Ship's Water

I was reading John Heald's post about Carnival selling bottled water by the case, and I read that some people drink the ship's water from the tap. I just wanted you to see the water that came out of our tap a couple weeks ago on the Imagination.

I was told by several staff that it was no problem because it was "just sediment".

Drink up!

EEEUUWWWW! Enough said. That is why I only drink bottled water on ships.

Funny that before the bottled water craze hit people have lived healthy long lives drinking from the tap

. I also remember when Perrier was like the only water you could buy!

There was a time that I always told people to just drink the ship's water. There is nothing "contaminated" about the water and when it's in the storage tank it's better than bottled.

The problems arise when over the years "stuff" builds up in the pipes. This causes discoloration and sometimes taste.

My first encounter with bad ship's water was on the Norwegian Jade. We were in the two bedroom suite and my wife wanted to take a bath. She filled the bath tub and it was yellow. Yuck: She drained it and refilled it and it was clear.

On Celebrity Century the water had an off taste everywhere on the ship. Not just the cabins.

I've sailed twice on Carnival Pride and the water also had "a taste" to it.

I still drink the ship's water but I won't think less of anyone who drinks and/or brings on bottled water.

Take care,

Mike

I think ships use water from the sea and then its goes through the reverse osmosis process.

suppose to be a very good process as long as the storage tank is maintained

I drank a LOT of ship's water last week on the Liberty. The water from the buffet area, dining room, the water fountains and ice/melted ice water from my ice bucket all looked and tasted just fine.

No smells or coloring.

The water in my cabin looked like that the first time I turned it on. It did clear up, but I still wouldn't drink it.

I drank a LOT of ship's water last week on the Liberty. The water from the buffet area, dining room, the water fountains and ice/melted ice water from my ice bucket all looked and tasted just fine.

 

No smells or coloring.

Never had a problem either. The coffee is also made with it

DW won't drink it, but I have not problem with it. Huh I wonder what water is used in the preparation of the many foods on board ;)

the water on our last cruise on the Dream had an aquarium taste to it. was impossible to drink.

our cruise before that on the Freedom was great. i drink a lot of water and had to buy bottled water for the Dream cruise.

I was reading John Heald's post about Carnival selling bottled water by the case, and I read that some people drink the ship's water from the tap. I just wanted you to see the water that came out of our tap a couple weeks ago on the Imagination.

 

I was told by several staff that it was no problem because it was "just sediment".

 

Drink up!

 

I would never drink the water from the tap. It is always discolored and warm.

I do however fill up on the water from the spigot up in deck. That is always clear, cold and refreshing.

I always bring my own bottled water, just my preference.

I've never had an issue with the water from the spigot in the lido.

there are spigots on deck that can be used to fill water bottles/cups? What makes these a better option than the sink in cabin?

I don't drink the tap water but I do drink the water from the drink stations.

I absolutely am not going to buy bottled water (at any time, anywhere). And I sure as heck am not going to haul it onto the ship.

You can usually buy a small bottle for $1 from vendors in the ports.

We always drink it in the MDR but not on lido. I don't know why but it always has an off taste there. We will be bringing water on. I think the new price is still too much. I drink lots of water, like to stay hydrated. But we are doing cheers this time so will be having more drinks and sodas.

I was reading John Heald's post about Carnival selling bottled water by the case, and I read that some people drink the ship's water from the tap. I just wanted you to see the water that came out of our tap a couple weeks ago on the Imagination.

 

I was told by several staff that it was no problem because it was "just sediment".

 

Drink up!

 

QUOTE]

 

Okay, here we go again, I will try to address everyone's concerns, in order, in one post, so bear with me.

 

The yellowish discoloration in the photo is caused by chlorine scale. Most ships do not use metallic piping for drinking water, they use plastic pipes. The residual chlorine that is required to be in the water tends to form a scale layer on the inside of the plastic pipes. When a section of the piping is shut off for repairs, this scale will dry out and fall off the pipe walls. It will then circulate around the ship, and will tend to settle out in the dead end branches at each cabin. When you turn on the tap, the water with the sediment will come out first, but if you let it run, it will clear up.

 

MMastell - there is very little "stuff" to build up in the pipes, other than the above mentioned chlorine scale, since most of the water has very little "hardness" or minerals in it, unlike your pipes at home. The taste you mention is the residual chlorine, and it will be everywhere around the ship, with the exception of ice makers, bar and soda guns, and the water dispensers in the dining venues or galleys, because this equipment has a charcoal filter to remove the chlorine, not for your taste, but because the chlorine scale causes maintenance problems with the machinery.

 

limoguy - the tanks must be maintained to USPH standards, using special epoxy coatings that are specifically made for potable water tanks. USPH also has requirements for periodic inspection of the tanks, to check on tank coatings, and how to repair coatings, and how to sanitize the tank after work is done before it goes back into service.

 

CruzinScotty - see above about why the water in those areas may taste different than your cabin.

 

Ncovert - the water everywhere on the ship is the same water. There are large main pipes that rise from the engine room, and then every deck has a "ring main" pipe that runs up one side the full length and then goes back down the other side the full length. Every location, whether galley, restaurant, or cabin, picks off of the ring main for that deck.

 

Beyond2k - depending on how close your cabin is to the main riser coming from the engine room, you may have more or less chlorine in the water, and hence the taste. The chlorine is required to be maintained at 0.5ppm at the farthest point from where it is injected in the engine room, typically the sensor and recorder are on the bridge, so since chlorine dissipates in water naturally, those areas closer to the engine room will have more than 0.5ppm chlorine, while those closer to the bridge will be at 0.5.

 

Orison - the reason the water in your cabin is never cold is that it is not buried in underground pipes like at home. Nor is it sitting stationary in the pipe waiting for you to turn on a tap like at home. The water is constantly being recirculated, to keep the chlorine level up, and the pipes run in the ceilings of the passageways, and in machinery spaces, so they never get cooled. Plus the pumping add heat to the water.

 

Okay, that takes care of the specific concerns. Now a little about ship's water. Some is made from sea water by distillers, that actually boil the water and what you get is distilled water. Some is made from sea water by reverse osmosis, which presses sea water through a porous membrane at very high pressure, and the pores are sized so only water molecules (or smaller) can pass. This gives water that is potable, but is not distilled. Some is taken on at the various ports. This water must be certified to meet WHO or USPH standards before it is taken on, and a sample is taken first for testing in the medical center for bacteria. This shore water must be segregated from the rest of the ship's water until the test is complete (18-24 hours) and it is negative for bacteria.

 

Okay, so now we have 3 sources of water. Before any of this water gets to the storage tanks, it must be chlorinated to 2ppm, continually. Then, because it sits in the tanks, the chlorine dissipates, and when the tank is pumped around the ship, additional chlorine is added to maintain the 0.5ppm. Your local water board probably chlorinates once at the source (lake, well, river), and that is it. USPH requires continual monitoring, and continual dosing to keep the water safe to drink.

 

USPH also requires that each water tank, and 4 random locations around the ship (not to include ice makers) are tested for bacteria. What local water board comes to your house every few months to test your water?

 

Cruise ship water is probably the safest water you can find, and that includes bottled water (does anyone remember the Perrier benzene problem?). Most bottled water is merely municipal water that is passed through a reverse osmosis machine. It may not always taste great (and water taste is one of the most subjective topics around), but it is always safe.

 

One last hint for those who don't like the taste of the water from the sink. Fill a pitcher or water bottle, leave it uncapped for an hour or so, and the chlorine will have dissipated and with it the taste.

I don't drink the tap water but I do drink the water from the drink stations.

 

I absolutely am not going to buy bottled water (at any time, anywhere). And I sure as heck am not going to haul it onto the ship.

 

You can usually buy a small bottle for $1 from vendors in the ports.

Sorry to burst your bubble but the water from the drink Stations is the same tap water.

This is the same as people at home who wont drink the water in the bathroom but its okay in the kitchen sink, like there are different pipes or water coming in.

LMAO

Sorry to burst your bubble but the water from the drink Stations is the same tap water.

 

This is the same as people at home who wont drink the water in the bathroom but its okay in the kitchen sink, like there are different pipes or water coming in.

 

LMAO

Not exactly, see my post above.

That's what our washer looks like right now at home. Won't drink it now, But once it clears up I will.

Very knowledgeable chengkp75!

Before it gets to my lips, it passes my nose-if food doesn't smell appetizing then I wont eat it, same with water. I know chlorine smell, that is not what ship water from the tap smells like, and therefor I buy the bottled water when I cruise.

I guess as you say, you let it stand long enough some of the odor goes away, and perhaps when they fill the water jugs up with ice and water and let them sit in the MDR, the water tastes better. But I have to take meds 3 times a day, and if I have to drink water to get them down, it will be bottled water-in fact perhaps the majority of us who don't like the coffee know that it's made with the same water we don't like to drink?

For my cruise on the Paradise earlier this year, I bought from the Fun Shops a 12 pack of water. I know it costs more but did not feel like having to deal with it bringing it onboard. In the cabin, kept the bottled water in ice with a Carnival cooler I bought several years ago & the cooler still is like new. I try not to drink the water that is on the ship, just a preference.

Funny that before the bottled water craze hit people have lived healthy long lives drinking from the tap

. I also remember when Perrier was like the only water you could buy!

When the municipal water looks like this, they usually tell customers not to drink it until they flush the lines. I wonder why a ship's lines are any different.

Before it gets to my lips, it passes my nose-if food doesn't smell appetizing then I wont eat it, same with water. I know chlorine smell, that is not what ship water from the tap smells like, and therefor I buy the bottled water when I cruise.

 

I guess as you say, you let it stand long enough some of the odor goes away, and perhaps when they fill the water jugs up with ice and water and let them sit in the MDR, the water tastes better. But I have to take meds 3 times a day, and if I have to drink water to get them down, it will be bottled water-in fact perhaps the majority of us who don't like the coffee know that it's made with the same water we don't like to drink?

But again, the water dispensers they use to fill the water jugs in the MDR are the same as the water dispenser in the buffet, so it has a carbon filter. The coffee machines have these as well, so that kind of shoots that theory.

For my curiosity, what exactly, or as exactly as something very subjective as water taste (or smell) can be, does the water smell like? Remember, if you are equating the chlorine smell to a swimming pool, most of these are chlorinated to around 5ppm (or 10 times the concentration in the ship's water).