Non-premium Bottled Water

[Klala]

What does Celebrity consider as non-premium bottled what? What you would receive with the class beverage package.

[Moobaby214]

In the US it's Crystal Geyser, not one I prefer, its better than tap. Not sure for foreign departures.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Moobaby214

[rubydoobydoo]

What does Celebrity consider as non-premium bottled what? What you would receive with the class beverage package.

 

From what I have been told it is still water only no sparkling, don't know the brand

[cruisegirl1]

From what I have been told it is still water only no sparkling, don't know the brand

 

I believe you can get club soda.

M

[Lsimon]

Brand of the non-premium bottled water has not been consistent. I guess it depends on what is available at a low cost at a given port of call.

 

The premium is always Evian.

Premium also includes Perrier and San Pellegrino bottled sparking water.

[rubydoobydoo]

I believe you can get club soda.

M

 

 

I have not had club soda but I believe it has a salty taste, different to sparkling water, I am not sure if I would like it so I am upgrading to the premium package, just my own personal taste

[Hlitner]

We think the real "premium water" on Celebrity (and most other cruise lines) is the stuff that comes out of the tap :). This water is tested to even higher standards then anything in a bottle and there is no risk of chemicals leaching out of the plastic bottle and into the water (this does not happen with metal pipes.

 

If you are interesting in the leaching subject here is a link to some info:

 

http://infactvideo.com/episode/01/09/

 

We should add that for those who call themselves environmentalists, those plastic water bottles have caused a great deal of environmental damage.

 

Hank

[Lsimon]

We think the real "premium water" on Celebrity (and most other cruise lines) is the stuff that comes out of the tap :). This water is tested to even higher standards then anything in a bottle and there is no risk of chemicals leaching out of the plastic bottle and into the water (this does not happen with metal pipes.

 

If you are interesting in the leaching subject here is a link to some info:

 

http://infactvideo.com/episode/01/09/

 

We should add that for those who call themselves environmentalists, those plastic water bottles have caused a great deal of environmental damage.

 

Hank

 

This is an often debated topic here on Cruise Critic. There are many, including myself, that have serious bloating and swelling issues due to the high levels of sodium in the tap water on board. There are many others that do not have this issue - some of which deny that the tap water might effect other people since they have no issues with it. To me this is like denying that gluten or peanuts could effect someone allergic to either of these items if they themselves do not have such allergies.

 

Rather than replay the debate here I'll direct you to a thread from a while back that had a lot of this debate: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=28708782

If you search this forum for posts with the words "tap", "Bottled", and "water" I'm sure you'll find other similar threads covering the pros and cons.

 

As to the environmental and waste issues: Believe me when I say that I dislike using bottled water due to the amount of waste involved in the bottles. I never use these when we're at home and seldom if ever while traveling. But on a cruise there is no other option if we want to avoid the problems we have with the ship's tap water.

[DebbieMacG]

I can't drink the ships water either, I can't even take ice in a drink now as on the Equinox in November my fingers swelled up so much they were numb and so painful ( normally it's just ankles) I cut out the ice and after a couple of days they were fine.

 

I've seen several generic brands of classic package bottled water but mainly crystal geyser :)

[Iamthesea]

This is very interesting news. My feet and hands always swell up when on a cruise. I thought it was the salty food. I had no idea that the water could be involved. We drink the tap water for lunch and dinner on our cruises. I am going to ask for bottled water in the dining room for now on. With our package, we can get bottled water. I just hope that they do not bring out those huge bottles in the dining room. Perhaps I should skip the water in there and sip on the wine. :D

Edited April 23, 2014 by Iamthesea

[Hlitner]

Since I am not a chemist there is no way we can know for sure about the sodium content found in cruise ship water. But we did have dinner one evening, with the Environmental Officer from a Solstice Class ship (he was actually 3rd in command of the ship). Somebody raised the issue of swelling feet and ankles (DW and I both have this on many cruises) and what he told us was interesting. He claimed that the sodium content in the ship's water was actually less then we would get from most tap water at home, and less then is in many brands of bottled water. He further explained that the system they use to produce potable water (made from sea water) produces nearly pure distilled water. In fact, it is so tasteless that the ship adds back a measured amount of minerals to give the water some flavor.

 

So why do our feet and ankles swell? The best theory is that the galley adds liberal amounts of salt to nearly everything. Just watch professional chefs on TV and you will find that the pros love salt as it makes nearly everything taste better. Whether this is true or not is anyone's guess.

 

Hank

[fleckle]

Since I am not a chemist there is no way we can know for sure about the sodium content found in cruise ship water. But we did have dinner one evening, with the Environmental Officer from a Solstice Class ship (he was actually 3rd in command of the ship). Somebody raised the issue of swelling feet and ankles (DW and I both have this on many cruises) and what he told us was interesting. He claimed that the sodium content in the ship's water was actually less then we would get from most tap water at home, and less then is in many brands of bottled water.

How interesting! That is exactly what we were told last year by the Environmental Officer on Brilliance of the Seas when the same subject came up in discussion for the same reasons.

[jedreyling]

The premium is always Evian.

[rubydoobydoo]

I have never considered the fact that my ankles swell because of water, I drink jugfulls of it when I go out to dinner anywhere but rarely touch it at home

 

I am going to keep a watch on the water and salt I consume from now to see if it helps, thanks for bringing it up as I always put it down to high heel shoes

[Sheik]

It's so weird that Celebrity calls Evian water premium. It's one of the cheapest brands in our supermarket. A liter costs 32 (euro)cents. For that reason I never pay the high prices for Evian on a cruise. We don't like ice water, so we are forced to drink wine. :)

Edited April 23, 2014 by Sheik

[Lsimon]

Since I am not a chemist there is no way we can know for sure about the sodium content found in cruise ship water. But we did have dinner one evening, with the Environmental Officer from a Solstice Class ship (he was actually 3rd in command of the ship). Somebody raised the issue of swelling feet and ankles (DW and I both have this on many cruises) and what he told us was interesting. He claimed that the sodium content in the ship's water was actually less then we would get from most tap water at home, and less then is in many brands of bottled water. He further explained that the system they use to produce potable water (made from sea water) produces nearly pure distilled water. In fact, it is so tasteless that the ship adds back a measured amount of minerals to give the water some flavor.

 

So why do our feet and ankles swell? The best theory is that the galley adds liberal amounts of salt to nearly everything. Just watch professional chefs on TV and you will find that the pros love salt as it makes nearly everything taste better. Whether this is true or not is anyone's guess.

 

Hank

 

The above is interesting as it is in direct contrast with the facts explained to me in a lecture a couple years back given by Celebrity's fleet water systems engineer, who happened to be on board that cruise. A summary of the discussion is posted in the thread I linked to above and it explains the different systems used and why the sodium level in the ship's water is above common levels.

Edited April 23, 2014 by Lsimon

[Iamthesea]

Thanks Larry. I will go read that thread. :)

[Hlitner]

The above is interesting as it is in direct contrast with the facts explained to me in a lecture a couple years back given by Celebrity's fleet water systems engineer, who happened to be on board that cruise. A summary of the discussion is posted in the thread I linked to above and it explains the different systems used and why the sodium level in the ship's water is above common levels.

 

Just read that thread and found it interesting. Not sure what to think anymore :(. We will soon be on a long (26 day) Princess cruise and might try to limit our water/ice tea intake and see what happens. But when we cruised on 2 longer Celebrity cruises in Aqua Class, we primarily drank bottled water since it was provided free as part of that class. We still had the usual foot/ankle swelling.

 

I should add a couple of other things we have learned over the years. DW, based on advice from our family physician, actually increased her water intake on cruises (and we are generally talking about the free ice tea and tap water) and noticed her swelling decreased. Our physician explained that drinking more fluids helps flush excess sodium out of one's body. Another interesting post was a few years here on CC. It was about a physician who suggested just standing in the ship's swimming pool for a few hours every day. Besides turning you into a prune, the water pressure helps reduce swelling in much the same way as pressure socks.

 

And there is one more related issue. Most brands of bottled water have sodium (many brands actually add it) so one needs to carefully read the label and adjust brands as necessary. For years there was a rumor that the major soda companies (who make a fortune from bottled water) added sodium to make users more thirsty so they would buy more water. You have to love this stuff

 

Hank

Edited April 23, 2014 by Hlitner

[miched]

 

So why do our feet and ankles swell? The best theory is that the galley adds liberal amounts of salt to nearly everything. Just watch professional chefs on TV and you will find that the pros love salt as it makes nearly everything taste better. Whether this is true or not is anyone's guess.

 

Hank

 

 

My MIL is from Kentucky. Her theory of cooking is if it doesn't taste right add more salt or sugar, and that is after it has been fried in bacon grease.

 

🌅

[Lsimon]

Just read that thread and found it interesting. Not sure what to think anymore :(. We will soon be on a long (26 day) Princess cruise and might try to limit our water/ice tea intake and see what happens. But when we cruised on 2 longer Celebrity cruises in Aqua Class, we primarily drank bottled water since it was provided free as part of that class. We still had the usual foot/ankle swelling....

 

My take on this is that the swelling from hands, feet, etc. can come from difference sources. Sodium is a big culprit but there are other changes we make in our lifestyles on a cruise as far as the amount of activity and change in climate. Clearly the food on the ship has a high sodium content compared to our normal diet and I'm sure the food was a leading cause of the swelling and bloating we used to experience. But cutting out the ship's tap water and switching to bottled water seemed to tip the scales just to the side where we didn't have the swelling anymore. But for others the switch in water might not make enough of a difference to eliminate the problem. It could be due to the variance from your normal diet or it could relate to factors other than sodium ingestion.

 

For new cruisers reading this: Don't overthink this. Most cruisers have no issue with the ship's water and it is usually pretty good otherwise. I wouldn't recommend bothering with the bottled water on board unless you do find the tap water causes problems for you. Just keep an eye out for swollen hands or feet and keep this in mind if you do experience these symptoms.

[TickledBlue]

Interesting on how such a simple question draws a debate.

 

I had the same question too but I'd also like to know what size of bottle do you get. I'm wondering about this because I'd like to know how easy it is to carry off on shore excursions.

[Ma Bell]

My take on this is that the swelling from hands, feet, etc. can come from difference sources. Sodium is a big culprit but there are other changes we make in our lifestyles on a cruise as far as the amount of activity and change in climate. Clearly the food on the ship has a high sodium content compared to our normal diet and I'm sure the food was a leading cause of the swelling and bloating we used to experience. But cutting out the ship's tap water and switching to bottled water seemed to tip the scales just to the side where we didn't have the swelling anymore. But for others the switch in water might not make enough of a difference to eliminate the problem. It could be due to the variance from your normal diet or it could relate to factors other than sodium ingestion.

 

For new cruisers reading this: Don't overthink this. Most cruisers have no issue with the ship's water and it is usually pretty good otherwise. I wouldn't recommend bothering with the bottled water on board unless you do find the tap water causes problems for you. Just keep an eye out for swollen hands or feet and keep this in mind if you do experience these symptoms.

 

I agree with this completely. After experimenting to see what the cause was we have found it is the ship's water for us. Even now, if I try to drink the ship's water, I have the same problem again.

[wpgcycler]

It's so weird that Celebrity calls Evian water premium. It's one of the cheapest brands in our supermarket. A liter costs 32 (euro)cents. For that reason I never pay the high prices for Evian on a cruise. We don't like ice water, so we are forced to drink wine. :)

 

It is indeed weird. The explanation for its North American success however can easily be found by simply reading the name Evian backwards. ;)

[Sheik]

It is indeed weird. The explanation for its North American success however can easily be found by simply reading the name Evian backwards. ;)

 

Sorry guys, but I need to Like this post :D I've never thought about reading it backwards....English is not my native language so maybe that's why...

[DebbieMacG]

Maybe it is the food as well as the water and some peoples bodies cannot tolerate both.

 

I like salt on some of my food at home, we don't use it in cooking preferring to season once the dish is cooked but on the ship I never use salt at dinner. That must mean that the food already has a high enough salt content.

 

At home we don't drink bottled water as the tap water is very good. I did read up on the contents of bottled water and interestingly found that one of the few bottled waters that was ok was crystal geyser a brand celebrity use a lot for the classic package.

 

The reaction I had last time was very extreme and painful I already cut out water a few cruises back but always been able to have ice in a drink, this time I had to cut the ice out as well.

 

It doesn't affect my husband at all :rolleyes: