Buying bottled water on the ship instead of ports?

Is it more economical to buy bottled water on the ship for shore excursions instead of paying possibly really high prices in Scandinavian and European ports

Paying for water in US dollars seems to be a much better deal than paying for it in Euros and Danish or Swedish currency?

In the past I have always purchased water in ports but wonder if its cheaper onboard the ship for when we go on shore excursions?

People joked that only on Baltic cruise you can buy bottled water cheaper on cruise than in ports. Based on my own experience, this is actually true! The only country we could find cheaper bottled water was Germany.

No reason to buy more than one bottle of water and refill. The tap water onboard is about the best, in purity and taste, that you can find. Just refill one bottle.

No reason to buy more than one bottle of water and refill. The tap water onboard is about the best, in purity and taste, that you can find. Just refill one bottle.

Good tip/point above by our California friend. For the Baltics, the big things is focusing on what ALL you do in the various ports, especially in St. Petersburg. Lots and lots of great options in these various cities, how see and do the most and what fits your interests in these various places with so many interesting options and potentials. What ports will you visit and when?

From our previous travels to these great cities of the Baltics, here are some of my book and research tips. You might grab, maybe from your public libraries or ask for them to do a book transfer they can process for you, such super excellent visual books such as Eyewitness, Insight, etc. Rick Steves, Fodors, Frommers, etc., can work well, too. In my opinion, no one travel book has it "ALL", perfectly and completely for all of your needs. These resources, especially the visual ones, can help you better figure out your priorities, in advance, for what you want to do and see. That early research is very important. Don't wait until you get on the ship to "GUESS" what might be of interest. I always build a "file" on my laptop computer for each port stop with highlights from that reading and then pulling up stories/articles from the travels sections of the New York Times, Telegraph of London, Wikipedia, etc. All of those help to consider your many great options. Amazon can be very good in providing such books at reduced prices, plus some used books websites. Lots of great options!!! Especially in these days of the Internet, it makes things easier to research and plan ahead. You can use Google.com for great access to various text items, plus a wide variety of visuals and maps. One option for some private tour and other local options is to contract the tourism office in each of your ports. You can use Google.com and put in the search term such as "city/port name tourism office". Then follow-up to each of those office by e-mail, ask your questions, get their suggestions, options to consider, etc.

Below is a little sampling of my photos for the greatness you can see in the Baltics.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 85,558 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 72,336 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

At Stockholm’s Royal Palace, the changing of the guard is one of the key highlights and is handy, close to the next-door historic old town area. :

Here are some of the fountains and water at the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.: : [/b]

As we entered Catherine's Palace outside of St. Petersburg, here was the welcoming band.:

Dancers marching in Tallinn’s festival parade near the stone towers of the famous Viru Gate:

Here is an overall view of the size and scale of St. Isaac's interior in St. Petersburg. It is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in this historic city and was dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great. The cathedral took 40 years to construct, 1818 to 1858, under direction of a French architect. During Soviet rule, it was nearly destroyed and was made into a Museum of Scientific Atheism. It has been restored to its religious beauty/role. The cathedral's main dome tops out at 333 feet and is plated with pure gold.:

Copenhagen’s Nyhavn or “new” Harbor is actually old and charming. This waterfront entertainment district is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbor", the canal also has many historical wooden ships. Lots of people and fun activity!!:

No reason to buy more than one bottle of water and refill. The tap water onboard is about the best, in purity and taste, that you can find. Just refill one bottle.

I agree! They boast that ship's tap water is considerably higher quality than bottled water.

This is the prices for bottled water in Copenhagen:

7-Eleven (cold water)

0.5l 16 DKK / 2.7$

0.75l 20 DKK / 3.39$

Supermarket (not cold)

0.5l 2-3 DKK / 0.30-0.50$

1.5l 6 DKK / 1$

As it may be difficult to find any supermarkets in the city center, the 7-Eleven water is a rip-off. Be aware that you must pay a small deposit (1.5 DKK) for the bottles, that will be refunded when you return it to any shops that sells bottled beverage.

Are you sure you are going to be charged for bottled water? The line I cruise on, Oceania, provides bottles of water when you leave the ship. There's no charge. Of course, Oceania is not exactly a cheap cruise line, so I suppose they're charging us for it in the price of the cruise, but...

Anyway, my point is, I wouldn't go too crazy buying water anywhere, from any source (ship or port store) unless you know for sure that none will be provided to you.

Are you sure you are going to be charged for bottled water? The line I cruise on, Oceania, provides bottles of water when you leave the ship. There's no charge. Of course, Oceania is not exactly a cheap cruise line, so I suppose they're charging us for it in the price of the cruise, but...

 

Anyway, my point is, I wouldn't go too crazy buying water anywhere, from any source (ship or port store) unless you know for sure that none will be provided to you.

I think you are lucky Oceana provides it for you. The cruise lines I have been on- Holland America, RCI and Princess, usually have a table at the bottom of the gangway selling bottles of water.

Bruce is absolutely correct. All you need is ONE bottle or even bring your own water bottle to fill up as needed.

We used to go to the buffet at breakfast and fill our bottles with juice or whatever drink they had available. If you bring say a Rubbermaid water bottle, the top comes off and you can get loads of ice in there also .

Cheers

Len

The difference isn't great enough so that it matters. On the first day, check the price of ship's bottled water but buy one outside. Compare the results, and use the experience to decide next day which to buy. It might cost you a dollar or so if you get it wrong.

We also bring our own stainless steel water bottle and refill each morning. When you get the wide mouth you can put in ice. We also make some peanut butter sandwiches to take with us - the waiters in the buffet will be glad to bring you over some little packages of peanut butter. This helps when the kids get hungry!

Not only are water bottles more economical but they are more environmentally friendly :)

Not only are water bottles more economical but they are more environmentally friendly

A+++++++

Cheers

Len

No reason to buy more than one bottle of water and refill. The tap water onboard is about the best, in purity and taste, that you can find. Just refill one bottle.

Sorry CruiserBruce but I have to disagree with this. Because the water is desalinated, I cannot drink it (and I've cruised with various lines). To me the water tastes of chlorine and it's the same if any water gets in your mouth when you're showering. Even the coffee in the buffet tastes strange with this water. IMO there is no question that bottled water is best and I usually buy in port before I board then top up if the price is reasonable ashore, or buy onboard if necessary.

Sorry CruiserBruce but I have to disagree with this. Because the water is desalinated, I cannot drink it (and I've cruised with various lines). To me the water tastes of chlorine and it's the same if any water gets in your mouth when you're showering. Even the coffee in the buffet tastes strange with this water. IMO there is no question that bottled water is best and I usually buy in port before I board then top up if the price is reasonable ashore, or buy onboard if necessary.

You must have very sensitive tastebuds. The amount of chlorine in any tap water is measured in the .0001 level percentages. Even my wife, who is a bottled water fanatic, refills just one bottle.

The water being desalinated has nothing to do with chlorination. The fact that desalinated water is stored in tanks requires some agent to keep bacteria from forming. This would be true if potable water were being brought aboard from domestic sources, which does happen often. A number of chemicals can be used, chlorine is perhaps historically the most common.

You do know that many bottled waters come from the same source as domestic water?

You must have very sensitive tastebuds. The amount of chlorine in any tap water is measured in the .0001 level percentages. Even my wife, who is a bottled water fanatic, refills just one bottle.

 

The water being desalinated has nothing to do with chlorination. The fact that desalinated water is stored in tanks requires some agent to keep bacteria from forming. This would be true if potable water were being brought aboard from domestic sources, which does happen often. A number of chemicals can be used, chlorine is perhaps historically the most common.

 

You do know that many bottled waters come from the same source as domestic water?

I stand corrected then but I still hate the taste of the agent used to preserve (or whatever the scientific term is!!) water onboard and only ever drink bottled water. i do however drink tap water at home for teas and coffees but will always choose Highland Spring bottled water for just a drink on its own. The names says it all and I can assure you it takes NOTHING like the water from my tap.

I suggest buying it on the ship because we couldn't find bottled water everywhere in the ports. I wouldn't waste time looking for bottled water when there are so many great sites to see!

I agree! They boast that ship's tap water is considerably higher quality than bottled water.

The water may be very "pure" and taste great, but for some of us that's not the issue. Although many will not agree, there is some question as to the salt content of desalinated water. it is not the reverse osmosis process (which does remove the salt along with other elements) but rather the water softening process that may add sodium to replace the lost calcium and/or magnesium during the process. (Morton Salt is a major producer of water treatment chemicals.) The amounts can vary a great deal. Unless i know for sure that the drinking water does not have higher levels of sodium, I stick to bottled water. I have not experienced swollen hands or feet since doing this, and i do agree that the foods onboard are loaded with salt.

Sorry CruiserBruce but I have to disagree with this. Because the water is desalinated, I cannot drink it (and I've cruised with various lines). To me the water tastes of chlorine and it's the same if any water gets in your mouth when you're showering. Even the coffee in the buffet tastes strange with this water. IMO there is no question that bottled water is best and I usually buy in port before I board then top up if the price is reasonable ashore, or buy onboard if necessary.

Then in Norway, buy a single bottle and refill it from any tap. Norway is quite proud of their tasty tap water.

Have you ever seen the $$$$ Voss water? They did an expose, and while everyone knows it doesn't come from Voss, they went to the town where it's bottled, and it really is the same water that comes out of people's taps.

I packed my favorite water bottle that has a shoulder strap holder. I drink the ship water so I have no problem filling my bottle every morning. I rinse it with a tiny bit of hand soap every night. My ship's water and ice had a clean taste and I made sure to drink a lot.