Eleanor Barker answers your travel questions.
My wife and I are non-smokers and are thinking about a cruise around New Zealand and then maybe a cruise around the Pacific Islands. What are the rules around smoking on board? We both feel very strongly about this, so can we enjoy life
on board without having to put up with that smell?
Warren
The days of smokers having free rein to huff and puff wherever they like are long behind us. A Cruise Lines International Association spokesperson says smoking has been carefully managed on board cruise ships for some time.
Individual cruise lines set their own policies on smoking so it's best to check arrangements on any ship you are considering. With that said, the majority of international lines have smoke-free policies across most public areas and throughout all cabins and balconies.
Smoking (including electronic cigarettes) is generally permitted only in specific outdoors areas or in some cases within designated smoking spaces inside. Interior areas are generally smoke-free, although during my research I read recent, first-hand complaints about smoking being permitted inside some vessels' casinos — something to ask about if you want to have a flutter while cruising.
