Ncl Is Going Smoke Free!

[POOHISME2]

Is the new policy or the old one?

 

Designated areas for smoking in the bars hardly makes them non-smoking.

Thats the old policy, now no more bars except the casino.

[cruisebum50]

But there are so many that think they will if the government just did away with this and that. first it is smoking which is either not allowed or the cigarette taxes are so high we will all be forced to quit: then let's tax booze some more. Of course this will disourage kids from starting to drink cause the won't be able to afford even 1 beer, heck sometimes I think we won't be able to much longer. Now it's time to attack the Trans fats: God forbid if we eat a little trace of "bad" fat. Don't eat too much of some types of fish, the mercury will affect you, it might even kill you: So when the government gets through with total control of our lives we will live to be 125, but who will support us? Our grandkids and great grandkids will be taxed to death just paying for all the medical needs of the aging population or paying for our subsendised (spelling) housing cause we don't have any savings left.

 

I don't think people are thinking of the long range effects of all the changing laws to protect the entire country.

 

 

My husband just laughs when the holier than thou non smokers get on their band wagons. He has said all along that when everyone (or most everyone) quits smoking, what will they tax next? They have to get revenue from somewhere and since tobacco won't be bringing it in the next thing he thinks will get all of the taxes now charged on tobacco will be alcohol. And when they start charging you a huge tax on one drink what will you think. Will you buy that drink? Then everyone who drinks will be screaming that it isn't fair. But he says the non smokers being unfair to smokers is okay in their eyes, but when it affects them they will be the loudest to scream. He knows he is addicted and has tried the patch, pills, etc. and nothing has worked. He has smoked since the day he set foot in Viet Nam and hasn't been able to quit, but non smokers just think he should be able to just stop. It isn't that easy...it is an addiction.

[Fishbait17]

All I can think is how amusing it will be next month on the Jewel... All those smoking Europeans (I think our ship is mostly Europeans due to the holiday week and the fact that it sold out) will be shocked by this new policy. I am a smoker and a bit disappointed, but it won't affect me much.. But it will be funny watching NCL enforce this on that particular cruise..

 

Robin

[Stillfloatin']

if they expend more effort cleaning smokers' cabins, maybe a smoking surcharge is in order to pay for the extra effort? Sounds fair to me.

 

Now there's a brilliant idea. But why stop there? Let's charge extra to all parents because their kids leave bigger messes in the pool and restaurants and cause extra effort. And charge extra to all the drinkers because they make messes in the public bathrooms and their own cabins. If you try hard enough, I'm sure you can find so many sub-groups to surcharge, you might even end up in one yourself.

[Droopy_Sails]

And...a surcharge for the overweight passengers who eat alot more than passengers who maintain their weight/exercise and eat less:)

 

Sounds fair to me.

 

This is not an analogy to smoking. Other than taking up a lot of room in the buffet line ;), how do the overweight passengers interfere with the health and comfort of the non-overweight passengers?

 

Smoking is an act that, unless done alone far, far away from others, necessarily interferes with other people. That's how it works. I didn't have any trouble grasping this concept when I was smoking.

[Droopy_Sails]

99% of smokers are considerate I think

 

Now that gave me the biggest laugh of the day.

 

Look, you guys, NCL/NCLA has not gone smoke free. You have your own cabins, the casino, the cigar bar and the entire set of open decks (and other than Alaska, Cape Horn, a few fall foliage itineraries and some northern transatlantics, that means balmy weather for your cruise). If you don't like the casino bar as much as other bars, that's not really the problem of the majority of cruisers who don't want to breathe your smoke. All NCL ships also have pool bars, so try having your martini outside and enjoying a little fresh air with it.

 

The point is, you've been guaranteed a number of places onboard to smoke, so claiming that "non-smokers won't give a little" is just ludicrous. What you haven't been guaranteed is the right to smoke in any bar you want to at any time of day (i.e., the pool bar's not usually open at night and if I'm not mistaken, the casino bar is closed in port while the casino's closed). You're just going to have to deal with having a limited number of places instead of every bar. If "99 percent of smokers are considerate," that should be easy to go along with.

[cruisebum50]

Now that gave me the biggest laugh of the day.

 

Look, you guys, NCL/NCLA has not gone smoke free. You have your own cabins, the casino, the cigar bar and the entire set of open decks (and other than Alaska, Cape Horn, a few fall foliage itineraries and some northern transatlantics, that means balmy weather for your cruise). If you don't like the casino bar as much as other bars, that's not really the problem of the majority of cruisers who don't want to breathe your smoke. All NCL ships also have pool bars, so try having your martini outside and enjoying a little fresh air with it.

 

The point is, you've been guaranteed a number of places onboard to smoke, so claiming that "non-smokers won't give a little" is just ludicrous. What you haven't been guaranteed is the right to smoke in any bar you want to at any time of day (i.e., the pool bar's not usually open at night and if I'm not mistaken, the casino bar is closed in port while the casino's closed). You're just going to have to deal with having a limited number of places instead of every bar. If "99 percent of smokers are considerate," that should be easy to go along with.

 

 

This is from the post of the new rules:

 

Outdoor Spaces

 

Cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking will be permitted in outdoor public guest spaces and open decks, where designated by ship’s management, based on the ship’s specific characteristics. No smoking will be permitted in or near venues serving food, the jogging track, outdoor sporting venues and children’s pool areas.

No where does it say smokers will be able to smoke at the pool bar. Outdoor smoking will be designated by the ship management. If memory serves me, and I could be wrong, the pool bar on the Star (the ship we are sailing on) is near the food by the pool so I don't imagine he will be able to smoke at that bar either. When I first started posting to this thread I said NCL had the right to change their rules about smoking but I thought it was unfair not to post this information on their website well in advance so that people could make an informed choice. With our cruise now less than 60 days out if we choose to "not get on the ship" as some posters have said we should do, we would loose our money. Is that fair? We weren't given the information to make an informed choice. My husband has already checked other cruise lines and if we could get our money back from NCL we would choose "not to get on the ship". As my husband told me yesterday, he will stay in our cabin most of the time (his choice) enjoying the scenery to/from Alaska and NCL will just be out the revenue that he would have given them while spending time in the bar.

[cliffd64]

Now that gave me the biggest laugh of the day.

 

Look, you guys, NCL/NCLA has not gone smoke free. You have your own cabins, the casino, the cigar bar and the entire set of open decks (and other than Alaska, Cape Horn, a few fall foliage itineraries and some northern transatlantics, that means balmy weather for your cruise). If you don't like the casino bar as much as other bars, that's not really the problem of the majority of cruisers who don't want to breathe your smoke. All NCL ships also have pool bars, so try having your martini outside and enjoying a little fresh air with it.

 

The point is, you've been guaranteed a number of places onboard to smoke, so claiming that "non-smokers won't give a little" is just ludicrous. What you haven't been guaranteed is the right to smoke in any bar you want to at any time of day (i.e., the pool bar's not usually open at night and if I'm not mistaken, the casino bar is closed in port while the casino's closed). You're just going to have to deal with having a limited number of places instead of every bar. If "99 percent of smokers are considerate," that should be easy to go along with.

 

I agree completely... it's far from "smoke free", more like smoke reduced.

 

This could open a whole line of revenue for the spa's to offer smoking cessation programs ;) Hmmm... maybe it will become against the rules to bring outside tobacco on board with you... unless you pay a "burnage fee" :D

 

Probably could have been communicated better, but I have to laugh when people suggest they are entitled to compensation as a result of this policy. How much OBC do you think you are entitled to because you can't smoke in Dazzles anymore...?

[meagent]

 

I don't think people are thinking of the long range effects of all the changing laws to protect the entire country.

 

 

I agree 100%. Everyone just sees a result they like and says yay the government should do this! One day everyone will be on the wrong side of government regulation. Think it can't happen? Who would have believed 40 years ago that the government would be telling restaurants they can't let people smoke there?

[cruisebum50]

I agree completely... it's far from "smoke free", more like smoke reduced.

 

This could open a whole line of revenue for the spa's to offer smoking cessation programs ;) Hmmm... maybe it will become against the rules to bring outside tobacco on board with you... unless you pay a "burnage fee" :D

 

Probably could have been communicated better, but I have to laugh when people suggest they are entitled to compensation as a result of this policy. How much OBC do you think you are entitled to because you can't smoke in Dazzles anymore...?

 

I have read this entire thread and haven't seen anyone ask for OBC due to this policy. If there is one, please quote it. We have said if we could get a refund of our cruise we would go to another cruise line. We just feel that not letting people make an informed choice is wrong. If a rule affecting you were put in place that you didn't like after you had made full payment you wouldn't like it anymore than we do.

[Liquid Shiva]

Until the day that some ships go all non-smoking (that's a long way off), I don't see them banning smoking in the casino. Stats show that smokers are also more likely to be big drinkers, and big drinkers are what they want in the casinos because they let down their guard and bet more freely.

 

It would be interesting to know if there's a measurable correlation between smoking, drinking AND gambling.

 

For sure,

I work in a Dutch (state) casino,

In july 2008 al casino's will be smoke free, there will be a kind of a (half) outside balcony for smokers,

We are very uncertain of the outcome for the future about this new regulation (made by the gov.),

[KeystoneCruiser]

I agree 100%. Everyone just sees a result they like and says yay the government should do this! One day everyone will be on the wrong side of government regulation. Think it can't happen? Who would have believed 40 years ago that the government would be telling restaurants they can't let people smoke there?

 

I just heard a good one on the local talk radio this morning....it appears that there is a move afoot to attach a tax to "unhealthy foods" in order to try and discourage people from eating them. (under the guise of using the tax to pay for health care!) Some of the items mentioned in the list include: Potato Chips, Ice Cream, Cake, Chocolate Snack foods and my personal favorites: whole milk and butter!! (lowfat milk and margarine will be exempt.) People have been eating regular butter for years, now why is it so bad?? One of the people interviewed said (and I quote): "since people aren't smart enough to eat healthy on their own, the government is going to have to step in and help them."

 

 

I have read this entire thread and haven't seen anyone ask for OBC due to this policy. If there is one, please quote it. We have said if we could get a refund of our cruise we would go to another cruise line. We just feel that not letting people make an informed choice is wrong. If a rule affecting you were put in place that you didn't like after you had made full payment you wouldn't like it anymore than we do.

 

I do agree with you on this point cruisebum, NCL should have put more lead time in on the implementation of this policy. At least 90 days so that those who have not yet made final payment could opt not to cruise on the line and those who have made final payment aren't stuck on a cruise with a rule they don't like. But of course, we all know why NCL didn't give a long lead time and didn't notify anyone before hand: You said it yourself, you would cancel out of your cruise. (as would others) And we all know NCL's primary m.o.: making money is more important than being honest and upfront with the customers....don't do anything if it could cost us money, even if means not being fair with the customers.

[Given2Fly]

Even as a smoker, this policy does not bother me at all. I don't smoke in my house and it's been years since we could smoke in a restaurant or bar near where we live. Personally, I wouldn't mind if I couldn't smoke in the Casino since then I wouldn't lose so much money as I'd be taking smoke breaks on deck.

 

As long as I can smoke on my balcony or cabin and on deck, I'm fine. For those who say that smoke from someone's balcony bothers them, we always ask the people in the nearby cabins if it bothers them. If it does, we don't smoke on the balcony or only do it when they are either not out and don't have the door open.

 

We try to be a courteous as possible.

 

I like you

[newmexicoNita]

This is not an analogy to smoking. Other than taking up a lot of room in the buffet line ;), how do the overweight passengers interfere with the health and comfort of the non-overweight passengers?

 

Smoking is an act that, unless done alone far, far away from others, necessarily interferes with other people. That's how it works. I didn't have any trouble grasping this concept when I was smoking.

over weight people have more illnesses thus they see the doctors more, affecting the cost of insurance for everyone.

 

too many drinkers haven't figured out that drinking and driving don't mix, what happens? People are injured and killed because of drug driving.

 

This can go on and on, every habit that isn't good for us, affects many more than some realize. As I have said before, can't we all learn to give a little? I really think the lack of consideration can be seen more from non smokers than smokers. Yes, there are some smokers out there and I know a few that are not considerate, but this is rare.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

Now that gave me the biggest laugh of the day.

 

Look, you guys, NCL/NCLA has not gone smoke free. You have your own cabins, the casino, the cigar bar and the entire set of open decks (and other than Alaska, Cape Horn, a few fall foliage itineraries and some northern transatlantics, that means balmy weather for your cruise). If you don't like the casino bar as much as other bars, that's not really the problem of the majority of cruisers who don't want to breathe your smoke. All NCL ships also have pool bars, so try having your martini outside and enjoying a little fresh air with it.

 

The point is, you've been guaranteed a number of places onboard to smoke, so claiming that "non-smokers won't give a little" is just ludicrous. What you haven't been guaranteed is the right to smoke in any bar you want to at any time of day (i.e., the pool bar's not usually open at night and if I'm not mistaken, the casino bar is closed in port while the casino's closed). You're just going to have to deal with having a limited number of places instead of every bar. If "99 percent of smokers are considerate," that should be easy to go along with.

My guess is the pool bar will be non smoking as well or certainly part of it. I have talked to NCL but this part isn't clear right now.

 

Nita

 

ps: by the way, hubby is a non smoker, has been for 25 years and hates the habit. He feels the non smoking policy is going too far.

[Host CMLA]

Hi guys. Can we please keep this discussion focused on NCL's new policy and not health issues or whether or not someone should quit smoking, etc or even about govt. intervention into smoking in other places. Thanks.

 

I'm an ex smoker. Smoked for about 15 years. I quit 6 years ago. I like any policy that more clearly defines smoking areas that give everyone a place where they can do their thing.

[Given2Fly]

too many drinkers haven't figured out that drinking and driving don't mix, what happens? People are injured and killed because of drug driving.

 

Nita

 

Yes, that would be why driving drunk is illegal last I checked.. horrible example.

Why not say "people shouldn't be able to own knives because people kill people with knives sometimes!!!" ..

[Surfgirl]

I'm disappointed with the new policy.

 

I don't think it has gone far enough.

 

I cannot go into the casinos because I can't stand the smoke. I also would like to see smoking banned in the cabins. Fire is the most dangerous hazard at sea. It makes no sense to me that candles are prohibited, irons are prohibited, yet someone can light up and set the ship on fire. All it takes is for one person to fall asleep in bed while smoking for a huge disaster at sea to happen.

 

My opinion-- have one entirely enclosed smoking room and confine smoking to that area only.

[POOHISME2]

I do agree with you on this point cruisebum, NCL should have put more lead time in on the implementation of this policy. At least 90 days so that those who have not yet made final payment could opt not to cruise on the line and those who have made final payment aren't stuck on a cruise with a rule they don't like. But of course, we all know why NCL didn't give a long lead time and didn't notify anyone before hand: You said it yourself, you would cancel out of your cruise. (as would others) And we all know NCL's primary m.o.: making money is more important than being honest and upfront with the customers....don't do anything if it could cost us money, even if means not being fair with the customers.

I Fully Agree as I too would have cancelled these B2B's.

[cliffd64]

I have read this entire thread and haven't seen anyone ask for OBC due to this policy. If there is one, please quote it. We have said if we could get a refund of our cruise we would go to another cruise line. We just feel that not letting people make an informed choice is wrong. If a rule affecting you were put in place that you didn't like after you had made full payment you wouldn't like it anymore than we do.

 

Sure... I'll provide a link to the quote where someone suggested "compensation" for the policy change. Wasn't your post... it was someone else's. The OBC part was my addition ... no one specifically mentioned OBC, but that is usually the type of "compensation" you get from NCL...

 

The main thing that upsets me here is not the fact they have made certain areas non-smoking, it's the fact NCL did not tell anyone of this policy that starts in 2 days! And made no compensations for the smokers.

 

Yes, I'm a smoker. I do not visit the casino because if the noise. So, If I want to socialize and drink and have a cigarette where am I to go.. To my cabin? Is that what I paid for? I can drink and smoke at home!

 

They should have made at least ONE designated SMOKING bar that is inside.

[Droopy_Sails]

over weight people have more illnesses thus they see the doctors more, affecting the cost of insurance for everyone.

 

too many drinkers haven't figured out that drinking and driving don't mix, what happens? People are injured and killed because of drug driving.

 

This can go on and on, every habit that isn't good for us, affects many more than some realize. As I have said before, can't we all learn to give a little? I really think the lack of consideration can be seen more from non smokers than smokers. Yes, there are some smokers out there and I know a few that are not considerate, but this is rare.

 

Nita

 

Nita, you're moving the goalposts, a common ploy of defensive smokers who really don't want to face how their actions immediately affect others. I asked you guys how fat cruise ship passengers interfere with other passengers' health and comfort. You didn't have an answer for that other than riffing on a totally different subject, insurance costs and drunk driving.

 

Those are good topics for another discussion, but they're not an analogy to the actual topic at hand: how smoking in public places affects others. And you know they aren't an analogy.

 

As for non-smokers' "lack of consideration":

 

a) You're making me laugh harder if you're actually comparing my breathing your smoke to your momentary inconvenience of not being able to smoke wherever you want to.

b) Again, when you can smoke a number of places on board, where's the "lack of consideration" or refusal to "give a little" from non-smokers? Are you actually arguing that we're being inconsiderate or refusing to budge if you can't smoke in every bar you want whenever you want?

 

The reason I'm being impatient with you, Nita, is that you're rationalizing, scrambling around and doing everything possible to avoid the central point that when you smoke, it negatively affects others in that very moment. Your rights do not trump others', and your lack of consideration has an immediate effect on others' health and comfort. On some level, you know this.

 

And I know it's possible to be a smoker who doesn't rationalize how their own actions affect others, because I was one. I stood outside in Chicago winters, went for 10 hours without a smoke on international flights, sat through long meals and long evenings in bars without a cig, and I didn't ever complain because I was well aware that I wasn't on the right side of the argument. Just be honest with yourself, please.

[heelfan94]

Are there people who would really cancel over this? I'm surprised because you still have places to smoke. And if we all think this isn't going to happen on other cruise lines then we're probably being naive. It's a trend right now.

[POOHISME2]

Sure... I'll provide a link to the quote where someone suggested "compensation" for the policy change. Wasn't your post... it was someone else's. The OBC part was my addition ... no one specifically mentioned OBC, but that is usually the type of "compensation" you get from NCL...

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by POOHISME2

The main thing that upsets me here is not the fact they have made certain areas non-smoking, it's the fact NCL did not tell anyone of this policy that starts in 2 days! And made no compensations for the smokers.

 

Yes, I'm a smoker. I do not visit the casino because if the noise. So, If I want to socialize and drink and have a cigarette where am I to go.. To my cabin? Is that what I paid for? I can drink and smoke at home!

 

They should have made at least ONE designated SMOKING bar that is inside.

 

Do you really think I want MONETARY compensation? I want a SMOKING BAR!

[Droopy_Sails]

My guess is the pool bar will be non smoking as well or certainly part of it. I have talked to NCL but this part isn't clear right now.

 

It will be interesting to see; it may not be since it's outdoors, but it may be since some of the outdoors bars also serve food or are near food venues.

 

Smokers may actually have to carry their drinks a short distance to designated smoking areas on deck, or flag a roaming bar waiter as he passes through those areas. Oh, the humanity!

[Droopy_Sails]

They should have made at least ONE designated SMOKING bar that is inside.[/i]

 

Do you really think I want MONETARY compensation? I want a SMOKING BAR!

 

You've got one. It's in the casino. As others have pointed out, your not liking the casino bar is not really the problem of NCL/NCLA or the majority of passengers who don't smoke.