Tummy Aches

[Big_Tex]

Don't laugh at me...... BUT......

Is it safe to drink the water?

 

Do most people bring bottled water from home? Or is drinking the local water, soft drinks, or mixed drinks safe? I do not want to spend my first cruise in the bathroom with a tummy ache..... Any good suggestions?

 

NCL Sea out of Houston, TX

 

[98Charlie]

Sanitation on the ship is probably as good or better than most hotels or restaurants in the US.

 

In ports it is always best to use caution. Drink bottled water instead of tap water. Bottled beverages instead of tap beverages or mixed drinks. Don't forget that ice is made from the local water.

 

We were on the Sea May 8 this year and had a great time! Sitting in the airport on the return trip I found an article in the Sunday Houston newspaper about a doctor that may have come up with a preventative medicine for some traveller's discomfort. (I think that was the phrase they used.)

 

According to the article something like 60% of the people who visit Mexico from Texas endure a bout with e-coli, some worse than others. They took samples from 30 restaurants in Guadalajara (I believe). They found E-coli in the following items:<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Green Salsa - 70% of the samples had the bacteria.<LI>Red Salsa - 80%<LI>Pica Gallardo - 90%<LI>Guacamole - 100%

[cruisinqt]

As for the cruise ship, drink anything and everything to your heart's content and don't worry about it. As seasoned cruiser's we have had water, sodas, and mixed drinks on the ships and never had a problem.

 

As for Mexico, they say the water is okay for drinking, but even the locals can be seen drinking bottled water. I would say bottled water and canned sodas are okay in Mexico. If you order a fountain drink, you're probably okay too. The fountain drinks are mixes bought from vendor's that do not contain local drinking water. It's just a carbonated beverage mixed with flavoring. We have had no problem with fountain drinks in Mexico, either. I think as a general rule of thumb, I would not drink anything that would need local water to be made, like tea, coffee, or lemonade. These things might be okay, but we stayed away from them and stuck to bottled water and soft drinks and were okay.

 

As for other ports like the Cayman islands, Key West, and other prosperous areas, we drank anything we wanted and had no problem. If you have specific questions about certain ports, go to the ports of call section. It is on the main message board. Just click on ports of call and you'll see all of the Mexico ports like Belize, Cozumel, and Cancun. You'll also see tons of other ports from all over the world. There will be tons of information about each port of call. It has helped me a great deal each time I was trying to decide where to go on certain shore excursions. I hope this helps. Enjoy your cruise.

[CaptData]

Yes, you can drink ship's water and eat the food. When you leave the ship unless you are from there do not drink the local water. Drink bottled water if you are easily upset. When I drink local conncotions I always drink it without ice which is made from local water.

 

On Paridise Island we were told on the ship and the tour buss that they use only certified clean water there. This was for the Paridise Beach break. Their food was checked as well. We enjoyed the free drinks, food ect. My doctor told me not to eat or drink local foods aff the ship.

 

MS Maasdam 6 - 17 Feb 05

 

 Until I sail away on the ocean blue

 

 

 

Navigator of the Seas Western Crib 08/03

Dawn Princess - Eastern Carb 01/03

Dawn Princess Panamal Canal 11/02

 

[Shelli]

Ships desalinate their own drinking water supply, and it's quite pure. Generally, you'll find ship's water to taste just fine, but even if the taste isn't perfect (on one cruise out of my last 10, it tasted kinda funky!), it certainly won't hurt you in any way.

 

Yes, off the ship is different. I never had a problem on the Eastern itinerary, though-- I've had drinks in the Bahamas, St. Thomas, San Juan, and St. Maarten with no problems.

 

The Ultimate Cruise Kit

 

Coming up: Caribbean Princess - September 2004

 

[CaribbeanCruisesRock]

On the ship it is safe to drink to the water......... at the islands you have to be more careful of what you drink. Sometimes on the islands it isn't safe to drink the water.

[BrodyBarb]

The water here in Barbados is great! Much better than what I used to drink in the UK with all that clorine!! (and you could never use the 'hot' tap (faucet) for cooking or drinking as it was worse than the cold!!)

But here you can use both for drinking etc. because it's so good!

[Trevoli]

I would also be careful of eating any fruit that you don't peel before eating, like apples. Bananas are probably OK.

 

Take along Immodium AD just in case. When you need it, that stuff is worth double its weight in gold!!

 

T

[JamieLynne]

Another thing you might want to watch out for on land are salads. I'm lucky in that I apparently have a cast-iron stomach - I've been to Mexico and the Caribbean countless times, and can drink water straight from the tap wherever I go. But my husband has gotten Montezuma's revenge more than once on those same vacations ;)