Smoking in Cabins

[davidandsusan-nj]

My husband and I just completed our first cruise ever on Regent. We had a wonderful vacation, but have had trouble with Regent processing credits for a shortened cruise since returning. It has become so aggravating that we are looking elsewhere for our cruise holiday this year (despite the hefty credit they gave us). At first my husband was very opposed to the formal nights (especially on an Alaskan or Caribbean itinerary) but has adjusted his thinking because he would get to wear his tux 2 nights. He did not want to carry it and all the accessories just to wear once. Now the only obstacle to Silversea is the smoking policy.

 

I know this is a very touchy subject (and I do not want to upset and/or offend any smokers) but I am wondering how noticeable the smell of smoke is in the cabins. If there was a smoker in your cabin on the cruise prior to yours is the smell still lingering when you board? Does the smell of smoke from people smoking on their balconies further down the hall make its way into your cabin? Are there any smoke free cabins on the ship?

We are both very sensitive to the smell of smoke and certainly would be miserable in a cabin that smelled like cigarettes. I had no problem with the smoking policy on Regent and just avoided the one lounge in which they were permitted to smoke. If the ship makes a difference, both of the cruises we are interested in booking are on the Shadow.

 

Thanks

[dougburns]

I am a smoker, my wife is not. We were on Shadow in Nov and found the smoking policy to be very well handled. You will not smell smoke in a stateroom if there was a smoker there before you. Don't know how they do it, but they manage to get any smell out. I always smoke on the balcony and not in the stateroom and I do it when others are not out on their balcony; ie, late at night and early in the morning. The bar on Shadow is very large, unlike the Voyager Lounge on Regent and smoking is allowed on one side, while the other is non-smoking. Smoking is not permitted in the Panorama Lounge and you have to go outside the lounge to smoke, so you won't be bothered there. Of course, there is no smoking in any of the dining rooms. Smoking is permitted on the starboard side of the pool deck. I really don't think you'll have a problem. Shadow is a great ship and the crew is fantastic.

[davidandsusan-nj]

Thanks Dougburns. We knew dining was not an issue and the pool deck would be no problem (we use it only on sea days and it is not crucial to us) and we would frequent only lounges that are smoke free. Our concen was strictly the cabins. While walking through a smoking area will bother us, having the smell in our cabin is another story. Are most passengers as curteous as you about smoking outside on their balconies? We just want to make a decision based on what the reality is. We cannot cruise most European lines because of the more relaxed smoking policies.

[dougburns]

We didn't hear any complaints during the cruise. There were quite a few smokers aboard and the majority of the pax were from CA. If there would have been complaints it would certainly have been from a CA group. I really don't think you'll have any problem vis-a-vis the cabin or balcony. I enjoyed Shadow more than the Regent ships( we've cruised all of them ). We always thought the Regent crews were excellent, but Silversea wins hands down on that issue IMHO.

[wripro]

I have never smelled smoke in a cabin on SS. Most of the passengers who smoke are considerate enough of others to follow rules. I would not let that deter you from trying SS.

[Goldens4]

Husband and I both smoke and we have never smelled lingering smoke in our suite. We use our veranda (for some reason on our last trip on the Shadow, no one next to us used theirs) and do not smoke inside our suite. We smoke in the designated areas. When I am on the pool deck, I always ask if the person next to me has any objections if I light up on the starboard side. I don't think you will have any problem. Now if the non-smokers would just stop giving me hateful looks, I'd be happy. LOL! :p

[nowornever]

We were on the much loved Cloud a month ago & we definitely smelled smoke residue in our cabin. Our very wonderful cabin steward had the heavy-duty cleaners in first thing the following morning & they took care of 99% of it. If you are smoke sensitive, you can be bothered on a SS ship. I realize many of you are smokers however, smoking is not the debate here, the discussion is can you smell smoke. They have for some unknown reason, placed the humidor inside of the non smoking Panorama Lounge. Of course, when anyone opens the door, the cigar smoke escapes into the Panorama. I don't understand that logic. On the Shadow, the area just outside the Restaurant was smoking as of 2 years ago, maybe that has changed. The smoking-allowed bar was on the non smoking side of the pool deck. If you are smoke sensitive, Silversea might not be your best choice...that's something only you can decide after hearing all opinions. We love the ships & the crew so much & that factor almost outweighs the sometimes annoying smoke smells. We like the Regent policy better but we can only speak for ourselves.

[meow!]

Smokers should be encouraged to use the humidor, a custom designed dedicated smoking room now present on all Silversea ships. While we are non-smokers, we deliberately went to the humidor to check it out, and it was very nice, with smoke ventilated directly out the chimney. There, you can smoke to your content and nobody will notice. You can smoke cigars and pipes too.

[Goldens4]

Just on the Shadow in Dec. The area outside the restaurant is non-smoking now. Also, the Pool Bar is non-smoking. You can't sit at the bar and smoke, but you can sit at the first 3 tables.

 

Again, there was no lingering smoke smell in our suite. However, I did ask our steward to change one of the pillows on our sofa. There was a stale smell of some horrid perfume that made me (as a smoker) gag. I think whoever was in the suite before us may have had a spill. It was taken care of and by the time we returned from the Bon Voyage party and dinner, everything was A-OK.

 

I did notice a few things that were amiss in our suite. At the vanity, the table had a long thin burn. Looked like someone put their curling iron on the wood. Duh! And, the upholstery looked a tad faded. Will the Shadow be undergoing a refurb. soon?

 

It would really make this discussion moot if SS designated some cabins as smoking. If they were towards the fantail, then smoke from the verandahs would be blowing back and everyone would be happy. Hopefully!

 

PS: I totally understand your sensitivity to smoke. I have a sensitivity to certain perfumes.

So, there are times I have to play "musical chairs" to avoid someone who is wearing a

certain scent.

[lord of the seas]

Husband and I both smoke and we have never smelled lingering smoke in our suite.

 

Come on,everyone knows that smokers can't smell smoke or taste their food properly.:)

[davidandsusan-nj]

Thank you all for your replies. I wish there would be designated smoking cabins as there are rooms in hotels. That way there could be no potential problem. I guess it is unrealistic to do on a ship or they would have done it. I would really hate not to choose a ship because of this one issue. From what I am reading here it seems that we should be okay. Thanks again.

[seagirl2002]

I am a non smoker, my mom does smoke but even staying with her in one suite is fine for me. She has the verandah door open when she smokes and I don't smell anything when I go into the cabin.

[CanadianKate]

Last May we were on the Shadow on Deck 4 (no opening window) and as we were being taken to our cabin on embarkation the smell of smoke was very strong in the hall due to heavy smoker next door. I was almost panicked. We shut our door and within moments ceased to notice the smell. We came back from the muster drill and still smelled nothing.

 

This cruise had a high percentage of smokers and we were never bothered the whole time.

[vitesse]

We were on the PA II in December and I was really surprised to find smoking allowed in cabins at all. Unfortunately our hallway smelled constantly but there was no trace in the room.

[conchyjoe]

One of the reasons that we switched from Regent to Silversea was because they had a more liberal smoking policy. Like Dougburns, my wife is a non-smoker and I don't smoke inside the cabin, only on the balcony and the very limited public areas where is it permitted.

 

I really hope that this aspect of Silversea does not change anytime soon. There are plenty of other lines that have a more restrictive smoking policy, if this aspect is really important for you.

 

That said, I only smelled smoke coming from a cabin once during the cruise when the cabin door was open and the evening turndown service was being done.

[Goldens4]

Thank you, ConchyJoe, very well said. I agree completely. However, SS has become more restrictive since 2007. No more smoking outside the restaurant and no smoking at the Pool Bar even though it is outside:confused:. Before we book, we are going to check with SS and see if any more restrictions have been applied since 2008.

[rubyclk]

We were on the Shadow in November in a 6th floor veranda cabin. It smelled of cigarette smoke. It was a disappointment upon arrival. We kept the veranda door open most of the time we were in the room. The smell diminished over the course of the 9 day cruise but never disappeared entirely.

 

Kriegers

[Goldens4]

Did you contact your Room Steward and let them know? They would have done a deep cleaning as was in a previous post.