Princess is also banning smoking on cabin balconies, while Carnival and HAL will continue to allow smoking on their balconies.
The Carnival change takes effect Dec. 1, while HAL and Princess will institute it on sailings after Jan. 15.
Carnival also set new public room smoking policies.
Effective today, cigarette smoking in public areas will be permitted only in dance clubs, designated areas within the casino and casino bar, certain sections on the open decks on all vessels and in the jazz clubs on 13 Carnival ships.
Cigar smoking will also be permitted in the jazz clubs. On other Carnival vessels, cigar (and cigarette) smoking will also be permitted in designated areas on deck.
Carnival based its changes on recent passenger surveys that indicated nearly 90% of customers are non-smokers with fewer than 5% opting to light up in their cabins.
HAL and Princess also said their new policy reflects customer preferences.
‘Our consumer studies now show that smokers are a small minority of our passengers, and that the large majority of passengers value having their primary living space on board smoke-free,’ said Princess evp Jan Swartz.
Swartz added that balconies are included in the new policy because they are a hallmark of Princess ships, and the line believes ‘it’s important to keep that peaceful space clear of smoke.’
Swartz said Princess still welcomes passengers who smoke, and will continue to provide special venues around the ship to accommodate them. Smoking will continue to be allowed in the Churchill’s cigar lounge, a section of the disco and casino, and a portion of the open decks
