Smoking on Cruise Ships

Rating:
   November 23, 2015 ,   Tips & Tricks

This review is about smoking on cruise ships - Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, Princess, Celebrity, Cunard and all the rest of the major cruise lines smoking policies and rules.

The new cruise ship smoking rules make cruising vacations harder for smokers to fully enjoy. This is bad news for the "smoking cruisers" whose only heavenly retreat ("joy allowed" place) on the ship soon will be the cigar lounge & bar zone.

Smoking on Cruise Ships

The major cruise lines have already tightened their rules for cigar and cigarette smoking policies and this includes the mainstream lines Carnival, NCL Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and MSC, to the mid-market leaders Celebrity, Disney, Princess, Holland America.

Cruise Line CompaniesWhere smoking is ALLOWEDWhere smoking is FORBIDDENCigar and pipe smoking areas

AMAWaterways

  • Sun Deck in a designated smoking area
  • the rest of the ship, including all cabins
  • Sun Deck

American Cruise Lines

  • certain areas at Captain's discretion
  • the rest of the ship
  • -

A-Rosa Cruises

  • outdoor deck in designated areas
  • entire indoor area
  • all cabins
  • outdoor decks

Avalon Waterways

  • outside decks
  • the rest of the ship, including all cabins
  • outside decks

Azamara Club

  • port side aft section of Looking Glass Lounge
  • starboard forward section of the pool deck
  • the rest of the ship, including all balconies and cabins
  • designated outside areas

Carnival

  • discos and jazz clubs
  • designated areas (Casino and casino bar)
  • designated open-deck areas on all ships (Lido-Pool Deck starboard)
  • most public rooms
  • dining room
  • all cabins (and balconies)

violators are disembarked at the next call port (until Dec 2018 were fined USD 500 cleaning fee)

  • indicated areas outdoors

Celebrity

  • in designated indoor & outdoor areas
  • port side of pool deck and sundecks
  • port side of Sunset Bar on Celebrity Century & on Celebrity Millennium-class ships
  • port side, aft and outside of Winter Garden on Celebrity Mercury & Galaxy
  • cabins (including on balconies
  • in the dining areas
  • the casino, theater, elevator, hallway or corridor
  • designated sections of open decks

Costa

  • open decks
  • designated smoking areas in the public rooms
  • cabins, balconies
  • all restaurants, show lounges
  • designated areas

Crystal

  • Connoisseur Club smoking lounge
  • designated outdoor areas - Decks 8, 9 & 10 aft (Crystal Serenity and Symphony); Deck 11 aft (Crystal Serenity)
  • Seahorse pool area (only port side only)
  • Promenade Deck
  • cabins and suites (including on balconies)
  • all indoor areas, except the non-designated outdoor areas and Connoisseur Club
  • Decks 8, 9 & 10 aft (Crystal Serenity and Symphony)
  • Deck 11 aft (Crystal Serenity)

Cunard

  • designated areas on open decks
  • certain bars and lounges
  • cabins, balconies
  • any public area, except Churchill's Cigar Lounge (only cigars and pipes), designated areas on open decks, the upper level of G32 nightclub (Queen Mary 2)
  • the Casino Bar and the entire Casino area
  • all restaurants, elevators, theaters, library
  • Churchill's Cigar Lounge

Disney

  • the starboard side of open decks (the only exception is near Mickey's Pool)
  • all cabins (including on balconies)
  • indoor areas
  • -

Fred Olsen

  • cabin balconies
  • designated areas on open decks
  • all indoor areas
  • -

Holland America

  • cabin balconies, open decks, casino, Seaview Bar
  • E-cigarettes are allowed inside the cabins (except in other designated areas)
  • all cabins (except on balconies)
  • restaurants
  • most indoor areas
  • outside decks
  • cabin balconies

Hurtigruten

  • designated areas on outside decks
  • all indoor areas and cabins
  • -

Louis Cruise Lines

  • open decks
  • designated smoking areas in the public rooms
  • all cabins
  • the dining room
  • open decks

Marella Cruises

  • designated smoking areas on the open deck
  • the rest of the ship, including all balconies and cabins
  • -

MSC

  • the cigar rooms, casinos, and dedicated lounges
  • one side of the sun deck
  • on Divina ship, passengers may only smoke in Cigar Lounge and on the port side of the designated outside decks
  • all cabins (including cabin balconies)
  • the dining rooms
  • theaters
  • -

NCL Norwegian Cruise Lines

  • designated ares on open decks
  • casinos and cigar bars
  • Norwegian Dawn, Epic, Gem, Pearl, and Spirit offer cigar bars
  • cabins (and balconies)
  • all indoor public areas with the exception of cigar bars and casinos
  • cigar and pipe smoking is prohibited on cabin balconies

Oceania Cruises

  • aft port side of Horizons
  • starboard forward section of outdoor Pool Deck
  • all cabins and balconies
  • all restaurants, public rooms and open decks with the exception of two designated smoking areas
  • -

P and O

  • certain open decks
  • all cabins and balconies
  • all public rooms
  • -

Princess

  • Churchill's cigar lounge
  • section of the casino and disco
  • a portion of open decks
  • all dining rooms and food service areas
  • cabins (including balconies) show lounges and elevators
  • open deck areas.

RSSC-Regent Seven Seas

  • a designated area of the outdoor pool area and the following public areas (Seven Seas Navigator, Mariner & Voyager): Horizon Lounge (outside designated area outside), Connoisseur Club, pool area (opposite side of pool bar)
  • Electronic cigarettes are permitted throughout the ship, exception in the enclosed dining areas
  • cabins, suites, private balconies
  • enclosed dining areas
  • cigar smoking permitted in Connoisseur Club on Seven Seas Navigator, Mariner & Voyager
  • in a designated area of the pool area (opposite pool bar) on the three ships
  • pipe smoking permitted only in Connoisseur Club on Seven Seas Navigator, Mariner & Voyage, prohibited on all other ships and in open deck areas.

Royal Caribbean

  • the starboard side of open decks
  • designated smoking areas of public rooms (limited to one public room on each ship)
  • the based in Asia, Mariner, and Voyager of the Seas, provide one indoor smoking venue
  • all cabins and all balconies
  • dining areas and show lounges
  • port side of open decks
  • -

Saga Cruises

  • cabin balconies
  • designated areas on open decks

 

  • anywhere inside
  • -

Seabourn

  • on the starboard half of Sky Bar located on Deck 9 (Deck 10 on Seabourn Encore)
  • on the open terrace's starboard half aft of The Club (Deck 5)
  • in all suites, electronic cigarettes may be used
  • all cabins
  • most public areas
  • open terrace aft of Seabourn Square (Deck 7)

SeaDream Yacht Club

  • outdoors on Decks 3, 4 & 6
  • all cabins and indoor spaces
  • outdoors on Decks 2 & 5
  • -

Silversea

  • Connoisseur's Corner, cigar and cognac bar
  • designated areas on open decks
  • cabins (including balconies)
  • the restaurant
  • indoors (Terrace cafe, Saletta, card/conference room, show lounge, library, Internet point, spa/fitness center, gift shops/boutiques
  • Connoisseur's Corner
  • designated outside areas on Decks 9 & 10 aboard Silver Spirit, Shadow, and Whisper
  • open Deck 9 on Silver Cloud and Wind

Star Clippers

  • a designated smoking section in the piano bar lounge
  • cabins
  • dining room
  • all other enclosed public areas
  • -

Thomson / Marella Cruises

  • designated areas of open deck
  • anywhere inside ship
  • designated areas

Uniworld

  • Sun Deck
  • the rest of ship, including all cabins
  • -

Viking Cruises

  • outdoor smoking area
  • the rest of ship, including all cabins
  • designated areas

Windstar

  • cabins, open decks, and port side of the lounge
  • the casino and port side of Compass Rose (onboard Wind Surf)
  • all restaurants
  • open decks

Cruise lines smoking policies - CruiseMapper

Smoking on cruise ships has been an important issue since the 2006 fire which broke out aboard Star Princess. The fire was started after a passenger flicked a lit cigarette over the balcony railing. It landed on the balcony below, setting on fire the balcony partition and the furniture. Eventually, the fire spread and destroyed 238 staterooms. A man lost his life, the ship suffered huge loses.

Fire is the second-rated among the most disastrous cruise ship accidents - right after ship sinking, which is in true connection with the "Smoking on cruise ships" theme. Still, many passengers want to smoke in their cabins, on their balcony, in dining rooms, all around the pool deck areas.

In an effort not to repulse smokers and to please non-smokers, the major cruise lines had to rewrite their rules for smoking on ships. As part of the effort, most of them are now banning cigar and cigarette smoking on cruise ship balconies.

  • Almost all cruise lines smoking policies state, that if a guest has been caught smoking in any non-smoking area, the cleaning fee (penalty) is $250, posted to his/her onboard account.
  • Depending on the cruise line and the severity of the violation, there is even a chance for disembarkation at the next call port.
  • On many lines, the cruise smoking rules are subject to change depending on the country the ship is residing in for the evening or sailing from. That's because the different countries have different smoking laws.
  • Cruise lines smoking policies are very strict about prohibiting passengers from throwing overboard cigarette butts, due to the wind which blows them back onto the ship - a real fire gamble!
  • On most cruising vessels guests can find designated smoking areas, usually located on ships' starboard side.
  • And before our review on cruise lines smoking policies, at this Wiki link, you can read what the Wikipedia has to say on the subject of smoking.

Smoking on ships, cruise lines smoking policies and rules

  • In August 2013, Disney announced banning smoking on Disney ships (including electronic cigarettes) from all of the line's stateroom balconies.
  • Royal Caribbean followed with their balcony smoking ban, which went into effect in 2014. The ban is now enforced on all RCI vessels except the ones traveling through Asia. Guests who prefer to light up still do so inside of ships' casinos and select RCI Connoisseur Clubs.
  • Starting spring 2014, passengers aboard Cunard's Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2, are prohibited from smoking in staterooms, on balconies, and in public areas apart from the designated areas on the open decks, Churchill Cigar Lounge, and the upper level of G32 nightclub on board Queen Mary 2.
  • Smokers who look for more permissive environment already don't have the chance to find them. Starting 2014, October 9, Carnival prohibits smoking on cabin balconies. Guests can partake inside the jazz bars and dance clubs, as well as on designated outside areas. As of December 1, 2018, Carnival Cruise Line updated their smoking policy and made their position clear: those passengers who smoke in the stateroom or on their balcony, as well as everyone else in the stateroom, may be disembarked at the next port of call. Previously, just like other cruise companies, Carnival has said that those who smoke in the staterooms or on the verandas might be charged a substantial cleaning fee (US$500). Now, they are taking things further with a stricter policy which could have consequences not only for the offending, but those they're traveling with.
  • Norwegian Cruise Lines joined the lines that prohibit guests to light up on balconies when cruising. NCL instituted changes to its smoking policy starting November 1, 2014, and banned balcony smoking. On Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway, smoking on The Waterfront is permitted on the starboard side, except by outdoor dining areas. Indoor smoking is allowed only in the casino, but only in case the travelers are actively playing ;-)
  • MSC is 90 % smoke-free, as smoking is prohibited in the dining rooms, cabins (including their balconies) and theaters. Designated areas include a designated lounge, one side of the sun deck, the cigar room and casinos.
  • Seabourn has similarly prohibited smoking from stateroom balconies in all B category suites on Seabourn Spirit, Legend and Pride. But passengers staying in Seabourn Sojourn, Quest and Odyssey suites were permitted smoking from the cabin. However, as of November 28, 2016, the line brought its smoking policy in line with other luxury cruise companies and banned smoking in all indoor venues and on balconies.
  • Celebrity also prohibits veranda smoking (including electronic cigarettes). The line restricts lighting up to ships' designated areas.
  • Note: for the smoking policies on river cruise lines ships see in the table above the following companies: AMA, A-Rosa, Avalon, Uniworld, and Viking.

Smoking on Cruise Ships - CruiseMapper