Non-Smokers

[m3retired]

DSA's are one of the few places that have benches/seating left, so don't be surprised to see non-smokers sitting there.

DSAs are one of the few places left for smokers, so don't be surprised to see smokers there, either.

What has made it worse is the restrictions they are placing on e-cigs, as much of this could be avoided if they would allow the e-cigs to be used openly in the parks. I'm all for restricting actual smoking to certain areas, but those areas should not be uncomfortable, they should be well marked, and not placed right out in the full blazing Florida sun. Smoking cigarettes is still legal, and smokers are still humans.

Smokers are indeed looked down on, and often judged simply because they are smokers.

Yes,exactly. The e-cigs should NOT be restricted to the DSAs. They do not produce any offensive smoke or odor.

 

[lauradis]

As long as you ban perfumes, non healthy foods, all allergens....sorry, just because you don't like something does net give you the right to ban it. Stay out of the smoking areas and I will stay out of the perfume shops and the English garden, and carry my epi pen.

Im smoker, ex, smoker, ex.

I will admit I have smoked in non DSA places like near bus stops, parking lots, once in Epcot openly (but i was drunk) and dont remeber it.

Im happy disney has been gracious enough to allow DSA.

They need better signage to warn NON smokers they are entering a toxic place.

I like the DSA next to Dole whip in MK. I wouldnt move it.
The one next to the Castle is kinda weird.

I hope they never ban DSA, even when im an ex-smoker again.

 

[GoingToDisney25]

As a smoker who came back from a recent Disney trip, I honestly felt no prejudice against me while I was smoking (always in a DSA), so I have no personal experience with that, but then again, I'd personally completely ignore it if it happened to me. But that woman who made the comment was out of line, and I would have been extremely rude (sorry) and literally lit up after her comment. Let her go complain to a crew member. I wouldn't ruin my vacation or my day by getting into a bickering match back and forth. I would just know that I am in a DSA, which as noted, is few and far between, and wouldn't acknowledge the comment, but that's me.

I do have to say that amongst the smokers I spoke with in the DSA, we all agreed about one thing, we feel like prisoners and it is extremely inconvenient to have a cigarette, sometimes having to walk halfway across the park to have one, making it impossible. Everyone has their vices and to say someone isn't being a good role model, IMO, it isn't my job to be a role model for someone else's family. I mean do you not let your children watch TV because they might see something that could negatively influence them? How many people die of liver cirrhosis each year, but alcohol is easily available throughout the parks? I don't let my son drink soda because it's processed garbage, but there's tons of other people drinking soda. So, to anyone who believes "banning" smoking altogether would be the best solution, I'm sure there are things you do that others may not agree with that should be banned as well. For example, I saw people dressed very inappropriately for a family park. Let's add a dress code. lol. Yes, I'm exaggerating, but to make the point.

I would assume, while I haven't personally seen anyone smoking outside of a DSA, this would not occur if the placement of DSAs were a little more convenient, not that I am justifying what they did. They are breaking the rules, which is not right. And no one is saying put them so they make it hard for non-smokers to enjoy their day, but I haven't seen a different price set for park admission for smokers and non-smokers yet and since I am paying the same price as a non-smoker, I believe I have the right to enjoy my day and be relaxed just like non-smokers. We are people, who want to enjoy our day, too.

 

[lauradis]

DSAs are one of the few places left for smokers, so don't be surprised to see smokers there, either.



Yes,exactly. The e-cigs should NOT be restricted to the DSAs. They do not produce any offensive smoke or odor.

E-cigs do put off a weird odor, but i will agree its not as offensive as smoking the real stuff.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Folks please keep the thread on topic. The debate about the rights and wrongs of smoking, whether you are a non-smoker, the reformed or a chain smoker is not relevant to this board

I see your point, but the legality of smoking is relevant.

I live in an area where smoking has been banned for years. I only see smoking when I travel, namely to Disney World.

Truly, in the last two years, WDW is almost the only public place I've seen any public smoking. It's a paradigm shift.

The idea of DSA's just seems dated.

 

[MightyGitis]

I've been going to Disney for many years for at least a decade of that I have gone back and forth between smoking and not smoking. I have witnessed almost all of the things on this thread at one point or another.

I have also, quite accidentally, lit up a cigarette in what had at one point been a DSA and had been removed or relocated. Fortunately I realized pretty quickly and snuffed it out and went to find a map. (As I go a lot I literally only get maps to locate the current location of DSAs)

DSAs are getting less and less. I think there are only two left in AK. But I must agree with a previous poster that if they were removed entirely you would find more people smoking in random places that are likely much less convenient for other guests than maintaining it in designated areas.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

E-cigs do put off a weird odor, but i will agree its not as offensive as smoking the real stuff.

There are studies, however, that show that it is still harmful to those around it. It's not as high as that of cigarettes, but it is believed that those around are still inhaling nicotine. This could be a reason for wanting to keep e-cigs in the DSA.

 

[disneyquilter]

People vape in line at DL and DCA all the time (I am there almost weekly, so it is a constant sighting), so hearing that vaping has to be in designated smoking areas is new to me. Did Disney just implement this?

 

[lauradis]

There are studies, however, that show that it is still harmful to those around it. It's not as high as that of cigarettes, but it is believed that those around are still inhaling nicotine. This could be a reason for wanting to keep e-cigs in the DSA.

fully aware of that. the pp was saying they dont have a smell.

but they do smell. there are many studies on the e-cigs. some for some agaisnt. Im in the they are harmful camp. but stink less.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

fully aware of that. the pp was saying they dont have a smell.

but they do smell. there are many studies on the e-cigs. some for some agaisnt. Im in the they are harmful camp. but stink less.

Oh gotcha. My mistake. I completely misread as you saying that they don't need to be in the DSA if they don't stink. Personally, I do think cigarettes stink, but so do certain perfumes, people who believe the bodies natural odors are better than wearing deodorant, and other things. I'm not going to try to get those confined. I just want the things that could be physically harmful to me to be in an area that I can (hopefully) avoid.

 

[GoingToDisney25]

They need better signage to warn NON smokers they are entering a toxic place.

Can I request better signage for smokers? lol. Those signs are sometimes so hard to locate. The one in AK by Dinosaur, for one, took me FOREVER to find! I'd appreciate a big Toxic Zone sign! LOL

 

[Myalyas]

I'm glad to see there are more people agreeing with me on this thread than I expected. I was afraid I would see only smoke bashing going on. It is ironic to me that most smokers say they did NOT see smokers outside the DSA's, while a good many smokers say they DID.

E-cigs are harmless and practically odorless. I have one that is cinnamon flavored. My non-smoking sister-in-law, who hates smoking, had to get right up next to me to smell it and and even then she liked it. She even took a few puffs off it! All of the "studies" and regulations concerning e-cigs are coming about so that the government can get their grubby little fingers onto it. You are not going to "inhale second-hand nicotine". And contrary to what a PP commented, there is NO smoke. That is water vapor and harmless.

 

[albertagirl]

We were just at WDW. As a smoker I did not smoke outside of the DSAs and I agree that some of them are placed in terrible spots (the one beside the Castle is in a horrible spot). While I only smoked in the DSAs at the parks, while we were at SSR when I asked some of the cast members where the smoking areas were they directed me to smoke pretty much any where I wanted. There was a bbq spot just outside of a pool area that I would smoke at as long as no one was around. I always disposed of my butts in the garbage after ensuring that they were out. The last night that we were there I went to this spot to have a smoke and noticed that someone else had been smoking there, thought it appropriate to put out their smokes on the bench and then leave the butts laying on the ground. These are the people that make smokers look bad.

 

[DavidG1966]

I have one that is cinnamon flavored.

That taste comes from the food chemical Cinnamaldehyde. It is meant to be ingested not inhaled. Another use for Cinnamaldehyde is as a known corrosion inhibitor for steel and other ferrous alloys in corrosive fluids. Stomach acids may be better equipped to deal with it then the mucus in the lungs. I hope you are right and it does not turn into a long term health issue for anyone.

Edit: Cinnamaldehyde is also used as a fungicide

 

[GoingToDisney25]

We were just at WDW. As a smoker I did not smoke outside of the DSAs and I agree that some of them are placed in terrible spots (the one beside the Castle is in a horrible spot). While I only smoked in the DSAs at the parks, while we were at SSR when I asked some of the cast members where the smoking areas were they directed me to smoke pretty much any where I wanted. There was a bbq spot just outside of a pool area that I would smoke at as long as no one was around. I always disposed of my butts in the garbage after ensuring that they were out. The last night that we were there I went to this spot to have a smoke and noticed that someone else had been smoking there, thought it appropriate to put out their smokes on the bench and then leave the butts laying on the ground. These are the people that make smokers look bad.

I agree. One crew member told me: "Pretty much any open space where there aren't any people around is fine." I was shocked and at first didn't believe him because this was the 5th day of our Disney vacation and I got so used to not being able to smoke anywhere.

 

[Kristina4109]

I never noticed anyone smoking in a non-designated area at WDW. I have once witnessed someone smoking on the patio of the River Belle Terrace in Disneyland, which is NOT a smoking section.

My brother-in-law asked a CM if this was a smoking section, and when the CM realized someone was smoking he YELLED at the guy very loudly and forcefully to put it out.

I was shocked because I've never experienced a CM get that aggressive.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

If only that were true,

 

[Planogirl]

I have very rarely seen a smoker not smoking in the right areas and when I do I think that maybe a language barrier is usually the problem. I know that you'll get the occasional defiant smoker but I think that that is very rare.

I agree that non-smokers shouldn't be giving smokers a hard time in the DSA's. I think that smokers should have places to smoke and that they should be clearly marked.

 

[sethschroeder]

This is hilarious lol. There is not really a defense for smoking but that also goes for alcohol and over eating and a whole bunch of other things. In the end the biggest thing smoking has against it and why there needs to be DSA even is that its 2nd hand issues are massive health risks.

The whole push back form the smokers on non-smokers complaining in DSA is that a lot of times do people even realize its a DSA? I didn't even really realize the last summer that there were DSA in the parks and was sorta surprised the DSA was not "outside the park" like as baseball stadiums where you don't exit the park but you basically go outside the stadium in a gated area to smoke.

In the end anyone who defends smoking I just gotta its your choice but your really not fooling anyone were past the 1920s when smoking was good for the lungs.

 

[agavegirl1]

I agree that some non-smokers are unaware they are entering a DSA. Last summer, the state fair instituted DSAs for the first time ever. I was standing next to a concrete ash tray with a large sign on it, indicating the smoking area. A woman came up to me and loudly proclaimed "you better put that out immediately. There are police everywhere and you will be fined $100." Well, I stepped quietly to the side, pointed at the sign and she stormed away. The truth is, there were no fines being imposed, security was just making people aware of the smoking areas and this woman was just trying to scare smokers. She must have been on a "mission".

I really think if a person is there to enjoy Disney, follows the rules and isn't obnoxious about their personal habits. Let it Go! That goes for the non-smokers too.