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

[PathfinderEss]

Before Royal Caribbean banned smoking on balconies, the RCI board here, as this HAL board is now, was full of smoking threads about balcony smoking. Royal Caribbean banned smoking on balconies. Now Royal Caribbean posters are bit**ing about the smoke in the casino ( and having to go around to the other end of the ship, down two flights, back across and up two fights to avoid the poison for even a moment) and complaints from those who's balconies were too close to designated smoking areas and could smell it, absolutely ruining their balcony experience.

 

Soooooooo, if/when (and yes, probably when) HAL bans smoking on balconies, get ready for a new age of smoking threads with similar complaints about smoking as it is going on now on the Royal Caribbean board. it will never end until cruise lines bans cigs altogether. I'll be here for the discussion. : - )

 

I don't disagree with what your saying. I brought that up on another smoking tread and was told 'no it ends with the balconies'. I/we won't complain about smoking any more......... Yeah, want to bet?:D

[Champagne Cruiser]

I absolutely do plan my cabins to be on the smoke free side of a ship and I look for alternatives to get to the theater on RCL and I will on my upcoming HAL cruise so I don't have to go through the casino to get to the theater. It has been 2+ years since my first and only HAL cruise. If I have a bad "smoke" experience with our balcony on our upcoming HAL cruise, than I suspect that will be the last of our HAL cruises until the smoking on the balcony policy changes. Cruise lines are in business to make money. Right now RCI is extremely profitable with Celebrity passenger booked last year topping out at 104% of capacity (based on 2 per cabin), and they have the most restrictive smoking policy. The demographics are changing. You can always find loungers around the pool on the smoking side, but its SRO on the non smoking side. The changes to HAL will come if the cruise line determines that their policy is a negative in attracting passengers.

[Hlitner]

Before Royal Caribbean banned smoking on balconies, the RCI board here, as this HAL board is now, was full of smoking threads about balcony smoking. Royal Caribbean banned smoking on balconies. Now Royal Caribbean posters are bit**ing about the smoke in the casino ( and having to go around to the other end of the ship, down two flights, back across and up two fights to avoid the poison for even a moment) and complaints from those who's balconies were too close to designated smoking areas and could smell it, absolutely ruining their balcony experience.

 

Soooooooo, if/when (and yes, probably when) HAL bans smoking on balconies, get ready for a new age of smoking threads with similar complaints about smoking as it is going on now on the Royal Caribbean board. it will never end until cruise lines bans cigs altogether. I'll be here for the discussion. : - )

 

Celebrity (owned by RCI) solved this issue by simply banning all indoor smoking on their ships and designating a few outdoor smoking areas. As to Casino smoking, DW and I already try and avoid the casino's on HAL due to the smoke. Even when the casino is closed, they often smell like being in a dirty ashtray. We are actually glad that HAL allows smoking in their casinos since we always avoid the place and never lose any money :) If HAL were to ban casino smoking my long cruises could become very expensive.

 

Hank

[kdkstormy]

We just returned from our Alaska cruise on the Zuiderdam today. We did smell some cigar smoke once and a while and that wasn't too bad (we had the aft wrap on deck 6.

 

Where we had the issue is at about 12:30am or so on our final night aboard we heard "put it out, pour something on it or throw it overboard" from the balcony next door. Needless to say we were a bit concerned and called the front desk. The crew/security made a number of visits to the cabin next door, however we never heard how bad it was or any more information on it.

 

Needless to say we had a bit of a time getting back to sleep. I think it's time to stop smoking on balconies period.

[sammiedawg]

Princess had a major fire on the Star Princess a few years ago. It was attributed to balcony smoking and they instituted an immediate balcony smoking ban. They were " dead serious" about enforcement and had 24 hour bridge surveillance until smoke detectors could be installed. I still see balcony watchman from time to time on the bridge.

[oaktreerb]

Do you think they will ban smoking on balconies by the time the new ship comes out in February 2016?

[Hlitner]

Princess had a major fire on the Star Princess a few years ago. It was attributed to balcony smoking and they instituted an immediate balcony smoking ban. They were " dead serious" about enforcement and had 24 hour bridge surveillance until smoke detectors could be installed. I still see balcony watchman from time to time on the bridge.

 

Although I am a fervent anti-smoke person I think we need to clarify the Star Princess fire. Although it started on a passenger balcony, the passengers in that cabin did not smoke. The most likely cause (according to the actual final investigation document) was likely caused by a cigarette tossed overboard (possibly from the deck overhead...or another balcony) which was sucked back into the balcony where it landed and triggered a major fire which damaged about 150 cabins and killed one passenger. After the fire (in 2006) Princess refitted all of their ships with balcony sprinklers and heat detectors (this was done at great cost) and did allow the continuation of smoking for several more years. It was not until 2011 that Princess finally put a total ban on balcony smoking.

 

Hank

[LMaxwell]

Do you think they will ban smoking on balconies by the time the new ship comes out in February 2016?

That is the currently slated plan.

[Sow There]

Please help my confusion.

 

Tobacco products are legal and, like alcoholic beverages are readily available to anyone and everyone to purchase, subject to LOCAL regulations (age limits, etc.) Yet many jurisdictions limit the USE of tobacco products such as no indoor smoking, no smoking in cars with youngsters, etc.

 

Marijuana is ILLEGAL to possess or use by FEDERAL LAW. Yes, some states have passed laws that fly in the face of Federal law and permit limited use of marijuana, but it's still a Federally banned substance.

 

Why then is smoking a cigarette so horrible and is being prohibited in most areas on board, but there's are no restrictions (as far as I know) against smoking pot anywhere on the ship?

 

Is second hand smoke from marijuana safe for those whom do not intentionally inhale it?

 

Just a side note, the city of Berkeley California is currently considering providing free marijuana to folks deemed to be below the poverty level as they define it ($30,000 per year) and the State of California is currently considering permitting the purchase of marijuana using food stamps.

 

In other words, as bad as cigarettes are for individual health, marijuana is far worse...yet there are no prohibitions on smoking marijuana anywhere because they are not deemed to be tobacco products.

 

I'm not looking forward to replicating in a HAL showroom my recent experience at a LA Philharmonic concert at the Hollywood Bowl (an outdoor venue with a no smoking rule) where the wafts of marijuana smoke made the experience unpleasant to say the least. Bowl management said the no smoking rule applied only to tobacco products.

[CruisermanVA]

I've never heard of anyone smoking marijuana on a cruise ship (though I'm sure it's happened). As a passenger, I would be very upset if I encountered this. I have to believe that ship personnel would, at the very least, ask the smoker to stop and might even put them off the ship at the next port.

[cruz chic]

Please help my confusion.

 

Tobacco products are legal and, like alcoholic beverages are readily available to anyone and everyone to purchase, subject to LOCAL regulations (age limits, etc.) Yet many jurisdictions limit the USE of tobacco products such as no indoor smoking, no smoking in cars with youngsters, etc.

 

Marijuana is ILLEGAL to possess or use by FEDERAL LAW. Yes, some states have passed laws that fly in the face of Federal law and permit limited use of marijuana, but it's still a Federally banned substance.

 

Why then is smoking a cigarette so horrible and is being prohibited in most areas on board, but there's are no restrictions (as far as I know) against smoking pot anywhere on the ship?

 

Is second hand smoke from marijuana safe for those whom do not intentionally inhale it?

 

Just a side note, the city of Berkeley California is currently considering providing free marijuana to folks deemed to be below the poverty level as they define it ($30,000 per year) and the State of California is currently considering permitting the purchase of marijuana using food stamps.

 

In other words, as bad as cigarettes are for individual health, marijuana is far worse...yet there are no prohibitions on smoking marijuana anywhere because they are not deemed to be tobacco products.

 

I'm not looking forward to replicating in a HAL showroom my recent experience at a LA Philharmonic concert at the Hollywood Bowl (an outdoor venue with a no smoking rule) where the wafts of marijuana smoke made the experience unpleasant to say the least. Bowl management said the no smoking rule applied only to tobacco products.

 

Marijuana on a HAL ship. You must be joking. Who does that:confused:?

[LMaxwell]

 

In other words, as bad as cigarettes are for individual health, marijuana is far worse...

 

From an actual health perspective, no. Cigarettes contain many, hundreds, of additives (poisons). Marijuana is pretty much all natural. You can certainly say you don't like it second hand and don't want to be exposed, no argument from me, but in terms of which is "less healthy" I think that cigarettes win (lose?) that case.

[CruiseWhere]

Marijuana on a HAL ship. You must be joking. Who does that:confused:?

 

Our neighbours in the suite beside us did! That's who!

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

If this has been mentioned before, I apologize as I have not read this entire thread. I don't recall seeing this before in the Casino on HAL ships. A sign said it was a non-smoking area. However, those playing a slot machine or playing at a gaming table could smoke. I noticed this on the Amsterdam last week.

[CruisermanVA]

Our neighbours in the suite beside us did! That's who!

Outrageous. I wouldn't put up with it.

[CruiseWhere]

Outrageous. I wouldn't put up with it.

 

The next point is....try and call security there fast enough and prove that it was coming from our neighbours. Very hard to prove.

[Lizzie68]

Our neighbours in the suite beside us did! That's who!

 

On a repositioning cruise, with new pax coming on for the last 4 days - couple on the balcony beneath us were smoking marijuana at sailaway. But we never smelled it after that.

[Linda&Vern]

<snip> Why then is smoking a cigarette so horrible and is being prohibited in most areas on board, but there's are no restrictions (as far as I know) against smoking pot anywhere on the ship?<snip>

 

Express Docs - page 7 - Please Note:

 

Persons in possession of illegal drugs are subject

to immediate disembarkation and reporting to law enforcement

authorities. This could result in legal proceedings. Please

keep in mind that the drug laws in many countries can be very

restrictive and the penalties severe.

 

For these purposes, marijuana, even if prescribed for medicinal

purposes, is considered an illegal drug as it is prohibited both

under U.S. law as well as the laws of all or most of the countries

that the ship visits. Prescription Marinol, which is used by

some as an alternative to marijuana, is permitted.

[cruz chic]

Our neighbours in the suite beside us did! That's who!

 

On a repositioning cruise, with new pax coming on for the last 4 days - couple on the balcony beneath us were smoking marijuana at sailaway. But we never smelled it after that.

 

These people are truly stupid. Why would you risk getting caught?

[CruiseWhere]

I don't think they give it much thought!

[cruisemom42]

From an actual health perspective, no. Cigarettes contain many, hundreds, of additives (poisons). Marijuana is pretty much all natural. You can certainly say you don't like it second hand and don't want to be exposed, no argument from me, but in terms of which is "less healthy" I think that cigarettes win (lose?) that case.

 

I don't know if there is enough conclusive evidence to answer Sow There's question about whether one is safer than the other. Right now, it's very popular to claim that marijuana is less harmful....but looking at the lot of these so-called claims, they don't really hold up.

 

I do want to point out that just because something is "natural" is no indication that it is safe.

 

Hemlock, anyone? (said Socrates)

Edited September 16, 2014 by cruisemom42

[Lizzie68]

These people are truly stupid. Why would you risk getting caught?

 

I'm afraid that's a question I cannot answer. And the situation may become rather blurred as more states legalise the use of marijuana.

 

And the couple in question could very well have been the couple that openly used their e-cigarettes in public areas (shops, bars) on the ship - and were never challenged by staff.

Edited September 16, 2014 by Lizzie68

[cruz chic]

I'm afraid that's a question I cannot answer. And the situation may become rather blurred as more states legalise the use of marijuana.

 

And the couple in question could very well have been the couple that openly used their e-cigarettes in public areas (shops, bars) on the ship - and were never challenged by staff.

 

It may be legal in some states but it doesn't mean Hal or any other cruise line would allow it on their ship. To be 100 percent honest I could see my ex pulling something like that but he never want to do a cruise and I'm pretty happy about that.

[RollieUK]

What I want to know is how do you know what marijuana smells like? ;)

 

[CruiseWhere]

My DH is a Det Sgt of Major Crime Vice. After spending over 30 years of his career UC he knows.....