Taking water onboard

[Love my butler]

At the risk of piling on, it's bad form to make nonsense up just to be scandalous. Regardless of your theory about rabid germ transmission via stewards, they use these new inventions called ice scoops. Also, they're trained to change gloves when moving from a "dirty" action to one requiring clean hands. Lastly, let's see your data about "so many people" getting sick while on a cruise. Those that do become ill because of all the morons who can't use a pair on tongs in the buffet, not because your room steward (who I see you stiff by removing DSC) is germing up the ice.

 

Ice scoops are a new invention? Hmm, learn something new every day I guess.... I bet they clean and sanitize their ice scoop regularly.....

 

If you think they are changing their gloves dozens of times per day, more power to you. I sorta, kinda think they don't.

 

Data about people getting sick while cruising? Read the internet, talk to people, read reviews, browse the CDC reports. Lots of people get sick on a cruise. It happens for a variety of reason. One of those could very possibly be nasty ice in your 'clean and sanitary' ice bucket. Good to hear you 'know' the room steward is absolutely not 'germing up the ice'. Like to see your data on that assertion.

 

How much and who I tip while on a cruise is my business but thanks for the snide assumption.

 

I never consume the ice from my bucket, wash my hands often and avoid touching common surfaces as much as possible and have rarely gotten sick after dozens of cruises with NCL. I will stick with my methods. You are free to stick with yours.

[tgirl25]

I did see the price of their bottled water...we won't be buying that either:eek: good grief! I sure hope the "regular" water is good

Take a empty Brita Water Filtration bottle with you for each of you, problem solved. I was able to drink water straight from the tap with it, tasted fine(I am a bottle water girl)

[Shidah]

Funny how some complain about the nickel and dimes on NCL yet they are here posting their comments on the NCL board. Why bother? Most people I've met on ships, in 33 cruises, never heard of Cruise Critic anyway. But to the point of the OP,

I've been on 6 or 7 NCL cruises and there is plenty of bottled water for purchase and I also found the tap water, while tasting rather flat, acceptable. If you can't afford a few bottles of water on the ship, perhaps you shouldn't be spending thousands of dollars on a cruise. Of course, that is my opinion as a disclaimer for the flamers.

 

Thank you for this, I 100% agree. Also, if you get a casino card, you can get all the bottled water you want for free in the casino.

[tef43]

I have never heard of such a thing.

Get used to it. Yes, it's a thing, and NCL is not alone in this practice.

[boscobeans]

On board water?

Ice scoops?

Ice machines?

 

Been to a lot of restaurants and bars and never really see anyone sanitizing ice scoops that fill a blender or my Gin and tonics.

 

Does anyone know where their ice machines are located? Usually in some back corner of the kitchen or even in a corner of the basement. Do they sanitize the machines or the ice tubs?

 

How many of us buy bags of ice from some freezer in the front of a gas station or a supermarket, where everyone digs through for a ten pound bag that comes home with you?

 

Having worked in restaurants and bars for years I think ships are among the cleanest facilities around. They are inspected far more frequently than any restaurant or bar that we go to.

 

We bring a large collapsing silicon ice bucket with us and our room steward always keeps it full. We have never had a problem drinking water or using ice in our drinks.

 

Ship water may seem flat but for the most part water retention and swelling is a side effect of food that is seasoned in the same fashion as you see on any TV cooking show, which for most people is far more than they are used to.

 

OMO after more than 20 some odd cruises.

 

bosco

[joyful1nh]

Take a empty Brita Water Filtration bottle with you for each of you, problem solved. I was able to drink water straight from the tap with it, tasted fine(I am a bottle water girl)

 

 

I second this - I bought the Brita bottles for my family for a Florida trip and they were one of the best purchases I've ever made! Even the awful Lake Buena Vista water was drinkable using these!

[russnleanne]

Get used to it. Yes, it's a thing, and NCL is not alone in this practice.

 

I really don't think smart ass comments were called for...all I said was I hadn't heard of this.

[russnleanne]

Funny how some complain about the nickel and dimes on NCL yet they are here posting their comments on the NCL board. Why bother? Most people I've met on ships, in 33 cruises, never heard of Cruise Critic anyway. But to the point of the OP,

I've been on 6 or 7 NCL cruises and there is plenty of bottled water for purchase and I also found the tap water, while tasting rather flat, acceptable. If you can't afford a few bottles of water on the ship, perhaps you shouldn't be spending thousands of dollars on a cruise. Of course, that is my opinion as a disclaimer for the flamers.

 

ya know...all I said was I hadn't heard of such a thing. good grief..calm down. it has nothing to do with " i can't afford the price of water." Plus you have no right telling me how to spend or not spend my money.

Edited January 29, 2018 by russnleanne

[BirdTravels]

I actually looked up the water quality reports for the hydrants at pier 2 and pier 11 (Aloha tower). Both show the water as being treated with chlorine.

 

Good to know. We drove by Aloha Tower a few weeks ago and saw the POA docked, ready to embark a new set of guests. I use to work for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply (back in the day). While water from wells had the ability to be chlorinated if microbiological tests showed it necessary, the vast majority of water on the island was pumped, untreated, from wells and springs and tunnels. Times change.

[NMLady]

. ..all I said was I hadn't heard of this.

Even though you've been a member since 2003, you mustn't have been reading this forum at all the summer of 2016 since when the change was made in mid-July for no liquids, except wine for fee, was made there were dozens of threads with hundreds of posts.

[PTC DAWG]

Eat more dirt, get sick less...

[bluesea777]

I have a story to tell; it's been told a couple or so before in CC ...

 

One cruise we stopped in St. Thomas - Havensight - we got off ship and went on a free shuttle to the Havensight Mall (ship was docked at the end of the pier beyond the Senor Frog's). Sitting beside us was a lady, also off the same ship, with large shopping bag.

 

We all got off in middle of Mall and went our ways.

 

A couple or so hours later we went back to the shuttle shop for the trip back to the ship. The lady was sitting on bench next to the stop, busily filling the empty litre water bottles with the vodka she purchased at nearby duty free booze store. When she ran out of the empty litre water bottles, she proceeded to drink the remainder of the vodka (yeah, you know you can buy 5 bottle packs ...), and threw the empty vodka bottles in trash. She was so sloshed, to say the least.

 

We boarded the ship before she did so didn't stay behind to see what happened. But it happened a few years back before they introduced the liquid ban ... and the UBPs.

 

On the top of this I had been reading about people boasting about their "rum runners". And we have been on the behind the scenes tours on some ships.

 

So, we weren't surprised when NCL decided to impose the liquid ban in July 2016.

 

Bottom line, I think, in my opinion, people bringing on their own water and liquid favourites have put the ship's trash capacity to the limit and it cost them money to dispose the trash that wasn't their own. If the ship now sells water more than ever then it's their waste they're disposing of.

 

Also, the ban has encouraged people to buy own water and favourites in ports to consume.

 

No big deal to us. I have just bought online a water bottle package for our next cruise. Nice not to be able to find a store to buy water pre-cruise and having to carry it onboard.

 

----> off the soap box.

[russnleanne]

even though you've been a member since 2003, you mustn't have been reading this forum at all the summer of 2016 since when the change was made in mid-july for no liquids, except wine for fee, was made there were dozens of threads with hundreds of posts.

 

i don't cruise ncl and the ban doesn't exist on royal caribbean...that is all i was saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BirdTravels]

i don't cruise ncl and the ban doesn't exist on royal caribbean...that is all i was saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Actually, if you bothered to read the Royal Caribbean policy, it states "Guests are not allowed to bring beer, hardliquor, fortified wines or non-alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption or any other use on boarding day or while in port". Whether or not their port screeners pass water through onto the ship is another matter. Just saying.

[Meanee]

Actually, if you bothered to read the Royal Caribbean policy, it states "Guests are not allowed to bring beer, hardliquor, fortified wines or non-alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption or any other use on boarding day or while in port". Whether or not their port screeners pass water through onto the ship is another matter. Just saying.

Is Princess the only one that lets you bring limited wine and as much of NA beverages as you feel like?

[annmarz]

On the Getaway last week we had no problem bringing empty water bottles onboard.

[fshagan]

Is Princess the only one that lets you bring limited wine and as much of NA beverages as you feel like?

 

Celebrity allows water to be brought on board, but limits the amount of wine. As far as I know, only NCL and Princess allow you unlimited bottles of wine.

[recruiter 28]

Holland allows each passenger to bring one bottle of wine aboard. No corkage fee if you do not bring bottle into the restaurants.