Cruise trips make a great all-in-one vacation. Traveling by sea, contributor Michael Levy shares that you get to enjoy the ship’s amenities like spas and themed restaurants. There are even spaces for sports and recreation like basketball courts, jogging tracks, and cinemas — all of which you can enjoy at any time during the trip. Cruises also have short excursions that let you visit several countries and experience their culture. You can go on a guided tour and try out the local cuisine.
All these may seem exciting enough to make you want to book your holiday cruise as soon as possible. However, if you smoke, there may be some additional things you need to remember. This smoker’s travel guide for cruises makes sure that you enjoy that trip.
Smoking limitations on a cruise ship
The general rule in most cruise lines is that smoking products and e-cigarettes are allowed as long as you smoke them in the ship’s designated areas. These areas are commonly selected spaces outdoors and, in rare cases, designated indoor lounges.
However, the policy varies per company. Each cruise line stipulates the specific smoking areas for certain ships on its website. For instance, passengers of Holland America’s Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam can only smoke at the Sun Bar and the port side area. But the designated areas could change for their other ships. There’s also Regent Seven Seas which allows smoking, except with pipe, in indoor areas like the casino and Connoisseur Clubs of several ships but prohibits it in dining functions. There are other restrictions specific to the product in Regent Seven Seas smoking policy as well as other companies.
When booking a trip, take note of the policies stipulated on their website and pack your smoking products accordingly.
Penalty for prohibited smoking
While there’s a slim chance of serving jail time for not following smoking policies, you will have to pay a sizable fine for an infraction. In some cases, like Regent Seven Seas, they will simply force you to disembark at a nearby port and leave it to you to figure out how to go home. There are also lenient lines like Celebrity Cruise, which will only charge you $250 for maintenance fees (to get rid of the smell). But this is not to say that you should ignore the smoking policy.
The consequences of smoking against the rules also go beyond legal repercussions. Smoking in prohibited areas may compromise your safety and others’ because, aside from the smell that could bother non-smoker passengers, Cruise Radio shares that smoking could start a fire on the ship. These rules were created with the safety of passengers in mind, so it’s best to comply.
Smoking alternatives you can try during a cruise
The primary reason for the smoking ban as it can be highly flammable to the ship, so consider alternatives that do not emit smoke. Therefore, the safest solution is to bring no-smoke nicotine products instead. The Rogue nicotine pouches listed on Prilla come in multiple strengths and flavors, so there’s an option for every type of smoker. Nicotine pouches, in general, are also very discreet so you can use them even in no-tobacco areas like the dining lounge and the casino.
Meanwhile, if you prefer a stick-on alternative, the NicoDerm CQ nicotine patches sold in various stores are a convenient solution, especially for heavy smokers. Using Extended Release SmartControl Technology, NicoDerm’s patches regulate a high dose of nicotine that can last you a day. Whether pouch or patch, these smoking alternatives are not only more courteous to non-smoking passengers but safer to use on board.
A cruise trip can be a wonderful experience to keep for life. And it doesn’t have to be different for smokers who, with the right alternatives and knowledge of the rules, can enjoy a cruise vacation that is free from both hassle and withdrawal symptoms.
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