Yes, on every major line sailing from the UK, in designated areas that are mostly on the open deck. The balcony is the exception people don’t expect. Not one line lets you smoke on your own, and Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and MSC all charge the same $250 fine for it.
The policies are close to identical, so once you know one line you know the rest. What changes is the casino, the cigar arrangements, and how many designated areas a ship has.
The Rule That Applies Everywhere
Across P&O, Cunard, Royal Caribbean, MSC and Norwegian it comes to the same thing. No smoking in cabins. None on balconies. None in indoor public rooms, and the casino is the only place the lines part company. What’s left is the designated areas, sign-posted and fitted with ashtrays, and on most ships they’re out on deck.
Every line here treats e-cigarettes and vapour devices exactly as it treats cigarettes, including devices that emit nothing visible. Same designated areas, same balcony ban, same fee. Nothing relaxes because you vape.
Designated areas move about, and P&O says its locations can change for weather or cleaning, so a deck plan you checked before sailing is a guide, not a guarantee. Find the signage on your first sea day. Eleven at night on the third is a bad time to go looking.
The Balcony, and the $250
Be clear on this before you book a balcony expecting to use it. Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and MSC all charge a $250 cleaning fee for smoking in a cabin or on its balcony, and MSC charges the same figure in euros. Royal Caribbean puts it straight on your SeaPass account.
It isn’t only about money. Cunard’s contract lets them put a passenger ashore mid-voyage for repeat violations, at their own cost and with no refund, and MSC’s wording is similar. They take it seriously for a reason. Balconies stack vertically, so a cigarette dropped on one lands on another.
The one exception is Norwegian’s Garden Villas, which allow smoking in the private garden and on the private sun deck. They’re the top suites on the Jewel and Dawn class ships, and it’s the only private outdoor smoking space any of these lines offers.
The Casino Is Where the Lines Differ
If you sail from Southampton, this is the section that matters, because American guides will tell you something that isn’t true of your cruise.
Royal Caribbean allows smoking in Casino Royale on most sailings, but not on ships sailing from the United Kingdom or Australia. An American guide will tell you otherwise. It’s right about their cruise and wrong about yours.
- Royal Caribbean: the casino has signed smoking and non-smoking sections, except on ships sailing from the United Kingdom and Australia, where the casino is entirely non-smoking
- Norwegian: Bliss, Joy and Encore have a designated smoking room inside the casino. On other ships, active players may smoke cigarettes and vapes during gaming hours. Cigars and pipes never
- MSC: a designated smoking area inside the casino on at least some ships, Virtuosa among them. MSC bans smoking anywhere not specifically designated, which leaves room for exactly this
- P&O and Cunard: no smoking in the casino. Cunard names Churchill’s Cigar Lounge as its only indoor exception
Royal Caribbean also puts two outdoor neighbourhoods off limits on Oasis-class ships. No smoking in Central Park or on the Boardwalk, both open to the sky, both easy to assume are fair game.
Cigars and Pipes
Cigars and pipes are handled separately almost everywhere, and usually more tightly. Royal Caribbean keeps them to designated outdoor areas and its cigar bars. Norwegian bars them from the casino altogether, even where cigarettes are fine.
Churchill’s Cigar Lounge is set aside for cigar and pipe smokers on Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Anne. No other line here has an indoor space for them. Everywhere else, cigars mean the open deck or a cigar bar.
Cunard is the exception, and for cigar smokers it’s the reason to sail with them. Churchill’s Cigar Lounge is a proper indoor room set aside for cigars and pipes, and it’s the only one of its kind among these lines. You’ll find it on Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Anne.
Practical Points for the Week
- Never flick a cigarette end over the side. P&O spells out why: it can be drawn back into the ship and start a fire. Every line bans it, and it’s the one smoking offence that reliably ends in a conversation with security. There are receptacles in every designated area
- Designated areas are almost always on one side of the ship, so on a windy sea day one end will be usable and the other will not
- Ashore is a different matter. Smoking rules in port follow local law, and much of the Caribbean and Mediterranean is more relaxed than the ship
- If you’re a non-smoker booking a balcony, the policy is on your side, and guest services will act on a report
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, in designated areas. On every major line sailing from the UK that means sign-posted spots on the open deck with ashtrays, and on some lines part of the casino too. Cabins, balconies and indoor public rooms are out across the board.
No. None of P&O, Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian or MSC allows it. Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and MSC all charge a $250 cleaning fee for it; P&O doesn’t state a figure on its public site. The one exception is Norwegian’s Garden Villas, which have a private garden and sun deck where smoking is allowed.
Only where you could smoke. Every line treats e-cigarettes and vapour devices as smoking, including ones that give off nothing visible, so the designated areas and the balcony ban apply in the same way.
It depends on the line and where you sail from. Royal Caribbean allows it in signed sections of Casino Royale, except on ships sailing from the UK and Australia where the casino is non-smoking. Norwegian allows active players to smoke on most ships, and MSC has a designated smoking area in the casino on at least some ships, Virtuosa among them. P&O and Cunard do not allow it.
$250 as a cleaning fee on Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and MSC, with MSC charging the same figure in euros. Repeat violations let a line put a passenger ashore before the end of the voyage, at their own cost and with no refund.
Cunard has Churchill’s Cigar Lounge on Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Anne, which is the only indoor cigar room among these lines. Royal Caribbean confines cigars to designated outdoor areas and its cigar bars, and Norwegian bars them from the casino entirely.
They can. P&O says designated locations may change for weather or cleaning, so find the signage on your first sea day instead of trusting a deck plan you checked before sailing.
How We Verify This Advice
We aim for practical, low-risk guidance. Before publishing and during updates, we check core planning details against official sources and current operator information.
What We Check
- Berth and terminal details, including whether the port is walkable or requires a transfer
- Transport options and realistic return timing for different port types
- Details that change frequently, such as fares and schedules, with up-to-date notes where relevant
Typical Sources
- Official port authority and terminal updates
- Cruise line port notes and day-of-call instructions
- Local transport operators and official tourism resources