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Finally lowering bottled water prices

leeker13

By leeker13,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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tomballcruiser

tomballcruiser

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Posted

Maybe I am missing something but I just looked and we paid $70.74 for a 24 pack of water and not $59.95 as the chart from ncl quotes. All the more reason to be super excited about the price drop...if $44.95 is correct. We are on the Dawn for spring break. Love my bottled water but will love having the OBC to spend in the spa more!

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fshagan

fshagan

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All newer ships (probably those built in the last 10 to 12 years at least) use a reverse osmosis on-board system that removes salt from sea water and therefore the water coming out of the tap is roughly the same as most bottled water today. I know this does not normally add some of the minerals that add taste but strictly on a purity basis.

 

If we have any true water specialist out there please chime in if you agree/disagree but not just opinions of "armchair quarterbacks" that have no technical background please.

 

We have a Chief Engineer, chengkp75 (profile: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/member.php?u=945200) who chimes in from time to time. From his posts, if I'm recapping them correctly, there are three sources of water on a ship. In ports, the ship can take on water from the port facilities, but has to segregate it for testing and additional sanitation prior to mixing it with the other two sources of water. The second method he mentions is water made from steam; the sea water is pressurized, then waste heat from the engines is used to flash it to steam, then the steam is condensed into distilled water. The third method is the one you mention, passing the seawater through a reverse osmosis membrane to produce salt-free water. Of the two methods of producing water on board, the steam distillation method is the cheapest and so usually what you'll get. It is run through calcium carbonite to adjust the pH, if I recall correctly, to ensure the addition of chlorine is effective in killing pathogens.

 

The ship's water is in a closed "loop" system and is continuously circulating (unlike your tap water at home that lies dormant in pipes until you open a tap). It is continuously monitored for the proper chlorine level at the farthest point from the chlorine injection site which is usually by the bridge. Liquid chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, is injected to maintain a level of .05 ppm (if I recall correctly ... I may be off on that). This chemical is the same as laundry bleach or swimming pool liquid chlorine. In municipal water systems sodium hypochlorite has the nasty side effects of being very short lived so can dissipate in the pipes if you haven't opened your tap in a while, and of producing byproducts of sanitation that are carcinogens. The byproducts of sanitation that are carcinogenic are due to the reaction of the chlorine with organic compounds in the water system. Organic compounds are less likely in a closed loop system above ground like on a ship, in my opinion. In this respect I estimate that the water on board the ship is a tiny bit safer than a municipal water system (but both are perfectly safe).

 

So, many municipalities like mine no longer use chlorine but a different chemical, chloramines, to sanitize their water. Chloramines are longer lived, so they don't dissipate in the pipes. And they don't produce the same level of byproducts of sanitation if they come into contact with organic compounds like tree roots that infiltrate old piping systems. And they don't impart as much smell and taste to the water as sodium hypochlorite.

 

I find the water on the ship to smell and taste like pool water. Where they filter it, which is where ever it is served to guests, it tastes fine.

 

We use a water softener at home because our municipal water system delivers water at 21 to 25 grains of hardness. That is extremely hard. Our water therefore has a high sodium content which I don't care too much about, but the sodium affects the taste. So we drink bottled water at home for taste. Strictly for taste.

 

The ship's water is fine. Everyone like me who is drinking bottled water because of taste is wasting money. So is everyone drinking beer, wine or alcohol. There is no reason to drink alcoholic beverages because the water is safe. Drink the water instead. We don't need the alcohol to kill pathogens in the water any longer, but alcoholic beverages are still sold and consumed by people who will waste money on it.

 

Actually, money spent on bottled water or canned beer is not wasted. It is recirculated, like the water in the ship's piping, to employ and reward everyone involved. I get sweet tasting water I prefer and the beer drinker gets whatever satisfaction he gets from drinking beer. The people selling us the product earn a living. So it's all good.

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luckyinpa

luckyinpa

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We use a water softener at home because our municipal water system delivers water at 21 to 25 grains of hardness. That is extremely hard. Our water therefore has a high sodium content which I don't care too much about, but the sodium affects the taste. So we drink bottled water at home for taste. Strictly for taste.

 

.

 

ditto with 26 grains here but i dont drink the water. i have a 5 gallon water cooler jug and i bypass the softener and fill it once a week or whenever it needs it. much cheaper than bottled water and i hear the hard water is great for your insides

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flexsmom

flexsmom

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Maybe I am missing something but I just looked and we paid $70.74 for a 24 pack of water and not $59.95 as the chart from ncl quotes. All the more reason to be super excited about the price drop...if $44.95 is correct. We are on the Dawn for spring break. Love my bottled water but will love having the OBC to spend in the spa more!

 

$59.95+18% is the $70,74 you paid. So the new price paid should end up being $53.04, I believe, after adding the mandatory 18%. Better than it was, at least.....

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Curtw

Curtw

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Still a ripoff, NCL is the nickel and dime you to death cruise line champ-no thanks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Agreed! Still more than TRIPLE the cost on Carnival. Not a reasonable difference.

 

And before someone chimes in "maybe you should cruise another line"...got your message loud and clear. We are.

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ColeThornton Holiday Sharing Rare

ColeThornton

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Agreed! Still more than TRIPLE the cost on Carnival. Not a reasonable difference.

 

And before someone chimes in "maybe you should cruise another line"...got your message loud and clear. We are.

 

 

Like that old country song says "how can we miss you if you won't go away".

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NCLfamily

NCLfamily

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Agreed! Still more than TRIPLE the cost on Carnival. Not a reasonable difference.

 

 

 

And before someone chimes in "maybe you should cruise another line"...got your message loud and clear. We are.

 

 

We'll get off the NCL board.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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ashley@cruisecritic

ashley@cruisecritic

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Old prices were outrageous. New prices are still outrageous. Hey NCL - when we were on Carnival Breeze in Oct 2015 we pre-purchased a 12-pack of water to be delivered to the cabin - for $2.99. :rolleyes:

 

Carnival 12-packs are now $4.50, and they're 16.9-ounce bottles, not 1-liter like the NCL 12-packs are. Not agreeing or disagreeing that the prices are too high. Just pointing out that it's not a totally apples-to-apples comparison.

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NCLfamily

NCLfamily

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Lol, I think you meant "Well", but "We'll" allow you to get off the board if that is what you're offering.

 

 

My predictive text along with the fact I was 3 red wines in is my excuse.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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Ddmc

Ddmc

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So silly. The bottles that the cruise line sells are 1 liter. That is double the size of what most people buy for home. Most convenience stores sell those bottles for $1.75-2.50. If you buy the 24, you are paying $2.21. I can't believe that there are 60 posts on this. Keep writing letters, go back to Carnival, call customer service. Do the rest of us a favor, go join the Carnival forum. The OP was letting people know that the prices came down. Thank you.

 

 

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