Can You Smoke on a Cruise Ship – What to Know

Cruise ships have various rules to follow during your stay. One rule you might be wondering about before your big cruise is: can you smoke on a cruise ship?

Whether you’re a smoker or non-smoker, understanding the smoking rules for your upcoming cruise can help you prepare. Keep reading to learn whether or not you can smoke on a cruise ship and other potential smoking rules you must follow.

Can You Smoke on a Cruise Ship?

Let’s jump right into the question: can you smoke on a cruise ship?

The simple answer to this question is yes, you can. All cruise ships allow smoking onboard to some capacity, although this capacity is in designated areas. It’s important to note that various cruise lines have different smoking policies.

Here’s how the rules go for most cruise lines in the US:

• For the most part, indoor smoking in public spaces is off-limits. However, some cruise lines make exceptions for casinos. 
• You must be at least 18 years old to smoke from any departing destination, except the U.S., where you must be 21. 
• European cruise lines tend to have more relaxed smoking rules and offer more designated smoking areas than cruise lines leaving from other destinations. 
• No cruise lines allow you to smoke in your room, as this is considered a fire hazard for the entire vessel. Some do let you smoke on stateroom balconies, but this is becoming less and less common.
• Most cruise lines treat electronic cigarettes the same as cigarettes and cigars. 

If you violate a ship’s non-smoking policy, you will likely be subject to a fine, depending on the cruise line. Let’s look at the smoking policy of some of the most popular cruise lines.

Royal Caribbean’s Smoking Policy

Royal Caribbean’s ships are technically designated as non-smoking. You cannot smoke on the pool deck, outside decks, pool bar, cabin balconies, or any public area.

However, to accommodate the guests who smoke, they have designated outdoor areas indicated with signage that even comes with ashtrays for proper disposal. This rule applies to electronic cigarettes as well.

The exception to the smoking rule is in Casino Royale, where smoking is allowed, and there are designated non-smoking areas instead. This casino exception applies for all routes except for trips from Australia and the United Kingdom.

Carnival Cruise Line Smoking Policy

The majority of Carnival Cruise Line ships have designated smoking areas both indoors and outdoors, with the indoor areas always being in the onboard casino, but only while seated and playing.

The exceptions to this general rule are Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Splendor, where smoking is not permitted indoors at all, including the casinos.

It’s important to note that on embarkation and debarkation day, smoking is not allowed outdoors on any of Carnival’s cruise ships due to refueling. To find the smoking policy of a specific Carnival cruise, check out their website.

Princess Cruises Smoking Policy

On Princess Cruises ships, smoking is only permitted in designated smoking areas. You’ll find these smoking areas on deck and in bars. You’re also not allowed to smoke in your cabin or on the balcony of your cabin. If you try to circumvent these rules, you may be subject to a fine.

Cunard Smoking Policy

Cunard’s smoking policy is identical to that of other popular cruise lines. Each ship has designated smoking areas on open decks. The only exception to this is the Churchill’s Cigar Lounge on the Queen Mary 2, where guests may partake in cigar and pipe smoking only.

Costa Cruises

Costa Cruises has one of the most relaxed smoking policies, as they allow guests to smoke in their cabin balconies. They even supply wind-proof ashtrays.

Other than that, however, smoking is not permitted in any other indoor area, aside from designated cigar lounges. There are clearly indicated external smoking areas throughout their ships.

Can You Smoke on a Cruise Ship – Marijuana

When figuring out whether you can smoke on a cruise ship, there are different rules for marijuana use.

While in some states, marijuana use is legal in some form, it is still federally banned in the US and many other areas of the world. Therefore, cruise lines err on the safe side and prohibit the use of marijuana on board entirely.

Even if it’s legal in your departing destination, cruise ships make stops in many other destinations along the way and must follow the laws of each. This would make regulating marijuana use on the cruise challenging to regulate and coordinate. 

What’s more, cruise lines do not make exceptions for medical use. This also means that you cannot bring marijuana onboard the ship or use it in any way. This rule applies to marijuana in all forms, including edibles. 

The punishment for bringing and consuming marijuana on a cruise ship can be harsher than the punishment for smoking in non-smoking areas. In the best-case scenario, you’d be subject to a high fine. Worst case, you may be asked to disembark or even be subject to arrest, depending on the destination.

Where to Find Smoking Information

You can usually find smoking information on your cruise line’s website. Checking the FAQ section is a great place to start.  If you’ve already booked your cruise, check out the guidelines provided to you with your confirmation. Once you’re on your cruise, ask guest services for a map of the designated smoking areas on your ship.

The Verdict: Can You Smoke on a Cruise Ship?

To recap, you can smoke on a cruise ship, but only in designated smoking areas. Mostly, these smoking areas are only outdoors, although some cruise ships allow cigarette smoking in their casinos. 

Cruise ships treat cigarettes, cigars, and e-cigarettes the same, so don’t try to bypass the rules with your electronic cigarette, or you may be subject to a fine.

Read Also: What Is a Poop Deck? It’s Not What You Think

Finally, marijuana use in any way, shape, or form is prohibited on all cruise ships. The punishment for marijuana use on a cruise ship can be severe, so it’s best not to test your luck and abstain from it entirely during your cruise. 

These rules are for the safety and comfort of all passengers onboard, so to ensure that your cruise goes as planned, make sure to know your cruise line’s smoking policy well before departure. 

What about other cruise ship rules? Check out this article to learn whether you can bring food onto your cruise ship.