| years ago, in 2006, the Nevada legislature imposed a | | | | bars or lounges. So it's hard to go completely wrong - |
| public smoking ban. | | | | wherever you book your passage, you'll almost |
| The new rule doesn't apply - as yet - to the storied | | | | always have at least some chance to smoke. |
| casinos of Las Vegas, where smoking is still allowed | | | | More and more luxury cruise lines don't allow smoking |
| on gaming floors. And of course Nevada is hardly the | | | | in living quarters - that's one downfall. After all, the |
| only recent state to impose restrictions on public | | | | next person using your room might be a nonsmoker, |
| smoking. Indeed, it joins over thirty states (at this | | | | and it doesn't make economic sense for cruise ship |
| writing) with such laws on the books. If you are | | | | directors to designate permanent "smoking" and |
| reading this from the United States, it is likely that a | | | | "nonsmoking" rooms; such a move would involve |
| similar law applies to your area: half the country's | | | | logistical nightmares during booking. But luxury |
| population is currently under the jurisdiction of a | | | | quarters often include balconies, where smoking is |
| public-smoking regulation of some kind. | | | | sometimes still allowed. |
| But the idea of a smoking ban passing the Nevada | | | | The recent case of a cruise line headquartered in |
| legislature seems almost like a kind of spiritual defeat | | | | Fort Lauderdale, Florida gives smokers an indication of |
| for cigar smokers: after all, what could more | | | | what they can expect. The cruise line, according to |
| epitomize "cigar cool" than the mental image of Frank | | | | some reports, lost millions in bookings after instituting |
| Sinatra's Rat Pack, cigars and drinks in hand, | | | | a partial smoking ban in 2007. But compared to those |
| finger-popping their ways through the floor of a | | | | bans that have caused smokers such dismay in |
| Vegas casino? | | | | Atlantic City and Ottawa, the Florida-based cruise |
| It just symbolizes a fact that's made passionate | | | | line's smoking ban doesn't even apply to the on-ship |
| smokers' lives a little more difficult over the past | | | | bars and casinos. |
| decade: in the interest of public health (and out of | | | | Indeed, the cruise ship industry seems to be following |
| consideration for asthmatics and others), more and | | | | the opposite track of most US states and |
| more city councils and state legislatures are choosing | | | | municipalities - as they grow more restrictive toward |
| to ban public smoking outright, or are limiting it to | | | | smoking, cruise lines are growing more permissive. |
| certain licensed facilities. | | | | One completely smoke-free cruise ship line went out |
| Arguments about the effectiveness or | | | | of business awhile ago; another once-smokeless line |
| appropriateness of these bans to one side, we can all | | | | changed its policies to allow some smoking on the |
| agree that they mean that smokers have to put a | | | | boat. |
| little more energy into planning vacations. For a | | | | Smokers will likely want to evaluate cruise line policies |
| person who loves the taste of a good cigar, for | | | | prior to booking as there are has examples of ships |
| whom relaxation doesn't become meaningful until | | | | with almost smoke-free policies. Smoking on such |
| there's a stogie involved, there's no point in a | | | | lines may only be permitted in two designated areas |
| vacation where you can't even smoke in your hotel | | | | - and if you light up anywhere else, you could be |
| room. With smoking bans underway in Atlantic City | | | | kicked off the boat! (That presumably doesn't mean |
| (and this ban extends to casinos) and similar one-time | | | | you'll be forced to walk the plank, but it's probably |
| bastions of cigar culture, frustrated cigar smokers are | | | | not worth finding out.) |
| turning to a new option: the cruise ship. | | | | Another rule of thumb mentioned by several travel |
| And why not? Cruise ship vacations offer the | | | | writers: if you're looking for company as you smoke, |
| ultimate chance to "get away from it all," a | | | | go for a cruise line with a high number of European |
| continuous expanse of blue water, and the | | | | and Asian clientele. Citizens of many of these |
| opportunity to meet interesting people from all over | | | | countries often still smoke in higher numbers than do |
| the country (and world). Few cruises are completely | | | | contemporary Americans, and there is a Spain-based |
| smoke-free, with most offering, at the very least, | | | | cruise line that currently sports the least restrictive |
| designated smoking areas that might include cigar | | | | smoking policy out there. |