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Fall 1997 Volume II Issue 4 |
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Fall 1997 Volume II Issue 4 |
As the romance of sailing attracts more and more young people, sophisticated cigar bars, well-designed club rooms, wood paneled libraries, and atmospheric deck sides are being used to celebrate the joys and toys of cigar smoking. It could be specially designed cigar cruises like Crystal and Holland America lines are hosting. Or nightly events in intimate cigar lounges like Michael's Club on the Celebrity line, the Oak Room on Cunard's Royal Viking, the Gentleman's Card Room on American Hawaii Cruises, and the Vista Lounge on Crystal. Or just happy cruisers puffing through port-side decks and glittering entertainment areas on a variety of sleek ocean liners. Take your choice: The cigar trend onboard ship is burning as brightly as the moon shines over the sea.
Recently, shoreside cigar bars have been proliferating - spots like the Grand Havana Room in Beverly Hills and the Cuba Club, in Miami, cigar soirees highlighting special events in fine restaurants like Morton's (at 28 locations) and Graycliff in Nassau, and in luxury hotels like the Doral in Miami and the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Beach, and retail cigar stores opening in upscale shopping emporiums. Not to mention savvy smokers installing state-of-the-art humidors in their personal wine cellars. Given these trends, it's no wonder that cruise ships, besieged by requests from cigar smoking groups and zealous passengers, were up in smoke over what to do about cigars and where to do it.
Should cigar smoking be allowed in the dining room as part of a
meal? Or only on open deck areas? Should entire ships be devoted to cigar smokers and their whims? Or, better yet, why not make the art of cigar smoking an elaborate event on every cruise by giving connoisseurs a public room all their own?
Since there is no consistent practice regarding smoking throughout the industry, individual cruise lines must create their own policies. Whatever accommodations each cruise line ultimately creates for its smokers, the fact remains that the cigar trend is lighting up people's lives. "It is amazing to see people walking off of cruise ships here with cigars in hand," laughs David Kurland, general manager of the El San Juan Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. "Since many are hyped up about their varied cigar smoking experiences onboard ship, it helps my business, because they head straight for our new marble and mahogany cigar bar, with its 52 cedar-lined humidors. They can't wait to take a puff, and I love it."
With the hip and fast-growing cigar craze at an all-time high - 3.5 billion cigars were smoked last year, according to industry statistics - it seems natural that shoreside cigar bars should make their way to sea. Cruise ships are becoming destinations themselves with onboard dynamics changing to satisfy the market - which is getting younger, hipper, and more energetic. Baby Boomers and Generation Xers are eager to reshape the American Dream by enjoying the good things in life - which gives them a feeling of inner peace and personal satisfaction.
According to the Cruise Lines International Association, interest in
cruising, especially among younger people, has never been greater, with
nearly 80 million people eager to take a cruise. Both passengers and ship capacity rose by 6% last year. Between now and 1999, nearly 20 new ships will be introduced, at an average cost of $300 million each. Since cruising's fastest-growing segment is the 25-to-39 age group - with 84% ready to sail again after experiencing their first cruise - glamorous ships are outfitting themselves to take advantage of youthful yearnings at sea. Of late, cruise ships have been providing programs for young children to pursue their own pleasures (which includes dining) so parents can do the same, upgrading their spas, booking entertainment ranging from splashy floor shows to classical music trios, and developing new daytime diversions and the latest in onboard shopping. They are also making the celebration of cigar smoking a mainstream event. "We have experienced a marked increase of guests who enjoy cigars so we installed a large humidor - heavy on Cuban brands - in our Vista and Palm Court smoking lounges for a more stylish presentation," explains Kristin Carlson, a spokeswoman for L.A.-based Crystal Cruises. "In the year since we added the humidors, our cigar sales have increased by 60%. We offer 32 Cuban varieties, seven from the Dominican Republic, three from Jamaica, three from the Philippines, two from Honduras and two from Nicaragua."
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