Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean
Ship: Brilliance of the Seas
Dates: August 26 to Sept 7 2009
Type Experience: Negative

Just returned from an otherwise great cruise

Smoking not allowed in pool area; yet frequent smokers along outside edge of room where rows of lounge chairs are situated. No one says anything. Lounges had smoking areas, which of course, allowed drifting of smoke into the non-smoking areas.

Casino allows smoking anywhere in casino daily except on 3 of 12 evenings. 1 or 2 smokers at a table or at the slots can entirely ruin the experience for both patrons and staff anywhere nearby. | had to leave the room on more than one occasion due to 1 smoker who chose to let his cigarette sit in the ashtray.

An acquaintance on the same cruise, allergic to smoke, complained with no results about a heavy smoker in the next cabin, whose smoke came into their balcony, rendering it unusable. Staff response to making cabins non-smoking was "what about our smoking friends?"

This cruise follows an even worse experience aboard a Holland America Mexican cruise last February, where poor ventilation made it even more unpleasant. A letter to the cruise line, of course, yielded nothing but superficial remarks that meant no change was in the works. A "survey" done at the end of that cruise, to sense the wishes of the majority of cruisers, was so worded that non-smokers had no chance of success with this thorny issue.

I would welcome a petition or mass letter that could go to any or all cruise lines, requesting, at least, non smoking cruises from time to time.

Linda Wilton