Why does one need to buy a water package?

[sparks1093]

32 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

don’t want to carry the bottle back with me.

 

Of course I know that, and I'm sure others do as well. I don't want to be carrying a reusable bottle around.

[2wheelin]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

Of course I know that, and I'm sure others do as well. I don't want to be carrying a reusable bottle around.

I think that is what I said. If you haven’t emptied it, you carry it around no matter which it is and the reusable will keep it cool if that is a consideration. If you are planning to empty it well before returning, of course throw it away if you don’t want to carry it. I put a carabiner on my reusable and can hook it to a belt loop, hang it around my neck, toss it in a backpack, or just carry it looped on my finger. 

[sparks1093]

9 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

I think that is what I said. If you haven’t emptied it, you carry it around no matter which it is and the reusable will keep it cool if that is a consideration. If you are planning to empty it well before returning, of course throw it away if you don’t want to carry it. I put a carabiner on my reusable and can hook it to a belt loop, hang it around my neck, toss it in a backpack, or just carry it looped on my finger. 

I cut too much from my reply, I was responding the the question in your first line.

[mom says]

2 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

Do people not realize you do not need to buy water to take ashore? I would only do that if I thought I would need more than my reusable holds (has never happened) or want to drink all the water early on shore and don’t want to carry the bottle back with me.

I fill our insulated bottles with a little ice and cold water for the day.

So you've been lucky. We've been on all day excursions in places like India and Vietnam where we were out all day in very hot, humid, sunny weather. Depending on a single bottle of water to maintain hydration for the whole day would have been the height of folly. That's a recipe for heat exhaustion, and why we take more than one bottle per person,  and on occasion have needed to buy more by the end of the day.

[hallux]

16 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

The ONLY reason to buy bottled water when cruising:

there are many ports where local tap water is questionable.

 

9 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

That's the main reason that we only use bottled water on cruises and then only when ashore

That's why I have a couple of these I bring on board (empty at first), fill in the room and I can then put them in my backpack to bring ashore.  These would refill a 3rd, aluminum vacuum-insulated bottle, so I'd have 2+ quarts of water with me.  The water may get warm in a warm port but it still hydrates.  You can get ice, either in the buffet or from your cabin steward, and fill them with as much ice as you can fit before adding water, that will keep it chilled a little longer, plus filling the aluminum bottle with ice will keep that chilled until the first "warm" bottle is transferred in (after which the transfer is pointless).

 

Yes, they're BPA-free

[Toofarfromthesea]

18 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

It is also possible that it is very well purified and they then add back some electrolytes to make it taste better.  Not in the same area but sort of related.  I use distilled water to make espresso in my espresso machine but I have a brew mix of electrolyte water that I add to the DW.  Distilled water is bad for the espresso machine and it also does not make good espresso.

 

DON

 

That's true, but once you add other things it really isn't distilled water any more.

[Toofarfromthesea]

12 hours ago, lisiamc said:

I think it’s very much related! Our local water tastes so bad I flat refuse to drink it, and is so ridiculously hard that we can’t use it to make coffee, as it will destroy the rather finicky machine. Instead I use a particular brand of spring water that has the right level of minerals, and I test with little strips to make sure it stays in the right range. (We buy refillable filter packs for the water we drink, which tastes nice, but doesn’t filter out enough of the calcium to be able to use it to make coffee with.) The water on the ship is also augmented and tested in a very similar fashion to what you do to yours, and what I aim for with mine. I have many days when I wish I’d paid more attention in Chemistry class!

 

We have had good success, at home, with a combination of a house-wide (but not garden) water softener and reverse osmosis going to a kitchen sink tap and the water/ice maker on the fridge.  This was in both CA and AZ, both of which had foul tasting water.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I am a big water drinker and we use well water at home that is very good tasting.  While I dislike most chlorinated water, I can and do use the water on the ship because I drink so mch water that it wouldn't be very practical to buy it all.

 

I do usually buy a 12 pack on Princess, since it is cheap, and then reuse the bottles a few times, using the ship water.

 

I would love to find a good reusable water bottle that is comfortable for my small hands.  I have been actively looking and nothing so far is easy for me to hold.  The small 12 oz. water bottles are perfect.  I will persevere and find something!

[sparks1093]

15 hours ago, hallux said:

 

That's why I have a couple of these I bring on board (empty at first), fill in the room and I can then put them in my backpack to bring ashore.  These would refill a 3rd, aluminum vacuum-insulated bottle, so I'd have 2+ quarts of water with me.  The water may get warm in a warm port but it still hydrates.  You can get ice, either in the buffet or from your cabin steward, and fill them with as much ice as you can fit before adding water, that will keep it chilled a little longer, plus filling the aluminum bottle with ice will keep that chilled until the first "warm" bottle is transferred in (after which the transfer is pointless).

 

Yes, they're BPA-free

Yes, that is certainly an option. For many reasons it is not one that I choose (mostly because it would only get used once every year or two).

[Toofarfromthesea]

22 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

I am a big water drinker and we use well water at home that is very good tasting.  While I dislike most chlorinated water, I can and do use the water on the ship because I drink so mch water that it wouldn't be very practical to buy it all.

 

I do usually buy a 12 pack on Princess, since it is cheap, and then reuse the bottles a few times, using the ship water.

 

I would love to find a good reusable water bottle that is comfortable for my small hands.  I have been actively looking and nothing so far is easy for me to hold.  The small 12 oz. water bottles are perfect.  I will persevere and find something!

 

Check out this one.

 

https://www.amazon.com/THERMOS-FUNTAINER-Stainless-Vacuum-Insulated/dp/B00DAPQV0K?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

[navybankerteacher]

23 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

…

 

I would love to find a good reusable water bottle that is comfortable for my small hands.  I have been actively looking and nothing so far is easy for me to hold.  The small 12 oz. water bottles are perfect.  I will persevere and find something!

Check out Kikkerland water bottles - they make a very slim vacuum bottle which will keep water cool for hours.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Thanks for the advice--I will look at these.  I think I need one that is shaped more like the traditional half liter bottle, narrower in the middle.  Of course it would be nice if it was insulated, but I'm okay if not, since the insulated ones tend to be much thicker.  I think I need to try them in person!

 

[Essiesmom]

I have found many interesting bottles just combing the shelves in Walmart and Target.  Also other stores.  If the bottle isn’t insulated, you can buy insulated covers.  I have ordered from Amazon, Etsy, etc.  Luglife has a nice one with holder.  You can get all kinds and sizes of bottles on Amazon, and holders.  EM

[Nebr.cruiser]

12 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

I have found many interesting bottles just combing the shelves in Walmart and Target.  Also other stores.  If the bottle isn’t insulated, you can buy insulated covers.  I have ordered from Amazon, Etsy, etc.  Luglife has a nice one with holder.  You can get all kinds and sizes of bottles on Amazon, and holders.  EM

I've been looking!  I guess I am too picky about how easy they are to hold.

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

I've been looking!  I guess I am too picky about how easy they are to hold.

Some cruise lines that use water purification systems (e.g., Vero Water) gift you complimentary personal metal bottles. 

[hallux]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Some cruise lines that use water purification systems (e.g., Vero Water) gift you complimentary personal metal bottles. 

and you pay a small fortune to cruise with them.  The mainstream lines don't do this...

[ldubs]

7 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

I've been looking!  I guess I am too picky about how easy they are to hold.

 

I was gifted a 17 oz Swell insulated water bottle.  It now replaces the 16 oz plastic water bottle we used to take.  Mine is shaped like a bottle.  They also make a 16 oz "traveler" that kind of has a hip towards the top that might make it easier to hold.  Here are some pic's: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2022 by ldubs

[sanger727]

I've always carried re-fillable water bottles on cruises. You can also get cold ice water from any bar or restaurant on the ship. That being said, I once had a beverage package that included bottled water and it was a convenience to not HAVE to carry my bottle everyone and just pick up when I needed one. Certainly not worth purchasing just for water. And as others said, it's nice to grab a cold bottle on the way out of the door going into port.