Tried to resist, but got to get into this one. Problem as I see it is not smokers and non-smokers, but considerate and not considerate, polite and rude. My history (for the record) non-smoker, smoker, non-smoker, smoker. I have only included periods of more than 5 years, but of course lots of other short smoke-free periods. Anyway I'm going through a puffing period (and loving it).
One day I was in a large Casino in a smoking area playing a pokie (aussie for slot machine) and happily puffing away. This Casino has large smoke-free areas I must mention. Up comes a lady and sits at the next machine. She pulls a tissue out of her bag, places it over her nose and mouth a starts mumbling about "dirty smokers". I must admit I got quite touchy about this.
I get just as touchy about people lighting up in smoke-free zones. I often travel on trains and you get the idiots smoking in the toilets. Of course, it circulates through the air-conditioning effecting everyone in the carriage.
A little common sense, consideration and maybe we'd all be less touchy.
I quit smoking cigarettes 12 years ago, smoked a pipe sometimes a little after that, then quit altogether shortly thereafter. I'm not bothered by other's smoke, except for the lingering, stale odor when a small confined aea (like a cabin or a car) has been smoked in extensively. Didn't like that odor when I did smoke, so I didn't smoke in my car.
Just a year or so ago, NCL (and others I believe) had the "one side smoking, one side non smoking" rule for cabins as Tigger suggests. We liked it, but the lines quietly abolished it. Instead, they abolished smoking areas in dining rooms and other large public areas where the smoke was barely detectable and not offensive to us. As a non smoker who is not an anti smoker, these seem like two steps in the wrong direction, if the goal is to create maximum compatibility between smokers and non smokers.
I hate to be a cynic, but it seems like the lines changed these policies for their own convenience, not for comfort and convenience of guests. Now they can fill up the ship unfettered by the smoking and non smoking cabin situation, and don't have to clean astrays in the dining room!
The 13 year old died of lung cancer directly caused by second hand cigarette smoke, her lungs were black, the doctors were not overly kind to the parents, who happened to be outside of the hospital smoking. The parents had two other young children and I have to say that they both quit smoking when they were told about the lung cancer. Sad that it took such an awful tragedy to give them the will to stop smoking.
While I smoked, it was never around my children, I was smart enough to know that it was my bad habit, I was a closet smoker. Never around people, never in my home.
Now Rick. I guess proving that second hand smoke causes cancer is just as hard as trying to prove that agent orange causes cancer. It is just something that we all KNOW to be true, even though we cannot PROVE it is. To say that second hand smoke, or even first hand smoke does not cause cancer begs the question. If breathing smoke is not bad for us, then why is our atmoshpere not smoky? I guess that if we were meant to inhale smoke, then we would be doing so naturally. I personally believe that many cancers are hereditary, but that does not mean that I want to push that theory by doing something that I know can increase my chances.
I doubt if we can settle the issue of second hand smoke causing cancer on this board, because last I heard the issue was still in court involving the EPA' finding. Last I heard, a Fed. Court of Appeals had ruled that EPA's report was defective for failure to define what concentrations of second hand smoke create this hazzard (Other EPA rules actually allow small quantities of arsenic in you drinking water!) and relied only on case studies of very high concentration.
Tigger just wants a place to eat, relax, and live while on a ship without the stench of smoke. And so do I. Now on the last few cruises I've been on, we had our wish as to dining, some lounge areas, some casino areas, and even some open deck areas. But while there were smoke free sides of ships as to cabins just a year or so ago, they don't have smoke free cabins anymore. That's my gripe on this issue, and I think it's Tigger's too.
Well then perhaps Tigger shouldn't troll for a different type of response by using the subject line "Why are smokers so touchy???".
I totally agree that non-smokers are entitled to "smoke-free" areas just as smokers are equally entitled to "smoking areas". If our preference is not offered then we should take our business to the company the meets our needs.
I have been away for a few days and nothing has changed. Considerate, not considerate???? A person can choose to be considerate or not, but tobacco smoke has no bounderies. Not only is the smell obnoxious, it's unhealthy. First or second hand, doesn't matter. Where are the facts? Just open your eyes and look at the truth. And beware when referring to the stats to defend the issue of pro-smoking. The data is from the folks who have hidden the harmful effects of smoking from the public for years. The same people who have had proven cases against them in court. It's only due to the awareness of the general public that the true facts have been investigated and made public. And who are these folks? The tobacco companies. They are only concerned about the money.
Even the EPA report on second hand smoke, which the Fed. Appeals Court has discredited as I mentioned above, does not find second hand smoke as hazzardous as direct smoking. Now keep in mind that I am a non-smoker! I just want spaces on the ship (my cabin, primarily) which is (and has been) smoke free to avoid that stench. Ships already provide plenty of smoke free areas, IMO. Just the cabins are a problem now, as suddenly no smoke free cabins are offered (except the Carnival Paradise, which I chose not to take due to other factors). Why don't the lines just go back to one side cabins non smoking, the other side, smoking permitted, as they did just a year or so ago, and most of this problem would be over and done with?
No drunk on a cruise ship is hurting me, and no smoker in his own home is stinking up my hair and clothes. I don't go and deliberately stink up the air whether with smoke or perfume or gas. I think smoking around non-smokers is like going into a room and breaking wind. Rude if avoidable and unfortunate if unavoidable. Not something one would deliberately inflict on others. Unless of course you are on one of those redneck belching/farting/spitting cruises where they all wear thongs. . .
YEEEEE HAW !!!!!
I guess them smoking folks got to find them one of them there Belching Farting Spitting Thongamadinger Redneck cruises to go on and that will take care of the problem.
Rick, You talk about the illness related to smoking. I don' care whethersmokers kill themselves, I just don't like my space invaded by that awful stench..... It is as bad as perfume. No one seems to know how to wear it and peeuuuu it stinks.
Summer you hit the nail on the head. It is the smell! That awful stench that permeates everything it touches. Plus the yellowing stain that nicotine leaves behind. Health issues aside, one would think the stench alone would deter anyone from smoking. Have you ever seen those whose hands are yellow from so much smoking? I can only wonder about their lungs.....
".......one would think the stench alone would deter anyone from smoking."
You might think so, Gaines, but I guess we, the smokers, are the ones around the smoke all the time so we don't notice the smell, much like a farmer wouldn't notice some smells on his farm but you or I might gag on the same smell. Maybe you find the comparison to farm smells appropriate huh??? <grin>
I'll grant you that it's a vicious addiction and hopefully someday I can kick the habit, but so far my attempts have ended in failure. I'm always surprised at the segment of the critics (I'm NOT talking about any of the posters here - just to clarify) who can be crude, rude and abusive to smokers but seem to turn a blind eye to what drinking does throughout society in terms of accidents, deaths, medical and work problems as well as tearing apart many a family. In the meantime I try to be as courteous as possible to non-smokers, realizing that there are those out there who I will never be able to socialize with because of attitudes -regardless of efforts made to not bother them. If I'm making my best effort to be courteous and considerate to nonsmokers and find someone getting in my face, then you BET I get touchy.
YES [NON-SMOKERS] SHOULD HAVE THEIR OWN SPACE.JUST LIKE US THAT DO SMOKE.THE NON SMOKERS WANT THE WORLD TO STOP SMOKING.I KNOW ITS NOT HEALTHY,ITS MY LIFE NOT YOURS.JUST STAY IN YOUR CORNER AND I STAY ON MINE.
THE SAME HAPPENED TO ME,ONLY AT A RESTURANT.I WAS IN THE SMOKING SECTION.SHE ASKED THE WAITER WHY HE ALLOWED US TO SMOKE.HE SAID BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE SMOKING SECTION.SHE REFUSED TO MOVE AND ALL THE TIME SHE WAS THERE SHE GAVE ME DIRTY LOOKS.
If you read Tigger's original message (not just the title or captions) , and compare it with your last cruise, chances are you will find that the only thing Tigger wants, but can't get (except on Carnival Paradise) is a smoke free cabin on a smoke free side of the ship. So many ships used to do this just a few years ago, but have stopped doing so, clearly against the general trend of accomodation of non smokers. Does anybody know the history ahd the "whys" of why the CLs stopped this "smoke free side" preactice?
We were on the Voyager a couple months ago and I believe they still have the smoking / non-smoking side. I know the ashtrays were only in one area on one side. It was really the only place I would have one where I felt it would not bother others.
we were recently on the Spirit and couldn't believe how horrible the smoking was. This really spoilt our overall experience.
Yes, there were no smoking areas but these were all full of smokers. We did ask staff for help in finding smoke-free areas but they pretty much laughed in our faces.
I suffer from asthma and tobacco smoke is something I am particurlarly sensitive to. It was so bad I actually had nose bleeds for the first couple of nights.
Yes there are other health issues, but smoking is one that impacts on other people, other than the person smoking.
In Australia we no longer have smoking in public areas and it is fantastic, but it has probably made us more sensitive when we are around smoke, especially as thick as it was on the Spirit.
Yes, we could go on the Paradise but our dream was to go to Alaska.
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Re: Why are smokers so touchy???
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<grin>
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