Cruise lines limit onboard smoking

MIAMI, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Smokers will have fewer places to light up on cruises because U.S. cruise lines are cracking down on smoking in many areas of their ships, officials say.

Norwegian Cruise Line of Florida has announced smoking will be banned inside cabins on all 11 of its ships starting in January, The Miami Herald reported Thursday.

"It got to the point where we were getting enough of a feel from our guests saying, 'We're sensitive to the smell, secondhand smoke is becoming more of an issue and we think you as part of the industry need to step back and reevaluate things,'" said Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan. "We're sensitive to what our guests are looking for."

Passengers can still smoke on balconies, in casinos and in designated areas outside, the company said.

Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America and Princess Cruises have made similar policy announcements.

The owner of a Delray Beach, Fla., cruise agency said, as someone who sells cruise vacations, he's happy about the changes.

"I would say that if you get a complaint from a client about their cabin, it's almost always prefaced by 'The cabin smelled like smoke,'" Don Walker of iCruise.com said. "That is absolutely the No. 1 complaint that we receive."