Diet tonic water

[Grandma Rambo]

We are cruising out of San Juan next April, staying at the Hilton Caribe three nights prior. We need to have diet tonic water for the three days and the cruise. Cruise ships have tonic, but not diet. Can anyone recommend a store that might sell it? It must be diet (I'm diabetic) and it must be a good brand with real quinine (needed for severe muscle cramps).

 

I would appreciate any help you can offer.

 

Best regards,

Jennie

[slidergirl]

I'm going to recommend you contact the Concierge at the Hilton. Let them know what you need. Ask if they would be willing to find a local source for you - give them the names of the brands you use at home as a reference. They don't have to buy it for you, but they could tell you where they found it. Be sure to tip generously for this!

At my hotel, our Concierge staff is asked all the time for grocery requests, so it isn't an unfamiliar concept. I've even gone to the grocery store for guests to find goat milk, gluten-free graham crackers, organic raspberries...

 

it won't hurt to ask!

[Grandma Rambo]

I'm going to recommend you contact the Concierge at the Hilton. Let them know what you need. Ask if they would be willing to find a local source for you - give them the names of the brands you use at home as a reference. They don't have to buy it for you, but they could tell you where they found it. Be sure to tip generously for this!

At my hotel, our Concierge staff is asked all the time for grocery requests, so it isn't an unfamiliar concept. I've even gone to the grocery store for guests to find goat milk, gluten-free graham crackers, organic raspberries...

 

it won't hurt to ask!

Slidergirl, thanks so much for the suggestion. I will do just that. The thought had crossed my mind, but I didn't know if it would be proper.

Thanks again.

Jennie

[Buford T Justiice]

I have signatures turned off and don't know what line you are cruising.

 

But I know NCL now requires a doctor's note to take liquids onboard.

 

There is a Walgreens's and CVS on Avenida Ashford across the bridge toward Condado not too far from the Caribe Hilton; perhaps they carry it?

 

There is also both CVS and Walgreens in Old San Juan very close to the Old San Juan cruise pier.

[Grandma Rambo]

I have signatures turned off and don't know what line you are cruising.

 

But I know NCL now requires a doctor's note to take liquids onboard.

 

There is a Walgreens's and CVS on Avenida Ashford across the bridge toward Condado not too far from the Caribe Hilton; perhaps they carry it?

 

There is also both CVS and Walgreens in Old San Juan very close to the Old San Juan cruise pier.

 

We are sailing on the Summit, so no problem bringing it on ourselves. We've had this problem on multiple cruise lines. It seems odd that no one seems to drink diet tonic, only regular. We did try to get it last year at one store in PR, but they, too, did not carry it.

 

Thank you for your suggestions.

 

Jennie

[irishayes]

I have the same problem. Find it extremely odd that you cannot get diet tonic water at any bars or restaurants. I didn't realize I could bring it on board the Summit. Do I needa doctor's note?

 

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[IrishRoamers]

We sailed from San Juan last year and I wanted to take diet tonic onboard. I called the companies that make diet tonic and was informed it was not distributed in Puerto Rico. Not sure if that's changed.

 

 

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[Grandma Rambo]

Wow, thanks so much for that information. It is most puzzling to me. I think the only recourse left is for me to call Captain's Club and see if we can order it for our room. Just can't figure out the justification for not carrying it on the ships and now to discover it isn't distributed in PR.

 

Again, thanks very much. You saved us a lot of unnecessary searching before the cruise.

 

Jennie

[IrishRoamers]

Grandma Rambo I see you will be on the Summit - we sailed her last year and they DID have diet tonic at the pool bar - the small bottles. Not sure of the indoor bars. Hope it helps [emoji3]

 

 

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[Grandma Rambo]

Hmmm. Strange. They told us last year (end of April) it was nowhere on the ship. I just cannot take the chance that they will have it. It isn't a diet matter, it's for muscle spasms. It was so much easier years ago when I just took a quinine pill, but FDA has ruled that option out.

 

Thanks for all your help.

Jennie

[slidergirl]

Hmmm. Strange. They told us last year (end of April) it was nowhere on the ship. I just cannot take the chance that they will have it. It isn't a diet matter, it's for muscle spasms. It was so much easier years ago when I just took a quinine pill, but FDA has ruled that option out.

 

Thanks for all your help.

Jennie

 

How much of it do you drink/day? Only because a can of tonic is about 20mg of quinine and the pills (that FDA banned for cramping/spasms because of the side effects) were of the 200-300mg range. As for regular vs diet - is that just due to the amount of sugar in regular?

[Grandma Rambo]

I drink about 8 ounces a day. It helps, but does not eliminate the muscle spasms. It does make a difference. The pills eliminated the spasms completely. I am diabetic, so stay away from all sugar. I do not eat dessert, even the "sugar-free" and even on a cruise.

[slidergirl]

I drink about 8 ounces a day. It helps, but does not eliminate the muscle spasms. It does make a difference. The pills eliminated the spasms completely. I am diabetic, so stay away from all sugar. I do not eat dessert, even the "sugar-free" and even on a cruise.

 

I understand now.

If you want to try an alternative to see if it would even help - Hyland's Leg Cramp capsules. It's a homeopathic medicine, available at CVS, Walgreen's... Who knows. When I was on certain meds, I would get severe leg cramps at night. Hylands helped some, diminished them. When I was able to get off the suspect meds, my cramps went away, thankfully. I don't know how people manage with chronic leg cramps. My heart goes out to you.

[Grandma Rambo]

Thank you, slidergirl, I'll look into that. Unfortunately, the spasms are not usually in my legs, although I've had a few of them. The spasms are in my torso along the sides of my ribs and mid/side areas. Not pleasant and stop me in my tracks temporarily. Perhaps Hyland's will help. I guess a spasm is a spasm.

Thanks again. Our cruise isn't until next April, so lots of time to figure this out.

[slidergirl]

Thank you, slidergirl, I'll look into that. Unfortunately, the spasms are not usually in my legs, although I've had a few of them. The spasms are in my torso along the sides of my ribs and mid/side areas. Not pleasant and stop me in my tracks temporarily. Perhaps Hyland's will help. I guess a spasm is a spasm.

Thanks again. Our cruise isn't until next April, so lots of time to figure this out.

 

I've had "stitches" in my torso once in awhile - I could not imagine having them all the time. Sorry about that.

 

Have you had your magnesium and potassium levels checked? Adding more of that to your diet or supplements could be something to investigate, too. I'm sure you and your MD have done this, but I sometimes look on the homeopathic side for assistance.

[Grandma Rambo]

I am resurrecting this thread. I am appreciative of all the helpful responses. I wanted to update everyone.

I called Captains Club yesterday and explained my dilemma to Kara Frank. She said she would look into it and get back to me.

She left a message and also wrote an email around 4:00 PM today. She spoke to the beverage manager and they will have a case of the diet tonic water available to me when we board.

We can now plan our cruise without this hanging over our heads. So many complaints have been posted about Celebrity and the customer service. They have come through for us big time.

I just wanted to share this with all of my fellow cruisers.

Happy sailing,

Jennie