It’s been a long time coming but, as I was saying this morning, Princess Cruises takes care of business. This morning it was all about the state-of-the-art waste management system coming up on the next two ships. A dirty job that they do right.
Speaking of dirty things; how about those smokers? I can say that because I was one for years and ever since I quit the same closed-environment of a cruise ship that protects us from crime we might experience in a hotel and breeds Norovirus also contains smoke which can’t be escaped either and that makes me crazy. Not crazy like mad but crazy like I want one.
Well today Princess changed their policy and will not be allowing smoking in staterooms as well as balconies. “OMG” say the (small) nicotine-addicted few who sail the line. They’ll live…and now so will many more.
Here’s the official statement on it all:
As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring that every passenger has a comfortable onboard experience, Princess Cruises will be introducing more restrictive smoking policies, and will prohibit smoking in passenger staterooms and balconies for all voyages departing after January 15, 2012.
Countries around the world from North America to Europe are moving to more restrictive smoking policies and our latest consumer studies show that smokers are a small minority of our passengers. In fact, the vast majority of cruisers value having their primary living space (both stateroom and balcony) smoke-free. As you know, balconies are a hallmark of Princess Cruises and we believe it is important to keep this peaceful space clear of smoke. Violations to this policy will result in a $250 fine for each occurrence, which will be charged to the passenger’s stateroom account. Keeping with the global trend and honoring the wishes of our passengers, we feel this change will enhance our onboard experience and do more to help our passengers escape completely.
Of course we still welcome passengers who smoke, and will continue to provide convenient smoking areas throughout each ship, including cigar lounges, a section of the nightclub and casino, and a portion of the open decks.
In the next few days, we will send Booking Notifications to your clients booked on voyages that depart after January 15, 2012, but wanted to let you know of this new policy as soon as possible. Complete information regarding the new change can be found by visiting OneSourceCruises.com.
Best Regards,
Executive Vice President
Sales, Marketing and Customer Service
Again, Good for you Princess!
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Flickr photo by @sahxic < twitter
