Dawn Fridge Contents?

[albertamom]

Hi all! We are cruising in an SC 2-Bedroom Family Suite on the Dawn in March. The only other cruise that we've been on was in an Owner's Suite, so the drinks in the fridge were complementary. I've read that many people have their butler or room steward empty the fridge, to make room for their own drinks that they have brought on board. We don't plan to bring our own beverages on board.

 

I know that you have to pay for anything that you take from the fridge, but for the sake of convenience, do any of you actually partake in the items? Are the prices really outrageous (like in a hotel mini-bar)?

[roger001]

Yes. About like a hotel mini bar. No, I don't ever use them (we do bring our own sodas). Cabin steward will be happy to remove them if you wish to use the refridge for something else.....or I actually just do it myself and tell the steward I have.

[johnql]

Here's the mini-bar price list from my Breakaway cruise last November. I believe the prices and the items stocked are the same across the fleet.

 

[albertamom]

Thank you so much! That's a great help! Yes, roger001, it does look comparable to a hotel mini bar. I think I would have to be quite desperate, or feeling especially lazy, to pull one of those items. I would think that a quick trip to any bar would get me the same thing, for a much cheaper price.

 

I was hoping that they might have smaller bottles of water, for taking on excursions. If I remember correctly, on the POA, they had tables set up selling bottles of water as you left the ship. Is that standard fleet-wide? Can you buy bottled water at the bars or in any of the shops?

[Da-Painter]

For our past ship shore excursions, we met in the theatre.

They sold 1 liter bottles of water for about $5. :eek:

But if you are in a suite, I think you get free bottles of water.

[DGP1111]

The pricing sheet johnql posted earlier matched what I had on Norwegian Dawn right before Thanksgiving.

 

I wasn't in a suite, but here is a shot of the bottles in my mini bar for confirming the brands used (at least for my sailing in November).

 

Happy cruisin' !!

 

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[drbeamer]

You will get 1 liter bottle of water free in the suite. I usally ask the butler to get a six pack each of small and large bottles of water for the fridge. Sometimes there is a "water special" where you might get one of the six free.

[albertamom]

Great picture, DGP111! Very tempting! I can see why people ask to have it emptied (to avoid the temptation)!:)

 

I like your idea, drbeamer. I like to have lots of water handy! I know that we will get a complimentary bottle of water in our suite upon embarkation, but I don't know that it will be replenished. If we can get the small bottles, they'll be much handier for excursions.

[Twelvevman]

Just remember when you ask the steward to empty the contents he usually just puts them in a drawer or in a tray tucked away only to be stocked again after you leave. That means the contents go from cold to warm to cold many times before they finally get consumed. I would hate to taste what on of the beers tastes like :eek:

[che5904]

Just remember when you ask the steward to empty the contents he usually just puts them in a drawer or in a tray tucked away only to be stocked again after you leave. That means the contents go from cold to warm to cold many times before they finally get consumed. I would hate to taste what on of the beers tastes like :eek:

 

Both times we have asked for the contents to be emptied, they were taken completely out of the cabin.

 

Still, I guess, wouldn't stop the warm to cold thing, but just our experience with them not being left in the cabin.

[Demonyte]

Thank you so much! That's a great help! Yes, roger001, it does look comparable to a hotel mini bar. I think I would have to be quite desperate, or feeling especially lazy, to pull one of those items. I would think that a quick trip to any bar would get me the same thing, for a much cheaper price.

 

Everything on right side (beers, sodas, waters) is the same price as in bars IIRC. Liqours though are more expensive, in a bar bacardi plus mixer is $5.75 + 15%.

 

I was hoping that they might have smaller bottles of water, for taking on excursions. If I remember correctly, on the POA, they had tables set up selling bottles of water as you left the ship. Is that standard fleet-wide? Can you buy bottled water at the bars or in any of the shops?

 

The waters are ridiculously overpriced everywhere onboard - even with previously mentioned package deals. We always prefer bringing our own, for example with Pellegrino we save easily half the price and with still waters even more compared to onboard prices. But yes, there usually is a table selling water when you are leaving the ship in ports. Water bottles can also be bought from bars.

[albertamom]

Everything on right side (beers, sodas, waters) is the same price as in bars IIRC. Liqours though are more expensive, in a bar bacardi plus mixer is $5.75 + 15%.

 

 

The waters are ridiculously overpriced everywhere onboard - even with previously mentioned package deals. We always prefer bringing our own, for example with Pellegrino we save easily half the price and with still waters even more compared to onboard prices. But yes, there usually is a table selling water when you are leaving the ship in ports. Water bottles can also be bought from bars.

 

This is very good information. Thank you!

 

If we were driving, I'd carry on water for sure, but the cost of having our cab stop at a store on the way to the pier would no doubt cancel out any of the savings, so I guess we'll just chalk it up to the cost of cruising! :)

[che5904]

This is very good information. Thank you!

 

If we were driving, I'd carry on water for sure, but the cost of having our cab stop at a store on the way to the pier would no doubt cancel out any of the savings, so I guess we'll just chalk it up to the cost of cruising! :)

 

A little history. I'm a water snob, 99% of the time I only drink bottled water. On my first 2 cruises I dragged bottled water onboard. It was easy because we landed in our port city the day before so we had time to pick some up.

 

On the 2nd cruise I did a pepsi/coke challenge, only with water. Using one of my prepurchased water and an empty water bottle filled with the ship's water that I had seen was processed similar to bottled water and placed them in the fridge to get cold. I had DH pour a glass from these each bottle and did a taste test. Surprise I couldn't tell which one was which.

 

The moral to this story is now I throw a couple of empty bottles into my luggage (therefore, no weight). Fill them with water from the ship, put them in the fridge to take on excursions. Voila, problem with water solved.

[albertamom]

A little history. I'm a water snob, 99% of the time I only drink bottled water. On my first 2 cruises I dragged bottled water onboard. It was easy because we landed in our port city the day before so we had time to pick some up.

 

On the 2nd cruise I did a pepsi/coke challenge, only with water. Using one of my prepurchased water and an empty water bottle filled with the ship's water that I had seen was processed similar to bottled water and placed them in the fridge to get cold. I had DH pour a glass from these each bottle and did a taste test. Surprise I couldn't tell which one was which.

 

The moral to this story is now I throw a couple of empty bottles into my luggage (therefore, no weight). Fill them with water from the ship, put them in the fridge to take on excursions. Voila, problem with water solved.

 

Now, isn't that a brilliant idea! How come I couldn't have thought of that? I found the water in the POA restaurants to be very good.

 

I love your comment about "no weight". My teenage son has always traveled with just a medium sized suitcase, which is more than enough for him. But, because of our "family weight sharing plan", I've decided to buy him a full-sized one for this trip. We carry a suitcase scale, and always seem to be down to the final pound on each suitcase (especially on the way home)! :)

[shelly11]

You can bring a case of water with you, or do like someone else suggested and bring a few empty bottles to fill.

[mrs.cool]

I was thinking about bringing my metal water bottle I carry everywhere along with me. Empty of course. Good idea? Of course I couldn't toss it then on shore like I could if I had plastic ones. Hmmmm.....

[Demonyte]

Now, isn't that a brilliant idea! How come I couldn't have thought of that? I found the water in the POA restaurants to be very good.

 

There is only that one "problem" (it might not be a problem for all but for me it is in some extent): the water in restaurants and bars is carbon filtered as where water from regular taps is not - hence latter has noticable chlorine taste that dissolves slowly. I agree that the water in restaurants onboard is excellent, it's the chlorine tasting water that I don't like to drink.

 

So in order to fill own bottles with water without the clorine taste, one would need to go to for example buffet and then fill the bottle(s) using a clean drinking glass because it is forbidden to fill up any other containers from the dispenser there (to avoid any contamination from used container touching the drink dispenser).

 

But as said, to each their own - many people are fine with the water from cabin tap. As we usually buy mineral water and sodas to bring onboard anyway, bringing a case of still water doesn't require anything extra from us.

[che5904]

There is only that one "problem" (it might not be a problem for all but for me it is in some extent): the water in restaurants and bars is carbon filtered as where water from regular taps is not - hence latter has noticable chlorine taste that dissolves slowly. I agree that the water in restaurants onboard is excellent, it's the chlorine tasting water that I don't like to drink.

 

So in order to fill own bottles with water without the clorine taste, one would need to go to for example buffet and then fill the bottle(s) using a clean drinking glass because it is forbidden to fill up any other containers from the

 

Well like you said she could always go to the buffet and fill them with glasses, if she had an issue with the bathroom tap water.

 

The taste test I did was from our bathroom tap.

[johnql]

I'm putting on my flame-retardant suit as I type this, so here goes:

 

Bottled water is one of the biggest and most successful marketing ploys of the past generation. If you told anyone 25 years ago that people would willingly pay more for water than gasoline, they would have laughed in your face. I can still clearly remember the days when people mocked the so-called elitists who drank Perrier. This is America, not some Third World country where potable water is a rare commodity. Our tap water, in general, is very much drinkable and the amount of money wasted on bottled water in addition to the terrible cost to the environment with plastic bottle disposal just confounds me.

 

Now, I realize that everybody indulges in some habits that can be construed as wasteful luxuries. So, if people want their bottled water, then so be it. I just hope they at least do it with their eyes wide open.

 

OK. Off my soap box now.

[che5904]

;)

I'm putting on my flame-retardant suit as I type this, so here goes:

 

Bottled water is one of the biggest and most successful marketing ploys of the past generation. If you told anyone 25 years ago that people would willingly pay more for water than gasoline, they would have laughed in your face. I can still clearly remember the days when people mocked the so-called elitists who drank Perrier. This is America, not some Third World country where potable water is a rare commodity. Our tap water, in general, is very much drinkable and the amount of money wasted on bottled water in addition to the terrible cost to the environment with plastic bottle disposal just confounds me.

 

Now, I realize that everybody indulges in some habits that can be construed as wasteful luxuries. So, if people want their bottled water, then so be it. I just hope they at least do it with their eyes wide open.

 

OK. Off my soap box now.

 

:D :D I only laugh, because I am one of those that used to say "are you kidding me? buy water?" But that was in a time that I used to drink soda, therefore throwing my money away on that.

 

Water and coffee are now my drinks of choice. Very seldom would I drink a soda or anything else anymore. Therefore, like some people that prefer pepsi over coke or vice versa, I have a preference in the taste of my water. Not that any tap water isn't drinkable just not to my taste. Not all water tastes the same. There are even some bottled waters that I prefer over others.

 

And I certainly wouldn't drink "tap" water from the port stops. DH learned his lesson really quick on that one, in another country we visited. :eek:

 

As for plastic bottles blah blah. At home we own a water cooler with a returnable 5 gal. jug, so you will be happy to know that except for cruise excursions and the odd time that I have purchased a bottle when I am out, I'm not out to kill the environment. ;)

Edited January 20, 2014 by che5904

[Demonyte]

I'm putting on my flame-retardant suit as I type this, so here goes:

 

Bottled water is one of the biggest and most successful marketing ploys of the past generation. If you told anyone 25 years ago that people would willingly pay more for water than gasoline, they would have laughed in your face. I can still clearly remember the days when people mocked the so-called elitists who drank Perrier. This is America, not some Third World country where potable water is a rare commodity. Our tap water, in general, is very much drinkable and the amount of money wasted on bottled water in addition to the terrible cost to the environment with plastic bottle disposal just confounds me.

 

Now, I realize that everybody indulges in some habits that can be construed as wasteful luxuries. So, if people want their bottled water, then so be it. I just hope they at least do it with their eyes wide open.

 

OK. Off my soap box now.

 

You are absolutely correct. I wouldn't buy bottled water normally unless in special circumstances (but still I prefer bottled water if all other alternatives are "vitamin waters", corn syrup sweetened sodas, sodas with artifical sweeteners, etc), I do know about the bacteria levels in most bottled waters being higher than regular tap water in most places, etc etc. I do also know that bottled water wastes a lot of resources in transportation, packing plastic, bottles themselves, etc.

 

Still the situation onboard a generic cruise ship is different and I can tell the difference in the water - I have mistakenly taken a tap filled bottle instead of one of few last land bought ones from the cabin fridge more than once and have immediately noticed that the taste is off - it is completely drinkable but has a chlorine taste that I don't like.

 

One might call me an elitist (actually I don't care, I do know that I make a lot more enviromentally good choices to counterbalance the few bad ones and compared to a stereotype American, we Finnish people are saints what comes to preserving nature and not wasting resources ;)) but since I can get bottled tap water like Aquafina for few bucks a case and can bring it onboard and not have to taste the chlorine, that's what I'll do.

 

Everybody is free to make their own choices - it's Freestyle, baby! :D

[Aladdin1968]

Is it just me, or is 2.25 for a Pepsi not that expensive compared to a hotel mini bar? I have seen much higher prices in 4 star hotels, assuming we can compare a NCL ship with a 4 star hotel.

[Demonyte]

Is it just me, or is 2.25 for a Pepsi not that expensive compared to a hotel mini bar? I have seen much higher prices in 4 star hotels, assuming we can compare a NCL ship with a 4 star hotel.

 

That is (about) the regular price of a soda on NCL ships so no, it is not that expensive - that was my point in one of the earlier posts: the right side of the mini bar menu has prices very close or the same as to bars and restaurants onboard.

[em-sk]

On some ships (perhaps all) there are also vending machines that sell bottled water and pop. If I remember correctly on the EPIC vending machines are in the Studio lounge and the exercise machine area. I don't remember the relative cost of the vending machines to the other venues.

 

On a side note, I would love to be the owner of one of those companies that filters tap water and sells it as bottled water.