MSC Cruises is the Latest Line to Ban Smoking
The Great Snuff Out of 2007 continues. The latest line to ban smoking is MSC Cruises, the fast-growing Italian ship operator that caters mostly to Europeans.
Like Oceania and Regent Seven Seas, MSC is taking the hardest line against smoking, banning it not only in cabins but on cabin balconies. The only places smoking will be allowed on MSC ships is in the casino, one lounge, one side of the sun deck and the cigar room (hard to argue with that one).
The decision is effective immediately.
Smoking bans are a growing trend -- but not without controversy. Non-smokers are thrilled about tighter smoking rules, but smokers have been lashing out at lines that implement such bans. Regent Sevens Seas CEO Mark Conroy says the line lost $3 million in bookings after it announced a ban in July. That ban takes effect in December.
Other lines that have tightened smoking rules in recent months include Royal Caribbean, which is banning smoking in all cabins (but not balconies) by next summer.
The move from MSC Cruises comes as a bit of a surprise given the line's heavy European clientele. Europeans smoke in far greater numbers than Americans. A recent National Bureau of Economic Research study noted that 34% of German adults smoke vs. 19% of U.S. adults.
The Great Snuff Out of 2007 continues. The latest line to ban smoking is MSC Cruises, the fast-growing Italian ship operator that caters mostly to Europeans.
Like Oceania and Regent Seven Seas, MSC is taking the hardest line against smoking, banning it not only in cabins but on cabin balconies. The only places smoking will be allowed on MSC ships is in the casino, one lounge, one side of the sun deck and the cigar room (hard to argue with that one).
The decision is effective immediately.
Smoking bans are a growing trend -- but not without controversy. Non-smokers are thrilled about tighter smoking rules, but smokers have been lashing out at lines that implement such bans. Regent Sevens Seas CEO Mark Conroy says the line lost $3 million in bookings after it announced a ban in July. That ban takes effect in December.
Other lines that have tightened smoking rules in recent months include Royal Caribbean, which is banning smoking in all cabins (but not balconies) by next summer.
The move from MSC Cruises comes as a bit of a surprise given the line's heavy European clientele. Europeans smoke in far greater numbers than Americans. A recent National Bureau of Economic Research study noted that 34% of German adults smoke vs. 19% of U.S. adults.
posted by The Cruise Cafe | 2:21 PM
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