Change to RCI smoking policy - effective today

[Taters]

There were plenty of places to smoke if I wanted to and even if bars were "closed" most have no walls or door that would bar you from going in a having a smoke.

 

Just try finding an ashtray! They are nonexistant unless you ask for one from a bartender.

 

Taters

[carmelninetysix]

Let's all try and get along and understand each others points of views! Royal Caribbean is trying to please both the smokers and the none smokers which I think all cruise lines will do eventually! Smokers can still smoke on the Starboard side of the ship, on baclonies, in the Casino except for one evening and in a lounge! I think with all the problems in the World we could make our own peace here in 2008 with a little more compassion and more understanding towards everyone who posts on the CC boards! Smokers and none smokers both deserve rights which is what Royal Caribbean is doing and giving all passengers a smoke free stateroom but still letting smokers smoke outside and elsewhere around the ship! Wishing everyone on these boards a Very Happy, Healthy and Safe 2008!! Happy Sailings and Bon Voyage!!! Melissa

[JoeD]

Every RCCL ship I have been on has covered smoking areas (lifeboat deck, pool deck ) etc where there are plenty of places to smoke even in inclement weather, so I don't think you theory holds up. There were plenty of places to smoke if I wanted to and even if bars were "closed" most have no walls or door that would bar you from going in a having a smoke.

 

 

 

Well Sue, I have nothing to gain by making up this story and don't know why you would doubt it.....I guess you would have had to have been there to understand the dynamics that existed the stormy week I was on my cruise.

[Sue L]

 

 

 

Well Sue, I have nothing to gain by making up this story and don't know why you would doubt it.....I guess you would have had to have been there to understand the dynamics that existed the stormy week I was on my cruise.

 

 

Never said you were making anything up I am just surprised this was an issue as I have been on plenty of stormy cruises and never had trouble finding a place out of the storm that I could have a cig, even if it was just sitting in the casino for a few minutes and not gambling. I apologize if you misunderstood my tone but that was not my intention.:D

[Debde]

I do believe that in a couple of years or less, there will be no smoking on all ships and the people who said they would never sail again because they couldn't smoke, will either stay true to their beliefs or smoke when in port if they are allowed. Only time will tell what happens. I know how difficult it is to quit and until one is ready, nothing will help.

 

Actually I feel the opposite. I don't think there will ever come a time RC will ban smoking totally. I do think you will soon be asked are you a smoker or non. I'm thinkjing soon all smokers cabins could possibly be Stbd. side.

Like them or not, smokers have been taking hit after hit and just going with the flow. No smoking in dining room-OK. No smoking in this bar OK. Only smoke on this side-OK. I think RC and smokers are doing the best they can right now. And yes, whoever said, we all just need to try to get along is right.

And I do believe smokers would NEVER sail RC again if it went no smoking. Tell a smoker they have to wait until they get to port! :eek:

[Shipyard Cruiser]

Actually I feel the opposite. I don't think there will ever come a time RC will ban smoking totally. I do think you will soon be asked are you a smoker or non. I'm thinkjing soon all smokers cabins could possibly be Stbd. side.

Like them or not, smokers have been taking hit after hit and just going with the flow. No smoking in dining room-OK. No smoking in this bar OK. Only smoke on this side-OK. I think RC and smokers are doing the best they can right now. And yes, whoever said, we all just need to try to get along is right.

And I do believe smokers would NEVER sail RC again if it went no smoking. Tell a smoker they have to wait until they get to port! :eek:

 

And I'm sure they would do just fine without the smokers.

 

You seem to see less and less smokers on every cruise.

[Fran Harp]

CC had many more smokers on this board before RCI changed their smoking policy. They do not post here anymore because they will no longer sail with Royal Caribbean and have found other places to share their cruise experiences. So you can all continue to preach from your soap boxes on the dangers of smoking/secondhand smoke and it will remain irrefutable because you are talking mostly amongst yourselves.

 

Think about this though. If there are that many people who will no longer be sailing with Royal Caribbean.......people who were loyal RCI fans, many of them diamond/diamond plus members ---what do you suppose will happen in the future when smokers realize that they are treated like 2nd class passengers? I think you will be complaining more about the increased costs of cruising to compensate for the lost revenue from smokers. I doubt the profit loss will be evident in the beginning due to the fact that some smokers will be unaware of the new smoking policy. When these uninformed smokers realize just how difficult and uncomfortable it will be to cruise for 7 days with the possibility of inclement weather, they will be staying away in droves.

 

A perfect example is what happened today and the reason I am here. Our group of over 100 people are planning our annual reunion cruise. For the last 10 years, we have always sailed with RCI. The group is made up of mostly nonsmokers. I mentioned the new smoking policy to them and they requested written proof to provide to interested family members who will be influenced by this change. I am here to copy and paste the information to send to them. Once everyone has this information, I'm sure we will re-think our vacation plans.

 

It's a delicate balance and if RCI eliminates one segement of the population who will go elsewhere to spend their vacation dollars, it could be a financial disaster.

 

No it won`t. When the City of Toronto went non-smoking in public areas, workplaces, restaurants, bars etc a few years ago, the same doom and and gloom scenario was predicted - restaurants would go under, hotels would go out of business, on and on. It didn`t happen. There may have been some people who stopped going to their favourite restaurant, or whatever, but not many; and in their place there were others who started going to eat in those venues because they now could.

 

Same thing with the airlines when they went non-smoking. In the end, people did not stop flying, they found ways to cope.

 

For every smoker who stops cruising, there will be another non-smoker who starts cruising because they now can. - and there are enough places to smoke on board that it really should not be an issue. (and I know I have CC friends out here who don`t agree with me....and it`s fine not to agree:D)

 

Fran in Toronto

[teabird]

WHAT IF THERE WERE SMOKING ROOMS AND NONSMOKING ROOMS LIKE HOTELS,SMOKING ON ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE SHIP,NONSMOKING NEXT TO NONSMOKING ETC. SEEMS SIMPLE!:confused:

[Tranquil Waters]

WHAT IF THERE WERE SMOKING ROOMS AND NONSMOKING ROOMS LIKE HOTELS,SMOKING ON ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE SHIP,NONSMOKING NEXT TO NONSMOKING ETC. SEEMS SIMPLE!:confused:

 

But the numbers of smokers could vary widely from cruise to cruise.

 

Plus, I would have to think that it would reduce RCI's insurance premiums to restrict smoking in the cabins - so that would be another reason for the new policy. :)

[Shipyard Cruiser]

WHAT IF THERE WERE SMOKING ROOMS AND NONSMOKING ROOMS LIKE HOTELS,SMOKING ON ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE SHIP,NONSMOKING NEXT TO NONSMOKING ETC. SEEMS SIMPLE!:confused:

 

More and more hotels are 100% nonsmoking.

[Debde]

The Million Dollar question:

Is any cruise line totally-smoke free?

[Sue L]

The Million Dollar question:

Is any cruise line totally-smoke free?

 

 

The one with the strictest policy I believe is Oceania and they still have a smoking area though they neither allow it in cabins or balconies.

[Debde]

Lookie what I just found right here:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles_print.cfm?ID=225

Maybe smokers and non-smokers alike could choose their cruise lines via this!!!:D Very interesting reading!! Not one totally smoke free cruise line! Also, I was surprised at how many of the cruise lines that you can still smoke in cabins!!

 

BTW-Thanks Sue!

[Hlitner]

We used to hear all the Europeans whine about anti-smoking policies found in the states. Now, we find that even France has adopted tough anti-smoking policies (no longer allowed in bars and restaurants) and in a recent visit to Dublin we noticed that they had even banned all smoking in pubs. And a funny thing has happened. The businesses seemed to do just fine. France still has its restaurants, Dublin has its pubs, the airlines are more crowded than ever, airports survive without smoking, buses seem to still run without interior smoke, hospitals function fine without smoking, etc etc. As to totally free cruise lines, its just a matter of time. Who would have ever thought we would have smoke-free stadiums.

[gxchan]

When we were smoking, we always just smoked on the balcony, since we did not smoke in our house. We just asked the room attendant for a ashtray for the balcony and he emptied it when he cleaned the room. Month and half smoke-free.

 

Congratulations on quitting.

[gxchan]

And those non-smokers who are chapping their hands applauding might not be so gleeful when they try to use their balconies and have smoking neighbors.:(

 

I'm wondering about this too. I had a balcony in early Dec. on Explorer and my neighbors smoked both cigarettes and cigars on their balcony. In one port they smoked cigars and the smell drifted into my cabin. I closed the balcony door but later when my cabin guy came to clean he asked if I needed an ashtray b/c he could smell the cigar smoke in my cabin! I don't have a problem with the smell--I smoked for years and years before I quit--but I can see where someone who is more sensitive to it wouldn't be able to keep their balcony door open when their neighbors are smoking. How is RCI going to settle that dispute? It is like the old airline policy, you can't smoke in row 20 but you can in row 21.

[gxchan]

Thanks very much!!

 

 

Just wanted to add my congrats on your quitting! It isn't easy--I know I quit myself.

[marle7]

CC had many more smokers on this board before RCI changed their smoking policy. They do not post here anymore because they will no longer sail with Royal Caribbean and have found other places to share their cruise experiences. So you can all continue to preach from your soap boxes on the dangers of smoking/secondhand smoke and it will remain irrefutable because you are talking mostly amongst yourselves.

 

Think about this though. If there are that many people who will no longer be sailing with Royal Caribbean.......people who were loyal RCI fans, many of them diamond/diamond plus members ---what do you suppose will happen in the future when smokers realize that they are treated like 2nd class passengers? I think you will be complaining more about the increased costs of cruising to compensate for the lost revenue from smokers. I doubt the profit loss will be evident in the beginning due to the fact that some smokers will be unaware of the new smoking policy. When these uninformed smokers realize just how difficult and uncomfortable it will be to cruise for 7 days with the possibility of inclement weather, they will be staying away in droves.

 

A perfect example is what happened today and the reason I am here. Our group of over 100 people are planning our annual reunion cruise. For the last 10 years, we have always sailed with RCI. The group is made up of mostly nonsmokers. I mentioned the new smoking policy to them and they requested written proof to provide to interested family members who will be influenced by this change. I am here to copy and paste the information to send to them. Once everyone has this information, I'm sure we will re-think our vacation plans.

 

It's a delicate balance and if RCI eliminates one segement of the population who will go elsewhere to spend their vacation dollars, it could be a financial disaster.

 

 

We were on Brilliance during the Christmas cruise, and just before the new policy came into effect. A couple of things worth noting for both smokers and non smokers:

 

Smoking areas have already been changed. The two public areas were you can smoke besides the starboard side of the outdoors areas are the Sports Bar and the Colony club, in the back by the windows. You can still smoke in the casino, although the formal nights are now non-smoking from 5:30 pm to close. It may be worth noting that on those nights, the casino was totally dead.

 

I mentioned this to one of the Casino people who told me that Royal Caribbean's intent is to go completely non-smoking by this time next year, so they are starting to phase in extra non-smoking times at the Casino and restrict the public areas as well.

 

To add to your comments, I am a Diamond member, almost a diamond plus member. I smoke, my husband does not. If I still happen to be a smoker when this new complete smoking ban comes in, we we definitely be sailing with another cruise line.

[gailc]

marie7 - When they said smoke free by this time next year, were they talking about just the casino or the whole ship?

 

Gail

[GottaLuvCruising]

I mentioned this to one of the Casino people who told me that Royal Caribbean's intent is to go completely non-smoking by this time next year, so they are starting to phase in extra non-smoking times at the Casino and restrict the public areas as well.

 

Wow! If that decision is made, Royal Caribbean will immediately become the ONLY cruise line for us!!!!

[marle7]

marie7 - When they said smoke free by this time next year, were they talking about just the casino or the whole ship?

 

Gail

 

I believe they meant fleet wide, the whole ship. Other guests were told the same thing, but I don't know if they were told that by the casino staff or others.

I think as someone else mentioned above, it will depend on financial considerations if they go this route, which is why they are testing the non smoking nights in the casino now, traditionally a very heavy smoking area. Financially speaking, those nights were the quietest in the casino, which leads me to think that the people spending the most money in the casinos are smokers. As a smoker, it didn't bother me all that much. The sports bar is right next to the casino, and I could slip out there if I felt the need, but clearly it bothered others who stayed away in droves. If that trend continues on smoke free nights, RCCL may have a significant revenue drop.

 

We'll be on Explorer in March, and I'll be interested to see how that goes with the new policies.

[Scoobydobe7]

I am a former smoker and I can tell you there is a big difference between being able to step outside or to a smoking area than to go a whole day (sea days) without a cig. I think RC will be making a huge mistake if they plan to go entirely smoke free. While smokers make-up a minority of the population, they are willing to smoke in des. areas. If you take those areas away, they (smokers and their families will not cruise on RCCL), and with all those ships to fill I think it would be felt fleet wide.

 

I travel with smokers and I would never asked them to consider a non smoking cruise, so if it does happen we will be cruising another line.

[Sue L]

I mentioned this to one of the Casino people who told me that Royal Caribbean's intent is to go completely non-smoking by this time next year, so they are starting to phase in extra non-smoking times at the Casino and restrict the public areas as well.

 

To add to your comments, I am a Diamond member, almost a diamond plus member. I smoke, my husband does not. If I still happen to be a smoker when this new complete smoking ban comes in, we we definitely be sailing with another cruise line.

 

 

I suspect the crew member was referring to a non-smoking casino and not a non-smoking ship. Even the most restrictive of the lines has a smoking area, small area but still an area. I doubt the cruise line would alienate ALL groups by going completely non-smoking because it is practically a guarantee the any decent sized group will have a couple of smokers in their ranks.

[FL_Cruiser64]

No it won`t. When the City of Toronto went non-smoking in public areas, workplaces, restaurants, bars etc a few years ago, the same doom and and gloom scenario was predicted - restaurants would go under, hotels would go out of business, on and on. It didn`t happen. There may have been some people who stopped going to their favourite restaurant, or whatever, but not many; and in their place there were others who started going to eat in those venues because they now could.

 

Same thing with the airlines when they went non-smoking. In the end, people did not stop flying, they found ways to cope.

 

For every smoker who stops cruising, there will be another non-smoker who starts cruising because they now can. - and there are enough places to smoke on board that it really should not be an issue. (and I know I have CC friends out here who don`t agree with me....and it`s fine not to agree:D)

 

Fran in Toronto

 

This thinking is flawed. Smokers have no choice with government imposed non smoking laws. Its either eat in a non smoking restaurant or not at all.

 

If a cruise line imposes a non smoking policy on all ships and at all times and unless ALL cruise lines will impose that then the cruise line who will impose this "all ships, non smoking at all times" will lose out.

 

As a matter of fact, revenue in southeast FL restaurants went down after this ban was imposed. It is not so much because of less customers, smokers didn't stay away, but rather the added revenue of having a few more drinks after dinner with a cigarette to go along was gone. The added free table (quicker turn around) was replaced by a lot of retirees who then entered the restaurant business even more and they usually order one meal for two. That is a fact, my wife's boss owned a few restaurants and I have another family member in the restaurant business down here.

 

TGIF franchises are in trouble left and right, so is Roadhouse Grill, Outback keeps its restaurants to a minimum, Gators is in trouble (chapter 11), so are some of the Ale Houses.

 

Revenue during football games is dramatically down. The typical restaurant with bar (Ale House) has been replaced by a pub with TVs. Places with outdoor seating where smoking is still allowed make a killing on the other hand.

 

How did most restaurants combat that? Price increase or less selections on the menu.

[FL_Cruiser64]

But the numbers of smokers could vary widely from cruise to cruise.

 

Plus, I would have to think that it would reduce RCI's insurance premiums to restrict smoking in the cabins - so that would be another reason for the new policy. :)

 

More and more hotels are 100% nonsmoking.

 

As a smoker I have no problems with a smoking ban in Hotels or Staterooms. With Hotels I have a choice: I don't use Marriot in the US anymore and with cruising I choose balconies or JS. I don't even smoke in my own house.

 

What bothers me is that non smokers purposely, and while knowing that there is a smoking area, walk through it so they can just bitch and complain.