Smoking in theme parks...What are your thoughts?

[thrillrider]

Not sure if a topic like this has ever been brought up, but what are your thoughts on people smoking in theme parks? Should it be allowed, or do you think designated areas are ok? Do parks do enough to enforce some of the policies they have in place regarding smoking?

 

One of my pet peeves is people smoking in lines or midways at theme parks. Not only does it make me gag, but I also had someone bump into me on the midway with a cigarette, and burn a hole in my $200 hockey jersey.

[robbalvey]

^ I'm "OK" with it in designated areas. And yes, I do believe parks need to enforce this better. I've been at many parks with people smoking in lines trying to "hide it" - like, what are we, idiots? It's more than obvious you're smoking, and I've seen near fights break out when someone confronts a smoker who is breaking the rules. They KNOW they are doing something wrong, just put out the cigarette and go to the smoking area.

[DJeXeL]

I have no issues with smokers as long as they are in their designated smoking area.

[SharkTums]

I'm okay with it in a designated area, but I feel the designated areas should be farther away from midways/attractions and smaller. I hate having to walk through a smoking area to get somewhere or when it's near a restroom.

[YoshiFan]

I agree that the designated smoking areas should be away from the midways and entrances to rides. It is bad at Great Adventure in certain spots where smoking areas are just a few feet away from some ride entrances or you have to walk past them and get really close like the one in the Golden Kingdom on the way to Kingda Ka.

[CPSFMMCW]

^ I agree, a lot of the smoking areas are right near the restrooms or near a great ride and It just makes me hate being in that area...personally I'd just rather not have smoking areas in parks, but then that'd cause an uproar of people getting mad, but personally I'd just like no smoking in the parks at all.

Edited February 27, 2014 by CPSFMMCW

[thrillrider]

I agree...

 

People trying to hide it are idiots....Like nobody is going to know your smoking. I have never seen a park employee enforce a smoking policy that a park has in place. I have seen a few parks that have the "report smokers" phone number in line, but is it the park goers responsibility to enforce this?

[cfc]

I'm okay with it in a designated area, but I feel the designated areas should be farther away from midways/attractions and smaller. I hate having to walk through a smoking area to get somewhere or when it's near a restroom.

 

One of BGW's designated smoking areas used to be right next to the Little Clydes kiddie ride in Scotland. Always thought that was a bit odd, but I guess the logic was you could have a smoke and watch your kid on the ride.

 

This smoking area has since been moved.

[TPDave]

I remember some of the scandinavian parks had some good smoking areas. Fully enclosed in trees off to the side of the midway so people could smoke but it wouldn't lead to other guests passive smoking. One of the hotels even had an "indoor smoking station", kinda like one of the fume cabinets we had in chemistry at school but you could fit a few people in them!

[bonsaiisuperstar]

I remember back in the day at King's Island you could smoke anywhere. Smoke everywhere in line, even on the rides. I am a former smoker. I disagree that the smoking areas should be off in some corner. That's just going to promote the smokers to smoke everywhere they please and try to hide it. Your outside already, the smoke is not going to hurt you. I would have to say car exhaust would be worse. You might smell it, but you are not getting any harmful smoke from smoking areas in the midways.

As a non smoker, i think cigarettes are disgusting and it took me 18 years to get to that point. I feel sorry walking along midways and watching the smokers. They look so beat down and poisoned by carbon monoxide. I miss smoke breaks though. It's a bad habit and tough to quit. I think smokers are persecuted to no end unjustly.

[thrillrider]

The smoke is not going to hurt you?

 

Might want to check out the effects of second hand smoke.

[tribar]

I really don't think they should even have designated smoking areas at all. And no smoking in parking lots. You want to light up get off of park grounds.

[robbalvey]

That's just going to promote the smokers to smoke everywhere they please and try to hide it.

So are smokers just self-entitled jerks that feel they can break the rules and do whatever the hell they want to just because they have an addiction?

[arby]

People not smoking in designated areas as well as parks not enforcing it is a pet peeve of mine. I am fine with designated smoking areas although I'm not always thrilled with their placement.

 

As a former smoker, I absolutely hate the smell of cigarette smoke so I would prefer if they went away but I also understand with theme parks being primarily outdoor activities it's not as big of a deal. Thankfully most places don't allow indoor smoking anymore. Even when I smoked, we chose non-smoking areas and I'd go outside if I wanted a smoke.

[dannyboy13]

I think the biggest thing is enforcement of the policies. At SFMM last year, I see two youngish guys passing a blunt back and forth as we're walking to get in line for Viper. They walk right past two park workers, not trying to hide it at all, and the workers do nothing. My guess is they were scared to say something since these two guys were somewhat "gangster" looking hispanic males. Being a pretty big guy myself, and not easily intimidated, I decide to say something to them about it (I'm walking with my ten year old son btw). They proceed to cop an attitude with me like I had done something wrong. The nerve of some people.....

[rcjp]

^ I'm "OK" with it in designated areas. And yes, I do believe parks need to enforce this better. I've been at many parks with people smoking in lines trying to "hide it" - like, what are we, idiots? It's more than obvious you're smoking, and I've seen near fights break out when someone confronts a smoker who is breaking the rules. They KNOW they are doing something wrong, just put out the cigarette and go to the smoking area.

This pretty much sums up my opinion.

[goatdan]

It's really up to the park. I know of at least one park where the decision was made that if you were caught smoking not in a designated area, you were walked out of the park with no refund immediately. The park was completely serious about it too - members of management were told if they were caught not walking a smoker out or reporting it to security to have them walk it out, they could be immediately terminated. This went for all levels of management - seasonal and full time.

 

The park had a daily meeting where they had a running tally of how many people were kicked out of the park for smoking. It started at around 20 per day - which with what people are saying about how much it bothers them is amazing because they had a problem for smoking beforehand and it turned out it was only about 1% of the attendance that were problems - and pretty quickly it caught on with smokers until an average day might have three or four.

 

The figuring by the park management, correctly I believe, was that if those 20 people were left to do it, it was a tipping point thing where you would have other people go, "Well, cool. They don't enforce smoking, I guess I can line jump." or whatever. The thought was the lost guests that the park would have by kicking out the smokers would be more than made up for by the other people who saw the rules being enforced.

 

And it worked, or at least it seemed to. The response to the policy was overwhelmingly positive.

 

I'm surprised that more parks don't see this and do it, probably because it is tough to suck it up and walk a guest out of the park for such a seemingly minor infraction, but it works.

[Philrad71]

I think that as more people switch to smoking those e-cigarettes that it is going to get harder for parks to enforce. E-smokers will then feel that they can smoke anywhere because they hardly emit any smoke...and how do you enforce it if you can't see it or smell it or if the smell is fruit or candy scented? I have heard that the smoke emitted from them isn't harmful to non-smokers...anyone know if that's true?

 

I see that this is already starting to stir some controversy in local restaurants and I have even seen some signs saying that e-cigarettes are not allowed to be smoked in their establishments. Should be interesting to see how theme parks handle this.

Edited February 27, 2014 by Philrad71

[thrillrider]

That's a great idea.

 

Btw, what park was this?

[Jew]

I think a bigger problem now is e-cigs and vapes…people don't even consider those smoking, so they are very inconsiderate and do it anywhere.

[VF15]

I'm okay with it as long as there is a designated smoking area. I would never want it to be allowed anywhere else in the park. Smoking is just a major annoyance to those of us that don't smoke.

[DJeXeL]

DLR makes E-Cig/Vapor users utilize smoking areas just to keep the policy consistent.

[CedarPoint27]

Ehh im fine with it really, but until they get to close to a wooden coaster its a problem!

[robbalvey]

DLR makes E-Cig/Vapor users utilize smoking areas just to keep the policy consistent.

As they should. Those stupid E-Cig things are just as disgusting as cigarettes. I'm sure their users don't think so, but the rest of us can't stand them.

[DJeXeL]

^Agreed.