Looking for the Best Nightlife on a Cruise?

The smell of smoke bothers me. I wish HAL would ban smoking on balconies. I won't book a balcony because of the smoking policy. Smoking really is dangerous on ships. There is a lot of wood on ships.

Hubby isn't a night person, so I go to lively areas like the piano bar or disco, or maybe I'll spend some time in the casino. I haven't been on NCL lately, so I can't say anything about them. Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are decent.

NCL may get best night life, but not the best for food or customer service. I guess they can not have everything.

I agree to not have smoking on cruise ships. Carnival tried it once on the Paradise until 2003 and stopped due to non-smokers did not drink and gamble as much. I guess one addiction leads to others.

I smoked in my teens, when I believed I was bullet proof. I am not sorry to see smoking phased out. I cannot tolerate cigar or cigarette smoke. The health risk posed secondhand smoke is undeniable. The safety risk simply adds to the argument for a ban. Be that as it may, there should be options for smokers that do not impinge on non-smoker's right or ship safety.

I hear you and agree. Although we are hooked on having a balcony anymore, so don't book unless we get one. Being four star mariners with HAL we have been paying particular attention to pertinent new developments, which unfortunately are indicative of a trend toward smokers moving allegiances to HAL due their "only game in town", among the majors, lenient smoking policies.

Seabourn takes the number two best smoking line slot here but what isn't mentioned is that even Seabourn prohibits cigar smoking on balconies while it is allowed on HAL. Since we like to book the longer cruises, that is what concerns me the most, getting stuck with a chain smoking cigar smoker on the adjacent balcony for weeks on end. I don't mind pipe smokers and once we had a cigarette chain smoker on the nearby balcony, during an almost three month cruise. Fortunately he refrained from smoking much on his balcony, (probably due to his wife), instead he smoked on the lido with a group of others.

MSC and NCL are two of the last hold outs to ban balcony smoking. NCL last February, I believe.

"MSC Cruises----Where You Can Smoke: Smoking is only allowed indoors in the cigar rooms, the casinos and one dedicated lounge, and outdoors on one side of the sun deck. Smoking restrictions are even tighter on Divina, were passengers may only smoke in the Cigar Lounge and on the port side of designated outside decks.
Where You Can't: Each MSC ship is now 90 percent smoke-free. Smoking is prohibited in dining rooms, theaters and cabins (including cabin balconies)."

"Norwegian Cruise Line----Where You Can Smoke: Smoking is permitted in designated ares on open decks, in casinos and in cigar bars. Select ships have cigar bars.
Where You Can't: All indoor public areas except casinos and cigar bars are non-smoking. Smoking is also prohibited in cabins and on cabin balconies."

Thanks for replying. I am not a smoker and never was. My husband gave up the habit years ago and I know how hard it was for him to do so. I bugged him all the time to quit but he had to make that decision for himself before it happened.

So, I can understand both sides of the issue. I do feel that it really is a safety issue especially because of windy conditions. I can't believe that it hasn't been banned completely. It is hard to justify HAL permitting balcony smoking. It is why I don't book a balcony on this line. I'm surprised the MSC didn't make the cut for best lines for smoking. If you are a smoker this information is great.

Do I really want to travel on a cruise ship with a liberal smoking policy when the smell of smoke annoys me. My next door neighbor was a chain smoker and I had to buy air purifiers to take out the smell. I couldn't even go out on the balcony because of drifting smoke. The last thing I want is to go on a ship that permit smoking in many public areas.

The same "leading online consumer cruise publication" also just came out with the "3 Best Lines for Smoking on Cruise Ships":

#1. Holland America Line (All Ships) #2. Seabourn (Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn & Seabourn Quest) # 3. Fred. Olsen Cruise Line (All Ships)

"Smoking on cruise ships is one of the most controversial topics in cruising. Smokers feel increasingly ostracized for exercising their habit while on vacation, while many nonsmokers believe the activity should be banned from ships altogether. It's not a matter of right and wrong for cruise lines, but instead it's a decision based on safety: The extreme danger of a fire at sea is increased by lit cigarettes. Therefore, cruise ship policies have become stricter in recent years."