Should Vaping be allowed on board?

One of the biggest debates on any cruise forum is regarding smoking on a cruise – most ships are almost totally non smoking with only designated smoking areas on the exterior open deck areas and is banned from all public areas on the ship and cabins and balconies

I can see the argument from both sides, for smokers it can be a bit more restrictive because of all the rules and regulations but with an increasing popularity of e-Cigarettes or ‘Vaping’ I was quite surprised that many cruise lines impose the same restrictions as with normal cigarettes and cigars

Royal Caribbean enforce the same policy as most lines – Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), personal vaporisers and similar products should only be enjoyed in designated indoor and outdoor smoking areas.

P&O’s policy for Electronic cigarettes, including those which do not emit smoke, are not permitted in public areas but can be used in cabins, balconies and designated areas of the open deck.

‘Although we recognise that electronic cigarettes are not covered by the UK legislation we have taken the decision to prohibit their use in all public areas in the same way as real cigarettes for the benefit of all of our guests’

You can be fined for smoking on cruise ships in prohibited areas, but the greater risk is confrontation with fellow passengers, even when following the rules. Understandably when smoke tends to drift back while the ship is underway, causing tension between balcony smokers with forward cabins and non smokers in cabins aft of them. Even in open deck spaces, which should be clearly labeled smoking and non smoking, many a fight has started over cigarette smoke because one side or another is in the “wrong” space. Shipboard personnel will not ask someone to stop smoking in a designated smoking zone, even if their smoke is drifting into your personal space, but they can ask someone to move if they have lit up in a smoke-free zone.

This I understand – why should non smokers endure cigarette smoke but I don’t agree with the policies for e- cigarettes, I actually quite like the drift of Coconut or Cherry or Vanilla mist, after all ‘Vaping’ does not include tobacco and is only flavoured water vapour there is no actual smoke and is completely harmless to the person ‘Vaping’ and anyone around them

I have been looking at various forums and there are mixed opinions – I would love to hear what you think!

For our Smoking Guide for all Cruise Line Policies click here –

http://www.cruise.co.uk/guides/cruise-information-smoking/

http://www.cruise.co.uk/guides/river-smoking-information/