I survive on specialty coffee and bottled water😊​​​​​​​

[Petoonya]

Just now, ziggyuk said:

 

The dining room water tastes fine to me, never seen a complaint the servers walk around with jugs topping everyone up.

Thanks. Was just about to buy some NCL water and will hold off.

[Montanagirlalways]

I'm with you!!! I always buy a specialty coffee card on other lines. With RCL you can't use the specific coffee card at Starbucks but there are many places around the ship to use it - the vitality café, the place on the promenade, at dinner. Hope NCL reads this!!! I am sailing in April on a TA. Would love a nonalcoholic drink card that included specialty coffees.  

[coastcat]

1 hour ago, GracyandGravy said:

Do you know for sure if the Starbucks on board will accept a GC? I know that certain Starbucks (like those in grocery stores) don't work quite the same way in regards to rewards as the standalone stores. You can earn stars but not redeem them. I'm not sure if GCs work the same way or not.

The Starbucks locations onboard are licensed stores, like those found at Target and supermarkets. You can use Starbucks gift cards and the Starbucks app. An internet connection is not required to use the app.

 

If you have a Starbucks Rewards account, you will earn stars but cannot redeem them. FYI, if you are doing a Star Dash that requires purchasing specific items, you won't get credit for them if you buy at licensed stores (something about the point-of-sale system being different). If the Dash requires making X number of purchases or purchases on consecutive days, you will get credit. I completed a consecutive day Dash while onboard Joy last week!

[Sauer-kraut]

Ask your steward for an ice bucket...you can drink the ice melt, its cold and filtered just like the dining room water.  Fill your bottle with that.

[littlelulu01]

A non alcoholic premium beverage package would be a fantastic option!  I, like many folks, don’t drink alcohol. The free beverage package fees are high enough that most lite/non drinkers pass on the package.  Ncl is missing out on this untapped market.   I think they tried addressing with the premium upgrade option but that’s only helpful to the ubp takers.  I’d be happy to pay $20 to $30/day in service fees to not have to worry about what I’m drinking with bottled waters...but at $54/pp pd it’s just silly for a non drinker to take the free at sea beverage package and premium upgrade pkg. Now that the water package is in the milk cartons it doesn’t taste right so I’m passing on that too.  I’m likely just going to skip the entire purchase of anything on next sailing and bring an empty water bottle and drink the tap water.  They could be making something off me but until they offer up a proper non alcoholic premium choice in lieu of the alcoholic package perk, it’s pretty much a big zero they make off my cabin. I’ve read that beverage sales make or break profits. You’d think they’d be all over the non alcoholic beverage packages like the other lines are. 

[tumblew467]

I just looked up starbucks on the bliss and it says this under the description.  Now if I use a GC  does this pertain to it? Or is it only if you charge it to your on board account.

Items on menu are individually priced. A 20% gratuity and specialty service charge will be charged at time of payment.

[fshagan]

5 hours ago, Petoonya said:

Lastly- I always bring a water bottle. Is the water I get in the dining room same as what will come out of the tap in stateroom?

Does the water taste OK? I just got off a Windstar cruise and their filtered water tasted "stale".

Thanks!

 

The water in the cabin is not filtered, and has "pool chlorine" in it as a sanitizer. It tastes much worse than our municipal water that uses less-offensive chloramines to sanitize the water. In the bars, restaurants and self service taps in the buffet the water is carbon filtered and the chlorine is removed. It tastes much better, and I will have their water with meals with no issue. Depending on the ship, it can have a "flat" taste. It certainly wouldn't win against most bottled water in the taste department, but is OK.

 

On short cruises they often just use bunkered water from the port, and chlorinate it. They have strict safety standards for testing and sanitation of the water. On longer cruises they may create water from sea water using distillation or reverse osmosis (don't worry, they "mineralize" it to prevent harm from too much distilled water).

 

I always laugh at people who spend hundreds of dollars on alcohol each vacation that want to lecture me on spending $45 for bottled drinking water. I'll have a scotch or two during my vacation, but I'm not spending hundreds of dollars on booze that doesn't hydrate me as well as my "expensive" bottled water.

[Turtles06]

Clearly water is as subjective as food. We always drink the water in our cabin. It tastes fine. In fact, we’re on the Gem right now, and there’s no reason to pay for water imho. 

[Petoonya]

38 minutes ago, fshagan said:

 

The water in the cabin is not filtered, and has "pool chlorine" in it as a sanitizer. It tastes much worse than our municipal water that uses less-offensive chloramines to sanitize the water. In the bars, restaurants and self service taps in the buffet the water is carbon filtered and the chlorine is removed. It tastes much better, and I will have their water with meals with no issue. Depending on the ship, it can have a "flat" taste. It certainly wouldn't win against most bottled water in the taste department, but is OK.

 

On short cruises they often just use bunkered water from the port, and chlorinate it. They have strict safety standards for testing and sanitation of the water. On longer cruises they may create water from sea water using distillation or reverse osmosis (don't worry, they "mineralize" it to prevent harm from too much distilled water).

 

I always laugh at people who spend hundreds of dollars on alcohol each vacation that want to lecture me on spending $45 for bottled drinking water. I'll have a scotch or two during my vacation, but I'm not spending hundreds of dollars on booze that doesn't hydrate me as well as my "expensive" bottled water.

Thanks very much! Really made up my mind to get the water package. I am a water snob. If you choose the bottled water think I'll do the same. I drink plenty of water and makes more sense to buy the bottled even though the caps are not recylable- which I hate. Thanks once again!

19 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Clearly water is as subjective as food. We always drink the water in our cabin. It tastes fine. In fact, we’re on the Gem right now, and there’s no reason to pay for water imho. 

Thanks Turtles. As I mentioned I'm a water snob and have been on two cruises lately, Oceania and Windstar, where the water tasted funny. As you say it's all subjective. Going to play it safe and get the water package. Thanks very much. (I'll probably think tap water is just fine!)

[coastcat]

2 hours ago, tumblew467 said:

I just looked up starbucks on the bliss and it says this under the description.  Now if I use a GC  does this pertain to it? Or is it only if you charge it to your on board account.

Items on menu are individually priced. A 20% gratuity and specialty service charge will be charged at time of payment.

No matter which way you choose to pay for your chestnut praline latte, you'll be charged the gratuity.

[tumblew467]

16 hours ago, coastcat said:

No matter which way you choose to pay for your chestnut praline latte, you'll be charged the gratuity.

LOL  no lattte. My husband hates the lacas coffee they serve onboard. He feels its so bitter and no amount of sugar helps. So I thought if I got a GC he could have their regular coffe. All he drink is black coffee with sugar. Nothing fancy

[Barb Nahoumi]

23 hours ago, Petoonya said:

Thanks- very much appreciated. Does dining room water taste OK to you?

Yes, It's very good.

[Petoonya]

1 minute ago, Barb Nahoumi said:

Yes, It's very good.

Thanks Barb- haven't ordered the water yet. There's hope.

[fshagan]

On 1/19/2020 at 6:03 PM, Petoonya said:

Thanks very much! Really made up my mind to get the water package. I am a water snob. If you choose the bottled water think I'll do the same. I drink plenty of water and makes more sense to buy the bottled even though the caps are not recylable- which I hate. Thanks once again!

 

The new caps are bio-plastic, not petroleum based, so they can be recycled easily. They are made from sugar cane fiber.

[Petoonya]

58 minutes ago, fshagan said:

 

The new caps are bio-plastic, not petroleum based, so they can be recycled easily. They are made from sugar cane fiber.

Thanks so much very appreciative!

[coastcat]

This thread has me considering taking a Brita pitcher on my next cruise. We have a space-saver pitcher (5-cup capacity) which should fit neatly into the suitcase. Hmm. Overkill or a good idea? I do drink a lot of water and this would save a lot of extra trips to the buffet to refill my stainless water bottles.

[BirdTravels]

On 1/19/2020 at 7:03 PM, Petoonya said:

Thanks Turtles. As I mentioned I'm a water snob and have been on two cruises lately, Oceania and Windstar, where the water tasted funny. As you say it's all subjective. Going to play it safe and get the water package. Thanks very much. (I'll probably think tap water is just fine!)

That is absolutely the best plan. You’ll be happy and won’t obsess about it once you are on board. If you buy a water package, it comes out to be about the same price you would pay for similar water in 7 11. I stop at 7 11 every morning and see the same people buying the same 3 or 4 bottles of water at cruise ship prices. And they do it every day (not just a week on a ship).  

[Petoonya]

22 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

That is absolutely the best plan. You’ll be happy and won’t obsess about it once you are on board. If you buy a water package, it comes out to be about the same price you would pay for similar water in 7 11. I stop at 7 11 every morning and see the same people buying the same 3 or 4 bottles of water at cruise ship prices. And they do it every day (not just a week on a ship).  

 

Thanks Bird. I did as you suggest and got the water package. Windstar water tasted truly gross and there was no other option.