Another major cruise line snuffs out smoking in cabins, casinos

[mercedes]

Yet another major cruise line, P&O Cruises, is cutting back on the places cruisers can smoke.

Industry watcher x reports the six-ship line will ban smoking in all interior areas of its vessels -- including cabins and casinos -- by next May.

As x notes, the British line already has a no-smoking-indoors policy on three of its ships -- Artemis, Oceana and Ventura. The policy went into effect last year when the U.K. banned smoking inside public places. x says two of the line's three remaining ships -- Aurora and Oriana -- will go smoke-free indoors next April. The Arcadia will follow in May.

Also to be smoke-free indoors is P&O's soon-to-debut seventh vessel, the Azura, which arrives in April.

In addition to cabins and casinos, the ban will apply to all bars, nightclubs, restaurants and show lounges. Passengers still will be able to smoke on cabin balconies and certain open decks.

Smoking on ships has been a hot topic over the past three years as more cruise lines restrict the places where passengers can light up. Some lines, such as Celebrity Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, have even extended smoking bans to cabin balconies, but it's still relatively unusual for lines to outlaw smoking in all indoor areas.