I enjoy a hand-rolled cigar and it has become part of my personal cruising tradition
THIS IS not "Cigar Afficionado." I am not going to tell you all about the "best" cigars. In my personal view, cigars are much like wine. I have had some very expensive wine and cigars that were, frankly, not that good. I have had some very reasonably priced wine and cigars that were anywhere from quite good, to very good. With that gem of wisdom, I'll leave the subject of "choice of cigar" to others.
INSTEAD, LET's just talk about cigars and cruising. There are a few things a dedicated cigar smoker needs to know about cruising and smoking cigars. I will touch on a few here, based primarily on my personal experiences.
CAN I smoke cigars on the ship? Experienced cruisers know the answer to this question is a qualified "yes." Years back, smoking was permitted in many places outdoors on the ship, including your stateroom balcony, if you had one. By the time I started cruising in 2012, that was no longer the case. Smoking of any kind these days is restricted to only designated areas on the ship. This is the case for every cruise line (though, in my experience, they have different approaches). In most cases, it is important to realize that this means outdoors. That is not universally true but is something you will need to research on the particular individual ship (some ships, for example, still allow smoking in their casino - but others, like Celebrity, no longer do). On the Princess Royal Class (and some of the Grand Class) ships, there is a "humidor room," which is just off of the Casino. I have been in them on both the Royal Princess and the Regal Princess. I think they are cold, isolated and uncomfortable. And they are not as well ventilated as they could be. I kind of feel like I am smoking in a fishbowl, so they are not my favorite smoking destination.
On some of the Princess Grand Class ships they have a cigar bar (Churchills) which is indoors. Churchills has been eliminated on the Royal class Princess ships, however, and the only place indoors is their humidor room. My own experience has been that the humidor room is not the most pleasant atmosphere. There are, of course, designated outdoor areas on Princess ships, too. In my experience, they seem to be more oriented toward cigarette smokers (and in fairness, they outnumber us cigar smokers).
As far as I am aware, there are no indoor smoking areas on any Celebrity Ships. The closest they come is that on the larger, Edge Class ships, the forward smoking area near the pool is covered. It is not completely enclosed, and wind and cool temps can still affect it. But you can get out of the rain there.
I also think the dynamics of the smoking areas vary by cruise location. When we sailed on the Regal Princess (Royal Class) in Europe in October 2021, there was a higher incidence overall of smokers, in my perception (though mostly cigarette smokers). I think that is true of Europe in general (as opposed to the U.S.), so with a larger population of Europeans, we will see more smokers in general. The Regal had a designated smoking area on the rear deck where there was a bar - much like the Celebrity Solstice Class ships. But instead of 1/2 of the deck, it was confined to a small area just in the middle, up against the bulkhead. Most of the time, though, that was fine. Staying with the location comment, I thought cigars were more prevalent on our Caribbean cruises than on the other locations.
My own experience leads me to say that Celebrity ships are more "cigar-friendly." Again, I am willing to own my overall bias in favor of Celebrity. But on two of the three classes (Edge and Solstice), they have done a very nice job of creating welcoming designated space for smokers. The main (and generally most popular) area - particularly for cigar smokers, is at the Sunset Bar on the back of the ship. On both the Solstice and the Edge classes, there are designated areas for smokers and for non-smokers back there. The Sunset Bar/rear deck is popular because it gets sun all afternoon and is a great place to watch the sun set. The bars are also well stocked and attended. The older (Millenium Class) ships are not quite as well as well set up for cigar smokers. I think we have only sailed on one of them, though, and I know I had no problem finding an outdoor spot to smoke a cigar. I think on those ships the area is on one side of the ship (port side) on either deck 4 or 5. It is the narrow area along the side of the deck. There is also an outdoor area near the "Mast" pool bar, but I rarely see cigars there.
On my most recent cruise on the Celebrity Apex (Edge Class), I learned about a new area that I never realized existed. The Celebrity ships actually have 3 different designated smoking areas. On the Solstice Class: Sunset Bar, upper deck on the starboard side near the pool area (there is a bar there too) and on deck 5 forward and outdoors (but covered). On the Edge Class, they are essentially the same (Sunset Bar, forward on deck 5 - just adjacent to the Eden Lounge, and the pool area. But the pool area smoking section (which I had never used previously), has its own, generously sized, mezzanine deck that is covered and at least partly sheltered from the wind. This was a welcome addition when the weather prohibited enjoying a cigar on the rear of the ship.
We are scheduled to cruise on the much smaller, upscale, Oceania line in January 2023. I have read that there is a dedicated smoking area on the ship we will be on (Nautica), which is - I believe - covered, but outdoors. I think the takeaway, here, is to do some "homework" before you book. If smoking a cigar is a deal-maker/breaker for you, then it is important to know what your options are. I would always check the cruise line website, the deck plans, and other resources like Cruise Critic or Facebook ship-specific cruise pages.
It is probably pretty obvious that cigar and cigarette smoking have some significant differences. Generally, a cigarette is something that smokes rather quickly, and a large number of smokers come to the area to have a cigarette, and then leave. A cigar, on the other hand, is a longer-term experience. Depending on the cigar, I can often smoke one for an hour. So having a comfortable space to sit for a longer period is perhaps more of a premium for a cigar smoker. I am not sure that ship designers always get that, which is why sometimes the designated smoking areas are not as hospitable as others. Again, this is where I think Celebrity does a really good job with their rear deck - Sunset Bar designated area.
ITS WINDY out there. In any of the outdoor areas where you can smoke on board, you are going to need a torch lighter. By nature, the deck of a ship (even in the sheltered areas) is going to be windy. I have lit a cigar with a flame lighter on the deck, but it is a challenge and generally only possible in light winds. The torch - unfortunately - presents another challenge. Most of us fly to our cruise embarkation point or country. U.S. airlines do not allow torch lighters (in either carry on or check bags). It always presents a challenge for me. Hopefully I am in a city enough time before we board to find one (or a couple) of the disposable torch lighters on shore. There may be other approaches, but I leave them to your own judgement. 😓It really surprises me that, knowing there will be at least some smokers aboard, the onboard shop doesn't sell them. Cruise lines, are you listening?
In keeping with the above observation (and I have learned this the hard way), always - always - bring a windbreaker. In 2019, we cruised in the UK in late June. Unlike the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, warm, sunny weather is not a given in the UK, Baltic, or Alaska. We sat out to smoke one late afternoon and even though the ambient outdoor temperature was around 80F (27C), with the wind blowing and even with a fleece on, I just couldn't stay out there. My brother-in-law had one of the nice golf wind shirts on over his fleece and he was toasty. Lesson learned. I don't travel without one now. Maybe just make sure it is one you don't mind having a cigar burn or two on. 😀
BRING ENOUGH cigars. I usually plan that well. But not always. A couple of cruises back, I underestimated how many I might smoke, because we had more at sea time than I was used to. I bought some cigars in one of the ports, but as I will note below, that is generally a bad plan. I think it is a good idea to give some thought to what kind of a cigar smoker you are and think about the days you will be on the ship and which days are at sea, versus off-ship excursions. I know some folks who are occasional smokers and might smoke one or two the entire cruise. I am not really addressing them here. I know others who smoke multiple cigars a day. I usually count on having at least two for each day I know I will spend significant time on the ship (generally, at-sea days, but sometimes you know you either aren't getting off at a port, or not staying off long). The one conclusion I can make is it is easier to bring more than you need and take some home, than it is to try to acquire them if you run out.
Here is a piece of what I believe to be sound advice: Don't buy cigars from the ship. There are at least 3 good reasons for this. First, they will be unreasonably expensive. Second, they have very limited selection - usually not very good. And third, they are virtually guaranteed to not have been conditioned or humidored properly. I have tried it. Twice, with a few years in between. They both cracked. And I am not a novice at cigar cutting. You are destined to be disappointed if you buy cigars from the cruise ship.
My comment above about buying cigars on shore is a corollary. If you can possibly help it, don't buy cigars on shore. While the odds are somewhat better, they are still not in your favor. I bought cigars for a friend in a "cigar shop" in St. Thomas years ago. When I asked him about them, he noted that they were o.k., but he basically had to re-condition them in his humidor. And they were - as I expected - expensive (even though the salespeople in these places try hard to make you believe you are getting the deal of the century). In October of 2021, the trip where I under-planned and ran out, we went on shore in one of the ports in Spain. First of all, it is not easy to find a true "fine cigar" shop anywhere anymore. The larger cities have them, but they are usually in an out-of-the-way location. And though there are shops that have them, they don't have great selection - and they are overcharging for what they do have. Ironically, the shop we found had some Cohiba cigars for which they wanted 40 euro a stick. I asked him if he had anything else, and he reluctantly went in back and came out with a cigar brand I was unfamiliar with, but same ring gage and size as the Cohiba. 5 euros for them. I bought 3 of the cheaper ones and one of the Cohiba's, just to "treat" myself. Back on ship, the 3 "cheapies" smoked nicely and were really decent cigars. The Cohiba wouldn't stay lit at first, and eventually cracked and unraveled. Again, if you are an experienced cigar smoker, you are going to be disappointed. Bring your own. You know what you have and what you like. Just be sure to bring enough. 😀
PACK CAREFULLY. Everybody is going to have their own approach to traveling with cigars. The thing is a cruise will usually be at least 7 days and often near double that. You have to think about how to pack a larger number of sticks. I will put it right out there that I am not a fan of the "travel humidors." As emphasized in an earlier post here about packing for a cruise, I pack light! Humidors are bulky and awkward to pack. And for their bulk, they just don't hold enough cigars. And I don't think they work that well as a humidor. The only thing I think they excel at is protecting the cigars from being crushed or otherwise damaged. But that really hasn't been an issue for me.
I pack my cigars in heavy (like freezer), quart-sized zip-lock bags. Depending on the size of the cigar, I can get 6-10 in a bag. In each bag, I put a Boveda humipack. A little bit expensive, but cheaper than trashing the cigars. I pack each zip-lock around in the soft clothes portion of my luggage. It works really well. My cigars have traveled and kept this way for up to 20 days. And I have been packing them that way for a number of years now. I have never had a cigar damaged.
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL. It is a good idea to look at the rules for flying with cigars, and for taking them into other countries and bringing them back to the U.S. It is pretty likely that some part of your cruise will involve being outside the U.S. Most of the information I have read says that the U.K. limits what you can bring in to no more than 50 cigars. U.S. Customs allows up to 100 to be brought back. I am only dealing with the cigars I want for personal consumption during the cruise, so the other numbers and rules are not important to me. If you are planning to buy them and bring them home, I think it is a good idea to do a little homework.
You may have cigars either in your carryon or in checked luggage. I have done both and have never had any issues. Customs may or may not ask if you bought any Cuban cigars. I don't buy them, so it has never been a problem for me.
CAN I buy Cubans and bring them home? Good question. As a legal matter, no. There is a fair amount of confusion about this topic. Cuban products, including cigars, have been banned from the U.S. as a political matter, for many years. For a brief period between 2014 and 2020, these rules were relaxed, and it was possible under some circumstances to bring Cuban cigars home. The Obama administration relaxed the rules, announcing its intention to begin the process of "normalizing" relations with Cuba. But it was complicated. At first, you could only bring them if you purchased them in Cuba and brought them back directly - for personal consumption only. The visit to Cuba had to be "authorized," and there was a $100 value limit. I was actually the beneficiary of the relaxed policy, as a client of mine who was conducting educational seminars in Cuba, purchased and brought me back some "street cigars." They were o.k., but not life changing.
Since the ban, it has never been legally permissible to purchase Cuban products in any other country (or on a cruise ship) and bring them home. But in late 2016, the rules were further relaxed. You may recall that by then, trips to Cuba were allowed, and even Cruise Ships were docking in Havana for day excursions. In keeping with this "warming" of U.S. - Cuba relations, the rules after October 2016 now allowed U.S. citizens to bring Cuban cigars back into the country no matter where they were purchased. The rule allowed for up to 100 cigars not exceeding $800 in value, duty free. This circumstance, however, was short-lived, as one of the first things the Trump Administration did was to turn back the clock and re-instate the strict ban on Cuban products being brought back into the U.S.
As a practical matter? Well. I used to be in the business of giving legal advice. I never, ever advised a client to break the law. But I sometimes explained the consequences of breaking a law to them. One question that always seems to arise is: "what is the risk?" That is not a clear call. The law provides for penalties up to $50,000. There could also be criminal prosecution. Likely? Probably not. But do you really want those Cubans badly enough to risk those stakes? Pretty expensive cruise! 😓And in my view, certainly not worth it. If you buy them, consume them on board.
Cubans are overrated
For me, that's the thing. I have smoked Cubans. Some were pretty good; many just "o.k." And at least one was not very good at all. Most are overpriced. And, unless you go to the factory in Cuba, there is always the question of provenance. When Castro took over (and even before) most of the top cigar makers fled Cuba to safer parts of the world. They took their seeds with them. They found equal, if not better growing conditions. They did not forget how to make a fine cigar - and have proven for years that they can do so in other parts of the world (probably Honduras and Nicaragua primarily, but also Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Equador, Mexico - heck, even way over on the other side of the world in Sumatra). I cannot say that the finest cigar I have ever smoked is from Cuba. But I have had (formerly) Cuban famous cigars from other parts of the world (TTT Trinidad, Cohiba, Monte Cristo, H. Upmann, Romeo & Julietta, and the like - as well as some "lesser" brands) and a couple of them are probably the best I have smoked. My personal taste leans toward tobacco from Nicaragua. But my point is "Cubans" are overrated. If you do purchase a Cuban cigar while on a cruise (either on shore - I have done so - or on board), probably the best approach is to consume it before returning to the U.S.
SOMETHING I discovered a few years back. We meet the best, and most fun people back in the smoking area of the ship. Maybe it's because we spend so much time there, with the same people, that we get more opportunity to engage, socially. Maybe it's because we have something in common - at least to break the ice. I am not saying we haven't met nice folks in other places and for other reasons on cruises. But I may have enjoyed the socialization as much or more than the cigars. Enjoy!
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