With Marriott and other hotel chains going totally smoke free not to say countries with strong smoking habits such as Ireland and France limiting smoking, this is a trend that - like it or not - is here to say. I'm not cancelling a wonderful cruise because I can't smoke on my balcony anymore (well, I haven't smoked since last November, but I have to admit, I'm tempted on a nice, long cruise).
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We're originally from California where the non-smoking issue hit its stride a decade ago. Here in Chicago, most of the suburbs have now banned smoking in the bars and restaurants and Chicago is joining us in a few months. The hue and cry from the restaurant and tavern owners was much ado about nothing. Nobody lost business. We adapted.
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I am sympathetic with those who say this is just another example of our loss of various freedoms over the past 10 years. But this is not an issue brought about by the Patriot Act - instead, this issue has grown worldwide as more and more of the public (that's us) have decided that they don't want to be exposed to second hand smoke.
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I think Regent has shown that it is a company that cares what many of their passengers want, and they have adapted well over the years. Regent will have a pretty good idea within 6 months what impact this decision has on their bottom line. I'm betting it is negligable. Regent still offers great value in the luxury cruise segment, and I'm sure their occupancy rates will not be adversely impacted by this decision.
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As others have mentioned, this could be a situation where Regent is taking the lead (at least in the cruise portion of the hospitality business) and its decision will look very prescient in the years to come. Jeff