For you smokers out there......

[krbq]

This will be our first stay at DVC BC and I'm confused about the smoking issue. We have never had a problem at other Disney resorts because there are designated smoking rooms.

We've requested a non smoking unit, but after reading many posts I'm wondering if there are non smoking units. We definitely would have a problem (asthma and allergies). I know they try to spray and air the room, but the smell definitely returns! Hope we haven't made a mistake.

BCV has mostly non-smoking units. There are smoking optional units on part of the 4th floor, but there are also non-smoking rooms on the 4th floor. The rest of the floors are entirely non-smoking.

 

[Nanajo1]

Man, I must have bad luck.
We actually have come to expect an issue when we check-in. Now I always leave the front desk during the check-in process to inspect the room before finishing up the paperwork. I don't want to, mind you, but I'm 0-for-4 so far.

Our room is rarely ready when we check in. I would love to inspect the room before accepting it but the CM won't tell us the room number. How do you do it?

 

[Joe&Peg]

We both smoke. Not necessarily proud of it, but we have very stressful occupations and quitting has just not taken despite numerous efforts. We often get non-smoking rooms despite requests for smoking rooms. When there is a balcony, our response is to go out on the balcony, shut the door, and have our smoke there, in an attempt to make sure the room is not inundated with smoke odors for the next guest who is a non-smoker. This is also what we do on DCL. We are more than happy to try and make the next guest's visit as pleasant as we can. If we smoke in the parks, we dutifully go to the smoking areas, although they are sometimes hard to find. (Not very clearly marked, you have to look for the trash cans with the ashtrays on top, no big signs). If the balcony smoking is banned, I am afraid that the frequency of in-room smoking in non-smoking units will increase. I think banning the balcony smoking is a bad plan for both smokers and non-smokers. If the units go totally non-smoking, I can live with that as long as smoking is permitted on the balcony or in other outside areas. In the spirit of Disney, I hope that some resolution can be found that makes it a pleasant experience for all of us.

PS: I having been going to WDW since it opened and was in Epcot on opening day. I used to love to go to the Rose & Crown, get a dark & tan, sit down, light up, and pretend I was in Sloan Square, London. Since the smoking ban, the Rose & Crown is full of kids and the seats are covered with remnants of fish and chips. So now I get my dark & tan to go and I go sit by the herb garden far off the beaten path in the designated smoking area, even in the rain. I am not complaining, and I understand why it is that these things must happen, and maybe should happen. All I am saying is, smokers have given up a lot to try to make the experience better for non-smokers, so maybe give us smokers a little break.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Frankly, I believe ANYONE can honestly say they are requesting a non-smoking room FOR MEDICAL REASONS, diagnosed allergies or not...who hasn't read about the health risks of second hand smoke???

Second-hand smoke, sure; but I wasn't able to find ANY health risks online relating to stale cigarette odor. The difference? The second-hand smoke is what others nearby (and even the active smoker) are exposed to when the smoker smokes out on the balcony or patio of a non-smoking DVC unit. Stale cigarette odor - what you smell INSIDE a DVC or hotel room after a smoker has been there - may, as somebody stated, cause that vaso-something reaction, or immediate breathing issues, but there is ZERO evidence that this smell or odor causes cancer.

 

[jarestel]

Second-hand smoke, sure; but I wasn't able to find ANY health risks online relating to stale cigarette odor. The difference? The second-hand smoke is what others nearby (and even the active smoker) are exposed to when the smoker smokes out on the balcony or patio of a non-smoking DVC unit. Stale cigarette odor - what you smell INSIDE a DVC or hotel room after a smoker has been there - may, as somebody stated, cause that vaso-something reaction, or immediate breathing issues, but there is ZERO evidence that this smell or odor causes cancer.

The problem with the theory is that cigarette smoke doesn't simply disappear, it transforms itself into a residue that does, in fact, linger on. The "stale smell" that you refer to is caused by the residue. ( tars and nicotine and many other unhealthy things. ) Take a wet rag and wipe down the wall of a room that's been smoked in, and you will see some really gross stuff when you're done.

Just as some people for years vehemently denied that smoking itself had not been proven to be dangerous, we are beginning to see the same kind of thinking regarding tobacco residue. In fact there are still many people who don't even believe second hand smoke is a problem for others.

Personally, I don't care what someone else chooses to believe, as long as they don't expect me to subject myself to possible hazards just because they don't happen to believe in them. For those who don't feel tobacco residue is a problem, great! Book all of the smoking rooms you want. But you'll have to excuse me if I would rather not.

 

[Patty3]

Unfortunately, I really do have asthma. Stale smoke can really make it flare up, it has happened. I am an ex smoker and often wonder if that is how I became asthmatic in my forties. I also feel that there should be an acceptable solution for all. I am not here to judge anyone, I have been on the other side.

 

[goldilocks_63]

I am TOTALLY EMBARRASED to say, when I took my mother, she told me that she would only smoke on the balconies (spring break - so it was warm enough, I thought).....

Well, I caught her twice sneaking a smoke in the room. One time after I had checked out, and forgot something..... I had to go to the management, and ask them to clean out the room, if they could....

Back to MOM,

I totally chewed her out, saying it wasn't fair to others who use the room afterwards.....

I thought about never inviting her again, but have calmed down a bit... But now I only reserve smoking rooms when she travels with us.

So if a smoking room wasn't available, I don't know what I would do.

I'm so embarrassed, STILL.....

GOldi

 

[Luigi's Girl]

The problem with the theory is that cigarette smoke doesn't simply disappear, it transforms itself into a residue that does, in fact, linger on. The "stale smell" that you refer to is caused by the residue. ( tars and nicotine and many other unhealthy things. ) Take a wet rag and wipe down the wall of a room that's been smoked in, and you will see some really gross stuff when you're done.

Just as some people for years vehemently denied that smoking itself had not been proven to be dangerous, we are beginning to see the same kind of thinking regarding tobacco residue. In fact there are still many people who don't even believe second hand smoke is a problem for others.

Personally, I don't care what someone else chooses to believe, as long as they don't expect me to subject myself to possible hazards just because they don't happen to believe in them. For those who don't feel tobacco residue is a problem, great! Book all of the smoking rooms you want. But you'll have to excuse me if I would rather not.

Very well said!

 

[cruise-o-matic]

The big problem with smoking inside, is that when the cigarette is out and the smoker has left, the smell is still behind. And what's worse is the "left behind" smell will start to permeate your clothes.

 

[TimmyP]

Our room is rarely ready when we check in. I would love to inspect the room before accepting it but the CM won't tell us the room number. How do you do it?

We tend to check-in in the 4-6pm range and the rooms have been ready each time (as luck would have it). When they give me the keys and the folder of stuff, I take one key and head off to the room, leaving my packet behind & telling them I'll be right back.

If the room weren't ready on check-in, I guess I'd head to the room myself once I got the room # - for inspection before bringing the family & the luggage. If there was a problem, I'd head back to the front desk knowing I hadn't yet "moved in".

 

[Cinderella]

I'm not sure as I've not been there for a while - and I tend not to smoke in room anyway, only on the balcony. I have been assigned non-smoking before at WL, and housekeeping said it was fine to smoke on the balcony. She did however say that eventually disney may ban smoking from the rooms altogether, and they might start with WL.

With regards to the balcony thing - the only problem with smoking on the balcony is your neighbours - if you are in a non-smoking room, and they are also sitting on the balcony. I did read someone complaining about this once on these boards.

 

[Dean]

With regards to the balcony thing - the only problem with smoking on the balcony is your neighbours - if you are in a non-smoking room, and they are also sitting on the balcony. I did read someone complaining about this once on these boards.

Many times, many people. That's why I take my super soaker.

 

[Cinderella]

Mmmm -so that was you Dean. And you didn't even introduce yourself!

 

[colleen costello]

Cinderella, I appreciate you being thoughtful of non-smokers around you, even on the balconies. I have certainly be one of those who couldn't enjoy the balcony due to smoking all around me. However, I do not blame the smoker neighbors, I blame Mickey! Any hotel manager could figure out that if all the non-smoking rooms were in the same place, on every floor, then the balonies being smoked on would be "clustered" and adjacent to as few NS balconies as possible. Yet when I stayed at the Lodge, I saw smokers below me to the left, above me to the right, and directly beneath me. I was surrounded! They were not, I presume, breaking any rules. Disney seems to go out of their way to avoid setting up "smoke friendly" areas and so it makes it hard for smokers and non-smokers to avoid one another. I see the same thing at the pools, where I always try to avoid smoke. Why not just make the tables on ONE side smoking and the other side smoke-free? What is the big deal with dividing these two groups?

 

[Dean]

Mmmm -so that was you Dean. And you didn't even introduce yourself!

LOL, you thought it was raining didn't you.

 

[joksten2000]

I quit 20 years ago. I was very aware of the stink and bad issues of second hand smoke. I never smoked in the house, always went outside. People are so unconsiderate of others, we get carried away with our rights. I see people smoking in their car with children, give them a break. If you want to kill yourself fine, its your right, but give the rest of us a chance. The amount of kids with asthma is staggering, everyone knows why its happening, my wife is a school nurse and has many kids that can barely breathe. Wake up smokers we're only asking you to be aware of those around you and smoke away where you won't polute the area for others we have as much right as you. Because of this i can do what ever I want additude, those that want clean air will put a stop to it. Be considerate and maybe the non smokers will give you a break.

 

[krbq]

Yet when I stayed at the Lodge, I saw smokers below me to the left, above me to the right, and directly beneath me. I was surrounded! They were not, I presume, breaking any rules. Disney seems to go out of their way to avoid setting up "smoke friendly" areas and so it makes it hard for smokers and non-smokers to avoid one another. I see the same thing at the pools, where I always try to avoid smoke. Why not just make the tables on ONE side smoking and the other side smoke-free? What is the big deal with dividing these two groups?

We had reservations for a 1 BR smoking unit at VWL for last week, but when we checked in at 11 a.m. we were put in a non-smoking room. We were told there were no smoking 1 BR's left, and that we couldn't smoke on the balcony. We asked about 2 BR smoking units, and there were four available, but the room assigner wouldn't let us have one because she said they were being held for other people arriving later in the week. She also had a negative attitude that didn't help matters any. (Later DH questioned why they were holding smoking rooms for other people who hadn't arrived yet, but they hadn't they held one for us -- we got no answer to that.) We asked about BCV and BWV but there were no smoking rooms available at either of those. She then tried to put us at Saratoga Springs, but we had reserved for a deluxe resort and aren't fond of the DTD area so we refused. She finally put us at OKW in the only smoking room they had left, but we had problems with that room and continued our campaign to get into a deluxe where we had reserved in the first place. After 3 days we finally got one at BWV, but wasted a lot of vacation time trying to get a DVC smoking room. It seems to me that with all the complaints of non-smokers being given smoking rooms and smokers being given non-smoking, room assigners should be making more of an effort to honor smoking requests.

 

[kritter]

sorry to hear that but......this may sound harsh but you did waste a ton of time valuable vacation time worry about wether or not you could smoke...smoking seemed to take priority over realxing and enjoying WDW......

 

[Beca]

We had reservations for a 1 BR smoking unit at VWL for last week, but when we checked in at 11 a.m. we were put in a non-smoking room. We were told there were no smoking 1 BR's left, and that we couldn't smoke on the balcony. We asked about 2 BR smoking units, and there were four available, but the room assigner wouldn't let us have one because she said they were being held for other people arriving later in the week. She also had a negative attitude that didn't help matters any. (Later DH questioned why they were holding smoking rooms for other people who hadn't arrived yet, but they hadn't they held one for us -- we got no answer to that.) We asked about BCV and BWV but there were no smoking rooms available at either of those. She then tried to put us at Saratoga Springs, but we had reserved for a deluxe resort and aren't fond of the DTD area so we refused. She finally put us at OKW in the only smoking room they had left, but we had problems with that room and continued our campaign to get into a deluxe where we had reserved in the first place. After 3 days we finally got one at BWV, but wasted a lot of vacation time trying to get a DVC smoking room. It seems to me that with all the complaints of non-smokers being given smoking rooms and smokers being given non-smoking, room assigners should be making more of an effort to honor smoking requests.

That's terrible!!! I hope you do write a letter to DVC! But, on behalf of all of those people who have a medical diagnosis of "allergic to smoke"...THANK YOU for being so diligent!! Now, if only DVC would do the same!



Beca

 

[Nanajo1]

sorry to hear that but......this may sound harsh but you did waste a ton of time valuable vacation time worry about wether or not you could smoke...smoking seemed to take priority over realxing and enjoying WDW......

As a former smoker who spent too much time looking for ways to grab a smoke I can understand the OP desire to get a legal smoking room. I applaud the effort but regret it took so much time and energy. I too would like to know why some rooms were saved for future guests and the OP could not be accommodated. I hope you write a letter. Please share any response you get.
Thanks.