Celebrity Cruises will prohibit smoking in staterooms or on stateroom verandas beginning Oct. 1. The new policy also will reduce the number of public areas in which guests can smoke onboard. "We are proud to be the first premium cruise line to set a new standard toward creating an environment of cleaner air on our ships," said Celebrity President and CEO Dan Hanrahan. "We pay careful attention to what our guests have to say, and approximately 90 percent of them have told us they are non-smokers. By increasing the number of smoke-free areas onboard while still designating areas for those who smoke, our aim is to make the onboard experience as pleasant as possible for all of our guests." Designated indoor smoking areas include the port side of one lounge per ship and a designated slot machine area in each ship's casino. Outdoor areas for smoking include the port side of the pool deck and sundecks on each ship, the port side of the Sunset Bar on Celebrity Century and on the Millennium-class of ships, and the port side aft outside of Winter Garden on Celebrity Galaxy and Celebrity Mercury.

Celebrity's new Solstice class of ships, launching with Celebrity Solstice late this year, will follow the new policy beginning with the first sailing. The Solstice's Lawn Club and the Sunset Bar at the Lawn Club will not allow smoking. Violations to Celebrity's smoking policy may result in a $250 cleaning fee charged to the guest's onboard account and may also be addressed through the line's guest conduct policy. The new policy will go into effect on the first day of the first sailing to follow Oct. 1. That means it goes into effect with the Oct. 3 sailings for Galaxy, Infinity, and Mercury; Oct. 4 for Summit; Oct. 5 for Constellation; Oct. 6 for Century and Millennium; and upon ship launch for Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox. Celebrity currently allows guests to smoke in staterooms, on stateroom verandas and in a number of indoor and outdoor public spaces. The exception is Celebrity Xpedition, the 92-person mega-yacht sailing year-round in the Galapagos Islands, which operates under a stricter policy than the rest of the fleet, allowing smoking only in designated areas on the outer decks. For more information, call 800-437-3111 or visit www.celebritycruises.com.