saving those thousands of dollars plus all the additional thousands we save by never gambling in a HAL Casino (they all smell like dirty ashtrays). And perhaps there is another message in the upsell offer. This is for a HAL Grand Cruise on their smallest ship. And yet, only a few weeks before the voyage they apparently have a substantial number of suites remaining unsold. We cannot help but wonder if others also have adopted our attitude which is why pay for a balcony you cannot use?

 

After the drydock, during which there were major renovations on Deck 2 (casino area), there is NO SMOKING in the casino! We cruise on the Eurodam next month and can't wait to experience the smoke-free casino now!!!

[goofy4mickey]

I've heard from my source that there is a lot of fighting within the ranks about ending smoking. It's not going to happen any time soon.

 

Good to hear because I'm leaving NCL for HAL.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Good to hear because I'm leaving NCL for HAL.

 

With your screen name, I'd have expected to see some DCL sailings in your signature! I'm definitely going to give them a try - and will likely save some $, owing to the absence of a casino!

 

Tom

Edited February 3, 2016 by Tom-n-Cheryl