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Can I bring water on board?


minimom5

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Does anyone know if it is allowed to bring water on board? It would be so nice to have our own bottled water if possible. I had heard that it is okay as long as it is unopened.

 

Yes you can! If you're leaving out of NY, you can slap a room tag on the case and it will arrive with your luggage. In some ports, the porters will not accept it, so make sure it is allowed where you are leaving from. You can always put it in a rolling suitcase and carry it on. Avoid packing it in your checked luggage unless you want to chance a trip to the "naughty room"

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All those plastic bottles.....

 

Bring a reusable one, the ship water is great!

 

If you have a wide-mouth one you can fill it with ice (from your cabin steward) then top it off with water. Stays cold this way while on shore excursions.

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All those plastic bottles.....

I know, I know....:o

 

Bring a reusable one, the ship water is great!

It is good, but always served cold, I'm a weirdo that mostly likes my water room temperature. Lol

 

If you have a wide-mouth one you can fill it with ice (from your cabin steward) then top it off with water. Stays cold this way while on shore excursions.

 

I remember you from the Mediterrania, I trust you guys are doing well? :)

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I remember you from the Mediterrania, I trust you guys are doing well? :)

 

Doing well and still cruising:D. Always eerie to look at the images of the Concordia having sailed on Costa.

 

We loved our Costa Cruise and had a fun time with our CC gang.

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Be careful how much of the ship water you do drink! It is safe and taste just fine but they do run the water through a purification system and the end result is water that contains sodium (you can't taste it). If you drink enough of it you will feel and see the effects! My eyes, fingers and toes were so swollen that now I really watch how much I drink. Keep in mind that all the juices are diluted with water so you are getting sodium by drinking them too. I bring my own water on board and well worth it. They now offer water packages. I think it is something like 4 large bottles of water for $22 (or there about).

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the answer is yes you can. just don't call the cruise line and ask. They will say no. The reality is that the rule is a reasonable amount will be allowed...one case or so. After that they may stop you. Its extremely rare that they enforce the rule..and it normally takes an obnoxious passenger to get them to do it.

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the answer is yes you can. just don't call the cruise line and ask. They will say no. The reality is that the rule is a reasonable amount will be allowed...one case or so. After that they may stop you. Its extremely rare that they enforce the rule..and it normally takes an obnoxious passenger to get them to do it.

 

I disembarked from the Dawn a week ago. When we were going through embarkation on the 7th you were allowed to take bottled water with you as long as it was closed, and, as you said, reasonable. However, when the people who scan the suitcases and carry on see it they do pull you aside, and check the bottles to make sure they are sealed and that what you have is really water (to do this they invert the bottles). The lady that checked ours told us that someone had tried to sneak liquor in a water bottle so they had to be extremely careful.

 

Also, if you take it in your suitcase...be warned, you most likely will have to go to the naughty room (it happened 5 of my 8 group members on this past cruise). It's more of a hassle than anything else, as you have to stand in line, wait for the suitcase, open it up on the other side of the line, and have an official go through it to clear your suitcase.

 

Someone in our group called NCL and they told her a reasonable amount of water was ok (she asked if a case per family was reasonable and they said yes, as long as the bottles were sealed). Just remember, if they do pull you aside to search, they are doing their job & trying to keep everyone safe :) I say this because many people on our ship seemed to have forgotten but agreed once the officials told them that safety was the main concern.

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Be careful how much of the ship water you do drink! It is safe and taste just fine but they do run the water through a purification system and the end result is water that contains sodium (you can't taste it). If you drink enough of it you will feel and see the effects! My eyes, fingers and toes were so swollen that now I really watch how much I drink. Keep in mind that all the juices are diluted with water so you are getting sodium by drinking them too. I bring my own water on board and well worth it. They now offer water packages. I think it is something like 4 large bottles of water for $22 (or there about).

 

If you do some internet research you will find that most believe that it's the high salt content of the food causing swelling, not the ship water. Water can be purified either through evaporation or reverse osmosis, both of which remove salt and other minerals from the water. Some claim that minerals, including salt, are added back in after this process. However, this theory doesn't hold water (pun intended). Minerals like salt can be corrosive and build up in the ship's plumbing and equipment over time. It's in their best interest to have this water as pure as possible, especially for their plumbing system, laundry operations, etc.

 

I have an IntelliTEC water tester that measures solids, metals and chemicals in water, and on our Epic cruise it showed readings similar to that coming out of our home reverse osmosis system, which was far purer than several brands of bottled water I tested.

 

So given all this, I suspect that the rumors are true - the ship water is "purer" than anything you can bring on board in bottles

 

And if you're wondering how/why I took a water tester on my cruise... my wife is a "water snob" and won't believe me that water is fine until I prove it to her. Saves me tons of money in the long run. :) The meter is the size of a large highlighter, so it packs easily. :)

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If you do some internet research you will find that most believe that it's the high salt content of the food causing swelling, not the ship water. Water can be purified either through evaporation or reverse osmosis, both of which remove salt and other minerals from the water. Some claim that minerals, including salt, are added back in after this process. However, this theory doesn't hold water (pun intended). Minerals like salt can be corrosive and build up in the ship's plumbing and equipment over time. It's in their best interest to have this water as pure as possible, especially for their plumbing system, laundry operations, etc.

 

I have an IntelliTEC water tester that measures solids, metals and chemicals in water, and on our Epic cruise it showed readings similar to that coming out of our home reverse osmosis system, which was far purer than several brands of bottled water I tested.

 

So given all this, I suspect that the rumors are true - the ship water is "purer" than anything you can bring on board in bottles

 

And if you're wondering how/why I took a water tester on my cruise... my wife is a "water snob" and won't believe me that water is fine until I prove it to her. Saves me tons of money in the long run. :) The meter is the size of a large highlighter, so it packs easily. :)

 

Thank you for this clarification. I knew that they use reverse osmosis for the potable water and couldn't figure out how sodium would make it through. We have filled our water bottles numerous times on many cruises from the tap and never had an issue with swelling.... And, I swell up fairly easily from sodium...

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I just wanted to clarify. I know you can bring two suitcases per person up to 50lb each. If you bring a 12 pack of soda or a case of water is the weight of those drinks added onto the weight of you suitcases? Thanks....

In theory, probably yes. However, no one has ever reported the actual imposition of the 50-lb, 2-bag max policy. In practice, it's not something I would worry about.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just back from a cruise on the Dawn. We did take our own bottled water to use on excursions which did cause a lot of inconvenience on the first day as two suitcases were held in the naughty room. The wait and inconvenience of that process was best avoided if at all possible but mainly it shouldn't be such a mess and inconvenience for those that are following the rules.

 

I had no problems drinking the water on the ship but I did find a unique smell when I first brought a glass of water up to take a drink. Not sure what it was but I smelled it with every glass of water. Wife did not notice any smells. Knowing that the water still tasted fine I didn't let it bother me. Could just be my sensitivity.

 

I would take a filter pitcher and refillable bottles on any future cruises. That would eliminate the naughty room and any issues I had with smell.

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I plan on checking in with the porters, about 12 16oz bottles of water on the Gem in a soft side cooler. The water will be the only thing in the cooler. Do you think I'll have a problem with the naughty room? Can you put a note on the cooler that it's OK for them to open it and check?

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It's usually not nice to just slap a tag on a case of drinks. Here's a better idea.

 

Pack a light-weight duffel or other sturdy container, and put your drinks in there. Even though it is heavy, the porters will take it. They won't know what is inside.

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It's usually not nice to just slap a tag on a case of drinks. Here's a better idea.

 

Pack a light-weight duffel or other sturdy container, and put your drinks in there. Even though it is heavy, the porters will take it. They won't know what is inside.

 

It will end up in the naughty room though, and you will lose 1-2 hours of vacation time trying to sort it out.

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It will end up in the naughty room though, and you will lose 1-2 hours of vacation time trying to sort it out.

 

Is there only a certain time to go to the naughty room, or can you go later on that night or the next day, after everthing calms down? If I'm only going to get my cooler with water I could wait.

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A couple of weeks ago on the STAR, the water and canned sodas had to be carried on board--they would not allow it to be checked. On our water, my husband had used duct tape to stabilize the plastic wrap and to make a handle to attach the room number. That turned to be a great idea as packaging was breaking open for other people. He got many comments from others that said they would tape and put a handle on next time. One women had a number of cartons of non-alcoholic beverages strapped on a metal rolling cart. Security attempted to put the whole thing through the x-ray machine but it didn't fit. Then they just took it around the machine, which sort of defeats the whole purpose of the security.

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...Security attempted to put the whole thing through the x-ray machine but it didn't fit. Then they just took it around the machine, which sort of defeats the whole purpose of the security.

 

You really do not think there is any serious security getting on a ship, do you?

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  • 2 months later...

I too am going to duct tape our water to stabilize it...you can still see through most of the original plastic packaging.

I'm just wondering if this will cause any questions about the contents or as long as they can recognize that it is water in its original case it is ok? :confused:

 

A couple of weeks ago on the STAR, the water and canned sodas had to be carried on board--they would not allow it to be checked. On our water, my husband had used duct tape to stabilize the plastic wrap and to make a handle to attach the room number. That turned to be a great idea as packaging was breaking open for other people. He got many comments from others that said they would tape and put a handle on next time. One women had a number of cartons of non-alcoholic beverages strapped on a metal rolling cart. Security attempted to put the whole thing through the x-ray machine but it didn't fit. Then they just took it around the machine, which sort of defeats the whole purpose of the security.
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We're flying into Barcelona at the start of a mid-August W. Med. cruise. I can't imagine us lugging sufficient water from the US or having time to purchase water before boarding.

 

Can you purchase bottled water aboard the Epic? Where, in what sizes (it will be HOT in Southern Europe) and at what price?

 

In a similar vein, where could we buy distilled water? Both DW and I use CPAP machines to treat sleep apnea, and they require distilled water. Could the concierge help us obtain it?

 

Thanks,

 

JG

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The porters in NOLA do not handle pop and water, FWIW.

 

I don't want to reveal any secrets but I know that ships sail on oceans and a friend told me that oceans are made of....wait...for..it........

water. There is no real need to carry water onto a ship. They have a ready source.

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