New to Celebrity...Water Question

[KensingtonMoon]

Hi,

We are taking our first Celebrity Cruise in December on the Solstice and are very much looking forward to enjoying Celebrities hospitality.

 

Our booking is for a Sky Suite. We are very boring and drink lots of bottled water and maybe one cup of tea or hot chocolate a day.

 

Do we need to purchase the non-alcoholic drinks package, or does unlimited bottled water come as an inclusion with the Sky Suite? It doesn't have to be a premium brand, a standard water is fine.

 

I'm just trying to budget what extra's we need on the ship, and I am trying to work out if I need to buy the drinks package for plain water only

 

Thanks for your time to any who reply. Much appreciated.

 

Cheers, Christine.

[WestLakeGirl]

You do not get bottled water with a suite. There will be a bottle there on arrival but it is not complimentary!

[cruisestitch]

First off, water on the ship is potable, and they will serve you tap water with meals all meals. There is free coffee and there are packets for making hot chocolate and also tea bags at the buffet.

 

That being said, maybe what you want is the Premium Water Package at $14/day plus 15% gratuity:

 

Premium Bottled Water Package

Enjoy the pure refreshment of Evian® still water, Pellegrino® sparkling bottled water, and/or Perrier® sparkling bottled water throughout your vacation. Perfected by nature in the French Alps, Evian replenishes your body and mind. San Pellegrino, sourced from three great springs in northern Italy, provides the ideal accompaniment to any meal. Perrier is bottled, carbonated mineral water from a spring in southern France. Show your SeaPass® Card at any bar, lounge or restaurant to indicate your participation.

 

This gets you unlimited bottled water. If you are happy with the tea and hot chocolate they have for free, this would save money. But if you want the fancy hot chocolate and tea served at Cafe al Bacio, get the non-alcoholic beverage package.

 

Remember that the water package is not for sharing, each passenger has to have his own package.

[Lsimon]

Keep in mind the packages do not include room service nor mini bar service. So if you want bottled water in your cabin under a package then you'll need to pick them up at a bar or lounge occasionally and bring them back to the cabin.

 

If you are buying water by the bottle, rather than a package, then you can simply ask your butler to keep a certain number of bottles stocked for you and replenish them as used so there will always be some available.

 

It's been a little over a year since we cruised and then the price of a large (one liter) bottle of water was $4.60 ($4.00 + 15% service) . Price was the same for service at a bar, dining area, room service or mini bar. I wouldn't be surprised if the prices have increased some since then.

 

The premium tea (Tea Forte brand) and Hot Chocolate served at the Café al Bacio are $4.50 + service. You can also order tea and hot coco from room service or your butler at no extra charge but they will be the standard items served in the buffet and dining areas and not the premium items sold in Café al Bacio.

 

Personally, we drink a lot of bottles water both in our cabin and at all our meals on board. We also drink a fair amount of coffee and tea and prefer the premium offerings at Café al Bacio. So for us it is more convenient to purchase the premium non-alcoholic package. For bottled water in the cabin we just make it a point to pick up a bottle or two a few times a day when we're returning to our stateroom so we'll have it on hand.

Edited October 1, 2014 by Lsimon

[Project_gal]

Although the water on board is drinkable, as you, like me, drink mainly water [i drink no tea or coffee, you say you drink a little] you will probably not find the water to your taste. Most comments about the water being drinkable on Cruise Critic are made by people who drink more coffee [or tea].

 

Our latest cruise was last December and, as far as I can recall, the large bottles of water were US$4 plus 15% service charge. At that price, you would need to drink more than 4 large bottles a day for it to be worth purchasing the premium water package.

[barbels]

I live in NYC where the water that comes out of the taps is fine. I drink a lot of water on the ship and have never had a problem with it. I always ask for an ice bucket in my cabin and often drink the water left after the ice melts. I suggest that you try the ship's water before you pay for a package you may not need.

[Algebralovr]

Growing up on water that came from the Mississippi, I found that the tap water was fine, however, I believe the salt content may be a little high. When I switched to bottled, my legs were less likely to swell.

 

I tend to look for water that has gone through a reverse osmosis system.

[cruisestitch]

The ship's water has gone through a reverse osmosis system.

 

While you can use bottled water for your drinking water, you can't avoid using the ship's water -- it's in the ice, the soup, the coffee, the lemonade, virtually everything.

 

Probably the main source of your extra salt is the food. Home cooking tends to use much less salt than restaurant chefs.

 

The best way to deal with the swelling is to drink more liquid so your body will not feel the need to retain fluid.

[Lsimon]

There is definitely more sodium in the water on board as the reverse osmosis desalination process does leave a small amount of residual salt in the water. There is also a lot of salt in the food on board. Together the two cause bloating/swelling in hands and feet for some - including me. Reducing the consumption of salt by switching to bottled water eliminates my problem. Perhaps eliminating the extra salt in the food would as well but I find it more practical to switch to bottled water than to change my eating habits on board so I've never tried the latter approach.

 

The tap water on board is fine from most people. But for some, including us, the higher sodium content on the ship causes problems with bloating and swelling of hands and feet.

 

We I bring this up there inevitably ends up being a huge hot topic debate about this there are some around these boards who believe that since they do not personally get these symptoms that those that do are wrong about the water being the cause. I'll just refer those that are curious about the subject to this older thread where I share some information I learned on board from a Celebrity/RCL fleet water systems engineer:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=28708782

 

I am not a proponent of bottled water but I believe it does have its place. I am also not recommending that everyone on a cruise automatically consume only bottled water. I'd encourage everyone to try out the tap water on board but if they find it distasteful or find they get some of the swelling or bloating symptoms then switch to bottled water.

Edited October 1, 2014 by Lsimon

[WestLakeGirl]

Excellent advice. Also remember that heat can cause some of the swelling, a problem in warm weather cruises, so drink more liquid all throughout your cruise to combat the swollen ankles, which can be a symptom of dehydration

[jammen]

Hi,

We are taking our first Celebrity Cruise in December on the Solstice and are very much looking forward to enjoying Celebrities hospitality.

 

Our booking is for a Sky Suite. We are very boring and drink lots of bottled water and maybe one cup of tea or hot chocolate a day.

 

Do we need to purchase the non-alcoholic drinks package, or does unlimited bottled water come as an inclusion with the Sky Suite? It doesn't have to be a premium brand, a standard water is fine.

 

I'm just trying to budget what extra's we need on the ship, and I am trying to work out if I need to buy the drinks package for plain water only

 

Thanks for your time to any who reply. Much appreciated.

 

Cheers, Christine.

 

Bring your water on the ship. Tape it up with packing tape (the clear) one.

I have done this many times. Oh, put a luggage tag on it with tape, they will bring it to your cabin.

[ghstudio]

This has been a very helpful thread. Starting on Day 2 of the cruise, I'll suggest to my DW that my increasing girth is because of the salt in the water, the salt in the food and the heat.....not, as she always asserts, from the multiple desserts and the 1000's of calories I intake each day eating like a locust every two hours.

[Sloop-JohnB]

Agree 100% with the posts by LSIMON

 

Not everyone is bothered by "Ship Water"... A lot depends on where you are sailing (hot climate ? ) as well as personal metabolism / health issues... And what sort of water you are used to at home / raised on.

 

I am Canadian, I am used to mountain spring water... I don't enjoy a lot of urban tap waters... And I most certainly don't like "Ship Water"... Both because of the taste & the sodium (bloating)

 

I realize I cannot avoid it entirely... As the Ship's Galley uses it for everything... Washing greens, boiling, in sauces, reconstituting juice, tea & coffee, and ice.

 

But I can find ways to cut down, and one of the simplest is drinking bottled water (preferably Spring Water) as much as I can vs out of the tap. I find when on a cruise I drink a lot of water (more than when at home), maybe it s the heat of the Caribbean, maybe the rich food, maybe because of the added alcohol I am consuming... But I do find that I need more water to compensate and keep myself comfortably balanced.

 

At $ 4+ a bottle, it adds up quick !!

 

In your situation you could purchase the Premium Bottled Water Pkg for $ 14 US a night*, or if you think you might want to drink more than just water (I would) you could look at the Classic Non-alcohol for $ 16 US per night, or the Premium Non-alcohol for $ 20 US a night.

 

* NOTE - On Celebrity's US Website it shows that the Premium Bottked Water Plg can be bought at a 17% Discount if purchased before February 17, 2015... Don't know the specifics and if it will work for you... But might be worth checking out

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

Edited October 1, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB