Key Aspects:
- The casino will be fully non-smoking for the September 6, 2025 departure of Enchanted Princess.
- The temporary policy change is due to work being done on the casino ventilation system.
- Other designated smoking areas will still be available onboard and no other cruises are expected to be impacted.
The level of smoke in a cruise ship casino compared to whether or not there is a non-smoking section onboard can be very controversial among cruise guests.
Now, guests on one particular sailing of Enchanted Princess have learned that their cruise will have a completely non-smoking casino during their vacation.
The impacted cruise is the ship’s September 6, 2025 departure, a 7-night Canada and New England itinerary. From New York, the ship will visit Newport, Rhode Island; Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; and Halifax, Nova Scotia before returning to the Big Apple on Saturday, September 13.
Guests were notified of the non-smoking casino restriction just days before departure.
“Due to essential work being carried out on the ventilation systems within the casino, we would like to inform you that the casino will be non-smoking for the duration of the September 6, 2025 sailing,” the notification read.
The Princess Casino on Enchanted Princess is located on Deck 6, forward of the atrium and retail shopping. The casino itself is normally non-smoking, though a designated area of slot machines is used as a smoking section. For the September 6 sailing, that smoking section will not be available.
Reactions have been fairly positive to the news, with some guests ecstatic at the adjustment.
“We’re sailing on the 13th. I really hope the casino is still non-smoking when we get on,” one guest noted. “If it is I will happily give them my money!”
“Former smoker here, this is great!” another guest replied.
There is no indication whether or not additional sailings may also have a completely non-smoking casino.
To be clear, the entire ship is not non-smoking, even for this one sailing. Only the casino space will be non-smoking while the ventilation system is undergoing maintenance.
Guests must abide by Princess Cruises’ smoking policy, which is found on the cruise line’s onboard experience FAQ website.
Designated smoking areas will still be available, including clearly labeled portions of the open decks. Smoking is not permitted in any guest staterooms or on balconies, in any show lounges, or in restaurants and other food service areas.
If guests violate the smoking policy, they are subject to a $250 (USD) fine for each occurrence. Fines will be automatically added to guests’ onboard accounts.
Smoking Changes Over the Years
In years past, large smoking casinos have been the norm on cruise ships. As smoking trends in society have shifted, however, more cruise lines are implementing non-smoking casino sections or fully non-smoking casinos.
Other smoking areas onboard, such as cigar lounges and nightclubs, have largely been eliminated, though each cruise line has their own individual policies and designated smoking areas.
A cause of concern among non-smokers, however, is how some non-smoking areas are actually adjacent to smoking sections. This can lead to a lot of airflow interchange, with smoke easily drifting into areas designated as non-smoking.
Read Also: Can You Smoke on a Cruise Ship? What to Know
The use of stronger air filters and improved ventilation has helped improve air circulation and reduce smoke in unwanted areas.
In 1998, Carnival Cruise Line introduced Carnival Paradise as the world’s first fully non-smoking ship, but that policy was discontinued in late 2003. More than 20 years ago, Carnival Paradise was ahead of her time.
Can more fully non-smoking ships be in the works for the future?
