Is the tapwater on Princess cruises ok to drink?

[JimmyVWine]

26 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Recreational Water Features recycle their water, typically only draining and refilling once a week.

Which is why I won't use a Recreational Water Feature that is also used by 4 year olds. 🤢

[chengkp75]

Just now, JimmyVWine said:

Which is why I won't use a Recreational Water Feature that is also used by 4 year olds. 🤢

But they are chlorinated.

[JimmyVWine]

Just now, chengkp75 said:

But they are chlorinated.

True. Sometimes overly so.  Which is a problem in and of itself!

[Stosh68]

23 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

True. Sometimes overly so.  Which is a problem in and of itself!

It almost has to be.   A water slide is close to a worst case scenarios for the fast outgassing and breakdown of chlorine or chloramines.   You have a large surface area of water, constant circulation /aeration and exposure to UV from the sun. 

[moodyb1]

For some reason, the water on the ship does not agree with my gastrointestinal system. I cannot drink desalinated water. I had this many years ago when I went to Eilat, Israel where they use desalinated water. I can only drink bottled water, so I have to pre-order order bottled water before each cruise. Luckily, it's a good deal at $7.08 for 12 bottles. I know that the salads are pre-washed with the ship's water, and other food items are cooked with the ship's water. However, at least I am able to cruise without being sick in the cabin!

 

Arlene

[chengkp75]

48 minutes ago, Stosh68 said:

It almost has to be.   A water slide is close to a worst case scenarios for the fast outgassing and breakdown of chlorine or chloramines.   You have a large surface area of water, constant circulation /aeration and exposure to UV from the sun. 

However, as the water is circulated, it is continually monitored for chlorine content, and continually dosed with chlorine, driven by the chlorine level at that instant.  Ship's pools are maintained at 2-4ppm chlorine, which is higher than most home pools and most land public pools.

[waltd]

chengkp75 can you tell me if the drinking water is any more or less salty after the process?   I find that after a week on board my ankle starts to swell.   I'm guessing it's too much salt in the food but often wondered about the water

Thanks

[beg3yrs]

49 minutes ago, waltd said:

chengkp75 can you tell me if the drinking water is any more or less salty after the process?   I find that after a week on board my ankle starts to swell.   I'm guessing it's too much salt in the food but often wondered about the water

Thanks

You're kidding, right? Desalinization is the process of removing salt from water. Why would it be more salty after removing salt? Come on man ...

[vjmatty]

3 hours ago, waltd said:

chengkp75 can you tell me if the drinking water is any more or less salty after the process?   I find that after a week on board my ankle starts to swell.   I'm guessing it's too much salt in the food but often wondered about the water

Thanks

I usually have the same ankle problem so I take water pills starting the night before the cruise. It helps a lot. 

[chengkp75]

4 hours ago, waltd said:

chengkp75 can you tell me if the drinking water is any more or less salty after the process?   I find that after a week on board my ankle starts to swell.   I'm guessing it's too much salt in the food but often wondered about the water

Thanks

I know what you're asking.  Typically, the water produced onboard has a salinity of 0-10ppm (parts per million), while municipal water supplies report salinities like 20-40ppm (NYC) or 30ppm (Miami), and your own Santa Clara water board reports sodium levels above 40ppm at all locations.

 

Some causes of water retention that folks don't think about are the chlorine in the water (there is required to be a measurable residual chlorine level everywhere on the ship, not just at the municipal water plant, so it will be higher than at your home), and actually the purity of the water on the ship.  Since the desalinization process removes all minerals from the water, not just the salt, the magnesium and potassium levels are virtually zero, and lack of both of these can lead to water retention and fluid balance.  Eating foods rich in magnesium and potassium can help with this.

[waltd]

6 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

I know what you're asking.  Typically, the water produced onboard has a salinity of 0-10ppm (parts per million), while municipal water supplies report salinities like 20-40ppm (NYC) or 30ppm (Miami), and your own Santa Clara water board reports sodium levels above 40ppm at all locations.

 

Some causes of water retention that folks don't think about are the chlorine in the water (there is required to be a measurable residual chlorine level everywhere on the ship, not just at the municipal water plant, so it will be higher than at your home), and actually the purity of the water on the ship.  Since the desalinization process removes all minerals from the water, not just the salt, the magnesium and potassium levels are virtually zero, and lack of both of these can lead to water retention and fluid balance.  Eating foods rich in magnesium and potassium can help with this.

Thank you.  I will try out your suggestions next cruise

[san diego sue]

Water is safe but sometimes it tastes really awful. We now order a 12  bottle pack of water in advance of our cruise, and it is usually waiting in our cabin.

On occassion in dining room, the water  smells bad.Could be the ice but I usually ask for another glass and tell them it smells.

Once on Caribbean Princess(Rt NY , New England cruise about 6 years ago) they put some chemical in the water during the cruise. We actually saw it coming out of the tap slightly blue-green.My husband drank a glass and vomited. I went down to Passenger services and they admitted nothing. I had just showered in it and it stained the shower curtain. A warning that day should have been issued. I asked if they would supply bottled water and they said we would have to buy it. My husband threw up and wanted to know what he drank. Was told he wouldn't understand. I said yes he would, he is a chemist.He got no response from Princess.

[Hlitner]

As always, we appreciate the truly educational posts from ChengKP who has taught me a lot, over the many years we have been around CC.  His info on water/fluid retention is interesting as it is the first time we heard lack of magnesium contributes to the problem.  After looking at a list of food products rich in magnesium, I suspect I will just have to live with that issue :).

 

But we think there is another major contributor to many of us having water retention problems on ships.  We are all eating commercially prepared food (many of us too much) and professional cooks/chefs love to add salt to just about everything!  After about 50 years of cruising (extensively) and having my share of swollen ankles, we have found two solutions that work with varying degrees of success.  Probably the most important is to simply drink more fluids.  This helps to reduce excess sodium in our bodies.  

 

The other idea (told to us by an orthopedic surgeon we met on a cruise) is that one can spend a few hours just standing in one of the swimming pools.  The water pressure in the pool increases with depth and helps decrease swelling in one's extreminites.  I do not know if this truly works, but it does feel good on a hot day :).

 

We once met a fellow cruise passenger who had another idea about swollen ankles.  Her solution is to drink more booze so she just does not care!

Hank

 

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, san diego sue said:

Once on Caribbean Princess(Rt NY , New England cruise about 6 years ago) they put some chemical in the water during the cruise.

They are not allowed to put any chemical, other than chlorine, hydrochloric acid, and calcium carbonate into the water.  What you saw was the result of them shutting the water system off in a section of the ship for repairs.  When they do this, the chlorine scale and the calcium scale that forms on the inside of the piping, dries out and breaks off the walls of the pipes.  This scale is then circulated around the ship until it settles in the storage tanks.  In the main pipes it clears very quickly, but it does tend to settle in the "static" legs running to the cabin sinks and showers, as the water doesn't move here until the taps are opened.  This scale will manifest itself as a discoloration of the water, ranging from blue-green to yellow to yellow-brown.  Running the water for a minute or two usually clears this up.

 

Yes, they should have announced that the scale would possibly be a problem.

 

If there was a chemical in the water that caused your husband to vomit, it would have gone to every single faucet throughout the ship, and everyone would be sick.  

[chengkp75]

51 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

The other idea (told to us by an orthopedic surgeon we met on a cruise) is that one can spend a few hours just standing in one of the swimming pools.  The water pressure in the pool increases with depth and helps decrease swelling in one's extreminites.  I do not know if this truly works, but it does feel good on a hot day :).

This does in fact work.  Another suggestion is to place the lifejacket under the foot of the mattress, so your ankles are slightly elevated while sleeping.  And, yes, the food is a major contributor to the problem.  And, as you say, drink more water.  Lots of people say, "but I drink a lot", but unless you have a bottle with you at all times, and have to keep refilling it, you don't really know how much you've drunk.

[Vexorg]

Another factor that influences water usage on the ship is whether the pools are filled with fresh water or salt water.  Princess used to be a bit of an outlier in the cruise industry by having freshwater pools, but more ships have them now.  From the info I can find online Carnival and Norwegian, for example, still have saltwater in all of their pools, Royal Caribbean is a mix of fresh and saltwater depending on the ship.

[chengkp75]

13 minutes ago, Vexorg said:

Another factor that influences water usage on the ship is whether the pools are filled with fresh water or salt water.  Princess used to be a bit of an outlier in the cruise industry by having freshwater pools, but more ships have them now.  From the info I can find online Carnival and Norwegian, for example, still have saltwater in all of their pools, Royal Caribbean is a mix of fresh and saltwater depending on the ship.

And, while the amount of water in a pool may seem large to people, let's say a cruise ship pool contains about 15,000 gallons (15' x 30' x 5', which is generous), a large cruise ship can produce well in excess of 500,000 gallons per day.  So, that pool is less than one hour's production for the ship.  And that pool would be drained only once a week at most.

[mtnesterz]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

This does in fact work.  Another suggestion is to place the lifejacket under the foot of the mattress, so your ankles are slightly elevated while sleeping.  And, yes, the food is a major contributor to the problem.  And, as you say, drink more water.  Lots of people say, "but I drink a lot", but unless you have a bottle with you at all times, and have to keep refilling it, you don't really know how much you've drunk.

There are several causes for edema in the feet. Also, simply moving fluid out of the feet does not mean it is removed from the system. Excess fluid in the system can lead to congestive heart failure. Drinking too much extra water can lead to hyponatremia, low salt, with potential for brain swelling. Of course, this applies to very sensitive people.

Since causes of edema vary and being mindful that many cruisers are seniors, the best thing to do is to follow one's doctor's instructions on salt and water intake, diet and medication. 

[JeffElizabeth]

On 9/20/2022 at 3:38 PM, moodyb1 said:

For some reason, the water on the ship does not agree with my gastrointestinal system. I cannot drink desalinated water. I had this many years ago when I went to Eilat, Israel where they use desalinated water. I can only drink bottled water, so I have to pre-order order bottled water before each cruise. Luckily, it's a good deal at $7.08 for 12 bottles. I know that the salads are pre-washed with the ship's water, and other food items are cooked with the ship's water. However, at least I am able to cruise without being sick in the cabin!

 

Arlene

On one ship the tap water gave me horrible heartburn, but this was only one out of 20 cruises so I do wonder if it was water from shore. 

[wowzz]

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

They are not allowed to put any chemical, other than chlorine, hydrochloric acid, and calcium carbonate into the water.  What you saw was the result of them shutting the water system off in a section of the ship for repairs.  When they do this, the chlorine scale and the calcium scale that forms on the inside of the piping, dries out and breaks off the walls of the pipes.  This scale is then circulated around the ship until it settles in the storage tanks.  In the main pipes it clears very quickly, but it does tend to settle in the "static" legs running to the cabin sinks and showers, as the water doesn't move here until the taps are opened.  This scale will manifest itself as a discoloration of the water, ranging from blue-green to yellow to yellow-brown.  Running the water for a minute or two usually clears this up.

 

Yes, they should have announced that the scale would possibly be a problem.

 

If there was a chemical in the water that caused your husband to vomit, it would have gone to every single faucet throughout the ship, and everyone would be sick.  

Excellent answer. Perhaps San Diego Sue now realises that the reason her husband was sick had absolutely nothing to do with the water !

[chengkp75]

47 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Excellent answer. Perhaps San Diego Sue now realises that the reason her husband was sick had absolutely nothing to do with the water !

Didn't say that.  I don't doubt he got sick from the water, but likely it was a massive dose of calcium scale, which can cause vomiting.  But, running the water until it cleared would have prevented it, and it wasn't something they added to the water.

[san diego sue]

4 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

They are not allowed to put any chemical, other than chlorine, hydrochloric acid, and calcium carbonate into the water.  What you saw was the result of them shutting the water system off in a section of the ship for repairs.  When they do this, the chlorine scale and the calcium scale that forms on the inside of the piping, dries out and breaks off the walls of the pipes.  This scale is then circulated around the ship until it settles in the storage tanks.  In the main pipes it clears very quickly, but it does tend to settle in the "static" legs running to the cabin sinks and showers, as the water doesn't move here until the taps are opened.  This scale will manifest itself as a discoloration of the water, ranging from blue-green to yellow to yellow-brown.  Running the water for a minute or two usually clears this up.

 

Yes, they should have announced that the scale would possibly be a problem.

 

If there was a chemical in the water that caused your husband to vomit, it would have gone to every single faucet throughout the ship, and everyone would be sick.  

We noticed it mid afternoon and when I showered later, still happened and stained our shower curtain. Friends in different area of the ship, same thing , stained  shower curtain and sink water blue green.

[chengkp75]

7 minutes ago, san diego sue said:

We noticed it mid afternoon and when I showered later, still happened and stained our shower curtain. Friends in different area of the ship, same thing , stained  shower curtain and sink water blue green.

The first time a "static" pipe is opened (you noticed it in your sink first, but hadn't run the shower yet), the scale that has accumulated would come out. So, running the sink would not clear the shower pipes, or vice versa.  And, virtually every "static" pipe will have the same problem.

[Bobbiegentry]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Didn't say that.  I don't doubt he got sick from the water, but likely it was a massive dose of calcium scale, which can cause vomiting.  But, running the water until it cleared would have prevented it, and it wasn't something they added to the water.

Good answer to those pseudo-experts who choose to put words in the mouth’s of others. 

[cr8tiv1]

On 9/19/2022 at 9:51 AM, chengkp75 said:

The only difference between the stateroom tap and the buffet, or any dining/bar venue is that these venues have carbon filters on the water dispensers to remove the chlorine from the water, as the chlorine can cause scale buildup in the dispensers.  This can change the taste for some folks.

Yes, bathroom water definitely had an odor when I washed my face or brushed my teeth. Not noticeable in dining areas.