From the moment NCL’s Breakaway class ships debuted, many non-smokers (and even a few tokers) had a major beef with the placement of the casino and the effect smoking within the gaming room had on surrounding venues. In essence, because the casino is smack-dab in the heart of the ship’s lauded 678 Ocean Place entertainment center, smoke tends to waft into venues such as Le Bistro restaurant and other areas.
In response to this, Cruise Critic reports that the line’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Andy Stuart, said that their newest ship, Escape, would be retrofitted with a smoking section designed to help solve the issue. Stuart said they would be “putting aside a very large area that will be enclosed and fully ventilated.”
He added that “assuming there are no unintended consequences,” their other large ships (meaning Epic, Breakaway and Getaway) might get the same treatment.