Smoking on balconies of non-smoking rooms??

[jimmytammy]

Getting ready to book 2bedroom at VWL but got a question. MIL is wanting to go with us. She smokes, we dont. She doesnt smoke in her own house so she wouldnt smoke in room either. DW nor myself or the 2 kids can handle staying in smoking room. The smell drives our sinuses crazy, even when someone isnt smoking, but the room smells like smoke.

First off this isnt a post meant to bash smokers. I live in the heart of tobbaco country so keep puffing if it makes you feel good.

Question is: If we stay in non smoking 2 bedroom, can MIL smoke on balcony or porch with doors closed. Since she is outside I didnt know if their are any rules on this. My MIL is very respectful about her habit, she always removes herself from nonsmokers before lighting up. If anyone has any info. or experienced a similar situation I would appreciate hearing from yall.

Thanks
Jimmy

[Mrs. Snowgod]

We had this question at OKW, and asked the CM who checked us in a year ago. The answer there was that it was OK on the balconies or patios outside NS rooms, just as long as none of the odor got into the room. Personally, as a former smoker who dislikes second-hand smoke, that answer bothered me a little, as I'd hate to be a neighbor to someone doing that. But that was the CMs statement, and another CM present agreed. I would ask at WL to be certain, as it might be a different story given the different room/building layout there.

[bethsg]

We recently went to WDW, and stayed at a 2 bedroom villa at Beach Club. We had a non smoking room, and can't stand smoke in our room. She took her habit to the balcony. I emailed member services specifically, and noted we were bringing a smoker who wanted to smoke on the balcony, and could they place us in a location so not to offend anyone. They responded, indicating they would note our request. When we cruised on the cruise line, despite the fact that all rooms are non smoking all balconies are smoking. So I would assume the same would be in place at WDW.

[slimplaw]

Thank you for asking this question. I am going to BCV in March with the same scenario. My friend smokes, but not around her children or non-smoking friends. She likes to smoke a cigarette with her morning coffee. I will fax BCV and note the same request suggested by bethsg.

[ncligs]

Before this thread turns into a debate ;) ,Gail Hayden( smoking expert http://www.wdwinfo.com/sites/family/smokin.gif)here on the DVC forum will let you know what is allowed and what isn't.http://216.40.249.192/mysmilies/contrib/edoom/Smoker.gifhttp://www.wdwinfo.com/sites/family/smash.gif

[Debby7]

You might ask your mil to take a look around the neighboring balconies before lighting up. If non smokers are out where the smoke might drift, it would be considerate to take a walk to smoke. If no one is around to offend, no problem.

[Johnnie Fedora]

I don't know about you, but most times when I've been out on our balcony, I was the only one out there. I think smokers should be allowed to smoke on the balconies, It may reduce the temptation to sneak one in the room. ;) Proper smoking manners in check of course ;)

[TIdoublegaER]

When we were at OKW in August, my sil, who is a smoker, went out on the balcony to smoke and it was not a problem. I know this is a very sensitive issue, but I would rather a smoker in a ns room go out on the balcony than smoke in the room.

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Gail Hayden( smoking expert )here on the DVC forum will let you know what is allowed and what isn't.

Not the expert and definitely NOT the one that makes the rules, but, the CMs are the ones to ask and they usually say, ok to the balcony.

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

[PKS44]

This recent thread touched on this subject---but you also say that "My MIL is very respectful about her habit, she always removes herself from nonsmokers before lighting up."

You will see from the thread below that smoking on the balcony is allowed yet not exactly guaranteed to allow your smoking guest to do so without offending nonsmokers as you say she always does-


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=305404

[kel3420]

After numerous threads on this topic, and being personally told by a CM that it is fine to smoke on balconies, I think this topic just gets too heated every time to continue. An innocent person asks a question, and it is usually several vocal posters arguing, although usually quite nicely, about the whole topic, on an on, ad naseum.

But really the bottom line is smoking is allowed on balconies, period. If you request a smoking room, and they don't have any, they will put you in a nonsmoking room and tell you to go outside. Whether you like it or not is another matter. If you add to your room request that you want a nonsmoking room but close to a smoking room, do you really think they are going to go thru all of thier rooms looking for something like this? No way, they have too many other things to worry about.

There are so few people out at the same times on their balconies, does it even really matter? I equate this topic with religion, are you really going to chance someone's mind about it?

[Scoootch]

Hi Jimmy :)

Dh and I took our whole family down with us last May and stayed in a GV at OKW in a NON-Smoking unit. None of us are smokers except for my 79 yr old grandmother who would rather argue why smoking is good for her rather than admit that it is a habit that infringes on everyone around her. So lol, we asked ahead of time knowing that we could not deal with having a smoking unit for the rest of us and were told that she could smoke out on the balcony or outside the building but just to make sure she kept the balcony and surrounding areas she smoked in clean of ashes, butts and basic evidence that she'd been smoking. It worked out well. She would go out on the balcony and would make sure she emptied any ashtray evidence and she did fine that way. so as long as your MIL isn't bothering any other guests who are on their balcony and isn't flicking ashes on the ground and is mindfull to clean up afterward you shouldn't have any problem. Have a nice trip!;)

[Pa@okw95]

My wife is a smoker, we get a non-smoking because I have asthma. She always smokes outside on the balcony, just like at home she smokes outside, never inside. I wish every smoker was as considerate as my wife. Of course, I wish every smoker would quit, that would be even better.

[ncligs]

Originally posted by kel3420
An innocent person asks a question, and it is usually several vocal posters arguing, although usually quite nicely, about the whole topic.


Are you implying Gail Hayden and I can't get along??http://www.jamezbrown.com/mysmilies/contrib/edoom/boxing_smiley.gif http://216.40.249.192/mysmilies/contrib/edoom/Smoker.gifhttp://www.wdwinfo.com/sites/family/smash.gif

[kel3420]

I love some of the graphics you people come up with!

[jimmytammy]

Thanks for all the replies!! I think this answers my question.

[Chuck S]

Here's a suggestion for folks that do smoke on balconies...why not get some small ziplock bags and when you've finished your cigs (and after the butts are cold, of course), you could dump your ashes and all into the ziplock bag before disposal inside your rooms trash can. That way you'd help insure that the unit remains odor free, and the odor wouldn't linger as long outside. I know some people will leave their residue in an ash tray on the balcony until it is full...the odor from these ashtrays can be stronger than the whiffs of smoke that may stray away from you while smoking. After you've emptied it, you could also seal your ashtray in a ziplock and take it inside with you...thus preventing the possibility of the wind blowing your ashtray away.

[Debby7]

I like Chuck's idea, but am a little leary of putting butts and ashes in plastic and then putting them in the trash. Remote possiblility of fire. Maybe an empty coffee can with a plastic lid or a glass jar
with a screw on top. Sounds like your MIL is considerate enough to figure out something that will keep everyone happy.

[LUVMICKEY]

I just talked to a CM yesturday about this. I am a smoker, but I booked a non-smoking 2BR for June. Our children and grandchildren will be with us and can not be around the smoke either because of medical reasons. Fortunatly, she was a smoker herself and told me she also always books a non-smoking room because of her two little one's and her husband that does not smoke. She said it was perfectly alright to smoke on the balcony as long as you were mindful of others that could be out there also that don't smoke. Which I always am anyway, but I still had to ask the question. And as others have suggested, I use a jar with kitty litter in it and a tight lid to put butts and ashes in.

Michele

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Michele,
You can also use Baking soda instead of Kitty litter. It snuffs the cigarette and also eliminates a lot of the odor.

[mitros]

:( Please try to remmember, people that ask for non smoking rooms do so for a reason, they can't cope with the smoke. My DW has a serious problem health wise because her parents smoked when she was little. Don't forget, people in non smoking rooms like to sit on the balconies as well, and if there is a smoker on a nearby balcony,the non smoker cannot sit outside for fear of the smoke:( Thanks for your consideration.:D

[Pa@okw95]

Mitros--Whenever this subject comes up people begin to get carried away with the subject, while you are correct for some places ,at OKW the balconies are a good 40 yards from each other or more, hardly any chance of smoke lasting that long outside to reach anyone. Like I said this topic begins to cross the line into the absurd after a while. I once said during one of these very discussions that getting someones smoke in your face at OKW from another balcony would be like winning the lottery, the chances are very small, when you consider all the factors involved, distance, wind, one would have to be on a balcony the same time a smoker was, etc, etc, I would worry more about lightning striking you at OKW at any rate.

[luvindisneyworld]

i would say to get the non smoking room and smoke on the balcony. i do not see why anyone should have a problem with it if you asked when you made ressies and they told you that you could smoke on the balconies.
misty

[Terry S]

Pa@okw95.... that may be true for OKW, but I was at BCV this past October. I was sitting out on my balcony reading a book while my kids were inside napping and there was a smoker on the balcony below me. It bothered my asthma so bad I had to go inside my room. I beleive this would be the case for all the other resorts on property except OKW.

I do have to agree that I would rather a smoker smoke on a balcony than in a non-smoking room. Okay, I would rather they not smoke at all, but I know that is not possible for some people.

Gail... How is that resolution going? Need any help or encouragement?

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Terry,
You are a sweetheart!!!! I have the patches and am just getting ready to pick a date. Encourage away, always appreciated. :)

[WDWguru]

Originally posted by Terry S
I was sitting out on my balcony reading a book while my kids were inside napping and there was a smoker on the balcony below me.

I'm a non-smoker and smoking bugs me about as much as most others, however, how do you know this wasn't a person in a smoking room? With the way the rooms are arranged, it's quite possible there's a smoking room underneath one or more non-smoking ones. You can't assume it's somebody smoking in a non-smoking room.

I guess my point is you can't know whether someone is smoking on a smoking or non-smoking balcony. It's a matter of common courtesy for anyone smoking to check for others nearby they may disturb, whether they are on the balcony of their room or at the parks.

[Terry S]

WDWguru..... In most cases you would be right, a lot of people probably don't know where the smoking rooms are, but I didn't assume, I know where the smoking rooms are at BCV, they are only on the 4th floor in the rooms right when you get off the elevator and the wing that jaunts out to the right. We were on the 3rd floor and we were at the parking lot end where there is all non-smoking rooms. I never said there was a problem with this. I just mentioned that the balconies are close at BCV and I went into my room.

Gail.... I am proud of you for getting that far, that shows your moving forward with the next step! If you need any support at all, just give me a holler. Good Luck!

[jimmytammy]

Folks I didnt intend on this turning into a heated debate. I do appreciate the replies, your info has been very helpful. We are booking today so I will be sure to make MS aware of the situation so if there is a problem we can resolve it now. Once again thanks.

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Folks I didnt intend on this turning into a heated debate. I do appreciate the replies, your info has been very helpful. We are booking today so I will be sure to make MS aware of the situation so if there is a problem we can resolve it now. Once again thanks.

Trust me, we all know you never intended this to turn into a debate. It just seems to happen with this topic. This, btw, is mild in comparison to some. :)

Happy planning. :)

[Lesley]

We were told by the CM at the desk at BWV that smoking on the balcony is fine...when we were told we weren't getting the smoking room we requested. As it happened we were given a smoking room anyway. My mom is also a smoker, which is why we requested a smoking room....knowing full well that she has, and probably would smoke in a nonsmoking room anyway.:( I guess everyone has their things they get unreasonable about. She did, however, stick to the smoking areas in the parks.

Note that the smoking rooms at the BWV are on the 2nd floor.....so anyone on the 3rd floor at BWV is likely to have smokers below them.

[Mickeylover6]

I just returned from a short stay at the BWV. We had requested a smoking top floor room. ( Apparently, according to this list, there are none) Anyways, upon check in we were given a first floor non smoking room. I nicely explained that three of the four peole in the room were smokers. He told us that smoking was allowed on the patio. I explained that I cannot control others smoking behavior. At this he called housekeeping and had ashtrays sent to our non smoking room and told me we could smoke in it! I am one of the smokers, but this really irritated me! My own mother has health problems and cannot be around smoke, so I understand why people get upset about smoking in a non smoking room. I found it interesting that he said this. We did not smoke in the room, we only smoked outside, but I'm sure that at some pint we did bother someone, and I really don't like to do that. How many smoking rooms does the BWV have? We booked 11 months out day by day, is it really that hard to get one or do they really not care?:confused:

[Lesley]

I believe they have air cleaners that they can bring in to get the smell, etc....out of a room that has been smoked in. Of course, that only works if the smoke smell is in the room itself and does not come from a neighboring room. We had a smoking room at the Poly once that smelled terrible and we could only keep the smell out by cranking the air up and keeping the balcony doors open....we discovered after our neighbors in the next room checked out the following day that they were causing the smell. Once they were gone the place was odor free. We are non-smokers ourselves, so we orignally thought this was just what a smoking room smelled like!

We had smoking rooms at both the BWV and VWL (second was not by choice, but by chance) and were unable to tell they were smoking rooms except for the presence of ashtrays. Both rooms were odor free.

As for the BWV, we also booked 11mo. out by the day and were told at check in that we couldn't get a smoking room. When we arrived at our room, however, it was a smoking room (but handicapped...:( ) There are just too many factors involved in room assigning to guarantee anything I guess.

[Grateful11]

I still remember last year when we stayed in building 2300, there was a family to our right and one floor down that smoked constantly on the balcony. They used a OKW cereal bowl for an ashtray. I think they were in a studio, we saw like 7 or 8 different faces in the room.

Refer to this post:
If you ever stay in 2311.....

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=220071&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

Later,
Grateful "that I'll be going back soon"

[madcoco]

We stayed on the 9th floor of the CR over this past Halloween.3 days straight we came back to butts and ashes from above littered all over our balcony.Most people are considerate of others but you always have a few who could care less.

[DebbieB]

We checked into our non-smoking GF 3 years ago and I went out onto the porch (first floor) to checkout the view and there was a cig butt swimming around in a drinking glass with soda (gross!). You would think the housekeeper would check the porch when doing checkout cleaning :rolleyes:.

At OKW last May, we were on the first floor in a non-smoking building and someone above us smoked cigars on the porch. That was even worse than cigarettes. Luckily they were only there a couple days while we were there.

[rccomputers]

We stayed at the BCV in october and two in our party smoked on the balconies with no complaints. When the maid saw the soda can being used as an ashtray, she placed a real ashtray on each balcony table for them to use!
:smooth: