Poll: Smoking Preferences by Region

[greeneg]

Please post your smoking preferences by regions. Let's see what the percentages are.

 

Options:

 

US: Non-smoker

US: Smoker

European: Non-Smoker

European: Smoker

Other Region: Non-smoker

Other Region: Smoker

[thomasale]

not a chance

[Tatka]

Ocasional smoker

[10july86]

never!

[GramaFran]

US- nonsmoker - me

US - smoker - DH

so how do we poll....

[Longboysfan]

Ed is a retired lung surgeon.

Thinking about getting back in the business.

 

He just needs to get the knives sharpened at the local hardware store.

[hdawson]

This is a rather useless poll. Cruise Critic is predominately a US and Canada forum and not very relavent to European, Fareastern cruisers. Appologys to those few from the UK that post here.

[greeneg]

Sorry, but a number of people have referred to the necessity of accomodating the Europeans who smoke. I have no numbers to referance that statement and was just curious as to what sort of numbers would come up.

 

No intent or attempt on my part to create any animosity or controversy-- just plain curious.

[dmarch@islc.net]

Good ole' USA smoker here. But I was born in Scotland and I live in the South. Guess my vote doesn't count. LOL We should try a North/South (USA) poll. I believe more people in the South smoke. $3.50 vs. $7.00 a pack.

[chessbriar]

Looking at the poll, does anyone here seriously think Celebrity or any mass market cruiseline can survive by eliminatining smoking and 20-25% of their customer base. Also keep in mind, those same smokers tend to drink more on the ships than non smokers and tend to buy cigarettes on board. To much money will be lost.

 

Also keep in mind as you look at the poll, how many smokers are married to non smokers. That could mean that a cruise line could lose 30% or more of their customers if they ban smoking.

 

Plain and simple it's not going to happen. These polls show up regularly and all they end up with is non smokers attacking smokers.

 

Carnival tried the smoke free ship and it was not profitable, lack of passengers combined with with less spent on board.

 

Keep in mind, as the industry tries to make itself more mass market friendly, it will do things to accomodate more people. Why else do you see more cruise lines having more open dining? Traditional cruisers don't want it, but the freedom brings in more new cruisers.

[greeneg]

Rick, I can't dispute what you say, because I don't think that it will happen either. Even though the percentages have been really consistant since I started the poll and they seem consistant for the other polls that you mention.

 

I truly believe that the Tail does wag the Dog when it comes to this issue.

 

However, I honestly think that the " non-US" smoker issue is a red herring: the numbers are smaller than some think, and was really just trying to have some idea of what, in fact, the percentages might be.

 

I am personally afraid, that we will have to lose a ship to a careless smoker ( fire is probably the greatest danger at sea according to the experts) before the issue is definitively addressed; I look at the recent incident aboard Princess as a warning.

 

I wonder what the actual costs of smoking on board really are in terms of maintanence, odor and pollution control and damages, and finally, the insurance question.

 

Princess certainly got burned ( no funny intented) both literally and figuratively and I just wonder what that incident cost.

 

Given the comments in the thread on itineraries together with this one, we may be jumping to Oceana after the Mercury trip this Winter. I hate to do that, particularly since we just made Captain's Club Elite, but it begins to look that way.

 

Again, what price Loyalty...?

[SheilaNC]

Ed, I agree. Oceania's smoking policy is calling to us as well. I do believe that people have the right to decide for themselves but I've missed too many nights in the Rendezvous Lounge and Martini Bar due to smoking impinging on my enjoyment. AND having taught student nurses on the burn unit (at CMH, Ed - sorry insider info to the rest of you - I worked in Charlotte for many years) and seen the consequences of fire, I'm terrified of an in-cabin smoking accident.

 

Booked on Mercury this summer but looking elsewhere also.

[greeneg]

Hi Sheila. They call it CMC now ( Carolinas Medical Center) and it just keeps growing like Topsy......

 

I think that the one thing that has come out on these Boards lately has been much more questioning, dis-satisfaction, that sort of thing, with some recent decisions/policies that Celebrity has made. The net result of that, I think, is to make people think twice about "Loyalty" to one Cruise Line as opposed to "playing the field" so to speak.

 

After we had a B2B this past Winter on the Constellation one of the coveted ( rightly so) aft balcony cabins, and then had cigar smokers on either side which made the beautiful balcony almost unusable, I began to realize how important this particular issue was to me personally.

 

I think that when you add that to the reported Captain's Club Elite Changes, the mediocre itineraries announced so far, and I have to look around also.

 

We have had great trips on Celebrity and very much would like to continue with them but will have to see what develops. Curtailing smoking somewhat would help, at least from our perspective.

[SheilaNC]

Couldn't have said it better myself, Ed. Yesterday I decided that it was time to speak up and emailed the hierarchy and customer relations re: both the Elite level issues and the lack of an appropriate problem solving mechanism for serious onboard issues. I don't expect to get a personal response (although I did request that they NOT send me a form letter/email) but it made me feel better to share my feelings and my willingness to be part of the solution (true focus groups/surveys of loyalty members, etc.). If they choose to continue on the current course and ignore such customer feedback, they only stand to lose. Hopefully there will be a positive response to all of the statements of concern (eternal optimist that I am)....

[gillianrose]

...I've missed too many nights in the Rendezvous Lounge and Martini Bar due to smoking impinging on my enjoyment..

 

So have we, not just on Celebrity, but on HAL and Princess and anywhere that allows smoking near where non-smokers drink and breathe. The cruise lines lose alcohol and casino revenue from the majority of non-smokers who cannot bear and/or will not subject themselves to toxic secondhand smoke.

 

We are both non-smokers, as are every one of our LIVING family members, close and extended. We do, however, each have several family members who were heavy smokers and died much too soon. And we miss them...

[Verystormy]

While i would always be polite when smoking and not try to infringe anybody, i have read previous posts on this board of people complaining about smoke when they are in a designated smoking area - that i consider plain stupid and fascist. Both groups can be accomodated - it just needs a little thought

[greeneg]

I think that you are missing the point of the thread: it isn't a question of smoking locations or how aggresive either the smokers or the non-smokers are: the question is to try and find out what the numbers of smokers vs non-smokers actually are by major regions.

 

My theory has been that the number of people who actually smoke is much smaller than merits allocating fully one half of the ship and all of the cabins to them.

 

I fully admit that I would personally like to see, at a minimum, no-smoking on balconies ( or port side only) and designated non smoking or smoking cabins being made available at the time of booking. I would like to see the ships configured for the majority's preference, not the minority's.

 

But, that isn't the question or issue here.

 

So far, these poll numbers would imply that the actual number of smokers is rather small......and the percentages have been very, very consistant since the thread was started.

[kftw]

Not sure how to vote. One very considerate smoker and one non smoker in our group of two.