Smoke filled room on the Explorer 8/705

[llwren]

Just hope you don't mind a smoking room. Just got off the Explorer and boy does she need dry dock. Plumbling all clogged, I heard they are going into dry dock a week earlier because of all the problems with the toilets not flushing and over flowing. We had 2 balcony cabins on the 8th deck. Our adult children's cabin was was great.We walked into our cabin and it smelled like an ashtray. They ended up taking out the drapries, bedspread, headboard, couch, pillows etc... the room was bare and it still smelled like the smoking ashtray. We were hanging up sheets with the room steward at 2 am in the morning!! They then used an ozone machine for a day, usually you are only suppose to use it for 1 hour, we had it going for 24 hours. Both my husband and I got back headaches. Finally the hotel manager came up to our room and said they must have been heavy cigar smokers. It was unbelieveable. The wood smelled and they washed down the walls with bleach and another disinfectant. They would have moved us but the ship was sold out.

It took about 2 days of constant cleaning to get the smell out and never really went away completely. If you smoked it would have been fine, but this was just so overwhelming, it almost ruined our vacation she needs help, it is a good thing that she is going into drydock soon,

Food was so-so. Shows were not all that great. Not up to RCCL standards. I was very disappoint in this cruise, too many things went wrong. Things they could have tried to fix, but figured they will just be tossing everything in

a couple weeks, why bother. That was the attitude, I saw all over the ship. I think she will be fine after drydock.

[kenandlaura06]

Sorry to hear about your stinky cruise!

[atljoo]

This post reminded me about our Explorer cruise 2 weeks ago. We were in 1388, 10 Deck AFT. The FORWARD area of Deck 10 reeked of cigar or cigarette smoke. It was awful. Our area was fine. I think smoking should be confined to certain areas of the ship (bars, outside deck areas), not in the cabins.

[TidePrideGA]

As a smoker, I can tell you it probably would *not* have been fine if it was that bad. I checked into a room near the BWI airport one night and I had to get them to move me. Even the bed linens smelled like stale smoke. And remember, I smoke...

 

I don't plan to smoke in our cabin. We have a balcony, and I *will* smoke there (hoping it doesn't bother someone on the balcony next door), but not in the cabin. Why leave my "legacy" for someone else to tolerate?

[bigreid07]

More smokers should be like you, then!!!

[digital_curator]

That is so considerate TidePrideGA:) - I wish more smokers were like you. My father is a severe asthmatic and my husband has several allegies to smoke- so this is always one of my fears when we go on a trip.

 

It's weird travelling after being in Toronto, where these is no smoking in restaruarnts, bars, casinos, etc. and I must admit I wish there were a few more no-smoking areas on a cruise ship.....

 

To the OP- did you receive any kind of compensation for being put out at the beginning of your cruise?

 

 

Cheers,

[beancounterbeth]

I am going to be in D2 cabin 8634 on 8/28/05. Can you tell me which cabin you were in?

 

Thanks

[HazyDavey]

Sincerely sorry to hear about your room.

 

We are going on the same ship/itinirary this weekend. Do you happen to have the compasses from the cruise? If not, do you remember what nights were what in the dining room (which were formal, which was caribbean, etc.)?

[ckrobyn]

There are still some courteous smokers out there -

 

I smoke and would never dream of smoking in a hotel room let alone a cabin on a ship. I don't even smoke in my house!

I have no issues smoking on the balcony or on the front door step of my house but I have no interest in sleeping in a stinky hotel room or cruise ship cabin. Maybe the cabin attendants should drop the hint by only leaving ashtrays on the balconies?

[HazyDavey]

There are still some courteous smokers out there -

 

I smoke and would never dream of smoking in a hotel room let alone a cabin on a ship. I don't even smoke in my house!

 

I have no issues smoking on the balcony or on the front door step of my house but I have no interest in sleeping in a stinky hotel room or cruise ship cabin. Maybe the cabin attendants should drop the hint by only leaving ashtrays on the balconies?

 

Same here. I plan on smoking my cigars on my balcony. But only if it doesn't affect the cabins to either side of me. If the wind happens to be blowing the smoke back towards my cabin, or other cabins, then I'll put it out and wait until a better time to smoke comes along.

[TidePrideGA]

There are still some courteous smokers out there -

 

I think we're probably in the majority actually, but like everything else, it's the discourteous ones who get noticed and give the rest of us a bad name.

 

Here in Georgia we now have a statewide smoking ban that's pretty all-inclusive. I *do* smoke in my home (only in my office, but of course it "spreads" - I know that), but I never smoke in our motorhome, and will only smoke in a hotel room when 1) I have a smoking room, which I usually don't; and 2) I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the room, which I usually don't. If the hotel room has a balcony, I will always choose that option, even in inclement weather.

 

Do cruiseships not have "smoking" and "non-smoking" cabins like hotels? If not, why not? With the steadily decreasing percentage of smokers (at least in the age/income range of most cruisers), it certainly seems doable.

[justaknucklehead]

Not everybody who smokes has a balcony. What about them?

[lknick]

They ended up taking out the drapries, bedspread, headboard, couch, pillows etc... the room was bare and it still smelled like the smoking ashtray. We were hanging up sheets with the room steward at 2 am in the morning!! They then used an ozone machine for a day, usually you are only suppose to use it for 1 hour, we had it going for 24 hours. ...The wood smelled and they washed down the walls with bleach and another disinfectant.

What I find amazine is the efforts taken to solve the problem and accomidate your wishes.

[barbyma]

Isn't it amazing that just 20 years ago people smoked EVERYWHERE -- even in hospital rooms and elevators?!:eek:

 

These days we have all become so accustomed to smoke-free air that even the smell left behind is disgusting. I smoked for 10 years, but would have been very upset if my cabin smelled like that.

 

On a similar note, how about people that leave so much perfume or cologne behind that you choke on the fumes?

 

Once a man who'd bathed in Old Spice briefly used a phone in my office and nobody could use it again for 3 days! :o

 

Barb

[TidePrideGA]

Not everybody who smokes has a balcony. What about them?

 

I'm not at all trying to be judgmental here. Since smoking IS ALLOWED in cabins, there's nothing wrong with that. You're entitled to do it, and you shouldn't feel guilty about it.

 

If I had an inside cabin, I would probably still not smoke in it. There are too many "outside" places available for that and I don't really plan to spend much time in my room EXCEPT enjoying my aft wake balcony. If I had an inside, I think I would only sleep and change there.

 

As for excessive perfume users, unfortunately that's usually us smokers, too. WE can't smell it (because the constant aroma of smoke around us) on ourselves, so we tend to overuse scents. I'm guilty of that myself, and try to be conscious of it. I use exclusively two scents - Chanel No. 5 and Obsession by Calvin Klein. When I'm using Chanel, I tend to lay it on thick - Obsession is a more oppressive scent and I try to be more conservative... much more conservative.

[kryos]

Finally the hotel manager came up to our room and said they must have been heavy cigar smokers. It was unbelieveable.

Their ventilation system must be shot to all h*** too. No reason the room should smell that bad even if two cigar smokers occupied it the week before. Between a working ventilation system, and changing all the linens ... that room should have smelled squeaky clean by the time you occupied it.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Iamthesea]

Not everybody who smokes has a balcony. What about them?

I think it would be considerate for all smokers to go to an open air or inside "smoking allowed" area and let the non-smokers have fresh air, in and outside.

 

Thank you to those that are considerate while on their balconies. :) :) Unfortunately, not everyone is. :( I cannot think of a cruise when some time during the trip I have gone out on my balcony and not had to deal with smokers. They are either on the sides, above or below our balcony. It never fails!

 

On these boards, I hear the same old, same old "It's my balcony and I'll do what I want on it." Or, "I like to have a smoke as soon as I wake up." My feeling is...if you can wait a while for breakfast, then you can wait a few minutes to have a smoke.

 

Go up on deck or in a lounge, please.;)

 

Perfume: We once had a stateroom bathroom that wreaked of perfume. The steward finally tracked it down to the shower curtain. I guess the previous occupant stood in the tiny bathroom and sprayed away at herself, drenching the curtain as well. Once the steward removed the curtain and put in a fresh one, the smell went away.

 

To the OP, so sorry you had to deal with the smoke smell. From someone who has asthma, I would have had to sleep on the balcony.

[Happy ks]

That's too bad about your cabin. We are always amazed at how much ship cabins don't reek of stale cigarettes and wish hotels would use the same cleaning method, I've rarely had a hotel room, even a non-smoking room, not stink of smoke.

 

It was good to read that the ship did try hard to make it better for you. I would have been in the same boat (pun intended) and would not have been able to sleep under those conditions. The smell makes me sick, sore throat, headache for several days if I have to sleep with it.

 

I know many of the smokers out there are considerate of others and most of us do appreciate it. I smoked for 20 years and quit 17 years ago, so I know both sides of the story. I actually never knew how sick I was from smoking until after one year of abstinence and I think the damage I did from smoking probably is what made me so sensitive to it now.

 

We had a very dear (smoker) friend cruise with us last year and would not have dreamed of making her leave us to smoke. She used a product "Commit" while she was with us and said it worked quite well for her.

 

So, thank you to all the smokers who are considerate of us non-smokers and I will be as considerate to you as well.

[Firefighterhoop]

Have been in cabins before where plumbing is an issue...NOT FUN... On the radiance, we had the same problem with smoke in our cabin. After I pressed the issue hard enough, they ended up taking us to a different stateroom, but again, we had to have the hotel director come up to varify, and the second we did, poof, we were out of that room!

 

By the way, who was your cruise director on the 8/7 cruise? On the Explorer Next week, just curious!

[beancounterbeth]

llwren, please tell me what room number you had.

[Tillie]

As a smoker, I can tell you it probably would *not* have been fine if it was that bad. I checked into a room near the BWI airport one night and I had to get them to move me. Even the bed linens smelled like stale smoke. And remember, I smoke...

 

I don't plan to smoke in our cabin. We have a balcony, and I *will* smoke there (hoping it doesn't bother someone on the balcony next door), but not in the cabin. Why leave my "legacy" for someone else to tolerate?

 

I agree, I too am a smoker, I don't smoke in my house I don't feel my family who don't smoke should have to tolerate it. I always ask for a non smoking room at a hotel, and the non smoking area of a restaurant. I too will smoke on my balcony and like you will be considerate if it bothers my neighbors.

 

 

Tillie

 

Navigator of the Seas 10-29-05

[SueW]

Not everybody who smokes has a balcony. What about them?

I am a smoker who also can not stand my surroundings smelling of smoke.

 

I never smoke in my cabin. I usually pick a inside cabin close to the lido deck stairs or someplace where it's close to go out on deck to smoke. Always on the Port side (usually the smoking side of the ship).

 

I cruise twice a year, a big cruise in Feb with balcony and short one in October with my sister with an inside. Off the cruising topic for a minute, two weeks ago my 2 daughters (ages 7 & 9) and I went to a family reunion in Kansas. We stayed at a Comfort Inn and were lucky to get that since the county fair and a football game happened to be in town that same weekend. Anyway, we arrive and got keys, go to our room and the minute I open the door the stale smell hits me in the head. I didn't even let go of the suitcase and headed right back down to the front desk to change rooms. They had a room for that night but were sold out the following night. After that I could have a suite. To make a long story short, I stayed in the stinky room for 2 nights, I was spraying Febreez all over the place, must have used 1/2 a bottle!!

 

As much as I can't stand the smell, I can't kick the habit. I don't smoke in my house either.

 

I hope you let RCCL know about your experience, that sounded like a major inconvenience and disruption to your cruise. Good Luck, they may compensate you something.

 

Sue

[rrkky]

You mentioned in your post the EOS is going into dry dock a week early???????!!!!!!!!!???????? That is the week I am sailing, Sept 18 - 25. Can you tell me where you heard that, certainly they are not cancellig my cruise!!!!!

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Oh boy, I can relate!! I hate rooms that smell like smoke. Since I have such severe allergies I just can't stand to be around it let alone in a cabin or hotel room that was heavly smoked in!!!:eek: When we travel and get non smoking room, there is nothing worse than asking for extra pillows that came from a smoking room. :mad:

 

I agree with people who bathe in perfumes, colonges and after shaves that are so bad you can taste it!!!.....yuck! Instant headache if not migraine!!!

 

***

[jimbulger]

my wife and I have quit for 5 years now.. we smoked during our first cruise we had an inside cabin on deck 7 of monarch when she did souther route.

 

we would go out side or up to the bar In facct we never smoked in our houses cars whatever...now that e dont smoke i wish everyone felt like we did (and most of the people who posted here