WOW...this is a first for me...how RUDE can Holland be !

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, lissie said:

LOL - that will be because he sells them! 

More likely it's because there is a difference in the waters. 

Distilled water, as noted by Turtles06, is pure water. Nothing else is in it except hydrogen and oxygen. 
Purified water has had all the additional elements in it removed, then the minerals and salts are returned to the water, giving it some flavor. The non-pure elements are done. 
Spring water can have anything in it that was there when the water came out of the ground. Doesn't make it bad for drinking, but can make it bad for a CPAP machine. 

When ships ran on steam engines, they used distilled water. The Rotterdam V was one I know of for certain. That ship needed the purest water possible. This was told to me by an engineer who spent a lot of time working that ship. 

[ddauber]

Just back from EuroDam and we preordered the distilled water.  It never showed up.  Asked the steward and never received it.  Asked again and was told to call room service.  They brought it up within 30 mins, but wanted to charge us $5.90 for it.  I sent it back and said I wanted it for the price I ordered it at.  Never heard back from them.  Kinda aggravated at the staff for this.  Went the 10 days without any water in it.

[lissie]

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

It's not about "sensitivity" to water, it's about preventing mineral buildup (scaling) in the device from minerals in the water, and also keeping bacteria out.  Perhaps there are no minerals in NZ water?  And too pure for bacteria? 

 

Where I live ie my specific town and associated aquifers - yes there is no /few minerals in the water. And there's no lime scale  as we are not in limestone country. There are a few areas of the country that do have limestone - but its not common.  

 

Re bacteria - no I don't expect bacteria in drinking water - if there was a boil water notice on our tap water obviously you wouldn't use it in a cpap . Seriously though he's been using it for about 8 months now - and no build up  and the reservoir is silicon and I think gets replaced at 12 months anyways 

[3Shelaghs]

On 3/15/2023 at 10:39 PM, Turtles06 said:

If I might ask a related question -- will HAL provide a long extension cord if requested pre-cruise?   And to whom does one make that request?   

 

Thanks!

I believe this is who we notify. In the cabin and taped to the carpet before we get there 🙂

guestrelations@hollandamerica.com

[Haljo1935]

On 3/15/2023 at 6:07 AM, pmjnh said:

...I do also drink the tap water and it tastes fine. I have a system for drinking and it involved the ice bucket filled twice a day and letting it melt..although I know the ice comes from the same tap water source it somehow makes me feel better about drinking it ,haha

been doing the same for years...I know it's the same water, but like it cold (and free), so for me, melted ice is the way to go!

[Blackduck59]

For the most part cruise ship desalination is like a giant distillation plant, so it is distilled water but it isn't by the time it gets to your stateroom tap. Now my CPAP is worth over $1,000.00 so I'll just stick with the distilled water, if it costs $5.90 for the gallon jug which will last my whole 11 day cruise...oh well. I mean 50 cents a day, the cruise cost $10,000.00

[oakridger]

Price right now on HAL website:

 

Water

$2.95

DISTILLED WATER ONE GALLON $2.95

$2.95

Buy Now

Edited March 27, 2023 by oakridger

[3Shelaghs]

16 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

For the most part cruise ship desalination is like a giant distillation plant, so it is distilled water but it isn't by the time it gets to your stateroom tap. Now my CPAP is worth over $1,000.00 so I'll just stick with the distilled water, if it costs $5.90 for the gallon jug which will last my whole 11 day cruise...oh well. I mean 50 cents a day, the cruise cost $10,000.00

Has your distilled water skyrocketed in BC?? Holy Mackeral, we used to pick up at Walmart or Sobeys in Ontario for $1.50.....NOW $3.99......... !!!!

[Crazy For Cats]

12 hours ago, oakridger said:

Price right now on HAL website:

 

Water

$2.95

DISTILLED WATER ONE GALLON $2.95

$2.95

Buy Now

If anyone needs distilled water for their CPAP I recommend ordering it now at this price.  Locally I’ve seen it as low as .99 gal (Market Basket) but as high as 2.45 at a drug store.  DH uses it at home.  He bought a travel version and no longer needs it on a BHB.

[Turtles06]

21 minutes ago, 3Shelaghs said:

Has your distilled water skyrocketed in BC?? Holy Mackeral, we used to pick up at Walmart or Sobeys in Ontario for $1.50.....NOW $3.99......... !!!!

 

Here in the U.S., at various points since the pandemic began, there have been supply chain issues with getting distilled water.  Sometimes it's been plentiful, and at others the shelves have been bare. 

[Blackduck59]

46 minutes ago, 3Shelaghs said:

Has your distilled water skyrocketed in BC?? Holy Mackeral, we used to pick up at Walmart or Sobeys in Ontario for $1.50.....NOW $3.99......... !!!!

No I was using an amount from someone else's previous post on this thread. Apparently per a price from on board the cruise. We pay about $3.00 on shore here. I actually have to buy some today. 

Even at the higher price, it's incidental on a $10,000.00 cruise. 

[OlsSalt]

Here is one possibility for charging up front for the water required for CPAP use. It may help them control the inventory they need to stock.  Water is heavy to store, and one gets the sense they are cutting down on carrying weight in every way they can. Carry just enough as needed, but not too much that may go to waste.

 

Will weighing passengers come next, like they do for smaller air craft - before, after or during the cruise? Somethings I wish they would kick me off after I exceed a pre-set BMI number, gained while just on board.   🤐

[CruisingGrandmaW]

Glad I came across this discussion.

Getting ready to cruise again - FINALLY.

Last cruise was Fall of 2019 -- when distilled water was no problem to order via Navigator on board.

I had also pre-ordered for the first week of cruise, before boarding.

 

From comments here, I will make sure to pre-order for my upcoming cruise. 

You used to be able to select the day of delivery when ordering online.

Hope it's the same.

 

 

[SusieKIslandGirl]

After my last shopping excursion looking for distilled water and either not finding any or at a ridiculous price, I jokingly asked DH if he could build a still. Then an idea hit! Look on Amazon. Am now the owner of a bright red water distiller for less than $80. I can supply the entire family🤣.

[docsievers]

I too use a CPAP and have for a couple of decades. I did order distilled water on a HAL Grand Voyage many years ago and do not recall paying for it. I found, however, that I used very little water due to the humidity at sea on a cruise ship. Since that cruise, I have left my tank at home and done fine. My bigger issue with the cruise lines (and most hotel, as well) is getting power for the CPAP from an accessible 120V outlet next to the bed. On some ships I stretched an extension cord across the room from the vanity - then they started forbidding extension cords. My room steward was able to get an "approved" one so I could plug in. Since that time, I found Amazon has some excellent 240V-120V converters so I can use that 240V outlet next to the bed for my CPAP. The one I have also has USB ports so I can charge my phone, reader, and camera batteries while sleeping. But I am sure most experienced cruisers already have 2 or 3 converters for use on cruise ships. If you do not have one yet, be sure you get one that converts the power and not just enables using your "American" plugs in the European outlets.  

[RuthC]

3 hours ago, docsievers said:

On some ships I stretched an extension cord across the room from the vanity - then they started forbidding extension cords.

HAL doesn't forbid extension cords on their ships. Cords with a plug on one end, and an outlet on the other are perfectly all right. 
I keep one in my CPAP case for use in pre-/post-cruise hotels, and on the ship itself. 

The 'forbidden' ones are the ones with a power surge protector built in. The plain, old fashioned kind are perfectly fine, and are allowed. 

[Dutchman48]

1 hour ago, RuthC said:

HAL doesn't forbid extension cords on their ships. Cords with a plug on one end, and an outlet on the other are perfectly all right. 
I keep one in my CPAP case for use in pre-/post-cruise hotels, and on the ship itself. 

The 'forbidden' ones are the ones with a power surge protector built in. The plain, old fashioned kind are perfectly fine, and are allowed. 

Like Ruth said just no surge protectors.

Wife keeps both an extension cord and a plug adapter in her CPAP case. As most CPAPS can handle 110-220 vols no voltage converter is needed.

[OlsSalt]

20 hours ago, Dutchman48 said:

Like Ruth said just no surge protectors.

Wife keeps both an extension cord and a plug adapter in her CPAP case. As most CPAPS can handle 110-220 vols no voltage converter is needed.

 

These are the extension cords they prohibit on board:

[mikebsxm]

Most CPAP machines perform perfectly on any voltage from 100 - 240.  So no converter needed, just a very cheap adapter from European round prongs to US flat blades.  Been doing that for years on HAL ships, and no extension cord needed.

[RuthC]

54 minutes ago, mikebsxm said:

Been doing that for years on HAL ships, and no extension cord needed.

Whether or not you need an extension cord on a HAL ship depends on what class of ship you are sailing on, and what category of ship within that class. 
Until I had an accessible cabin on a Pinnacle class ship, I never stayed in a HAL cabin where I did not need an extension cord. That includes many (mostly inside) different cabins, over 60 cruises, on 18 different ships. 

Better to have a cord and not need it, than to need one and not have it. 

[SusieKIslandGirl]

On many but not all ships, we've found a European outlet behind the head of the bed. The night light is sacrificed but DH usually doesn't want it anyway.

[Blackduck59]

I'm not sure why we this old thread has been resurrected, the whole thing including the lame title was pretty petty. I'm having a hard time understanding how anyone gets bent out of shape because the cruise line won't give them a jug of distilled water, seriously? When the OP walks into a store at home to get distilled water, does he just walk out with the water and not pay? If you can afford the cruise you can afford the distilled water.

[Shippy]

18 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

I'm not sure why we this old thread has been resurrected, the whole thing including the lame title was pretty petty. I'm having a hard time understanding how anyone gets bent out of shape because the cruise line won't give them a jug of distilled water, seriously? When the OP walks into a store at home to get distilled water, does he just walk out with the water and not pay? If you can afford the cruise you can afford the distilled water.

I TOTALLY agree with you & I AM THE ONE THAT STARTED THIS THREAD !

We cruise most all the cruise lines  & no other cruise line has ever charged us a penny for distilled water.

Just got used to it being a usual perk & was bummed at Holland for charging but am now OK with it.

In fact, it probably will not be long before the other lines do. It seems when one cruise line tries something different that generates $$, it is not long before the others follow.

   I am old & come from a time where they did not charge for soda, bottled water, fresh squeezed orange juice, fancy coffee. There was no such thing as a pay restaurant. Your boarding passes were mailed to you & you got a leather room key case when you got onboard.

Pictures were $2.95. Each Bingo game gave back ALL the money taken in from the sale of cards for that game. I am sure there are many things I cannot recall

BUT we will pay for the water & I still think cruising is the best value out there !

 

[RedIguana]

On 3/16/2023 at 8:52 PM, RuthC said:

Distilled water, as noted by Turtles06, is pure water. Nothing else is in it except hydrogen and oxygen. 
Purified water has had all the additional elements in it removed, then the minerals and salts are returned to the water, giving it some flavor. The non-pure elements are done. 

No offense, but both these statements are not necessarily true. Distilled water, unless purified by RO or deionization before distillation, will retain any components with a boiling point below that of water. Alcoholic spirits are distilled below the boiling point of water to remove the water. Most commercial distilled water is probably in the 2 to 0.1 megohm range. For comparison the de-ionization system I use at work produces sub 18 megohm water (completely pure is around 18.2 megohm theoretical).

If you purify water and then add back salts and minerals, you no longer have purified water. Minerals and salts are both compounds, not pure elements.

Modern systems rarely use distillation for water purification, due the extreme energy requirements to heat water. Carbon filtration followed be reverse osmosis is most likely the bulk of it, de-ionization is used when ultra-pure water is required. Micro filtration is also becoming more common. UV is often used as a disinfectant.

Ships may still use actual distillation, as the waste heat from the engines can be used as the energy source. Other industries with excess waste heat may also favor distillation.

[RedIguana]

On 1/16/2024 at 7:16 PM, Shippy said:

We cruise most all the cruise lines  & no other cruise line has ever charged us a penny for distilled water.

Just got used to it being a usual perk & was bummed at Holland for charging but am now OK with it.

I'm not sure if the other lines allow you to bring your own on board, which HAL does, hence the no-charge on the other lines. At least the rate is roughly retail, they are probably losing money on it when overhead is figured in. And lugging a few gallons of water around is a real pain, especially if flying in. I'll make room for wine  (buy in port if flying), but at $3 a gallon I am not lugging around water.