As we all know there are very few places where as cigar smokers we can sit down, relax, and just puff away.  When you think of taking a vacation as a cigar lover a few scenarios pop into your mind: either you choose a destination like the Dominican Republic in hopes of seeing “tobacco country,” you go somewhere where there are reputed tobacconists so you can add to your humidor, or at the very least choose  a place that in some way or another is smoke friendly.  I’ve definitely heard of nonsensical actions like Amtrak not allowing cigars or pipes in the smoking car of their Auto Train, but now I have heard it all: Carnival Cruises now wants to take many of their cigar bars — a place on ships actually named the Cigar Bar — and restrict smoking.

Carnival’s blogger and Senior Cruise Editor John Heald revealed on Friday that Carnival will be testing a more restrictive smoking policy on many of its popular ships.  The cruise line itself has historically had a more relaxed approach to smoking since most of its ships do have cigar bars and various other open-air decks & locales where smoking is permitted.  Although he states that no final decision has been made and this is just an experiment, large ships such as the Destiny, Freedom, and Glory are now entirely non-smoking despite each behemoth of a ship actually having been built with a designated smoking room.  Supposedly to not completely restrict cigar and cigarette smokers Carnival’s administration is testing out other locations for smoking that are well-removed from other highly trafficked parts of the vessel.

I think what strikes me as absolutely moronic (outside of having a cigar bar that doesn’t allow smoking) is  the way these ships were designed was basically set up to encourage complaints from non-smokers: on many of Carnival’s ships one has to walk through the cigar bar in order to access the internet café.  Many non-smokers have apparently stressed to Carnival’s powers-that-be that while they enjoy the live music in the cigar bar, they don’t enjoy the smoking.  Pardon me while I tap into my inner Dennis Miller, but give me a break: it’s a cruise ship for Christ’s sake and there is entertainment EVERYWHERE.  I went on a Carnival cruise once in my life and what kept me sane was the cigar bar because it got me away from small children with absentee parents, oddly-themed bingo games, and dance clubs with DJs who obviously failed the wedding circuit because they embrace Kool & the Gang just a little too much.

As a cigar lover himself, John Heald admits he is a bit torn over this issue, but he is conducting a poll on his Facebook page wanting to know what consumers think of this measure, so I suggest you express your opinion if you love cigars and taking cruises.  What do YOU think about this??