The airlines did it in the 1990's, now it's the cruise industry's turn. Last summer a handful of cruise lines announced that they would implement new smoking policies starting in January 2012. Although it's probably too early to understand what the passengers think, find out who has the strictest policies within the industry.
Strictest Cruise Line Smoking Policies
For those that don't smoke, policies that prohibit smoking in staterooms as well as on balconies are the best options. When a cruise line allows passengers to smoke on their verandas but not in their cabin this could increase the number of smokers that may book a balcony cabin. Alternatively, if a cruise line allows stateroom smoking, chances are that a non-smoking passenger would notice residual smoke odors from a previous cruise.
The cruise lines that prohibit smoking in both staterooms and balconies include Azamara Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Oceania Cruises.
Princess Cruises was the latest company to implement this strict smoking policy as a result of what their passengers want. "Our consumer studies now show that smokers are a small minority of our passengers, and that the large majority of passengers value having their primary living space onboard smoke-free," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises' executive vice president in a press release.
What happens if a passenger is caught smoking? Oceania Cruises states in their guest ticket contract that guests choosing to disregard the policy may be subject to pay up to the fare paid for the cruise for cleaning fees. Guests can also be disembarked by the Captain without warning for violation of this policy.
Fire Safety in Cabins and Balconies
Regardless of the comfort of non-smokers, smoking in cabins and on balconies could lead to a preventable fire onboard. In 2006 the Star Princess experienced a shipboard fire that scorched at least 100 staterooms, as reported by MSNBC. Speculation about a smouldering cigarette on a balcony prompted amendments to Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and to the International Code for Safety Systems (FSS Code).
Cruise Lines That Allow Smoking in Cabins and Balconies
Cruise lines that allow passengers to smoke on their balcony but not in their cabin include Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, and Royal Caribbean. On the other hand, there are cruise lines that permit passengers to smoke in their cabins but not on their balconies. These include Crystal Cruises, MSC Cruises, and Silversea Cruises.
Keep in mind that these policies pertain to cabins and balconies only. Additional smoking policies are in place for public areas such as restaurants, lounges, casinos and open deck space. Cruise lines also have separate and stricter policies when it comes to cigar and pipe smoking.
Renee Ruggero - Renee is a published travel writer and cruise industry insider with more than 1,000 days on cruise ships, visiting over 50 countries.
