Fountain soda uses ship's water??

[Mark_K]

I was on Monarch just a few weeks ago and "where does the drinking water come from" was asked at the Captain's Q&A. The answer was that apparently 70% of the water on board is bought when in the home port and loaded onto the ship. The other 30% was done by a reverse osmosis process. The Chief Engineer actually said it was cheaper for them to buy the water then it is for them to do this process. I also noticed that when we were in Cococay all the soda was being poured out of CocaCola bottles that were brought from the ship onto the island. Hope this helps. Have a great cruise!

Make sense. If the standard process wasn't cheaper every city that lived near a coast would be getting their water via reverse osmosis.

[waterbug123]

Correct, that is why people are picky about fountain soda. It does not have a consistent taste because it does not come from a consistent water supply. Plus, if the mix isn't set up correctly it can taste differently.

 

I know I never drink fountain soda in Florida because I hate the water down there. We only buy bottles and avoid ice.

 

You realize, of course, that canned/bottled soda doesn't have a consistent water supply either, right? That there isn't ONE big Coke or Pepsi plant supplying all the world's canned/bottled soda? There are local bottlers that use the local water to bottle soda for distribution in that geographic area. If you're buying canned/bottled soda in Florida, you're drinking Florida water.

[BillB48]

Make sense. If the standard process wasn't cheaper every city that lived near a coast would be getting their water via reverse osmosis.

They even buy water in Cozumel!! So much for don't drink the water;)!Tastes pretty good to me:)!

[coastalite]

My husband is really particular about drinking water away from home(even the ship's filtered water).

 

I know what you mean about the water, but he hasn't anything to worry about. He could probably drink the water out of the tap from the sink in your cabin if he had to. As others have pointed out, the ice is made on the ship and also don't forget about the water used in food prep like soups, etc.

 

On Carnival, I have found that the water tastes much better out of the little button on the juice dispensing machines in the buffet area. There's usually OJ or Apple Juice, Fruit Punch, Ice Tea, Lemonade, etc. and the button for water is one of the options, but most people don't see the button for water and opt to get the water out of the water dispenser nearby - not out of the juice station.

 

Having said all that, if you're going on Carnival, they don't have soda fountains - only cans (warm cans at that). If he wants a cold can with no ice, he'll need to put it on ice or in the mini bar fridge.

[Sequim88]

The answer was that apparently 70% of the water on board is bought when in the home port and loaded onto the ship. The other 30% was done by a reverse osmosis process.

 

Hmmmm... The last Cruise DVDwe got had a lot of stock footage and one was a section on making water. They clearly state there that they make ALL the water right on the ship. The turbine enigines create so much waste heat in the exhaust that they use that to power a steam generator and the leftover heat from that in turn us used to flash evaporate sea water to distill it. No added cost at all since that excess heat would have been vented up the stacks anyway. I've seen this same process and statements like it on the Discovery channels when they've had cruise ship shows. with all the emphasis on clean, clean, clean to prevent illness outbreaks the best thing they can do is make their own water.

[BillB48]

I think it is an accurate statement that they can make all their own water. However in attending the Captain's Q&A, more than one environmental officer has stated that is was usually more cost effective to purchase water ashore in many areas. That purchased water is then run through the ship's purification process.

 

Just an aside, a friend of mine who used to work on some of the cruise ships on their turnaround day in the homeport, told me that the public health folks would inspect any potable water tank that was empty. In light of that the ship was always mindful to keep those tanks full to avoid such an inspection.

[mjldvlks]

I think it is an accurate statement that they can make all their own water. However in attending the Captain's Q&A, more than one environmental officer has stated that is was usually more cost effective to purchase water ashore in many areas. That purchased water is then run through the ship's purification process. . . .

 

I have also heard that the ships buy water in port because the water in the harbor is likely to be contaminated [think oil, garbage, you name it] in a way that would make it difficult to process through the ship's systems -- perhaps fouling those systems.

[Paulxyz2004]

While most modern cruise ships are capable of producing enough water to not rely on any water from land, it is mostly cost prohibitive to produce it all, even when using exhaust heat.

 

You just have to closely look around when being docked and you will almost always find water hoses from the pier attached to the ship. They are bunkering water.

 

Another cost argument btw, the ship has to pay port charges and these often include water. SO the water they take on is already paid for, regardless if they take it or not.

[cruisinfanatic]

 

The fountain drinks, whether from a dispensing machine or the "gun" at the bar come from tanks of syrup mixed with carbonated water . The carbonated water tanks are already filled by the soda distributor and brought on board .

 

They do not use ships water. Just like getting a fountain drink in a land based bar or restaurant .

you really believe this???

Where do you think the water comes from in a land based restaurant?

[constable145]

American Coca-Cola tastes different regardless of the water it's made from.

 

In Canada and other parts of the world, they use Cane sugar. In the US they use a high fructose corn syrup.

 

There's a discernible difference.

[Airmuffin]

Thanks for the info. I think he is going to skip the soda card and just buy cans when he wants them. I am bringing my 2 year old her Juicy Juices from home, I suppose he could swipe a few of those if he wants too:D:D:D

[Cruising89143]

I have to completely disagree with the fact that the one canister is filled with CO2 charged water. It is in fact filled with CO2 BUT NOT WITH WATER. The water comes from the facility in which the machine is located.

 

Tim

 

You're 100% correct.