More anti-cigar policy!

[djustice]

I found this on another website but I thought we should all be informed. This happened to this individual at the end of this past month. If you get a chance we should all go to the Carnival website and voice our concerns of such a policy.

I booked a 7-day Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Valor cruise ship out of Miami, Fla. last week. I chose this ship, in large part, because it advertised on Carnival's web site a comfortable, fancy cigar bar that featured nightly live jazz.

But my first night on the ship, as I was about to clip a Fuente 8-5-8 Flor Fina, I was told by the bartender that Winston's Cigar Lounge would no longer allow cigar smoking. I complained to our cruise director and learned that (starting last week), the Carnival corporate office had decided to test a new no-cigar policy on the Valor. If customer complaints aren't too high, they plan to enforce the new policy on their entire fleet.

Cigar smoking is still allowed on open decks (starboard side only), but not in any bar or lounge or casino... not even the Winston Cigar Bar.

I thought this was extremely disappointing, not to mention a tad dishonest. If I had known about the new policy, I probably would have sailed with another cruise line.... Smoking cigars on the open deck proved to be a not-so-good alternative. 1) It was windy, and 2) it was difficult to enjoy conversation with friends, since the open deck movie theater was playing every night. (I don't fancy having to watch Bee Movie with my cigar and cognac.)

Other than this one issue, the rest of the cruise was great fun.

 

[bballbaby]

no cigar smoking in the cigar bar. something just not right about that.

 

[Mowee]

Personally I would have asked for a refund for deceptive advertising....how can you have a cigar bar that does not allow cigar smoking? If you don't cost them $$$ they will continue.

 

[djustice]

They also need to hear complaints from potential customers. Does anyone remember the name of the activist group that formed just within the last couple of months? We as individuals should not only let the cruise line know about our problem with a policy like this but a group could spearhead this and make sure that it is a policy that is contested right to the end.

 

[Trumpetchris]

I was on a Carnival cruise (Glory) about three weeks ago. It allowed cigar smoking in the sports bar and outside on the starboard side (much of it under roof). Cigarette smoking was allowed in the casino and a couple of the other bars. There was one bar that used to allow cigar smoking that no longer did, but since there was an indoor bar that allowed it, I didn't feel like it was a big deal.

 

[djustice]

This apparently was only on the Valor. Sounds like you where lucky that you went with the ship you did.

 

[Angry Bill]

That fricking sucks.. It's amazing how they think its ok to advertise falsely.

 

[jwintosh]

they did not allow smoking inside the event on the first night of the ICPCR in vegas. everyone was in the hallway. from then on, they allowed smoking inside the venue, and not in the hallway! pretty freaking hillarious!! i felt sorry for the security who had to "try" and enforce the bans....

 

[Moro]

I saw this too. Made me so bloody sick. I actually e-mailed to adress the irony of the no-cigar-smoking in a cigar bar. Never got a reply though...

 

[unfairtoast]

Sounds like washington state. No smoking in cigar bars because the staff will get second hand smoke.

 

[Cigary43]

Geez Louise, and I have cruised with Carnival at least a dozen times but haven't in the past 2 years. I have switched to Princess and have not had any problems so far but since Carnival owns Princess this should be interesting. Guess I had better keep booking the balcony just in case. Thx for the update.

 

[CWS]

I was on the Holland America Westerdam last week. They used to have "the oak room" a very nice lounge. Took it out to make an internet cafe. Cigars allowed in your stateroom and balcony as well as open places on ship. They had a special feedback sheet at the end asking if we would still cruise if the ship went entirely non-smoking. Obvious answer.