Disney set to ban smoking on balconies
When you think of all the smoking laws and restrictions on land, it’s surprising that the venerable family cruise line, Disney, is just getting around to ending smoking on its balconies.
Disney will butt out come Nov. 15. And if you don’t comply, it will cost $250 if you’re caught. As with other cruise lines, special areas will be designated for smoking. Whenever these changes are made, it makes many passengers happy, but you can bet there will be some cancellations.
Cunard and P&O will make their balconies smokefree in the spring of 2014. Cruise lines that earlier joined the “no smoking on the balcony” club are Celebrity, Crystal, Oceania and Princess. Still allowing smoking outside are Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival.
Glenn Moroney, the founder and managing director of Scenic Tours (parent company of Scenic Cruises), has done a pretty good job of staying in front of the competition on the rivers of Europe.
This year, he was the first to go completely all-inclusive to differentiate his river cruise line from competitors. Some “all-inclusive” services are offered by others but when Moroney says all-inclusive he means ALL.
Moroney has a brand new line that he’s launching next year. It appears he’ll be taking on Viking Cruises with a ship capacity of 182 — Viking’s is 190.
Emerald Waterways is the name of the venture and it’s the first new river cruise line in six years. To make it stand out, Moroney is adding a lot of extras, such as a heated small swimming pool and a top-deck movie theatre.
And in billing Emerald as a value line, quite a few amenities are included, such as gratuities, Wi-Fi, tours, and wine and beer with lunch and dinner.