Smoke on the Water
Cruise Ships: Where You Can & Can't Smoke
 |
| Churchill's
Cigar Bar Aboard Queen Victoria |
by Linda Coffman
One of the unhappiest groups of cruisers I've
even met were four World War II veterans aboard R-1. It was back in
1999, when now defunct-Renaissance Cruises was the only
no-smoking-allowed cruise line in existence. The otherwise charming
vets were all cigarette smokers whose wives thought a cruise on a
non-smoking ship would prompt them to abandon their habit. They
groused about their wives' deception, but managed to take matters
into their own hands. In the wee hours of every morning while
everyone else was fast asleep, the disgruntled vets held a
"smoker" on the fantail of the ship.
While such an action isn't necessary on most
ships these days, it is getting harder and harder to find a place to
light up during a cruise. Ships are catching up to the rest of the
hospitality industry and the smoking lamp has gone out in virtually
all restaurants and showrooms at sea, as well as many of their bars
and lounges. While casinos are one of the last bastions of smokers,
some have "smoke-free" nights to clear the air.
Airlines were leaders in the non-smoking
revolution, followed by restaurants and hotels that gradually phased
in separate areas for smokers and then eliminated them altogether.
Now, local governments across the United States and even Europe have enacted
legislation that bans smokers from bars and even some outdoor cafes. The
cruise industry was slow to follow the trend, mainly because of
non-US passengers who don't object to smoking and, more importantly
because of groups. Group bookings are important to cruise lines and
groups hesitate to book on a non-smoking ship if even a minority of
their members smoke. Groups don't want to leave anyone out or put
them in an uncomfortable environment. There is also the matter
of revenue. Carnival Cruise Lines' experiment with the smoke-free Carnival Paradise ended in less than a decade. The ship never matched the
revenue of the rest of its fleetmates.
Think of that small group of veterans—they
probably wouldn't be able to get away with their fantail rebellion
these days. And, happily for them, they wouldn't have to break the
rules on most cruise ships. Smokers realize there are designated places to smoke and places
that are entirely smoke-free on the seas and most are willing to accept the compromise. The first thing they do is
check for ashtrays and make friends with other smokers. "We're
outcasts, aren't we?" is a common conversation starter between
smokers who gather in smoking-designated areas. Cigar aficionados
don't suffer the same indignities when they have their own
"cigar lounge" to retreat to. They are accustomed to being
banned from most public areas and are happy to find a lounge that
accepts them. Otherwise, they are relegated to an outdoor deck,
along with pipe smokers.
Only about twenty percent of American adults are
currently smokers so it's not a big deal that smoking areas have
shrunk. We applaud the cruise lines for their health and safety
concerns, but also give them high marks for not ostracizing the
minority of smokers who want to be comfortable with their habit.
It's a win-win situation in most cases.
Smoking At Sea
Never smoke in an elevator, on stairways, or in
corridors. As a rule of thumb, if there's an ashtray at hand, you
can smoke; if there's food served nearby, you can't. Pipes, and
sometimes cigars, are often restricted to open decks. These are
some of the specific dos and don'ts:
Azamara
Cruises
Where to Smoke: Small sections for smokers
are located on the port side of the Looking Glass Lounge and the forward
area of the pool deck on the starboard side.
Where NOT to Smoke: No other areas on the
ships allow smoking, including all restaurants, lounges, casinos, cabins and balconies.
Carnival Cruise Lines
Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies,
casinos, and designated areas in lounges and bars.
Where NOT to Smoke: Restaurants, show
lounges, and the pool deck on those ships that have "indoor"
areas serving food nearby.
Cigars: Cigar smoking is allowed
only in cigar lounges and designated
areas
on open decks.
Celebrity Cruises
Where to Smoke:
The
port side of one lounge per ship, a designated slot machine area in
each ship's casino, and designated areas on open decks,
including
the port side of the pool deck and sundecks on each
ship, the port side of the Sunset Bar on Celebrity Century and on
Celebrity's Millennium class of ships, and the port side aft outside
of Winter Garden on Celebrity Mercury.
Where NOT to Smoke:
Cabins, private balconies, show lounges,
theaters, and restaurants, as well as the entire starboard side--indoors
and outside.
Celebrity Solstice's Lawn Club and the Sunset Bar at
the Lawn Club do not allow smoking.
Cigars: Cigars are allowed
only in designated sections of the open decks.
Costa Cruises
Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, open decks,
and designated smoking areas in public rooms.
Where NOT to Smoke: All restaurants and show lounges.
Cigars: Cigar smoking is allowed
only in designated areas, including cigar lounges and on open decks.
Crystal Cruises
Where to Smoke: Cabins and in designated areas
of bars, lounges, and open decks.
Where NOT to Smoke: Restaurants, show
lounges, and private balconies.
Cigars: Cigars (and pipes) are
allowed in the
Connoisseur Club and most open decks.
Cunard Line
Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies,
casinos, and in designated smoking sections of some bars and
lounges.
Where NOT to Smoke: Show lounges, theaters,
the library, and all restaurants.
Cigars: Cigars (and pipes) are permitted
in cigar lounges, as well as on designated areas of open
decks.
Disney Cruises
Where to Smoke: Cabin balconies and
designated starboard-side open deck areas (including near the adults-only pool).
Where NOT to Smoke: All other indoor
areas, including cabins, are smoke-free.
Holland America Line
Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies,
casinos, and in designated areas of
bars, lounges, and
open decks.
Where NOT to Smoke: All restaurants and show lounges.
MSC Cruises
Where to Smoke: In
Cigar rooms, casinos, one dedicated lounge, and
designated areas on open decks.
Where NOT to Smoke: Cabins, private
balconies, restaurants, show
lounges, and all bars with the exception above.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Where to Smoke: Cabins, private
balconies, casinos, cigar lounges, and designated areas on open
decks.
Where NOT to Smoke: All indoor public areas,
with the exceptions noted above, and outdoor food venues.
Oceania Cruises
Where to Smoke: Smoking is permitted only in the aft port side
of Horizons, and the starboard forward section of the outdoor Pool
Deck.
Where NOT to Smoke: All other areas are smoke-free. This
includes all cabins and balconies, restaurants, public rooms, and
open decks except for the two designated smoking areas.
Oceania has tightened its smoking regulations
with a "zero tolerance" policy, which imposes strict
penalties upon those who smoke outside designated areas—up to and
including disembarkation from the ship.
Princess Cruises
Where to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, and in designated areas in public
rooms and open decks.
Where NOT to Smoke: Show lounges,
elevators, dining rooms, and all food service areas.
Additionally, "smoke-free nights" are scheduled in the casino.
Cigars: Cigar smoking is allowed only in
cigar lounges and on open decks; pipe
smoking is allowed on open decks.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Where to Smoke: Smoking is permitted on open decks, in the
casino and Connoisseur Club on Seven Seas Mariner, Navigator, and
Voyager, and in designated smoking areas in one lounge on each ship.
Where NOT to Smoke: Cabins, private balconies, all indoor dining areas,
and all public rooms except as
noted above.
Cigars: Cigar smoking is permitted in the
Connoisseur Club on Seven Seas Mariner, Navigator, and Voyager, and
in designated areas
of open decks. Pipe smoking is permitted only in the Connoisseur
Club on those ships and is prohibited on other ships.
Royal Caribbean
Where to Smoke: Private ocean view balconies, the starboard side of open decks,
and in designated smoking areas of certain public rooms.
Where NOT to Smoke: In cabins
(passengers who smoke in their cabins will be fined $250), restaurants, show lounges,
passageways, the port sides of open decks, and
one public lounge on each ship, which is designated non-smoking.
Cigars: Cigar and pipe smoking is only permitted
within the cigar lounge. If no cigar lounge exists on the ship,
there will be a designated area for pipe and cigar smoking
Seabourn Cruise Line
Where to Smoke:
Cabins, private balconies, and designated areas of open decks.
Where NOT to Smoke:
Restaurants (including outside areas where food is served), lounges, and
elevators.
Cigars:
Cigar and pipe smoking are allowed only in designated areas on open decks
after 9pm.
SeaDream Yacht Club
Where to Smoke:
Outdoors on Decks 3, 4
and 6.
Where NOT to Smoke:
All indoor
spaces, including cabins, and outside on Decks 2 and 5.
Silversea Cruises
Where to Smoke:
Cabins, private balconies, designated areas of
The Bar, aft of the Terrace Café (outside), the casino, and designated areas
on open decks.
Where NOT to Smoke: Restaurants,
the show lounge, and all other public rooms.
Cigars:
Cigar and pipe smoking is permitted
in cigar lounges and designated areas on outside decks.
Windstar Cruises
Where to Smoke:
Designated areas on outside decks only.
Where NOT to Smoke:
All indoor spaces, including cabins.
Cigars:
Cigar and pipe smoking are allowed
only on designated outside deck areas.
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