Smoking On Board Just Got More Difficult

Non-smokers have waged a serious campaign for some years now to cut out smoking on cruise ships and they are succeeding for the most part.

The latest restrictions come from Disney Cruise Line, Cunard Line, and Seabourn.

Disney Cruise Line has announced that smoking will be banned on stateroom balconies beginning November 15, 2013. Passengers caught smoking on balconies, or in their staterooms, face a $250 cleaning fee. Smoking areas are provided outdoors in adults-only areas on all four ships.

Cunard Line will also ban cigarette smoking on balconies, which they say is due to feedback from their past passengers as well as customer research. The new policy is effective on April 28, 2014 on Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 and on May 9, 2014 on Queen Elizabeth.

Seabourn, which was one of the last cruise lines that permitted passengers to smoke in accommodations, has altered their policy and will ban that practice as indicated in the schedule below:

Seabourn Pride: February 2, 2014
Seabourn Spirit: February 1, 2014
Seabourn Legend: February 3, 2014
Seabourn Odyssey: February 11, 2014
Seabourn Sojourn: May 1, 2014
Seabourn Quest: March 22, 2014

Seabourn will ban smoking on certain balconies on their trio of smaller ships as well, namely those that are "Juliet balconies" with sliding doors that open within the cabin (not the kind that you can step out onto and close the door behind you). For instance, passengers in category B suites on Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit, and Seabourn Legend will not be allowed to smoke on their balconies. However, passengers in category CS and OW suites will continue to be allowed to smoke. Aboard Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn, and Seabourn Quest, smoking on all balconies will be permitted. Designated indoor and outdoor smoking areas will continue to be provided throughout the fleet and smoking of electronic cigarettes is permitted in guest suites.

Cruise Diva outlines the cruise lines' updated smoking policies in Smoke on the Water. We would just like to add that we have never understood the violent reaction of non-smokers to passengers smoking out of doors and even objecting to electronic cigarettes, which emit vapor and not smoke. The faux coughing and hand waving seem pretty unnecessary in the open air where smoke only lingers for seconds, even on adjacent balconies and especially on a moving ship when there is a breeze.