What's up with smoking?

[Disxuni]

Thank you to the considerate smokers/vapers out there!!!

It's always the malcontents that will draw attention and comments. I avoid the smoking sections, but on occasion have ventured too close and quickly got away - because that's MY responsibility.

But many (countless?) times I've gotten behind or stuck next to a smoker on a path, waiting for a parade or show, near a restroom, etc. I've never - no exaggeration - seen a CM or TM say something to the smoker. I don't discount anyone else's experience, but that's mine. I've mentioned it on surveys, etc - but clearly to no effect.

All I can do is try to remove myself from the situation, be mad for a minute, calm down, and get on with my day.

Not all people, but a lot of people suck. It's the plain, unvarnished truth.

CMs might have been burned when confronting someone and decided after a certain amount of experiences to just walk away.

I say this, because as someone who worked at a convention center in the past there was a rule during one of the events that no one goes upstairs. Someone began walking upstairs and we were told that instead of saying "You can't go upstairs", you start with politely saying something along the lines of, "Sir/Ma'm, do you know where you're going?" It was my first time and the one person I challenged rudely said, "I know what the hell I'm doing!" Being the fact that I am not only timid, but also a high schooler (at the time) who was speaking to someone who was the age of my father, needless to say, I left it alone.

Considering what I do now and how I can do everything right and people still can be rude, I think after being burned so many times, that CMs decide that they do not think it's worth confronting someone in such a situation. Knowing how people can be rude for even when you're doing your job and being as nice as possible, you can only imagine what confronting a guest, or customer about something can be like. I've seen it and experienced it first hand.

All you can say is, "I'm sorry, but you can only smoke in designated smoking areas," and hope for the best. Considering my experiences with customer service, the guest is more than likely going to respond negatively more than positively. Which is why CMs even if they do say something, probably do not want to. There are plenty of great people who follow the rules and props to them! However, let's be real, people know the rules and more than likely if they're breaking them, they're more than likely to be the type of person to cop an attitude when being caught.

 

[TommyJK]

As a poster earlier in this thread noted, Universal/IOA has SO MANY designated areas (It seems like there is a designated area like every 100-200 feet) so there should be no excuse.

I vape and while here, I have never had the urge to need to do it outside of a designated area.

Vapers know that it falls under the same category as smoking so anyone doing it outside of a designated area is essentially just being inconsiderate and selfish IMO.

 

[TheRealDrDisney]

All you can say is, "I'm sorry, but you can only smoke in designated smoking areas," and hope for the best.

I was with you up to this point, and I can't agree more that the front-line CM/TM's can only say so much. But... there is more to do after that than just hope for the best.

You contact security, and when someone in a uniform has the same chat with the rule-breaker then they either comply or leave. That is what can be done.

I've never seen it done, but maybe it happens. My only point here is that there is always another option. It's Disney's or Universal's house and it's their rules - nobody gets to arbitrarily decide that they can ruin an experience (or temporarily make it less pleasant) for those around them.

Maybe I'm the only one in the world, although I doubt it, who actually will make plans to a destination based on smoking. I'm interested in Vegas but until I find a non-smoking casino I'm not interested in spending my vacation dollars there. If the Orlando theme parks were the same way I would not spend my money there either. I suspect they know this about people, and in this day of social media maybe they are realizing that one malcontent being widely reported can actually influence lots of $$$.

Final point - I had taken my last (as in never again) Disney cruise after spending a lot of money on a week-long cruise to only have to deal with smokers next door on their balcony every time I tried to enjoy the sea air. Disney must have gotten the hint because now smoking on balconies is not permitted. The Sturm und Drang on this board (and elsewhere) would have you believe that the cruiseline would be filing bankruptcy after this decision, but actually they are doing better than ever and that decision about smoking, I believe, has a lot to do with it. That's certainly the reason I booked another cruise.

 

[Disxuni]

I was with you up to this point, and I can't agree more that the front-line CM/TM's can only say so much. But... there is more to do after that than just hope for the best.

You contact security, and when someone in a uniform has the same chat with the rule-breaker then they either comply or leave. That is what can be done.

There's several things that you can do, but I meant "hope for the best" simply meaning hoping that they will comply without too much ******* regardless of what steps are taken. As you said.

Also, it's not as easy as just saying "call security!" You clearly have not experienced much conflict in customer service to know what can happen. I've been in a situation in which a customer was unhappy with their sandwich and although I did not make it, that customer suddenly walked up out of nowhere, and threw the sandwich at me and left before I was able to let a manager know the situation, who was literally right behind me and didn't see it happen. It happened less than a minute.

Let's say that in the case there was a CM present, they still as you said would have to contact security, and wait for said security. Of course, I doubt that anything severely dramatic would happen over the statement of "You must smoke in the smoking area", but you in (general thinking) that everything will be a-okay, because you can just contact security isn't going to resolve what can happen while waiting for said security.

However, like I said, nothing dramatic might not happen. Hence why I said, "hope for the best." There is plenty of things you can do, but I still am thinking "hope for the best" whether it's simply stating a rule, or waiting for security, because you just never know.

 

[Metro West]

The only time I see more smoking outside of smoking areas at Universal is during HHN and sometimes Mardi Gras. A lot of the people I see at HHN are younger people who are in the gang mentality...you know...If one person in the group does it then everyone can do it...not so much older folks. Mardi Gras isn't as bad since there are far more kids with parents during the parade but I see it then too. Whenever you get alcohol and a party atmosphere together you will have smoking...just the way it is. During the day though...not cool.

I don't do Disney any more but there are plenty of threads where it's a bad problem over there as well...especially at the MK...mainly because smoking areas keep disappearing from the MK.

 

[reneenh]

We only encountered a couple of people smoking where they shouldn't be. We were there a couple of weeks ago.

 

[AJ1983]

My husband & I are both smokers & there's never ANY excuse to smoke (or vape) outside of the DSA's, especially at Universal where we found them to be very plentiful & pleasant. It's folks like that that give all smokers a bad name (like we need any help with that - ha!) I'm sorry this is happening to you while you're trying to enjoy the park.

We found the same thing! Lots of places to smoke, no excuse to smoke elsewhere. My husband (a smoker) was like the smoking police cause he kept telling people to put out their cigarettes haha

I think vaping areas should be separate from smoking areas though..i dont really see the point in sticking people trying to quit over with the smokers.

 

[shh]

Maybe I'm the only one in the world, although I doubt it, who actually will make plans to a destination based on smoking.

Nope. Nope. and Nope. You are not. I definitely think there should be smoking sections to be fair to everyone. But I can't tolerate smoke - hate it - and my DH is actually allergic. Some smokers roll their eyes when people say this, claiming they are making it up. But it's medically true. He's a very healthy guy otherwise, but for some reason has a very bad physical reaction around cigarette smoke - nausea, headache, convulsive coughing. It is quite severe. We get annoyed when people light up in line, near parades, etc, but at least we can move away. We've left parade spots and ride lines for that reason...nothing is worth putting him through that.

But I had a frustrating experience on our last Celebrity cruise - they have one of the strictest policies against smoking - no balconies, no casino, only in designated areas. Yet there was someone smoking every day on the balcony near mine - which drove me nuts. (WHY deliberately choose a line with the strictest anti-smoking policies and violate that- when other lines all have similar itineraries and let you smoke? Talk about someone who SUCKS.) Unfortunately, i never could see who it was, so couldn't report them. But even if I did, from what I understand the guest services teams won't do much - they don't want to deal with it, so people get away with it. That is the worst, because you can't move - every cabin is full and you're there for a week.