Royal Caribbean passengers demand key onboard change
Cruise passengers have plenty of opinions about the way cruise ships are designed and the activities they offer on board.
These kinds of opinions often vary immensely from one passenger to the next, however.
Related: Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line dealing with booking issues
Although many cruisers love to discuss their thoughts and onboard suggestions in cruise line fan communities on Reddit, it's rare to see hundreds of passengers agree that their cruise experiences would be better if one key change was made on board.
When it comes to designated smoking areas on Royal Caribbean ships, however, cruisers on both sides of the debate for and against cruise ship smoking overwhelming agree that the current location of these areas on many ships has a negative impact on their vacation.
That became clear recently when one first-time Royal Caribbean cruiser took to the cruise line's fan community on Reddit with an opinion that got a lot of attention.
Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise.
"The smoking area shouldn't be right in the middle of the pool deck," MongooseLive2058 posted in the Royal Caribbean community on Reddit.
This was MongooseLive2058's only complaint after sailing on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship for the first time.
"I just went on my first Royal cruise on the Harmony and loved everything except the fact that I found myself randomly walking through the smoking section when just walking through the pool deck," MongooseLive2058 explained.
The post received a lot of attention from Royal Caribbean passengers - more than 700 signaled their agreement with an upvote and more than 300 added their opinions in comments on the thread.
Even some smokers agreed with MongooseLive2058.
Related: Royal Caribbean makes casino smoking, loyalty program change
"As a smoker, I don't want to bother you either. I'd much rather be tucked away than in the center of a pool deck…the glares from non-smokers must be so uncomfortable," ThiccNtaTTd noted.
"Yea, I feel the same way as a smoker. Like that's the one thing about Royal ships I always felt was weird. The location of the smoking area by the pool deck," ManyRanger4 added. "Usually the second smoking area is in a much better location away from large crowds. I understand on the top few decks that may be hard but there must be somewhere better."
The general consensus among Royal Caribbean Redditors was that cruise ship smoking areas should be moved away from high-traffic areas like the main pool deck.
Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter.
A number of other passengers suggested that the cruise line should take the proposed smoking area change one step further.
"Just ban smoking 100% already," Hype474 wrote in a comment that received more than 350 upvotes.
Others pointed out potential problems with introducing a total ban on cruise ship smoking though.
"As much as I like the idea, it's not practical," xjaspx commented. "Also, from a safety perspective I would much rather smokers smoke in their designated area with proper disposal for the cigarettes than for them trying to sneak in a smoke in what they perceive as a [less] conspicuous spot that may not have a place for them to dispose of their smoking materials."
Related: Carnival Cruise Line offers stern message on vaping, smoking
At one time, Carnival Cruise Line had a fully non-smoking cruise ship in its fleet. Carnival Paradise, which launched in 1998, was built as the first non-smoking cruise ship and a smoking ban was strictly enforced on board for a few years.
The non-smoking cruise ship didn't generate as much revenue as others in the fleet though, so the cruise line decided to reverse its policy and add designated smoking areas on board by the end of 2003.
Although a non-smoking cruise ship wasn't successful at that time, it's very possible that one would perform better today. Cigarette smoking rates among adults have declined significantly over the last 20 years, falling from 22.5% in 2002 to 11.6% in 2022, according to American Lung Association statistics.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
7 hours ago
- Miami Herald
What the food is like on a Viking Cruises ocean ship
Viking Cruises may be a luxury cruise line, but it offers laid-back luxury, at least when it comes to dining. The actual number of choices is fairly limited. There's "The Restaurant," essentially the Main Dining Room, and World Cafe, a buffet, which bother offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Those are supported by a small grill near the pool, Mamsen's, a unique Nordic-inspired spot which offers waffles, pastries, and other snacks, and a small selection of cookies, pastries, and sandwiches on the first floor at the bar in The Living Room. There's also an Italian specialty restaurants Manfredi's that's open for a dinner and a Chef's Table that serves a fixed menu which changes every three days, It's all very high quality and elegant, but also pretty chill as dress standards are casual, and you don't need reservations at The Restaurant. You won't go hungry, but you also won't find yourself regretting your dining decisions as there's much more fresh fish, chilled seafood, and nightly sushi than on many mass market cruise lines. You can eat well while staying relatively healthy (although the excellent gelato was a nightly temptation). Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. What the food is like on a Viking Cruises ocean ship (2:20) Transcript: Hey there, cruisers. I am Dan Kline, Executive Editor of Come Cruise With Me. That is And I'm coming to you from my cabin in Viking Jupiter. Things are a little bit different in Viking, and I thought I would want to talk a little bit today about what the food is like. So it's not quite as expansive as if you're on a megaship. There aren't as many places to eat. But basically, there's a main dining room that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner. You do not have to make an appointment. You don't need a time. You can just show up. It might take a minute or two. There is a buffet that does breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not quite as expansive, but absolutely top-notch. I actually think some of the best food on the ship. Dinner time, not only is there the buffet, which has many of the things the main dining room does, there's also the main dining room, which changes every night. There's an Italian specialty restaurant also included. You just have to make a reservation. And there's a chef's table. The chef's table is a different four-course meal every night. You really want to look at the menu before you go, because it's very specific. There's no substitutions other than for allergies. But everything is world-class. I would say the worst thing on the buffet is as good as any specialty restaurant I've ever been in. And there are things like king crab, shrimp cocktail, sushi every night for dinner. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. There's also Mamsen's, which is a sort of Norwegian specialty snack place. And there's sandwiches and waffles and pastries. And it's a little bit weird. There's also tea every day at 4 o'clock, which is a drawn-out British affair. Have done it a couple of times. Absolutely lovely. And there's cookies and pastry on the first floor all day long. So it's not as much as you would eat on another wall. You'll eat plenty. It's not as many choices as the other cruise lines have. But it is all absolutely world-class. We got to tour the galley today. And honestly, I would have eaten off the floor. It was how unbelievably clean it was. And the chef tastes every meal himself. So literally goes through, tastes every single thing they have. They make every day. Chef said to me that he has not been hungry in many, many months. And he does not remember the feeling of being hungry because he has to taste so much food every day. But if you want to come on Viking, food is one of the calling cards. They pick up local ingredients in every market. And they'll do one dish. So we had Aberdeen beef the other day. They usually pick up mussels in one of the stops we were in. But they're actually out of them. That is, of course, the perils of going local. I am Dan Kline. Come cruise with me soon. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Miami Herald
7 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Royal Caribbean cruisers react to Carnival cruise loyalty shakeup
As Carnival Cruise Line revealed details of its overhauled cruise loyalty program on June 18, it wasn't just Carnival cruisers who recoiled. Carnival Rewards, a spend-based rewards program set to roll out in June 2026, has many cruisers reeling, even some who don't sail with the cruise line. Related: Carnival Cruise Line faces major backlash over planned changes The new program appears to require passengers at the highest tiers to spend tens of thousands of dollars each year to maintain their elite status, and it could open the door for other cruise lines to do the same. Carnival's new spend-based loyalty program isn't a completely new concept - most airlines and hotels already follow this type of model, but the cruise industry has been slow to evolve. What do Royal Caribbean cruisers think about the new program and what it could mean for the cruise industry? Many "loyal to Royal" cruisers made their opinions clear in a discussion in the Royal Caribbean community on Reddit. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. "The new program Carnival announced yesterday rewards money over loyalty. Do you think this is something Royal and the other lines will try to adopt?" Redditor oOoOsarahOoOo asked fellow Royal Caribbean cruisers. "If so, would cruisers stay loyal to Royal, or would this be a reason to try other brands?" A number of cruisers reasoned that Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines will likely follow suit in a few years, if Carnival reports that the change increases revenue. "I think the other cruise lines are going to wait to see how this affects Carnival's business. If there's not too much of a difference, or somehow Carnival's earnings go up with this reward program? You will 100% see other cruise lines adopt this model," CricketCapital4095 commented. Related: Carnival Cruise Line rep threatened over loyalty program changes As other travel loyalty programs increasingly reward travelers based on their spending, it's not surprising that cruise lines would follow. "This is an extremely logical move for [Carnival] to make, despite how many people are deep in their feels about it, and I'd bet the cost of my next cruise that other lines will follow suit within a couple of years of Carnival's first earnings call after this goes into effect," baltinerdist added. Commenters also pointed out that if the industry moved in this direction, cruisers may be more inclined to sail with multiple cruise lines rather than stay loyal to one in order to gain status. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. "If there is no loyalty program, then why be loyal," Routine_Day_1276 questioned. "That's the entire reason for it. Granted, you don't get a lot for being loyal, but anything that isn't an insult is better than nothing. In my opinion, what Carnival did is an insult to everyone who has been loyal. So no, if Royal went that route, I would not be loyal to them anymore." Royal Caribbean cruisers don't want the cruise line to change its popular Crown & Anchor loyalty program. Like Carnival's current VIFP Club, Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor program rewards cruisers based on nights sailed. Related: Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises announce new reward benefits "I very much hope Royal realizes that by having the best loyalty program in the industry, they would have the most to lose by making drastic changes to Crown & Anchor," xAdray commented. Still, if the Carnival Rewards program proves successful, Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines would likely begin to incorporate spending-based rewards into their loyalty programs in some way. "Even if other cruise lines don't adopt the Carnival-specific model, I wouldn't be surprised if an 'onboard spending' category was added as a way to retain top-tier status. It's all about capturing dollars on board for the cruise lines," CricketCapital4095 pointed out. "If you're top-tier status but don't spend much on board, why would a cruise line much care about your loyalty status? More than likely those customers cost cruise lines money in some capacity," CricketCapital4095 added. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Teen ‘Lost It' After Parents Upgraded Her Younger Sister to Business Class on a Long Flight — and Not Her: It's 'Unfair'
A teenager said she 'lost it' on her parents after they upgraded her younger sister to business class for a long flight, but didn't do the same for her The 17-year-old said in a post on Reddit that she is upset her parents would treat her and her 14-year-old sibling "differently" "It's just the fact that they have two children, and they would leave the other one out when there were other solutions,' she saidA teen girl said she "lost it" after her parents got her younger sister a business class ticket for a long flight and didn't do the same for her. In a post on Reddit's 'Am I the A------?' forum, the 17-year-old wrote that she and her family will be traveling to China later this year for a family vacation. She and her mother will be flying separately from her father and her 14-year-old sister, as her sibling will be finishing summer camp. 'My dad decided to use all of his frequent flyer points to upgrade him and my sister to premium economy on the way there (12 hours), and business class on the way back (14 hours),' the teen said, adding, 'He sent a message after he did this to the family group chat without discussing it with anybody.' According to the Redditor, her mom then attempted to upgrade herself to business class, but didn't have enough points, so she ended up upgrading both herself and her daughter to premium economy seating instead. The teen girl said she attempted to 'confront' her parents about the travel ordeal, telling them that she thought they could have tried harder to come up with a 'fair solution.' 'My father could've gifted some of his points to my mom so that she also could've upgraded both of us to business class too. In this case, we would've all flown there in economy and back in business,' she explained. However, the teenager wrote that her parents did not appreciate her complaints. 'My father just told me that life isn't fair. My mother said that I'm selfish and the a------ for not being happy for them," she said. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. At that point is when the teen said she started to "lose it" and asked her parents why it was considered 'selfish' to 'want to be treated equally as my sister.' Further explaining that she's 'actually not jealous' of her sister, but rather 'hurt" that her parents didn't try to work out a fairer solution between their two children, the teen continued, "I think my parents can use their points on themselves [because] it's their money, and I wouldn't mind if they only upgraded themselves." "It's just the fact that they have two children, and they would leave the other one out when there were other solutions,' she added. 'This truly isn't about me complaining about being in economy — I don't care about that. I'm just sad they would treat us differently." In the comments section, Reddit users were divided over whether or not the teen was being unreasonable. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! 'You're getting a trip funded by your parents and are complaining about not getting the same upgrade as your younger sister,' one person pointed out. They added, 'You have three years of having your parents to yourself before she arrived. How many things did you get first, or only because you were born first? Why does everything have to be equal to what your sister has? Life isn't fair, and your parents don't have to bend over backwards to make everything be even for you and your sister.' Other Redditors, however, said that they thought the teen's feelings were entirely valid — and that the parents should have worked harder to try to create a fairer solution. 'There is no way in hell I would do this to one of our kids," one person wrote. "It's not about the better seats. It's being left out and being told she is unreasonable for feeling left out." 'As a parent, I would do my best to be fair to both my children. If both the kids seats couldn't be upgraded then don't upgrade either. [On] a family trip that we took, my parents got the upgraded seats, and my brother and I were back in economy. But at least then neither one of us felt like the other was being treated better. You just want to be treated equally,' said another. Read the original article on People
