NCL bans smoking in all staterooms

[Ned]

As of January 2012, NCL will ban all smoking in staterooms.

Passengers in balcony staterooms can smoke cigarettes on the balcony, but not cigars or pipes.

In fact, except in those NCL ships with enclosed cigar bars, cigar and pipe smoking is prohibited indoors, apparently, even in the casino.

Cigarette smoking in the casino will continue to be permitted, but that will be the only location (other than the enclosed cigar bars) where any kind of indoor smoking will be permitted. Smoking will be prohibited in all other public indoor venues, including all bars, restaurants, conference rooms, corridors, restrooms, staircases and landings.

Passengers will be permitted to smoke cigarettes, cigars and pipes in outdoor public spaces and open decks, only where designated.

Outdoor smoking will not be permitted near areas which serve food, and outdoor spaces such as the jogging track, sport complex, children’s pool and the Haven.

NCL’s policy change follows new smoking rules being implemented Carnival, Holland America and Princess.

Personally, I think these rules will have the unintended consequence of making the use of stateroom balconies impossible for non-smokers as a huge amount of smoking will be pushed on to balconies by these rules.

I've had no interest in taking an NCL cruise, but if I had, as a non-smoker, as well intentioned as these rules may be, they would continue to push me away from NCL to another cruise line, one which prohibits smoking in staterooms and on balconies, as well most other public areas indoors and out, including all areas which serve food.

[TPARick]

Ned. IMO I think this is the start of going totally smoke free. I was reading on CC several threads about smokers on CCL who have cancelled future cruises due to the new policy,one guy even sold all his CCL stock.

I do agree with you about the balcony smoke ruining my relaxing balcony experience. I will book OV cabins until the smokers are not allowed to smoke on balconies. Its bad enought having to deal with the smokers in the casino,who wonder around, not gambling just catching a smoke. Last Princess Cruise I sailed on,the casino was smoke free, three nights of the seven night cruise.

[Loonbeam]

I actually look at windflow of the balconies we choose, trying to pick those less likely to 'scoop' smoke from balconies further up ship.

[Ned]

I think you may be right, but in the past, eliminating smoking cost the cruise lines in the casino pocketbook. Personally, I think times have changed, at least in the US, and to a somewhat lessor degree in Europe, but apparently not in many other areas of the world. People in the US are more health conscious and more and more adult smokers have given it up. So, we'll see.

Originally Posted by TPARick

Ned. IMO I think this is the start of going totally smoke free. I was reading on CC several threads about smokers on CCL who have cancelled future cruises due to the new policy,one guy even sold all his CCL stock.

I do agree with you about the balcony smoke ruining my relaxing balcony experience. I will book OV cabins until the smokers are not allowed to smoke on balconies. Its bad enought having to deal with the smokers in the casino,who wonder around, not gambling just catching a smoke. Last Princess Cruise I sailed on,the casino was smoke free, three nights of the seven night cruise.

[Ned]

That's a good idea, but Mrs. N. and I have headed in a different direction. We've only been patronizing cruise lines which don't permit smoking in any area of the ship except a very limited number of areas which don't include rooms or balconies, or restaurants.

Lately we've been confining our cruises to Azamara and Regent. We were on a Regent Baltic Cruise last summer and found that even in some of the outdoor areas in which smoking was allowed, such as the pool grills, no one was smoking. When a few people lit up everyone near them scattered and gave them such dirty looks and comments under their breath that they stopped and/or left the area, and didn't try again. By the 2nd night of the voyage, no one every tried to smoke there whenever I was there.

Azamara's smoking policy is even more restrictive than Regent's.

Originally Posted by Loonbeam

I actually look at windflow of the balconies we choose, trying to pick those less likely to 'scoop' smoke from balconies further up ship.

[bodega]

Originally Posted by Ned

I think you may be right, but in the past, eliminating smoking cost the cruise lines in the casino pocketbook. Personally, I think times have changed, at least in the US, and to a somewhat lessor degree in Europe, but apparently not in many other areas of the world. People in the US are more health conscious and more and more adult smokers have given it up. So, we'll see.

Times have changed but we will see how this goes. Carnival built that smoke free ship several years back, even workers building the ship were not allowed to smoke on the job, but the smoke free sailings didn't last long. The reason given to us were due to the Europeans and Asian markets. Europe is changing in their attitudes toward smoking, so time will tell.