Water on ships: Do you drink it from the tap?

[Crazy Cruzer]

There have been posts extolling how clean and pure the tap water on X's ships is, and other posts with horror stories about the muck which came from the faucets of some of our favorite ships. What is your take?

 

Vote twice! There are two types of questions here, so first tell us if you've had problems, and then if you'll drink it next cruise. And leave a comment about your opinion and experience.

[crisp1]

I usually drink it from a glass. It gets kind of messy drinking directly from the tap

[Andym]

Too many options, and you can only vote once.

[Druke I]

Modern ships' water systems produces cleaner water than many US municipal systems.

[emcee207]

Now I know why you call yourself Crazy Cruzer!!!

[alolewis]

On our Summit Alaska cruise I noticed that in every port where we docked(not tendered) the potable water hose was immediately hooked up and removed just prior to sailing, the water on the ship probably came from Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway municipal water systems. It is expensive to make water on the ship. Potable water hoses are blue or have blue fittings. However, on a Princess cruise to Panama canal, never saw the water line hooked up in ports so maybe they don't load water in foreign ports.

[Eliger]

Just came back from the Summit doing the Panama Canal itinerary. I would not hesitate to drink water out of the tap and I did, although sparingly. The problem was that the water was not cold. In fact it was almost hot! It was ok to take medication, but not to drink a refreshing glass of water.

[LuAnn]

But then, I grew up in San Diego and we have the worst tasting water in the nation...and I think it's normal! :confused:

[idssms]

The blue drinking water on the Millennium is sea water boiled (desalinized) and is great to drink. A few chemicals are added for killing bacteria but that is by law I think, ie chlorine...

 

I drink the water from the tap and have never gotten sick. The watered down ice is also great to drink and its from the same sea water..

 

Don

[joramrose]

Just came back from the Summit doing the Panama Canal itinerary. I would not hesitate to drink water out of the tap and I did, although sparingly. The problem was that the water was not cold. In fact it was almost hot! It was ok to take medication, but not to drink a refreshing glass of water.

 

That's why I insist on only one thing from my cabin steward -- that he keep the ice bucket filled!!

 

We have great municipal water in my hometown, and yet some people still insist on buying bottled water. I don't understand the need.

 

love

joan

[F5Loar]

It's called fear of the unknown but now that you know it's purified by modern filtering systems you know it's okay to drink it. I bet they got a guy testing it daily on board.

[trcori]

... to us, anyway. We drink lots of ice water from the room pitcher and also the ice water in the restaurant. Here at home in the NW, we filter our water in a Brita pitcher, though the unfiltered version is still vastly better than the Southern California and Nevada yuckiness we endured before that! Glad the ship water is tasty, as short of bringing our own onboard, we'd be a bit thirsty -- the noncarbonated water sold on our X cruises so far has always been Evian, which tastes to me like warm spit ... ewww. (The mineral mix in Dasani or Aquafina hits our palates better.) But whatever works for you! -- TR

[negc]

If you check, I believe you will find that Dasani and Aquafina are merely refined municipal tap water. I really find it silly to pay the high rates that the bottlers charge for water that frequently is the equivalent of what comes from my own tap.:)

[cruiseyguy]

Cruiseship water is distilled onboard and is purer than your municipal tap water.

[idssms]

On my May 05 trip I took a private tour on deck -4 on the Millennium and saw the distillery area,,, WOW, talk about big tanks and boilers,, you d have to see it to believe it. They do add chemicals to the water unlike real distilled water in the store.

 

I have a few pics of the area on my website pics..

 

 

idssms

[idssms]

On my May 05 trip I took a private tour on deck -4 on the Millennium and saw the distillery area,,, WOW, talk about big tanks and boilers,, you d have to see it to believe it. They do add chemicals to the water unlike real distilled water in the store.

 

I have a few pics of the area on my website pics..

 

 

idssms

[CelebrityMan]

Hi,

 

Chaulk us up as ones who use only the water available in the chromed pitcher, chilled with ice from the ice bucket. I have used the tap water (at night) for medications, but always found it too warm for palatability.

 

Our stewards have always been gracious to keep the ice refreshed.

 

 

 

 

CM

[tuggers]

I'm a bottled water drinker, even at home. But do brush my teeth with tap water. I'm not afraid to drink it, I just prefer bottled.

[canderson]

Hi,

 

Chaulk us up as ones who use only the water available in the chromed pitcher, chilled with ice from the ice bucket. I have used the tap water (at night) for medications, but always found it too warm for palatability.

Our stewards have always been gracious to keep the ice refreshed.

CM

I still get a chuckle out of the folks who want to know why the water from the "cold" tap in their staterooms isn't "cold" like it is at home. You'd think that they believed their municipal water department was refrigerating it for them.:p

[TSCOTT]

When on a cruise, I always bring bottled water with me, but I don't necessarily limit myself to just bottled water. If I happen to run out, I switch to tap water without hesitation. I've never had a problem with the taste of tap water aboard a ship. By the way, I only drink bottled water at home.