Re-filling Your Water Bottles

[CptSticky]

To me this issue is always way overblown. I don't see the problem if you are filling a strawed water bottle or another type that you drink from the lid. No risk of cross-contamination. Or if you keep separation between the filler and the opening.

While what you say may be technically true let me put your scenario into a different context and see if it would make you uncomfortable if you saw it. I just washed and disinfected my hands and have touched nothing. I'm in the Windjammer (or whatever the name is on another ship) and I reach out with my bare hand and handle some food. I then replace the food for someone else to be served. After all , my hands are clean and I haven't hurt the food.

My reaction to seeing you fill your "clean" bottle would probably be the same as your reaction to seeing me do this. "Technically" both reactions would be in error but I hope you can see the problem.

[Pellaz]

I believe those are all non-contact dispensers.

 

Correct, if they are all FreeStyle Coke machines, which I think they are.

 

USPH regs might explain the removal of "conventional" soda machines from some RCCL ships without replacing them (on ships that don't homeport in the U.S. all year). I was wondering why on Earth they would have taken them out...public health reasons might be why.

[SunshineCruiser24]

I didn't notice the drink machines on Royal mostly because I had the soda package and the crew was passing out drinks, but on carnival, you sit the drink on the thing and press a button, even the water... I filled my water bottle directly from them more than a few times. Royal should switch to those.

[Gama C]

Its amazing how clueless people are. My suggestion would be to "clue them in". There is nothing wrong with simply asking the person to "please not do that" when you see it being done. If enough people speak up it will stop.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Its amazing how clueless people are. My suggestion would be to "clue them in". There is nothing wrong with simply asking the person to "please not do that" when you see it being done. If enough people speak up it will stop.

 

Doesn't always work - see my post #25 above!

[delirious9876]

Doesn't always work - see my post #25 above!

Agree !!!

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

I sometimes take a glass of lemonade back to the cabin & put it in my own bottle or most recently I've been dumping the water from the melted ice in the bucket into the bottle to take with me on excursions.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[CptSticky]

On one of our cruises out of FL last month I ask my brother who had driven to the port if he would pick me up some bottled water. He got a little carried away and bought a full case. Then he worried about it making it to his room so put it into a suitcase. Guess who had to go to the "naughty room to retrieve it? Once in Barcelona I put a 6.3 liter bottle in a suit case. I angrily ask the person in the naughty room if he had actually ever seen a bottle of booze that large.

All a little of topic but we were talking water.

[awhcruiser]

If the water bottle has a lid with a whole which the straw goes through, how is the bottle contaminated? The top of the straw is never in contact with the bottle itself.

Regardless of whether you drink from the lid or use a straw, the bottle has been handled and in contact with fluids that have contacted your mouth. You are not even supposed to reuse the glasses provided, but use a clean one each time. While keeping a separation between the spout and the container would eliminate some cross-contamination (see below for exception), you cannot guarantee that everyone would do that, which is why the USPH requires the no-refilling signs. USPH guidelines are based on the most efficient way to prevent the spread of illness.

 

One area that most don't think about at these drink stations, and why they don't want you to reuse a glass, or why even not touching the spout doesn't completely protect you, is the actuating lever. The lip of the glass or water bottle touches the dispensing lever, which then touches every glass after that. I know that some lines are moving towards the "no contact" type of dispenser, but they are not universal. Frankly, I take a clean glass, wrap a napkin around the rim, hold that against the dispensing lever, and then toss the napkin.

[CptSticky]

If the water bottle has a lid with a whole which the straw goes through, how is the bottle contaminated? The top of the straw is never in contact with the bottle itself.

And no liquid ever runs back down the straw into the bottle, right?

[SunshineCruiser24]

And no liquid ever runs back down the straw into the bottle, right?

 

 

How does that contaminate the outside of the lip of the bottle, which would touch the dispenser??

[CptSticky]

How does that contaminate the outside of the lip of the bottle, which would touch the dispenser??

OK, this really isn't fun anymore so this will be my last post on this subject. First, seeing someone do something that looks dangerous even if it actually isn't is not good. To be overly dramatic, try walking into a bank with a toy gun. Second, so let me think, we have established that the inside of the bottle is contaminated and it has never tipped over and the liquid has never gotten into the threads or made it to the top. Let's also put aside the fact that doing this is a violation of the guest conduct policy. I could keep going but as I said, it's now way past old so nice chatting with you all....

[SunshineCruiser24]

I hardly consider filling a water bottle dangerous. A little backwash does not all of a sudden contaminate the entire bottle and make it a biohazard.

Edited February 9, 2015 by SunshineCruiser24

[davekathy]

We were on the Jewel last fall in the Solarium and observed a "gentleman" filling his bottles with fruit juice which he apparently intended to take on a shore excursion. Bottle firmly jammed onto the spout. We pointed it out to an employee who told him "next time please don't". Never saw the employee clean or replace the spout. And they wonder how Noro gets spread.

 

Yuck!

[Gwendy]

I hardly consider filling a water bottle dangerous. A little backwash does not all of a sudden contaminate the entire bottle and make it a biohazard.

 

Ever been on a ship with Noro virus? I'm all for hands free, bottle free, anything free from touching food or drink dispensers. I take a plastic bottle with me with a filter in it and refill my drinking water from this. On really long trips I take a spare filter but usually the one filter will suffice.

[cx7owner]

OK, this really isn't fun anymore so this will be my last post on this subject. First, seeing someone do something that looks dangerous even if it actually isn't is not good. To be overly dramatic, try walking into a bank with a toy gun. Second, so let me think, we have established that the inside of the bottle is contaminated and it has never tipped over and the liquid has never gotten into the threads or made it to the top. Let's also put aside the fact that doing this is a violation of the guest conduct policy. I could keep going but as I said, it's now way past old so nice chatting with you all....

 

Now we are concerned if something look dangerous at the drink machine. Like I said, this gets so overblown. I would be crazy if I worried about sh!t like that while on vacation. :D

[cx7owner]

Ever been on a ship with Noro virus? I'm all for hands free, bottle free, anything free from touching food or drink dispensers. I take a plastic bottle with me with a filter in it and refill my drinking water from this. On really long trips I take a spare filter but usually the one filter will suffice.

 

If someone has poop in their backwash we have bigger problems. My understanding is that common spit does not spread the Noro.

[SunshineCruiser24]

It's also in vomit.

 

But, a little back wash does not instantly contaminate the entire bottle and all of its surfaces. A screw top bottle, with a fold out straw, you are going to be safe unless you're rubbing the straw part all over the dispenser. Plus you should really be worried about serving utensils and door knobs and the little pushy bars to open doors. No, not just the ones in the bathroom... Handrailings...It always always amuses me when people use a paper towel to open the door of a bathroom, then use a hand rail to go up the stairs or uses the door knob of another door almost right after. You think stepping over the bathroom threshold magically sanitizes people's hands?

[chengkp75]

It's also in vomit.

 

But, a little back wash does not instantly contaminate the entire bottle and all of its surfaces. A screw top bottle, with a fold out straw, you are going to be safe unless you're rubbing the straw part all over the dispenser. Plus you should really be worried about serving utensils and door knobs and the little pushy bars to open doors. No, not just the ones in the bathroom... Handrailings...It always always amuses me when people use a paper towel to open the door of a bathroom, then use a hand rail to go up the stairs or uses the door knob of another door almost right after. You think stepping over the bathroom threshold magically sanitizes people's hands?

 

As another poster said, this will be my last post on this thread. I find it interesting that some folks feel that its okay to circumvent USPH requirements when it impacts them, but when a ship comes down with an infectious disease, whether noro, legionella, salmonella, e. coli, or whatever, they rant about how more needs to be done to protect them from these diseases.

 

If the USPH did not feel that reusing a glass (or water bottle) in a drink dispenser was a significant transmission vector, they would not have included it in their requirements. My only wish is that cruise lines would get the balls to enforce the requirements that they are supposed to live under 365 days a year, even if it inconveniences passengers.

[PennStateFan123]

Same as any other rules that are ignored. Why do people let kids in the solarium? Why do people save 50 chairs? Why do people let their kids run up and down the hallways at all hours? Because some people are selfish and don't give a rats behind about you

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SunshineCruiser24]

As another poster said, this will be my last post on this thread. I find it interesting that some folks feel that its okay to circumvent USPH requirements when it impacts them, but when a ship comes down with an infectious disease, whether noro, legionella, salmonella, e. coli, or whatever, they rant about how more needs to be done to protect them from these diseases.

 

 

 

If the USPH did not feel that reusing a glass (or water bottle) in a drink dispenser was a significant transmission vector, they would not have included it in their requirements. My only wish is that cruise lines would get the balls to enforce the requirements that they are supposed to live under 365 days a year, even if it inconveniences passengers.

 

 

I don't rant about I at all. Illness happens.

 

And as I said before, I've filled my bottle from dispensers that have zero contact. I just don't buy into the "the whole bottle is contaminated"

[davenew]

Why oh why oh why do people ignore the signs next to water dispensers and re-fill their water bottles?

 

On our recent cruise on a number of separate occasions we saw people putting the neck of the bottle they had just drunk out of on the spout of the water dispenser to support the bottle and fill it - uuugghhhhh :(

Yes, this is gross.

We were on the Adventure OS last September/Oct when 400 passengers went down with Noro, and we still saw people doing this (among other things). We told the staff, who replied that there was nothing they could do to stop it ??????:eek:

[awhcruiser]

:rolleyes:

And no liquid ever runs back down the straw into the bottle, right?

[trev71]

Ive seen it done many times its gross. I try not to think about it. I try to avoid using them water spouts. I just ask the bartender for a water or what not. Reminds me of being in elemantry school back in the late 80's seeing kids litreally put their whole mouth around the water spout of the water fountain

[Chirpbird]

If someone has poop in their backwash we have bigger problems. My understanding is that common spit does not spread the Noro.

OMG. LOL and spit coffee all over computer screen. :D