How much does water cost on board?

[RMLincoln]

I'm reading some recent Hurtigruten CC member reviews that talk about how strictly enforced the dining room/ restaurant guards are getting about bringing in a water bottle to dinner from your room. One review said that the greeters/hand sanitizer squirters were confiscating water bottles if they were other than those purchased on board. But folks seemed to be able to take in ship-purchased bottles that they had refilled themselves. Or I think I"ve heard one can purchase a caraf of water with one's meal... maybe that's cheaper.

 

A lot of bother to save (or make) a few Krones.... or is it a few? SO, how much are they charging for water in the dining room? Bottles? Carafs? For bottled water on the ship outside the dining room?

 

We'll be on board for 11 days... 2 people, lunch and dinner each day... (I understand one can at least get "free" tea at breakfast so I'm not counting those meals) so that's 44 bottles of water if we each buy one at each lunch and dinner. Is it $3 each, that's be $132; if it's $5 each that's $220. That's a nice shore excursion!

 

Is it cheaper to purchase a carafe of water for us to share and would they refill it?

 

OIY! I guess it's part of the price of travel but it seems absurd if one has gone the expensive fare for "full board". I'll put it in the same column as paying for toilets.... but I won't like it. :mad:

m--

Edited September 24, 2014 by RMLincoln

[SarniaLo]

If my information are correct, a 50cl water bottle is worth NOK40 ($6 :eek:). I'll be on board in less than a week, I will check if that is correct. I plan to buy one and refill it, will see how it goes.

Water (by the glass) is free anywhere else on the boat (bar, cafeteria...) but you can't bring it to the restaurant room.

Just as you, I don't like it.

[RMLincoln]

Thank you again Sarnia for your info, grim as it seems :(

 

Have yourself an inspiring voyage on Loften! We may be on our way by the time you get back (going to Iceland for a few days on the way, a night in Oslo too before the train to Bergen) but I will check in CC by wifi from time to time to look for your new information. Merci, merci et tres bon voyage pour vous. Maureen

[Barrheadlass]

Thanks for asking about that, Maureen! I've been wondering about the price of water. I've been getting lots of emails from Hurtigruten advertising lower prices than I'm paying on my Dec. 1 cruise...and they don't make adjustments even before final payment. Oh well...just as you said, the cost of travel.

Have a wonderful time, Sarnia Lo...and you too, Maureen!

[RMLincoln]

Thank you Bhl... If I recall correctly your trip is sometime after ours. I'll try to get something posted as possible, maybe from our time on the river cruise following the Norway cruise. It's our first time for that too... maybe our last with their seemingly very high rates (and I thought Hurtigruten was high....) But we're going to do it while we can :) :)

 

I hope you and your friend make your connections to meet up easily and enjoy it all! We'll find each other on the boards eventually and compare notes. m--

[Straitaway]

I've been wondering the same thing, so thanks for asking. SarniaLo, thanks to your blog, I have enjoyed all of your trips and can't wait to hear about this one coming up. I sail in December on the Nordnorge.

[SarniaLo]

I had decided that I wouldn't get water during meal at all, but for the sake of public information ;) I did buy a bottle of still water at dinner and it costs 25NOK (50cl). Since I didn't finish it I brought it back to lunch and no one told me anything. But I'm on board MS Lofoten where there is less people (60 passengers for this trip) and a generally more relaxed atmosphere so maybe that wouldn't work on every ship.

You get a free bottle if you buy a bottle of wine (apparently you can even get a free glass of tap water if you buy a glass of wine, and if you ask loudly enough).

There is also a "water package" for two bottles a day (one for each meal), I can look up the prices if anybody is interested.

 

Other than that, please note that there is now wireless internet access on board MS Lofoten! It was the only ship where it was missing. Works great.

 

And we are having a great trip, good weather so far, beautiful autumn colors and Northern Lights two nights in a row!

[RMLincoln]

SarniaLo, So happy that you reported in from Loften. Northern Lights two nights in a row, Excellent! Sounds like you are having a fun holiday.

 

And because you didn't mention the train I assume it was all good for you once again. We have our seats reserved in Komfort car. We had some difficulty with that, they double billed us but they refunded us and gave us new codes after I wrote to them so it seems all good now.

 

Thanks for the info on purchasing a bottle of water at dinner on Loften. We will probably do that also.

 

Enjoy all your trip and I will check here daily until we leave home the 10th and as I can along the way. We board Midnatsol 20 Oct... coming fast!

Maureen

[SarniaLo]

Yes, the train was perfect. The only problem is that we had to travel the day before (and not on the embarkation day, as I usually do) because there were works on the line on that day. Then we had to take the 16.01 train (and not the morning one) because I had already done the travel arrangements for Oslo when I learned that. So it was dark when we arrived at the best part (in the mountains), we still could see that there was already snow in Finse, the highest stop (actually, it was heavily snowing) but it seemed to be confined to the very top of the mountains. Komfort seats are really a good idea. You get more room and the coach is quieter. I personnaly find it worth the extra money (not that much more anyway).

 

I hope you have a great trip! It is raining now since we left Honningsvag so I don't have much hope for the Northern Lights tonight.

[RMLincoln]

So to spread the word... water at dinner in the dining room is, as previously reported, 25nok per 0.5 liter bottle, about 4 bucks US. There is a plan at 495nok that gives one bottle for each lunch and each dinner, 11 night cruise. So that's a bit of a discount, maybe 10%. But at breakfast one can get coffee, juice, water from the juice machine, tea water or water for instant decaf. Similarly at lunch but no juice machine, so only hot water and coffee, tea, instant decaf.

 

The coffee deal does not include bottled water, nor hot chocolate, and decaf is instant only; tea is included.

 

Wine varies but can be had for 70-100nok per glass, so $10US and up. Many people can be seen with their tiny coffee deal mugs, like a demitasse. But with free coffee/tea available breakfast hours, lunch hours, and upstairs after dinner I was not inclined to spend the extra $55 to have it 24/7. One can enter the dining room anytime during serving hours, even just for a coffee, assuming you are on the full board plan.

 

m--

Edited October 22, 2014 by RMLincoln

[Barrheadlass]

Thanks Maureen! I leave 5 weeks from tomorrow for my cruise. Would love more details on your trip!

 

Janet

[4774Papa]

Can you bring your own alcohol (wine or whiskey) when you board?

[SarniaLo]

Can you bring your own alcohol (wine or whiskey) when you board?

You can, but you must drink it only in your cabin, not in the public area (and of course you can't bring it to the restaurant).

[ILoveScotland]

Haven't been here for a while and just saw all these posts. I'm not a big water drinker anytime and never buy bottled water even at home. I did find tap water on the Polarlys to be just fine if I got thirsty, and I enjoyed tea and/or coffee at meals.

 

Yes, the policy is that you can take alcohol onboard to consume in your cabin. However, since I'm a gin drinker I discovered that I could get a glass of ice at the small cafeteria, take it to my room and add gin and tonic and go about the ship with no problems. It looked like I was drinking sparking water. I was very careful first couple of times and then realized no one was paying attention to what I had in my plastic cup.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Anyone remember what a beer costs onboard?

[Anna32]

Just off the Polarlys. Beer in the restaurant was NOK 69 for 0.4l draught beer. Glass of ship's wine (white or red) was NOK 82.

 

Beer prices in the bar seemed to vary a bit from that. They also had a good selection of local bottled beer.

[Bobbi48128]

So.. The tap water in the cabin is safe to drink... But it's not available in the dining room? Coffee is free with meals but all water must be purchased? But I can get a cup of ice for free at the bar? Paying for water at dinner seems ludicrous! How much is a coke?

 

 

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[RMLincoln]

So.. The tap water in the cabin is safe to drink... But it's not available in the dining room? Coffee is free with meals but all water must be purchased? But I can get a cup of ice for free at the bar? Paying for water at dinner seems ludicrous! How much is a coke?

 

 

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The tap water in the cabin is just fine.

At breakfast we had water available from the juice machine.

At lunch we had hot water for tea. No juice machine available.

Coffee was available with breakfast, with lunch and after dinner in the upstairs lounge. If you want coffee or tea all day you will have to buy the coffee/tea deal. Then you get your refills in the upstairs lounge.

Water in the dining room at dinner must be purchased. It is bottled water. Not sure about ice but I've read here on the boards that you can get ice in the cafeteria.

Yes, paying for water at dinner seems crazy. There is a water package available. I figure it balances out that there are no internet fees and no gratuity.

I don't know how much a coke costs.

m--

[Bobbi48128]

Thanks Maureen. That's a good point about tips...

 

 

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