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Which Ships are Non-Smoking?
Oceania Cruises and Royal Caribbean (including Celebrity and Azamara) consider themselves practically smoke-free.  Aside from a single bar or a small designated area located on a higher deck, smoking is forbidden throughout most cruise ships (even in staterooms and on balconies**)
**On my last trip, on Mariner of the Seas, they said that guests could smoke on the balcony.
The casino is "smoke free" on Formal Night!


No smoking - and they mean it!

The Star Princess fire has prompted one cruise line to tighten its smoking regulations.  Oceania Cruises said it had begun to enforce a "zero-tolerance" policy on passengers caught smoking outside designated smoking areas on its ships.  The penalty?  Being taken off the ship at the next port of call.  "Smokers are wondering whether it it is worth risking a $20,000 vacation," said Oceania spokesman Tim Rubacky.

He said the line was giving letter to passengers warning them about the new enforcement policy at embarkation

The cause of the Star Princess fire is still under investigation.

Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2006

Regent Seven Seas Cruises
New Smoking Policy

Update as of July 5, 2007

In light of continuing legislative changes in smoking policies around the world as well as the comfort, health and safety of our guests and crew, both in terms of the proven dangers of second hand smoke and the fire hazard that smoking presents, Regent Seven Seas Cruises will be changing our policy of smoking in staterooms, suites and on private balconies. Not only does smoking present a fire hazard, but it is also an inconvenience to other guests as the smoke, or its odor, invades surrounding suites, balconies and public areas, creating discomfort for the guests in these areas.  Smoking will therefore be prohibited in all staterooms, suites and balconies fleet-wide. 
More...


All Donations Appreciated

SmokeFreeCruise.org was started by a webmaster who had a bad experience with a cruise (see letters).  It is being funded entirely out-of-pocket.  Contributions of any size are greatly appreciated. $5 to $25 is suggested.  This money will be applied to:

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Please submit your donation through Paypal (a secure web site). Donations to Smoke Free Cruise are not tax-deductible for federal income tax purposes.
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Smokeless Sheration
February 16, 2007
Los Angeles Times

Sheration Hotels & Resorts and Four Points by Sheration hotels brands will ban smoking at more than 300 hotels and resorts throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Canada.

The new policy follows one implemented at Westin Hotels & Resorts, which became smoke-free in 2006.  Westin and Sheration are both owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Some 8,000 rooms at the hotels will be cleaned, including treatments for air conditioning, walls, rugs, upholstery and hard surfaces.

Smoking will also be banned in public areas in the hotels, but there will be a designated outdoor area at each property for guest who smoke.


Smoking Ban May Broaden

A City Council committee proposed Tuesday broadening Los Angeles" anti-smoking law by [banning] smoking in most public areas, including common areas where people gather.

City Councilman Bernard Parks said the ban -- similar to those imposed in unincorporated Los Angeles County and in other cities -- could apply to indoor and outdoor businesses, parks, restaurants, bars and common areas of apartment buildings.

the Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee asked the City Attorney's Office to draft the language for the measure.  Parks said his South Los Angeles district is particularly impacted by health problems from second-hand smoke.

Councilman Tom LaBonge asked that the review include the impact on bars and nightclubs.

Princess Bans Smoking in Staterooms & Balconies

Effective January 15, 2011, smoking will no longer be allowed in passenger staterooms or balconies onboard the Princess fleet.
See full story...

Look What RCCL Has Done!

(Click image for full text)

The new policy, by RCCL, is the closest I have seen to a "no smoking" policy on any of the major cruise lines.  Upon entry at the cruise terminal a notice was posted which said, "For the comfort and enjoyment of our guests, our ships are primarily designated as non-smoking...."

What Happened?
Update: June 25, 2012
"Our stateroom was filled/impregnated with cigarette smell.  The crew attempted to clean it to no avail.  There was a constant cigarette smoke smell in our balcony, I think probably from an exhaust from the smoker's bar.  Smoking was rampant.  In the pool, at bolero's bar, in the casino.  The Royal Promenade was filled with smoke from Bolero's and the Irish pub.  To go in and out from the dining room we had to go through the smoke filled air from Bolero's bar.  Nauseating"
RCCL: Liberty of the Seas
Date: June 16 - 23, 2012


Holland America Gets Bad Marks

I loved every detail of our first cruise to the Inside Passage, Alaska, on Holland America's Amsterdam ~~~ with the exception of their smoking policy. Smoking was allowed in the staterooms so when folks were coming & going, the hallways were filled with very thick smoke and there was no way you could hold your breath long enough to get out of it.
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Editorial by Tim Corey
This Christmas, I traveled on the Vision of the Seas (RCCL) out of Los Angeles for the seven-day Mexican cruise.  I must say, that overall, RCCL seems to be doing a better job of reducing the smoke from cigarettes on this ship.  The one major weakness, is the lack of signage on the port side of the ship, on deck, letting the smoking passengers know that they should only smoke on the starboard side.  When I confronted one of the passengers, he was very nice and immediately complied.  But you always run the risk of confronting a belligerent  passenger and getting into an unpleasant confrontation.  That should not be necessary.  The cruise lines need to do a better job of letting the smokers know about the restrictions.

Photo Above
Smoker "lighting up" on port side of Vision of the Seas.


ship damaged by fire, possibly caused by a cigarette
Fire damage is seen on the Star Princess
as the ship pulled into Jamaica.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (AP) --
Friday, March 24, 2006

Princess Cruises was flying more than 2,600 passengers home with full refunds on Friday and Saturday after a fire -- possibly caused by a neglected cigarette -- killed a Georgia man, injured 11 other passengers and charred 150 rooms aboard the Star Princess.

A smoldering cigarette is suspected as the cause of the blaze, said Horace Peterkin, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, who toured the ship after it docked here.

(excerpted from CNN.com)


Carnival Gets Bad Marks for Smoke
(Letter to the Editor, submitted 12/06)

This was the fifth cruise my wife & I have taken. We had been on Princess twice, and Royal Caribbean twice. We took Carnival this time because of the itinerary.

It seemed as though people smoked everywhere but the dining room. People smoked in the theater, every lounge, every deck, and especially in the casino, which was a major thoroughfare to all other areas of the ship.

I saw guests smoking while walking in the passageways, & because the air is recirculated throughout the A/C system, the smell of smoke was readily apparent in our stateroom also. We both woke up with sore throats twice from the pervasiveness of the smoke. This is probably because of Carnivals get drunk/stay drunk/spend cash policy. This is too bad because the staterooms and ship were very nice.
Lenny Mosse
Orlando

Los Angeles County Prohibits
Smoking in Parks
September 16, 2009
Los Angeles Daily News

RULE: Supervisors cite risk to public from cigarette use in recreation areas.

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to prohibit smoking in county parks, with some exceptions.
More...


Our Mission

Announcement
We have expanded the mission of this web site to include major "non-smoking" announcements on public areas,  such as hotels, parks, office buildings and similar venues.  In addition, we are going to include travel experiences to and from cruise ships, since that is also a part of the experience.

1. Smokeless Sheraton
2. Los Angeles Prohibits Smoking in Parks
3.One-third of all heart attacks are related to smoking.

CDC: All states likely to ban public facility smoking for 2020
L.A. Daily News, April 24, 2011

By 2020, every U.S. state may have bans on smoking in restaurants, bars and the workplace, federal health officials predicted Thursday, based on the current pace of adopting anti-smoking laws.
More...


Smoker Causes Fire
[and Displaces Five Residents]
L.A. Daily News, Aug. 2, 2010

A smoker started a fire that caused $60,000 damage to a three-story Echo Park [CA] apartment building Sunday, a fire spokesperson said.
More...


Mission Statement
I passionately believe that non-smokers have the same rights as smokers.  That is, to enjoy the cruise experience, but smoke-free.  It is a sad commentary when a very small minority of thoughtless individuals are permitted to compromise the lifestyle and health of others with a known deadly variety of chemicals.  It is up to the cruise lines to create, define and enforce a clear policy that protects the non-smokers from encroachment by those who do not care enough to curtail their own self-destructive habit.

We dedicate this site to all those non-smokers who would like to enjoy a cruise experience without tobacco smoke, and to those who have contracted cancer or related illnesses from second-hand smoke.  Our mission is to lobby the travel, and more specifically the cruise industry, to curtail and confine tobacco smoking to those areas that will in no way infringe on the rights and health of non-smoking passengers.  In addition, this policy needs to be clearly spelled out and defined, along with strict passenger enforcement and penalties.

This is a not-for-profit site.  Funding to develop, maintain and promote this site is accomplished through personal contributions, your donations and advertising.   All advertising will be clearly identified as such with the word "Advertisement".


Other News About Smoking

France gets on the global bus with plan to ban public smoking
By Kathleen Doheny, LA Times
When John Banzhaf III, an executive for an anti-smoking group, was in Paris for the ninth World Congress on Tobacco and Health in 1994, he couldn't help but notice the irony.  After sitting in meetings, lobbying for nonsmokers' rights, he would walk outside into clouds of smoke.
More...


Royal Caribbean is Paying Attention

Editor's Letter
I was on the Monarch of the Seas (RCCL) over Christmas (2006).  They have significantly increased their signage and put smokers on notice that they are limited to smoking only in certain areas.  It was virtually smoke free!  Thank you Royal Caribbean!

Tim Corey
SmokeFreeCruise.org


(Sign on starboard side of Monarch of the Seas)


Oceana Restricts Smoking

According to the Los Angeles Times (January 20, 2008), "Smokers are relegated to a pair of small, unattractive spaces on the Regatta [one of Oceana's ships] which is a huge plus for everyone else. No smoking in cabins or on private verandas."
More..

Report Says Bans On Smoking Reduce Heart Disease
October 16, 2009
Los Angeles, Daily News

WASHINGTON - A major report confirms what health officials long have believed:  Bans on smoking in restaurants, bars and other gathering spots reduce the risk of heart attacks among nonsmokers.

"If you have heart disease, you really need to stay away from secondhand smoke.  It's an immediate threat to your life," declared Dr. Neal Benowitz of the University of California, San Francisco, who co-wrote Thursday's report from the prestigious Institute of Medicine.

More than 126 million non-smoking people in the U.S. are regularly exposed to someone else's tobacco smoke.  The surgeon general in 2006 cited "overwhelming scientific evidence" that tens of thousands die each year as a result, from heart disease, lung cancer and a list of other illnesses.

That's because within minutes, the smoke's pollution-like small particles and other substances can start constricting blood vessels and increasing blood's propensity to clot -- key heart attack factors.
More...

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