Disney Cruise Lines has announced a change in smoking policy, beginning on 15th November. From this date, passengers will be banned from smoking on their cabin balconies.
Already, Disney passengers aren’t permitted to smoke in any interior part of the ship including public areas and staterooms, but this new ruling will ensure that there are now only certain outdoor locations on-board where smoking is allowed on specific decks of the ships.
Disney Cruise Line isn’t the only cruise line to have recently updated their smoking policy, and I’ll be covering that in a blog in the near future where I’ll look at the rules for smokers on all of the major cruise lines, as it can sometimes be a bit confusing and, if you do smoke, it can of course be a deal breaker.
The cruise line has announced that all cigarettes, cigars and any other smoking products are banned although it isn’t clear if they have any rules against e-cigarettes. The line has announced a $250 fine for any passenger found to have been smoking in a prohibited area to cover maintenance and cleaning costs.
However it isn’t all about becoming stricter on the Disney ships, with reports that the dress code is actually being altered to be more permissive. Supposedly the new policy on the ships will allow guests to wear shorts in the main dining rooms, something that’s never been allowed on the cruise line and is extremely rare at sea. This only applies to the main dining rooms though, and the more formal dress codes for the speciality restaurants Palo and Remy.
We know that a lot of people love the dress code on the ship, so what do you think of this move? Is it an outrage, or because it’s Disney and it’s almost solely aimed at the family market should an exception be made? Maybe you think dress codes are archaic in general? And what are your thoughts on the smoking policy? I’d love to hear from you before I write my blog that details the policies of all cruise lines, so give me a shout in the comments below.
By Ian Lewis
Google
I'm glad dress code is been relaxed as it is the main reason I don't cruise for now.
It does look like some of the cruise lines are following that trend Rob. You should take a look at Norwegian Cruise Line - they have no strict dress code and they promote the idea of "Freestyle Cruising". If you want to know any more, just let me know and we'll get in touch with you with details.