I've been reading a lot of complaints about people smoking in non-designated areas at the resorts (the most recent that I read were at Pop, AoA and CSR). I think that people just don't give a care whether or not they are supposed to smoke in the designated areas only.
I am gonna jump in on behalf of smokers. I am not a smoker but my husband is and I, therefore, have experienced WDW from the perspective of my smoker.
Even my smoker is annoyed by those who do not adhere to the designated areas rules. While the non-smoking rooms and designated areas do make his vacation experience less convenient than it used to be, he understands perfectly that it is Disney's property and they are certainly within their rights to make any rules they want and he makes every effort to adhere to those rules as they apply to smokers.
We have probably all witnessed SOME folks smoking outside of their designated areas but, it's only a few.
Some people (smokers or not) blatantly don't care about any rules. Most all of us are annoyed by those people no matter which rule they're breaking. Like the ones who sit on the queue rail within inches of the sign that says "do not sit on rail". You know the type. There's little to be done about people like that. Anywhere.
Some of those you see smoking outside the areas saw someone else smoking there and assumed it was a designated area without checking closely enough.
Some may have misunderstood a CMs directions to the nearest smoking area.
Some may have gotten frustrated after asking several CMs where the nearest smoking area is and hearing "I'm not sure" for the umpteenth time. (It happens and it is NOT fun when you're with your cranky smoker.)
Some are after their first smoke after checking into a resort that is new to them and after some effort just looked for the least populated spot they could find because they really don't want to bother anyone but just plain didn't have their bearings well enough to find anything yet. On our last trip, we were at POR (Alligator Bayou area) for the first time and that first evening was a doozy - it was getting dark, all the buildings looked alike and there's so much foliage (which is, of course, absolutely beautiful) that you can't really see where the paths go... we did find the smoking area after a while but, boy, that was NOT a fun hike if you know what I mean. Ever since WDW resorts went non-smoking, we have made room requests to be situated as near a smoking area as possible with varying results. For our upcoming stay at CBR, we will again be making that request because, a smoker typically needs that first fix of the day before his eyes are fully open and certainly before he gets himself ready for the day. (Even more so than us coffee-addicts.)
And, Disney seems to be trying harder and harder to hide the smokers from non-smoking guests to the point that the areas are becoming fewer and are more and more hidden. But once they are found, they are typically busy places and well-used by many.
Anyway, my point is, smokers aren't trying to ruin anyone's vacation. They are only trying to enjoy theirs without going into withdrawal. Some people are jerks (smokers or not) and will always behave as though the rules do not apply to them. But, I promise you, MOST of your Disney-loving smokers are following the rules at least as well as anyone else.
(Aside: Lisa, I did NOT read any overt or implied negative connotation toward smokers in your comment. I only used your post as a jumping off point to let folks know that it's only SOME smokers - typically uniformed, misinformed or the occasional outright jerk - that are smoking out of the areas and everyone else is doing the absolute best they can to follow the rules.)
The only time I was a rule breaker was when I took an iron on a cruise ship and didn't know that I couldn't. Oh and on our last trip when I tried my best to get past security to take pictures of the new CBR rooms. Other than that, I'm a stickler for rules.
) And rules or not, spying on behalf of your fellow DISers is the exception and generally encouraged. 
(Of course, "knowing" you from your TRs, I doubt you would have actually *broken* the rules. Maybe just *bent* them a bit. We don't want to waste our vacations sitting in Disney jail now do we?) 
to all contributors!
