Smoking Ban

[maltdizzy]

How difficult would it be for multi-billion dollar Disney to install the smokers zones like they have in Europe, so that the smoke is contained and doesn't drift?

In Europe, smoking is still widely accepted and a huge part of the culture. A large part of Western Europe still argues cigarettes have no connection to cancer.

While smokers bound for WDW or DLR can be angry, they can't be surprised or shocked. Fair or not, smoking is not accepted social behavior in the U.S. anymore, society took a hard turn against smoking in public places 25 years ago, and it's escalated since then, putting us in the situation were Disney is banning smoking because that is what the vast majority of guests expect of them. As it is, Disney stood against the tide of time for far longer than most of us expected them to. You can all it "antagonistic" and "anti-smoker"...and that is exactly what it is, and it is purely intentional.

 

[Hikergirl]

Only if it makes them money!! Do you see Disney illuminating fatt, cholesterol clogging foods? Of coarse not, that would be ridiculous. Do you think millions of people you're don't die of weight related deaths each year?

Sure, but those people eating fatty food isn't making other people sick. When that happens and the there is public outcry about it, I'm sure it will become the "fashionably undesirable" cause du jour. Until then continue to shove your face full of that stuff and enjoy.

 

[cruisin5]

It's 15% of the ADULT population that smokes.

If the adult to kid ratio at Disney is 1:1, wouldn't that put the smoking population at about 7.5%?

Adult to kid ratio is probably more like 1:4 and given that smoking more popular with low income/low education I'd say the percentage of Disney visitors who smoke is in the low single digits.

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/disparities/low-ses/index.htm

Disney is not alienating 15% of guests with this policy.

 

[Hikergirl]

I work on old airplanes. When I pull documents and drawings from the 50s-90s they still smell like smoke. Most offices let people smoke until the 90s, which is just unbelievable to think about nowadays.

I had a smoking lounge for students in my HS in the early 90's

 

[Clockwork]

The DSA is in a spot that exposes toddlers and infants to smoke, which causes cancer, asthma, etc. It is not in an out of the way spot as the PP said, it is a spot the has a very high concentration of toddlers and infants sitting around (or would if not for the smoke).

Considering smoking is a personal choice that causes significant health issues to other people (and beyond health issues is an irritant to nearly every non-smoker), I really don't understand why smokers think they deserve special accommodations.

If I wanted to spray atomized asbestos into the air around Disney, should I be accommodated?

No you shouldn’t be accommodated but Disney should have had the common sense to move the smoking areas to a more secluded area.

 

[Farro]

I had a smoking lounge for students in my HS in the early 90's

I have a hard time believing that. The legal age for smoking in 1987 was raised to 18. I can't believe a high school would condone smoking for anyone under 18, if at all.

 

[stephk1981]

Genuine question, absolutely zero snark/sarcasm: if you don't mind, how many times has this happened from a whiff of smoke?

It actually happened last year at AK.....a man was not in the smoking section. DS( then 9) and DD( then 9 months) and I were waiting at the outdoor seating at Restaurantosaurus for them to open. DD was napping and we were just standing semi in shade for DD and DS to be out of heat. Man lit up a cigarette as he walked up to restaurant....I didn't say anything at first because I assumed he would walk on( maybe he was quickly checking for someone I don't know) then would move on to smoking area and not try to stand near my children smoking. However he stayed leaning against where some people often leave strollers. I honestly was shocked, I'm not a very assertive person. I politely told him that AK has smoking areas and asked that he please not stay smoking in front of my children. He rolled his eyes at me, called me a ' prissy *****' and still didn't move. I asked if I had to go get security, then he left. DS began having problems breathing, I gave him his advair. We ended up having to go back to the resort, finally that evening he was still struggling with breathing as well as CVS, I took him to the urgent care. I do avoid smoking areas....that man caused both of my children harm, grief, and cost our family $50 urgent care copay. He should be happy my DH wasn't on the trip, I doubt he would have been as kind as I was.

Edited to add, I realize maybe this isn't the norm, not all people have chronic illnesses....However, Disney provides smoking areas for a reason....why would a grown man or anyone put someone else's health at risk because they don't want to head to a smoking area.
I hate that people like this man has ruined park time for other families with smokers in them.....but, people that can't follow the rules deserve to be fined and kicked out. I follow rules, I am kind to others and try to be considerate, I expect others to be also.

 

[Col.W.Deering]

In Europe, smoking is still widely accepted and a huge part of the culture. A large part of Western Europe still argues cigarettes have no connection to cancer.

While smokers bound for WDW or DLR can be angry, they can't be surprised or shocked. Fair or not, smoking is not accepted social behavior in the U.S. anymore, society took a hard turn against smoking in public places 25 years ago, and it's escalated since then, putting us in the situation were Disney is banning smoking because that is what the vast majority of guests expect of them. As it is, Disney stood against the tide of time for far longer than most of us expected them to. You can all it "antagonistic" and "anti-smoker"...and that is exactly what it is, and it is purely intentional.

Of course it is "antagonistic" and "anti-smoker" atmosphere. And the caveat is that Disney is being completely truthful in saying we don't care about this percentage (whether 1% or 20%) of the population not visiting our parks.

When a company is ready to write off a potential population it can backfire, and be a precursor to other decisions which will have bigger economic impacts.

 

[saskdw]

I posted this early on in the thread.

I'm from a city in western Canada, population about 250,000. We banned smoking in public here about 15 years ago. Businesses and places of employment have zero obligation to provide a smoking area. I won't list all the specifics, but you basically can't smoke anywhere in public and have zero rights as a smoker.

Smokers are down to 9% of the population now.

 

[rteetz]

When a company is ready to right off a potential population it can potentially backfire, and be a precursor to other decisions which will have bigger economic impacts.

Banning smoking in other areas across the country hasn't backfired yet so I am not sure it would here.

And again they are still giving you options, sure maybe less ideal ones but it's something. They could've said no smoking at all anywhere.

 

[firefly_ris]

I have a hard time believing that. The legal age for smoking in 1987 was raised to 18. I can't believe a high school would condone smoking for anyone under 18, if at all.

My husband had a smoking courtyard that was just for seniors when he was in high school, Western New York, a rural-ish burb of Buffalo... he graduated in 1998. It was abolished I think the next year.

 

[Patches Lee]

I have a hard time believing that. The legal age for smoking in 1987 was raised to 18. I can't believe a high school would condone smoking for anyone under 18, if at all.

My assistant principal had the policy "If I can't see you while off school property it isn't my concern" had open campus lunch so smokers went across the track. 1995-1998

 

[jpeterson]

I have a hard time believing that. The legal age for smoking in 1987 was raised to 18. I can't believe a high school would condone smoking for anyone under 18, if at all.

Many seniors in high school are 18. It's likely this lounge was limited to those students 18 and over.

 

[saskdw]

Banning smoking in other areas across the country hasn't backfired yet so I am not sure it would here.

And again they are still giving you options, sure maybe less ideal ones but it's something. They could've said no smoking at all anywhere.

When they banned smoking here the small corner lounges saw a drop in business for the first few months, but everything soon went back to normal. A lot of restaurants actually reported an instant increase in business from non smokers who didn't have to breathe in smoke anymore.

 

[Traveling on cc points]

It actually happened last year at AK.....a man was not in the smoking section. DS( then 9) and DD( then 9 months) and I were waiting at the outdoor seating at Restaurantosaurus for them to open. DD was napping and we were just standing semi in shade for DD and DS to be out of heat. Man lit up a cigarette as he walked up to restaurant....I didn't say anything at first because I assumed he would walk on( maybe he was quickly checking for someone I don't know) then would move on to smoking area and not try to stand near my children smoking. However he stayed leaning against where some people often leave strollers. I honestly was shocked, I'm not a very assertive person. I politely told him that AK has smoking areas and asked that he please not stay smoking in front of my children. He rolled his eyes at me, called me a ' prissy *****' and still didn't move. I asked if I had to go get security, then he left. DS began having problems breathing, I gave him his advair. We ended up having to go back to the resort, finally that evening he was still struggling with breathing as well as CVS, I took him to the urgent care. I do avoid smoking areas....that man caused both of my children harm, grief, and cost our family $50 urgent care copay. He should be happy my DH wasn't on the trip, I doubt he would have been as kind as I was.

I am sorry to hear this story. I promise, not all smokers are this inconsiderate.
I do partly blame inconsiderate smokers for the ban. If they stayed in designated areas there would be minimal people complaining as those smoking areas are out of the way.

 

[jpeterson]

My assistant principal had the policy "If I can't see you while off school property it isn't my concern" had open campus lunch so smokers went across the track. 1995-1998

That's essentially how my high school dealt with it. If it's off property it's not an issue. This was 1993-1997

 

[Hikergirl]

I have a hard time believing that. The legal age for smoking in 1987 was raised to 18. I can't believe a high school would condone smoking for anyone under 18, if at all.

It was a private school, and it was most likely for seniors only, which some would have been 18 but it wasn't enforced. Nobody came and checked on it. I smoked there all 4 years, (87-91) I went there. We even had a "counselor" who was really an English teacher, who let us come in and smoke in her office. There would be a group of us girls in there chit chatting and smoking for a whole class period.
I have no idea what happened to that after I graduated but it was definitely a thing while I was there.
It was different world back then.

ETA I had no idea that the smoking age was 18 in 1987. I was 14/15 then and was already smoking. I never had an issue buying cigarettes so it isn't even something that was enforced at stores.

 

[Lilsia]

When they banned smoking here the small corner lounges saw a drop in business for the first few months, but everything soon went back to normal. A lot of restaurants actually reported an instant increase in business from non smokers who didn't have to breathe in smoke anymore.

The same thing happened in my city. When they banned smoking, even in bar and grills, the businesses that were so concerned about losing customers actually got more business. The die hard, chain smokers are a minority and people were happy to be able to go out and enjoy themselves without breathing in someone else's smoke. People will just go outside to smoke if they want one.

 

[MLA95]

It's 15% of the ADULT population that smokes.

If the adult to kid ratio at Disney is 1:1, wouldn't that put the smoking population at about 7.5%?

Adult to kid ratio is probably more like 1:4 and given that smoking more popular with low income/low education I'd say the percentage of Disney visitors who smoke is in the low single digits.


Disney is not alienating 15% of guests with this policy.

I am not low income and college educated... unfair statement

 

[stephk1981]

I am sorry to hear this story. I promise, not all smokers are this inconsiderate.
I do partly blame inconsiderate smokers for the ban. If they stayed in designated areas there would be minimal people complaining as those smoking areas are out of the way.

Thank you! I have nothing against smokers at all, only rude inconsiderate people. I really hope people will follow the rules, but with that said, I really hope that this ban doesn't discourage families ( with a smoker in them) from visiting. Example: mom or dad smokes and doesn't want the hassle of having to leave the park to smoke, so they don't want family to vacation at Disney anymore.) Just because a few people break rules, doesn't mean the majority will.