Want to quit smoking? Go on vacation!

If you want to quit smoking, but live or work in a "smoker's environment", where everywhere you look, someone just lit up another one...then maybe a Carnival Cruise is just what the Travel Doctor ordered! Below is a letter, which I received from Carnival the other week, regarding my upcoming cruise and their new, smoke-free policy. It was interesting to find out that almost 90% of people who cruise with them, don't smoke. Now that's my kinda crowd ;-)

June 15, 2011 Hi there! We know your bags aren't packed yet, but it's not too early to start thinking about your cruise. So, we'd like to take this opportunity to inform you of some important information. We recently conducted guest surveys covering a wide range of topics. The feedback we received indicated the overwhelming majority of our guests prefer a smoke-free environment. In fact, nearly 90 percent of our guests are non-smokers, with only less than five percent opting to smoke in their staterooms. Accordingly, as part of our ongoing commitment to keep in line with the personal preferences of our guests, we will be changing the smoking policy across our 23-ship fleet. The new smoking policy will be rolled out in two stages: Effective today, cigarette smoking in public venues will only be permitted in Carnival's dance clubs as well as in designated areas within the casino and casino bar. Smoking (including cigars) will be permitted in designated exterior open deck areas of all our ships. Additionally, smoking will also be allowed in the jazz clubs of the following ships: Carnival Destiny, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Victory, Carnival Spirit, Carnival Pride, Carnival Legend, Carnival Miracle, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Glory, Carnival Valor, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Freedom, and Carnival Splendor. Effective December 1, 2011, smoking will be prohibited in all guest staterooms. Guests in balcony staterooms may smoke (including cigars) outside on their balcony. However, Spa suites and staterooms, inclusive of the balconies, will remain an entirely smoke-free environment. Guests who smoke in their staterooms will be assessed a $250 cleaning and refreshing fee on their Sail & Sign account. Information on this fee is included in Carnival's ticket contract. Decisions like these are never easy and we realize some of you may be affected by this change. We sincerely hope this won't affect your ability to have a fun and memorable cruise vacation. In fact, we are hopeful you will see this as an enhancement to your on board experience and have an even better time sailing with us. Please know we are committed to providing a clean and healthy environment for all our guests. We thank you for your understanding and appreciate your cooperation in adhering to our new smoking policy. Most importantly, we look forward to welcoming you aboard! Sincerely, Vicky Rey, CTC Vice President - Guest Services

Now, people who know me, know that I swear by balcony cabins. I still cite sea-sickness as the main reason for this, even though I found an over-the-counter-pill that mitigates the effects years ago ;-) because as far as I am concerned there is no other way to get the most out of a cruise experience. For a myriad of reasons, I think balcony cabins are the only way to go. Therefore, the new smoke-free policy at Carnival wouldn't neccessarily affect me on-board, if I were a smoker that is. However, I will still chalk it up as yet another reason why balconies are worth it!

Can't wait for my next cruise in 86 days <3