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TravelMole announced today, August 16 2013:
Disney Cruise Line, Cunard and P&O all announced this week that they will no longer be permitting smoking on private balconies on their ships.
Disney said it will charge a $250 cleaning fee if guests are caught breaking the rule.
It was only a matter of time, other cruises lines would follow other cruise line rules. Celebrity, Princess, Oceania and Crystal already ban smoking on balconies.
Smoking on a balcony isn't actually the safest place to smoke (hotel or ship) ! I can promise you, I'm not anti-smoking; I'm a smoker. But the wind can blow ashes, especially when the ship is moving ! And butt's easily get blown away !
Though this ruling was surely done for safety issues, many cruiser have been buying balconies in order to smoke. Sales rose in balconies, when the cruise lines banned smoking in non-balcony rooms.
I admit, as a smoker, this will deter me from buying a balcony for awhile. Until it becomes a normal practice, of not smoking on the deck, I know I would be too temped to go out on the balcony to grab a quick one, during the night, etc !
Please know, my choice is nothing against the cruise lines or balcony cabins. Matter of fact, I am the first to commend the cruise line in taking this step to better protect us !
Besides, balconies are truly a wonderful way to cruise. And usually, once a person "goes balcony", they never go back !
Hopefully, if TravelMole's statistics are correct, and only 1 out of 4 cruisers are smokers, this leaves many non-smoking cruises to now enjoy their balcony smoke free ! And if only one smoker in a family, the non-smoker will remind them "why they really love balconies" !
Otherwise smokers ... Carnival and Norwegian still allows it. Royal Caribbean is no longer in this pool of ships !
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