Carnival cruises have always been committed to moving with the times and changing their policies to suit guest preferences. As a result of this, Carnival have announced that they will be changing their smoking policy onboard the 23 ships in it’s fleet.
The new policy will be rolled out in two stages, the first taking place on June 15th. Smoking in public areas is to be permitted only in dance clubs, specific areas in the casino, jazz clubs, and certain designated areas on the open decks.
After this, the next stage will be rolled out on the 1st of December 2011. This stage will see smoking banned in all guest stateooms. Guests staying in staterooms with balconies will be permitted to smoke outside however (apart from Spa Staterooms which are entirely smoke-free).
The reason Carnival have decided to change the policy is that they have recently surveyed a number of guests sailing with them and almost 90 percent of all of their guests were non-smokers. Fewer than 5 percent of guests actually wanted to be able to smoke in their staterooms.
Carnival are just one of the big name cruise lines to have recently implemented changes in their smoking policy. With more and more people choosing to give up on the cigarettes, and more and more countries across the world banning smoking in bars and restaurants, it makes sense that the cruise ships follow suit and give guests what they want.
Thankfully for smokers, the cruise lines are being sensitive to smokers needs and trying to ensure they do not feel alienated or pushed out. So if one of your gulity pleasures is a cheeky smoke on your balcony after your evening meal, rest assured that you can continue to enjoy!
