Cigars On Cruise

[neoflex]

We will be on the Celebrity Solstice in July but unfortunately Celebrity only allows smoking outside. We chose them because other than Celebrity only Carnival had the same itinerary during the same time which is when we would have to go with the wife being a teacher but after a couple negative experiences with them we refuse to ever cruise with Carnival again. Normally I would have spent more money for a balcony room but because they don't allow smoking on the balconies we got a regular room which makes me wonder how many other cigar smokers or cigarette smokers make the same decision because of the tight restrictions on smoking on their ships and if they are losing money on upgraded rooms because of it. It was a tough decision to choose whether to go with Celebrity or risk trying Carnival again especially since my wife cruised on the Solstice when she went to Europe last summer so she will be on the same ship for a second time. I am really shocked they don't have a lounge. When we cruised before my routine was to always hit the lounge after dinner to enjoy a smoke before heading to a show or some other activity.

[Ashcan Bill]

Originally Posted by neoflex

We will be on the Celebrity Solstice in July but unfortunately Celebrity only allows smoking outside. We chose them because other than Celebrity only Carnival had the same itinerary during the same time which is when we would have to go with the wife being a teacher but after a couple negative experiences with them we refuse to ever cruise with Carnival again. Normally I would have spent more money for a balcony room but because they don't allow smoking on the balconies we got a regular room which makes me wonder how many other cigar smokers or cigarette smokers make the same decision because of the tight restrictions on smoking on their ships and if they are losing money on upgraded rooms because of it. It was a tough decision to choose whether to go with Celebrity or risk trying Carnival again especially since my wife cruised on the Solstice when she went to Europe last summer so she will be on the same ship for a second time. I am really shocked they don't have a lounge. When we cruised before my routine was to always hit the lounge after dinner to enjoy a smoke before heading to a show or some other activity.

Funny you should bring it up. I just booked a Panama Canal cruise. I came pretty close to booking with Celebrity, but their anti smoking policy drove me away. To be honest, they also are one of the last lines to emphasize an evening dress code, and that was the second reason we shied away from them. I hauled my tux on cruises for years, but no more. I'm done worrying about "dressing" when I'm on vacation.

So we're booked on the NCL Pearl for the Canal. NCL is more cigar friendly so they get my money.

[neoflex]

Originally Posted by Ashcan Bill

Funny you should bring it up. I just booked a Panama Canal cruise. I came pretty close to booking with Celebrity, but their anti smoking policy drove me away. To be honest, they also are one of the last lines to emphasize an evening dress code, and that was the second reason we shied away from them. I hauled my tux on cruises for years, but no more. I'm done worrying about "dressing" when I'm on vacation.

So we're booked on the NCL Pearl for the Canal. NCL is more cigar friendly so they get my money.

Yeah, we tried to go with NCL but the itinerary that we are doing wasn't available in June or July. So we decided to deal with me being restricted with my cigar smoking rather than ruin another vacation by going with Carnival as our prior experiences were less than stellar which is odd because my parents cruise with them at least if not twice a year and only had a couple issues but that's usually the way my luck runs.

I was un-impressed with Carnival with the absolute LACK of windows.

[Ashcan Bill]

Originally Posted by neoflex

Yeah, we tried to go with NCL but the itinerary that we are doing wasn't available in June or July. So we decided to deal with me being restricted with my cigar smoking rather than ruin another vacation by going with Carnival as our prior experiences were less than stellar which is odd because my parents cruise with them at least if not twice a year and only had a couple issues but that's usually the way my luck runs.

We've never tried Carnival because of the mixed reviews we've seen and heard over the years.

I finally decided it was time to give them a try, so we have one booked on Carnival for October. I have an aft balcony, so I figure I should be able to light up in peace without bothering anyone. I'm curious to see for myself how they stack up to some of the other lines.

All the cruise lines have pros and cons. NCL isn't what it used to be either, but I've yet to have a really bad cruise on any line.