• Hi Guest - Come check out all of the new CP Merch Shop! Now you can support CigarPass buy purchasing hats, apparel, and more...
    Click here to visit! here...

Anyone Been on a Cruise Lately?

MrAnderson41

Cool Story 'Bro!
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
874
So a buddy of mine called the other day and mentioned that he and his wife were thinking about taking a cruise in February and was wondering if my wife and I would be interested in joining them. We're looking to go to the Caribbean (eastern), and aside from which ports/excursions/etc. one of our bigger concerns is the smoking policy on the ship since my buddy and I would both like to enjoy some cigars while on board the ship. Have any of the fine BOTL's here been a cruise recently and what was you're overall experience like? Which cruise lines should we look at and which should we avoid?
 
I've been on 4 cruises, 3 with Norwegian and 1 with Royal Caribbean. All of the ships had cigar lounges.

I did have a not so great experience on Royal (non-cigar related) so I would recommend looking into Norwegian. Laid back, fun, and a good time.

Hope you enjoy it!
 
I too have had a great experience with Norwegian, though the only place onboard to smoke was on outside decks. They had eliminated a smoking lounge a few months before. Luckily the weather was great!
 
Half a dozen cruises here, RC, Carnival, Princess, all had places to smoke. There was one cruise my wife was looking at that was billed as a non-smoking cruise. We didn't go, but watch out for those.

BTW, I'm also Mr. Anderson. :cool:
 
I've been on 4 cruises, 3 with Norwegian and 1 with Royal Caribbean. All of the ships had cigar lounges.

.... I would recommend looking into Norwegian. Laid back, fun, and a good time.

Hope you enjoy it!


I too have had a great experience with Norwegian, though the only place onboard to smoke was on outside decks. They had eliminated a smoking lounge a few months before. Luckily the weather was great!

X2 :thumbs:

T
 
I guess I'll have to look at the Norwegian cruises again then. For whatever reason we've been leaning towards the Carnival cruises mainly because when they stop at Nassau they offer an excursion to Atlantis which is a must have for the wife. It would be ideal if I could find a cruise that stopped at Nassau and the Dominican Republic because they have an excursion to one of General Cigar's factories there but all of the cruises to the Dominican Republic are Western Caribbean cruises.
 
If you stop at Nassau and want to see something cigar-related, just take a walk up to the Graycliff Hotel. We went when we stopped there on a Disney cruise. Only a couple blocks from the port. Just tell one of the guys at the front you want to see the cigar shop, they take you on a nice walk through the grounds, which are gorgeous, and back to the rolling room. Very cool, very intimate, and better (in my opinion) than a giant factory.
 
If you stop at Nassau and want to see something cigar-related, just take a walk up to the Graycliff Hotel. We went when we stopped there on a Disney cruise. Only a couple blocks from the port. Just tell one of the guys at the front you want to see the cigar shop, they take you on a nice walk through the grounds, which are gorgeous, and back to the rolling room. Very cool, very intimate, and better (in my opinion) than a giant factory.

Thanks for the heads up. We'll have to check that out. Was there any cost to it or did they just show you around on the way to the shop?
 
If you stop at Atlantis...check out Havana Humidor In the shopping mall area of the resort. While prices aren't cheap, they tend to have a nice selection of smokes. Their custom rolls are only so so IMHO...
 
It will depend on the cruiseline and most importantly on the ship. Different ships within the cruise line may or may not have a cigar lounge. You can always smoke outdoors, but this can be problematic if you are sailing as the wind can be harsh in unprotected areas, and that will also depend on the ship as to where the outdoor smoking venues are located. I have quite a few cruises under my belt and could help you on specific ship questions.

On cruising, each line will have strengths and weaknesses, so jsut because someone had a good/bad experience should that influence your decision, ie. some people love Carnival, others won't step foot on Carnival. I have a love/hate relationship with NCL. As long as you know the good/bad of each line then you can make a good decision.
 
If you stop at Nassau and want to see something cigar-related, just take a walk up to the Graycliff Hotel. We went when we stopped there on a Disney cruise. Only a couple blocks from the port. Just tell one of the guys at the front you want to see the cigar shop, they take you on a nice walk through the grounds, which are gorgeous, and back to the rolling room. Very cool, very intimate, and better (in my opinion) than a giant factory.

Thanks for the heads up. We'll have to check that out. Was there any cost to it or did they just show you around on the way to the shop?

No cost. I tipped the guy who brought me back there a couple bucks, because it's almost like a tour he gives you on the way back there, telling you all about the hotel. Then whoever is in the back at the shop shows you the rolling room, a handful of rollers making cigars, listening to a radio, I'll have to see if I have the pics somewhere.

A couple of the vitolas they sell there at the shop are only available there, so I made sure to take advantage of that.
 
All I know about cruises is, if the ship's grey, they don't serve cocktails on the fantail.

Doc.
 
Been on 2 cruises. Carnival to Mexico, was a younger crowd but didn't really enjoy it that much. Celebrity cruise to Alaska was really nice though. Slightly older crowd but they expect more out of their cruises, making our trip more enjoyable too. (The difference in demographics is rather mild).
 
Book a room with a verandah and you don't have to worry about finding designated smoking spots on the ship. We've been on four cruises, splitting between Royal Caribbean and Disney. My wife is a cigarette smoker, so not having someplace to sit and smoke conveniently would greatly reduce the fun-factor of any trip. I honestly can't recall on the RC ship (Mariner), but the Disney Magic has two (I think) outside areas on the decks designated for smoking. I don't think that Disney had indoor smoking, but the RC ship had a cigar lounge. I smoked more than one cigar on our balcony on each.
 
I have been on 1 cruise...April of 2008. Royal Caribbean out of Venice that went to Croatia, Ephasus,Turkey and 2 stops in Greece(Corfu and Santorini) and back to Venice. If you go in their off season which is before about the mid to end of April it is GREAT weather and just crazy beautiful. The airfare and cruise is SO much cheaper if you go then as opposed to after that date. I know it's not the Caribbean trip you were talking about but I wanted to mention it. They also had certain lounges on that particular ship that were cigar friendly...thankfully.
 
Lots of good information. Thank you all for your help. You've definitely given me some other perspectives and things to consider I had not thought of.

I have quite a few cruises under my belt and could help you on specific ship questions.

On cruising, each line will have strengths and weaknesses, so jsut because someone had a good/bad experience should that influence your decision, ie. some people love Carnival, others won't step foot on Carnival. I have a love/hate relationship with NCL. As long as you know the good/bad of each line then you can make a good decision.

PM Sent

No cost. I tipped the guy who brought me back there a couple bucks, because it's almost like a tour he gives you on the way back there, telling you all about the hotel. Then whoever is in the back at the shop shows you the rolling room, a handful of rollers making cigars, listening to a radio, I'll have to see if I have the pics somewhere.

A couple of the vitolas they sell there at the shop are only available there, so I made sure to take advantage of that.

We'll definitely have to take advantage of this. It gives us the best of both worlds (i.e. being able to stop in Nassau AND being able to see a rolling operation).

All I know about cruises is, if the ship's grey, they don't serve cocktails on the fantail.

Doc.

My brother is currently in week 5 of boot camp at Great Lakes and is learning this the hard way. I told him I didn't think that was the kind of cruise he was looking for but he wouldn't listen.

I have been on 1 cruise...April of 2008. Royal Caribbean out of Venice that went to Croatia, Ephasus,Turkey and 2 stops in Greece(Corfu and Santorini) and back to Venice. If you go in their off season which is before about the mid to end of April it is GREAT weather and just crazy beautiful. The airfare and cruise is SO much cheaper if you go then as opposed to after that date. I know it's not the Caribbean trip you were talking about but I wanted to mention it. They also had certain lounges on that particular ship that were cigar friendly...thankfully.

The wife and I sort of already did the Mediterranean thing on our honeymoon when we went to Rome. It is definitely something we want to go back and do again because we didn't get to see a lot of things while we were there (Venice, Pisa, etc.) because we didn't have enough time. We've also thought about going to Greece as well so it's something I'll keep in the back of my mind for future trips but this one is going to the Caribbean.
 
5th week? He got his white hat. Congratulations.

Doc.
 
Just took a 7 day cruise on NCL in March. The ship I was on did have a full fledged cigar bar. They also allowed smoking in certain portions of the outdoor spaces. They have an odd policy though, other than in the cigar bar, you are not allowed to smoke cigars indoors, even in the indoor spaces that allow cigarette smoking. I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise in January 2010 and I only smoked on deck. I didn't have any need to seek out indoor smoking so I don't know if it was allowed or not.

One suggestion though, check this out: My link. They don't really stock decent booze, and what they do have will cost you a fortune.
 
Just took a 7 day cruise on NCL in March. The ship I was on did have a full fledged cigar bar. They also allowed smoking in certain portions of the outdoor spaces. They have an odd policy though, other than in the cigar bar, you are not allowed to smoke cigars indoors, even in the indoor spaces that allow cigarette smoking. I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise in January 2010 and I only smoked on deck. I didn't have any need to seek out indoor smoking so I don't know if it was allowed or not.

One suggestion though, check this out: My link. They don't really stock decent booze, and what they do have will cost you a fortune.

That's kind of what I've heard as well regarding the booze. How was the pricing though in reality (for both cigars on board and the booze)? What would a typical $5 or $6 stick run on the ship? How about a domestic lite beer?
 
Top