Will the DVC resorts be next........

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

This is not intended to start a debate(right Gail

) but this article was in todays USA Today about resorts and hotels going more to non-smoking. And if you do smoke in a non-smoking room there is a $165 charge.

Just wanted the opinions of DVC members if you think DVC resorts should do the same and charge the credit card of the offending person

an amount ($165

) to clean the room so it doesn't come from our dues. Here is the article below..............

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20031128/5717625s.htm

 

[Scratch42]

YES! There is nothing worse than expecting to be in a non-smoking room and finding out the person(s) before you smoked there!

YUKKY, YUKKY, POOH, POOH!

my2cw!

Scratch

 

[Lisa F]

I think goign completely non-smoking is a terrible idea. I'm not sure what skin it is off of anyone's nose if there are smoking optional rooms available for those smokers who bought into the program with the understanding that they would be accommodated.

Now if someone smokes in a non-smoking room I would be all for charging them for what it costs to fix the room if they chose to be inconsiderate... but IMO that's a totally different issue than pushing ALL of the smokers out.

 

[crisi]

It is completely possible the DVC won't have a choice. Legislation regarding smoking has been passing with some incredible restrictions, and it is not impossible that within the life of the DVC contract, smoking will be illegal anywhere outside your own home or "smoking designated" areas.

When Minnesota passed their clean air indoor act years and years ago, people thought it was ridiculous. But it looks liberal compared to the law passed in California.

But I do think that DVC should charge smokers who smoke in a non-smoking room. However, it could be difficult to do so. What if the person on week one is a smoker and smokes in the non-smoking room. The person on week two is a non-smoker, but doesn't notice the smoke smell - maybe they live with smokers, or work in a bar, or have a bad cold, or it just isn't that bad to them. The person on week three calls to complain about the "overwhelming" smoke smell that the last person didn't even notice. Will the last person in the room get blamed? How will they know which occupant smoked?

 

[Chuck S]

I agree with Lisa F,

If a smoker is booked into a non-smoking room they should not smoke in the unit...they can go outside. I know some folks are opposed to smokers using the balcony of non-smoking rooms, but it is certainly preferable to smoking inside the units. At OKW, a smoker can also wander around the the exterior walkways rather than smoke inside. To me, it would be appropriate to charge for a thorough cleaning if someone did smoke inside a non-smoking unit.

But, I see no reason for the entire resort to go non-smoking (unless required to by law). DVC has many European members, and per capita they smoke more than most Americans. DVC resorts are a smokers "Home Away for Home", too. They should have areas where they can be comfortable.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I would love to see DVC go non-smoking. If I ever got stuck in a smoking room, it would be a big minus for the trip.

I stay at many hotels because of line of work, and I have indeed signed papers (at certain upscale hotels) stating that my credit card would be charged $500 if I smoked in the room.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I am a non-smoker and very seriously allergic to cigarette smoke, but I do NOT think the entire resort should go non-smoking. There is enough trouble with folks smoking in non-smoking rooms now, and it would get much worse if all units were completely non-smoking.

For those of us seriously allergic, sparying a cover up is NOT a good alternative. The idea behind having non-smoking facilities available is that these things are NEVER smoked in front of. The residue from smoke is the REAL allergen. It permeats wood, and walls as well as carpets etc. Cleaning and covering up does not take away the allergen.

I do agree with a charge to folks who smoke in a non-smoking unit. There is no way to enforce no smoking in the units during a stay, so something after the fact would be the only recourse.

 

[kathleena]

I would vote yes for totally non-smoking, not just because of the smoke, but for any gains on insurance for having a smoke-free building. I figure there has to be some thing there - they certainly give discounts to homeowners. And I think the non-smoking should apply to the balconies as well. Plus I would think the smoking rooms would require more frequent painting, furniture cleaning etc. so there may be a savings on maintenance. I know when I smoked, the ceilings and corners of rooms were awful.

And I think totally non-smoking is the only way to get people to stop smoking in the non-smoking rooms. I just wish the CMs wouldn't tell people that it's OK to smoke in the non-smoking rooms. (Is anyone from Disney reading this - stop doing that already!!!)

And I am an ex-smoker for 13 years now. I know for sure that I could have and would have been able to live through staying in a non-smoking hotel back when I was smoking.

I would vote yes for the fee - but I think it may be hard to enforce. i.e. easy for someone to say - wasn't me, must have been the person before.

I know the non-smoking totally is a tough stance, but being in Maine - where the smoking laws are extensive and have been in effect for a long time - I'm so used to not being subjected to smoke, that going out of state is a bit of a shock to my system.

That and the billboards. I love having no billboards!

Sorry to all the smokers. JMHO.

 

[Doug7856]

As a non-smoker, I would not want a resort wide smoke free environment for a smoker in his or her SMOKING optional room. However, if a smoker is so inconsiderate that he or she smokes in a non-smoking room, he or she should be charged a fee to clean the room for the next non-smoking guest. Requiring members to sign a statement at check in would be appropriate. Members should not have to use thier dues for this purpose.

 

[dianeschlicht]

One of the biggest difficulties here is how to enforce such a ban. Short of having smoke detectors that would "tattle" on folks, there really is no way to police it. I do know that smoke residue in a unite makes me very ill, and I have only had that problem once while at OKW. The problem that time was not that they didn't clean the unit well enough, but that the folks below us were smoking and it was permeating our unit. I had a sleepless week!

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by Doug7856
Requiring members to sign a statement at check in would be appropriate. Members should not have to use thier dues for this purpose.

.........I agree 100%

 

[pmcpmc]

why not add a poll on charges?

 

[paults]

if people would not smoke in the non-smoking units and CM's not tell people its OK to smoke in them we wouldn't have all these problems. I'm for charging the culprit or culprits who do this

Our dues should not be used to clean up somebody elses habit. No offense smokers but you who smoke don't smell what we smell because you're use to it now.

If the CM's are saying it's OK to smoke then Disney is the culprit and they should foot the cleaning bill.

I'm not for a totally smoke free resort because that's not fair to the smoker, but it's also not fair that we non-smokers have to live in it or help foot the cleaning bill.

 

[jaysue]

So I am setting myself up for flames

It is in everyone's collective interest that people stop smoking - health care, insurance, resorts maintenance, 2nd hand smoke damage, self inflicted health damage etc.

Smoking is an addicition that has negative impact to the environment, other people and the smoker themselevs

there you have it, my opinion - sure it is not popular or widely shared but there it is

off my soap box now and in considersation of the OP, and in light of the comments above, I would be concerned about making sure the right offender paid the fine.....

thanks
jaysue

 

[SamR]

I would love to see DVC go non-smoking. If I ever got stuck in a smoking room, it would be a big minus for the trip.

I agree with the "big minus" part. While I don't worry too much about which floor I'm on, what view I get, etc., I always worry about whether or not my first request, "non-smoking", will be honored. To me, we could reach a happy middle ground between the current situation and all non-smoking by allowing smoking/non-smoking to be part of the room reservation type.

There are already hotel chains that will guarantee a non-smoking room, and I would like to see the WDW resorts (DVC and non-DVC) follow that trend. I know that I would feel a lot less concerned about what time I check in, the "room ready" policy, etc., if I knew that I had a non-smoking room actually reserved, as opposed to just a preference noted (which may or may not be honored).

 

[DaveH]

Until Florida or the US passes a law to make timeshares non-smoking only, I thnk there may be some legal issue with changing the conditions of use. When we bought or are buying right now there are rooms available for smoking in. I for one see no problem with having some smoking rooms. I would like that CM's do not tell folks it is ok to smoke in non-smoking rooms and that DVC make smoking and non-smoking rooms a type of room selection. A fine for breaking the no smoking would be a good idea if there is a fair way of determining if someone smoked in there. If the units were visited every day by housekeeping like a regualr hotel that would be easy, but DVC is not that way and I do not think I would want to pay for more housekeeping. I rather enjoy the days housekeeping does not come.

 

[DeeP]

If the CM's are saying it's OK to smoke then Disney is the culprit and they should foot the cleaning bill.

That is excatly what is happening.

 

[Disney Doll]

I think specific buildings or floors should be smoking, not specific rooms.

And I agree that if a smoker smokes in a non-smoking room, his or her credit card should be charged for the clean-up.

As far as how to know who was smoking....when you enter your unit, if it smells like smoke you immediately call Housekeeping to inform them that it smelled like smoke YOUR entering, so it was not you who smoked in the room. They could follow the chain of previous guests. I do this now if I go in and find something missing. I call Housekeeping right away, not so much as to get a new one, but to go on record as having reported it so I don't get blamed for the missing item.

 

[crisi]

Yes, but some of us are less sensitive to the smell of smoke. So what if I don't notice that the previous guest smoked in the room because I'm not sensative, so I don't call - but you, who follow me, do.

Some people are very sensative and might notice the stale smell of smoke left three or four visitors ago. Some people may even notice the smell of a smoker who didn't smoke in the unit (however, their clothes still sat on the bed or couch long enough to transfer an odor).

 

[floridafam]

I'm all for signing something at check-in stating that you have to pay if you smoke in the room.

Yes, CM's do tell people they can smoke in non-smoking rooms and this should be stopped.

I'm not sure if DVC will ever go all non-smoking.

One thing they could do-very easily in my opinion-is make smoking and non-smoking room categories. That way, everyone is happy. Smokers can get a smoking room and go somewhere else if it is not available. Non-smokers can reserve a non-smoking room and go somewhere else if one it not available. This just seems like it would be so easy to do.

We have also stayed at several hotels where we had to sign something upon check-in stating that we would not smoke in the room.