Spent the weekend at the park and was severely disappointed with the number of folks I smelled/saw walking around the park smoking and by the fact that none of the employees there seemed to want to do anything about it. Several times I brought it to the attention of an employee and only once did they do anything about it. There are plenty of smoking areas around the park and there are announcements all the time about smoking only in designated areas. Anyone else notice this problem happening more and more? For me it kind of ruins an otherwise enjoyable day to feel like I've spent the day in an airport smoking lounge.
Smoking In the Park
- Thread starter kevrol
- Start date
If you want to get all political about it, the smoking area policy of the park (and every other park in America) is very discriminative towards the people who choose to light up. It rounds them up into small areas so that people can walk by and point and mock the people who "don't care about their health." I'm sorry but it's the dumbest thing the park has followed (too bad it's a law), screw EitA, screw Mach Tower, who cares about entertainment. None of that comes close to how discriminative people can be to people who enjoy a good smoke every once in a while, and I'm sure security and employees are just done with fighting the people who have said the exact same thing I'm saying for the last 5 years and decided to leave them to themselves.
It's a stupid and borderline illegal policy that shouldn't of have been a national law in the first place, but with this huge "smoking is bad for you, cancer!" campaign that is so insanely overhyped it isn't funny of course it had to happen.
It's a stupid and borderline illegal policy that shouldn't of have been a national law in the first place, but with this huge "smoking is bad for you, cancer!" campaign that is so insanely overhyped it isn't funny of course it had to happen.
kevrol said:
Because they have a chance to get cancer due to some scientific claim? I've been inhaling second hand smoke since the second I was born, nearly every single day and my lungs are as clean as people who never even caught a wiff of one. I'm sorry but people are getting gunshy about cancer because three idiots smoked 3 packs a day every day for 20 years, of course you're going to screw yourself up doing something like that. A little smoke in an open air park will not do anything to people, it's not concentrated enough to do any harm.
B.Mac I think your taking this to the extreme. Personally besides my health, I prefer to not have to smell or inhale smoke because I just don't like the smell. It is very unpleasant for me and I did try to get people to use the designated smoking areas and follow other rules when I worked there.
Yes smoking can harm your health terribly, but it is just overall unpleasant and some people believe it or not just don't like it. Its just a growing trend that our nation is following. I'm not saying you don't care about your health or insulting you at all. I respect your decision to smoke, and I would fight for you to keep that choice, but its not my choice and I don't want to be forced to make that choice.
Sorry B.Mac I have to agree with kevrol here.
Yes smoking can harm your health terribly, but it is just overall unpleasant and some people believe it or not just don't like it. Its just a growing trend that our nation is following. I'm not saying you don't care about your health or insulting you at all. I respect your decision to smoke, and I would fight for you to keep that choice, but its not my choice and I don't want to be forced to make that choice.
Sorry B.Mac I have to agree with kevrol here.
Many kids are allergic to smoke. Even some adults are. This policy is an EXCELLENT policy and your argument is ridiculous. At least they give you an area to smoke!
Party Rocker said:
It isn't because I smoke, it's because my entire family does and our experiences with not just BGWs policy but every other park we've been to in the last five years has been terrible. I have never seen people become so discriminative and hostile because of it. My parents have been threatened to be removed from the park because they lit up just outside the smoking area. I don't like the policy not because it's horrible in every sense of the word, but because the enforcement of it is just terrible. It would be so much nicer if they happily asked for my parents to put out the cig and point them to a smoking area (and everyone else I've seen get yelled at in the park about it), instead of immediate hostility and actual threats.
The hostile enforcement is the reason why I say it's illegal, just because the person lit up in front of people they get threatened to get kicked out from the park? Why do smokers get treated with such hostility from everyone in the park when you have other people completely violating other parts of park policies and no one even bats an eye towards them?
B.Mac said:
I'm sorry, but I think that has more to do with the employees individually. I have never threatened any guest and they even teach employees if they com across a smoker to say something along the lines of "I'm sorry you may not know but we do have designated smoking areas, the closest one is right over there. Thank you!" And point to the closest one. If an employee threatens to kick you out, that is a personal issues with the employee not the park.
I personally follow that speil very well and they use that speil as to not upset and anger the smoking guests. They want everyone to have a good time and I'm sorry your experiences have been so bad but I promise they weren't supposed to be.
Well it looks like this is a touchy subject,
As a smoker who waits to light up until I get to a designated smoking area, I can't tell you how many times I have seen non smokers make rude comments to smokers or quickly walk away from the area holding their nose's making a scene. At most smoking areas there are ways to walk well clear of any smoke that may be comming from smokers. I am also sorry you had to deal with a smoker not follwing the rules but perhaps you could complain to park security and let them take care of the situation. JMO
Eric M
As a smoker who waits to light up until I get to a designated smoking area, I can't tell you how many times I have seen non smokers make rude comments to smokers or quickly walk away from the area holding their nose's making a scene. At most smoking areas there are ways to walk well clear of any smoke that may be comming from smokers. I am also sorry you had to deal with a smoker not follwing the rules but perhaps you could complain to park security and let them take care of the situation. JMO
Eric M
I would be very happy if that happened more, but when I witness it multiple times over the course of multiple visits it's plain to see most employees don't care that much about a guest's experience at a park. It's not just BGW, it's almost every park in America that has the same issue. All I ask for from a park is a nice experience from everyone around, not immediate threats to be kicked out of a park because of a cigarette.
Don't get me wrong I like the park, but the employees interactions with guests over a simple and rather harmless policy need to be improved greatly. Please relay that to you manager.
Don't get me wrong I like the park, but the employees interactions with guests over a simple and rather harmless policy need to be improved greatly. Please relay that to you manager.
B.Mac, if you and your family keep your smoking to the Smoking Areas I have no problem with it. It's the countless people I saw yesterday who were obviously trying to hide their smoking while going from attraction to attraction as well as the employees who didn't want to be bothered trying to stop it who I have an issue with.
See, I got the other experience. I am just enjoying myself in line waiting to get on a ride and this guy started smoking a cigarette around us. We asked him if he could put that out as my GF has asthma and you're not supposed to smoke there. Then the guy got very rude and hostile with us. If you want to smoke, do it in the designated smoking area. If someone is not in the designated smoking area, just ask them nicely to put it out.
Hey, I can't drink beer in the kiddie areas. Sometimes you just have to suck it up.
Actually, with the park being private property, they can enforce any policy as they see fit on their property with regards to designated smoking areas.
B.Mac said:
I said when I worked there, past tense. However, I don't think the policy woud have changed drastically?
I think what the main issue is it is hard to get a seasonal employee to care about enforcing rules properly if they only see their job as meaningless and temporary. Whereas the seasonal employees that return year after year or who work part time or full time may be more dedicated to the policy since they take their job more seriously.
I don't understand how or why anyone would smoke in this day and age. Cigarettes cost a fortune and the health problems caused by smoking are indisputable. Ask anyone who has seen a family member slowly choke to death. But....what folks choose to do to themselves is up to them (I won't get in to the health care costs), just don't subject me to it in a non-smoking area.
Smoking is now banned in bars and restaurants in a lot of states. It was debatable at the time because bars were worried about the bottom line, but people have adjusted and now those of us who don't smoke can enjoy a night out without coming home with a sore throat, burning eyes and smelling like smoke.
I for one would be OK if smoking were to be totally banned from Busch Gardens. They have graciously provided smokers several area's, at least one of which is way too close to tables that are set up for eating IMO (across from Trappers). If you choose to smoke and do it in those area's then I have to respect that. If you choose to smoke in non-smoking areas then you should be removed from the park.
Smoking is now banned in bars and restaurants in a lot of states. It was debatable at the time because bars were worried about the bottom line, but people have adjusted and now those of us who don't smoke can enjoy a night out without coming home with a sore throat, burning eyes and smelling like smoke.
I for one would be OK if smoking were to be totally banned from Busch Gardens. They have graciously provided smokers several area's, at least one of which is way too close to tables that are set up for eating IMO (across from Trappers). If you choose to smoke and do it in those area's then I have to respect that. If you choose to smoke in non-smoking areas then you should be removed from the park.
I hate to say this, but smoking does cause health problems and a majority of the public sees it that way as well. I, for one, hate the smell of smoke, but I have no problem having an area for people to smoke if they choose to. Also, nothing illegal about saying people can't smoke on private property.
Party Rocker said:
I prefer not to have to smell OR inhale to aroma of farts; let's make this ONLY is designated areas as well. If an employee hears or smells a fart then that person must go to the restroom or immediate dismissal. That makes just about as much sense as what you said.
Crackel said:
I'm allergic to peanuts so let's only serve peanuts in dedicated areas so those allergic and/or bothered by them will have no risk. Be lucky they even serve you peanuts in the first place!
lazerdoc said:
So does fast food and sugar. Difference is tobacco is overblown and demonized because its origin in this country. Sugar is the #1 drug in the world. Who said i wanted sugar in all my food? Not me. Difference between tobacco and sugar? You start feeding it to your kids 16 years earlier.
