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Princess Announces In-Cabin Smoking Ban
Come January, Princess Cruises will enforce a fleet-wide ban on smoking in passenger staterooms and on private balconies. The announcement comes following company research results showing that smokers comprise just a small minority of the line’s passengers, and that the majority of cruisers value having a smoke-free environment onboard. These new regulations echo popular concerns and regulation changes in many public places and businesses on terra firma and follows suit for several other major cruise lines: Holland America and Royal Caribbean will put the same regulations into effect on the same date, while Disney has never allowed smoking in its staterooms. Carnival launched smoke-free rooms in January of this year, while Celebrity ended smoking in cabins back in late 2009. Norwegian Cruise Line is the only major holdout – while they have kept all public areas smoke-free, smokers can still indulge cigarettes in their designated staterooms or on their private verandahs.
What do you think Cruise News readers? Is this a welcomed change or an unwelcomed jab at vacation freedoms?
With so few people smoking, this does seem “overboard” to me. Can’t imagine it makes all that much difference to most cruiser’s whether or not they get an occassional whiff of a cig.
However, the “anti’s” are so vitriolic, they remind me of my grandmother who was a member of the WCTL. She was not a happy woman.
I feel that at least a few rooms (maybe 10%) should be reserved for smokers. It will be interesting to see if cruise ships increase their bookings once all smokers are eliminated.
Second hand smoke kills, and smokers do not have the right to expose me to their deadly and unfortunate habit. On a recent Sea Princess voyage to Alaska I was unable to enjoy my veranda balcony because of incessant smoking on adjacent balconies. And forget about the casino, lung cancer fulminant. What must the rate of lung cancer be among the crew who are forced to work in these unsafe conditions.
I will not be pleased until cruise ship like restaurants, hotels and airlines are entirely smoke free.