How can I take a case of water on?

[hartskys]

We bring both soda and water onboard. First off...there is a certain diet ginger ale that I prefer that is not carried on Carnival (yes, I have checked). So I bring about 12 cans of that (this is for 2 people). Also my DH prefers a certain soda so we bring some of his too. The one DH prefers is hard to find in stores so I stock up when I do. Since it is so hard to find in stores, you can bet the ship doesn't carry it. We also take about a case of water. This is mainly to take off the ship. We are huge water drinkers so it takes us about 3 bottles each when we are off the ship (NO KIDDING). When we are on the ship we drink the ship water. Any water bottles not used in ports are used on the ship, mainly in our cabin. Allows us to take our meds or just have something to drink in the middle of the night without having to go up to the lido deck. Would I buy water or sodas on the ship? I have in the past, but we don't drink enough sodas to account for a soda card and I feel their bottle waters are too expensive. Plus their bottles are normally of a larger size and can be akward to carry. Not to mention that although I know the ships crew works VERY hard, I can not see paying a tip for someone to hand me a water bottle or open a can of soda for me. When I order a drink and someone has to mix it for me, then I agree on the tip. Please don't flame me about the tipping part, we know how hard the service industry is and how low it actually pays. We leave the start tips on our account and will tip extra for those who earn it. Last cruise my dh had a bad sinus infection and tended to want to sleep in, was not a problem, our cabin was always the last to be cleaned so he could sleep in. This "extra" service earned an extra tip! Was it a big deal in reality, no, but the service was so appreciated.

 

 

How do you transport all of it on the ship?

[ILUVCRUZEN]

I would also be curious what "small amount" means?

I always bring a 12 pack of water and a 12 pack of Soda but I have seen other people bringing a 24 pack of water and a 24 pack of sodas.

 

Also, they are getting very strict about the rolling coolers. I too had luggage stuff packed into my rolling cooler and they measured it and it was about 2 inches over the limit and they wanted to take it. I explained that I had used it before as luggage instead of a cooler and they did not care. I was very upset because we had rode the train to New Orleans and did not have a vehicle to put it in. Security finally got someone from Carnival to approve it and I was told to NEVER bring it again.

[mrssharpy]

So I read somewhere that your bottles of water must be closed? My DH often drinks bottles of water and then I reuse the bottles for my little lipton/Crystal Light mixes. Will they let me bring already opened bottles? I don't want to have to bring a whole case of water just so it's "unopened."

 

(We're leaving out of San Juan, and we'll likely already have several empty bottles. I realize this sounds like a weird question, but I just want to be sure I get to bring my empty/half used water bottles.)

 

Oh, and should I check them amidst my clothes luggage or carry them on?

[PunkinsDad]

Honestly, I don't bother. The drinking water on the ship is excellent, easily comparable to most bottled water on shore. It's all either distilled or RO (reverse osmosis) water created continually every day. I just bring a container and refill it whenever I need to.

 

Besides.......not bringing bottled water on board leaves more room for smuggling booze!!! :D

[Nannersmom]

How do you transport all of it on the ship?

We have an older rolling suitcase. It is pretty beat up for clothes and the lock doesn't work, so we place the water and soda in there. This way I can place a tag on it and check it in. There is nothing of true value in there so there is no worry about locking it. As far as smuggling booze,,,we do place a couple of extra wine bottles in our locking suitcase and then a couple in our carry on. Then if they do look, it looks like we have only two bottles of wine...Actually don't drink enough hard liquor to bother smuggling that on.

 

For the question about open bottles. Whatever we had as carry one had to be unopened. Anything that someone had opened they were made to dump. If you want, place a couple of empty bottles in a suitcase if you don't want to bring on that many unopened. Like I said, when we were on the ship, we drank their water, was not bad at all.

[going2cruz]

We put a full case in a plastic woven beach bag we got at a port a few cruises back. We taped the handles together and put a luggage tag on it ....whammy in the room and we didn't have to pack the beach bag.

[okgirl]

I have never taken booze/water or sodas onto a ship but since I've been drinking a lot more water I 1st started buying that one big bottle in the cabin then keeping it refilled with the filtered melted ice bucket water, it has a really clean taste.

 

But I'm drinking even more now and I've decided to pack my Brita waterfilter pitcher and a new dry filter and keep it filled from the tap. I figure if it can make the nasty water here at the office taste good it should do fine with tap water on the ship.

 

I'll pack it full of socks and stuff and just put it in my checked back and it should be just fine.

[Naomi John]

Also, they are getting very strict about the rolling coolers. I too had luggage stuff packed into my rolling cooler and they measured it and it was about 2 inches over the limit and they wanted to take it. I explained that I had used it before as luggage instead of a cooler and they did not care. I was very upset because we had rode the train to New Orleans and did not have a vehicle to put it in. Security finally got someone from Carnival to approve it and I was told to NEVER bring it again.

 

They can spot a cooler and some ports are strict, you got lucky. Why would you tell someone else to take the chance just because you were not stopped?? Iv got more links to being stopped at Port Canaveral too and other ports.

 

Our cooler was regulation. 12X12, (well 8X14), and it does look like a "carry on". Our Sodas and water were packed in our checked luggage.

 

Wanted to clarrify. Firefly333 does give good advise.

[kyrisong1]

Can I just put a luggage tag on case and give it to them with my luggage?

I always bring a case of water but I just put it in a carry on sized piece of luggage with a soft sided cooler folded up inside too.

No one will "lose" or throw my water out, I get the cooler so I'll be assured of ice cold water and the nicest part is that I have something to pack souveniers in. I always seem to have bought too much and it's a hassel to figure out how to get it all home, this is a win win for us.

People will tell you the water is fine on the cruise ship, and it is, tastes delish!! But some of us really do swell from the ship water, so for me, I'll bring my water.

Happy cruise whatever you decide!!!

Carole