Vero Water® purification system

[shuguley]

On February 11th, Regent announced that fleet wide, beginning  "this spring", the entire fleet would transition to the Vero Water purification system and, thereby, eliminate plastic disposable bottled water.  Well, spring has sprung so I was wondering if the transition has in fact been made and how well it has been accepted?

 

My wife has real concerns about how she is going to carry enough of the heavy refillable bottles for an extended day trip.  Having to carry around bottles all day will be a problem for many.  My wife is not a happy cruiser about this change.

[Travelcat2]

I’m also wondering what’s going on because we were told while on Explorer last month that the new system would be installed while Explorer was in Miami. Well, Explorer arrived and left Miami and is now in Europe so it leaves me curious as to when the change will occur.  

 

Ideally, they would give us plastic bottles with water when we leave the ship (that can be recycled).  Maybe it is wishful thinking but I assume that the bottles onboard the ships might be too costly to allow them off of the ship where some would likely be lost.

[wishIweretravelling]

10 hours ago, shuguley said:

On February 11th, Regent announced that fleet wide, beginning  "this spring", the entire fleet would transition to the Vero Water purification system and, thereby, eliminate plastic disposable bottled water.  Well, spring has sprung so I was wondering if the transition has in fact been made and how well it has been accepted?

 

My wife has real concerns about how she is going to carry enough of the heavy refillable bottles for an extended day trip.  Having to carry around bottles all day will be a problem for many.  My wife is not a happy cruiser about this change.

Each passenger on the Silver Galapagos was given a lightweight metal refillable water bottle, which we filled with filtered water before going ashore. This undoubtedly was because the Galapagos have careful environmental rules that include a ban on disposable plastic. It was not a burden at all, and the bottles themselves were no heavier than a disposable plastic bottle. If you don't want the bulk, an investment in a collapsible bottle may be worthwhile.

[forgap]

I agree.  I can’t imagine that refillable bottles weigh significantly more than plastic bottles.  I use metal bottles at home and they are not a burden to carry or clean.  I also don’t think you need to carry more than two bottles on an excursion, if that.  For long, hot excursions, carry one bottle and leave the others on the bus. 

The environmental concerns with plastic far outweigh concerns of personal inconvenience, in my opinion. 

[DrivesLikeMario]

How hygienic is that really?  Who will be refilling the bottles?  Will they be putting them up against a nozzle that is a carrier of germs like Norovirus?  Does anyone know what the process will be?  I'm hoping they have precautions in place as I cringe now when I watch people filling up dirty bottles at the water spigot that haven't been cleaned since day 1 of the cruise.

[cruiseluv]

We'll, I'm glad to report that it wasn't implemented during our Explorer cruise that just  ended. I was so happy to see all those glistening plastic water bottles in our fridge, and every day thereafter! Hopefully I will be long gone when this ridiculous new environmental fad takes hold

[Gcto]

IMHO Regent might still be "thinking" about this as it has so many potential issues. Just my 2 cents

 

[kjbacon]

We appreciate and support the philosophy. The water tastes very good too but we are not enamored with the bottles. We find them too large and heavy plus they are clumsy to grasp. Yesterday, with very rough conditions, I was scared to death that I would drop the bottle on the marble counter and break it.

[RJ2002]

1 hour ago, kjbacon said:

We appreciate and support the philosophy. The water tastes very good too but we are not enamored with the bottles. We find them too large and heavy plus they are clumsy to grasp. Yesterday, with very rough conditions, I was scared to death that I would drop the bottle on the marble counter and break it.

 

Thanks for this real-time report.  You are currently on Explorer, right?

 

I also support the philosophy and effort on Regent's part.  I hope that as they roll this system out, they will carefully observe how passengers are dealing with this new way of providing high quality water - - - and listen to any concerns expressed by passengers.   I would really like to see this work, even if tweaks are needed here and there.

[Mudhen]

12 hours ago, cruiseluv said:

We'll, I'm glad to report that it wasn't implemented during our Explorer cruise that just  ended. I was so happy to see all those glistening plastic water bottles in our fridge, and every day thereafter! Hopefully I will be long gone when this ridiculous new environmental fad takes hold

You're kidding, right? 

I really don't know much about the "new" water system on the Explorer, however I do know that the environmental impact of plastic of all kinds is a SERIOUS problem. Now fish in the farthest reaches of the planet are showing trace amounts of plastic in their system. Guess you don't eat fish or care that you're ingesting plastic. One of the biggest culprits of this plastic onslaught are plastic water bottles. As far as "glistening", we see their little shinning bodies everyday, along the roadsides.....

Sorry about the venting. I feel very strongly about the one use plastic travesty.

[UUNetBill]

2 hours ago, Mudhen said:

You're kidding, right? 

I really don't know much about the "new" water system on the Explorer, however I do know that the environmental impact of plastic of all kinds is a SERIOUS problem. Now fish in the farthest reaches of the planet are showing trace amounts of plastic in their system. Guess you don't eat fish or care that you're ingesting plastic. One of the biggest culprits of this plastic onslaught are plastic water bottles. As far as "glistening", we see their little shinning bodies everyday, along the roadsides.....

Sorry about the venting. I feel very strongly about the one use plastic travesty.

Agreed - but everyone talks about evil plastic, but no one talks about the real problem - lazy, uncaring humans.  If people would properly handle plastic, the problem would be drastically minimized...

[Mudhen]

You're absolutely correct, Bill. We all need to take this problem (and it is a problem) seriously and do our part. I'd just as soon not leave a plastic dump for my kids to sort out. How does that saying go? "After me, the deluge..."

[DavidTheWonderer]

1 hour ago, UUNetBill said:

Agreed - but everyone talks about evil plastic, but no one talks about the real problem - lazy, uncaring humans.  ...

Up until a couple of hundred years ago the number of people on the planet was sufficiently small that we could treat the earth as an infinitely large resource.  Any damage people as a whole did to the total ecosystem was fairly negligible and often repairable by the ecosystem itself over time.  Of course, in those days there wasn't any plastic and negligible use of petroleum products. Now, in the "anthropocene" era humans dominate the planet and the actions that we collectively take have a real impact on our ecosystems.  So I prefer to say we need to adjust our thinking from treating the earth as infinite to treating her as finite.  This is different from calling people "lazy, uncaring", etc. We're really asking folks and society to adjust their norms of thinking and behavior, which is never easy for any of us. Including me.

[That creaking sound you hear is my knees as I climb back down from my soapbox.]

[kjbacon]

8 hours ago, RJ2002 said:

 

Thanks for this real-time report.  You are currently on Explorer, right?

 

I also support the philosophy and effort on Regent's part.  I hope that as they roll this system out, they will carefully observe how passengers are dealing with this new way of providing high quality water - - - and listen to any concerns expressed by passengers.   I would really like to see this work, even if tweaks are needed here and there.

 

Yes, currently on the Explorer. We also want to see this work and think it’s very important. Would love to see the current bottle amended to a little easier to handle.

[Travelcat2]

Has anyone tried the sparkling water?  If so, how would you compare it to other sparkling waters?

[makai 7]

Sparkling water is fine.  It does not have the flavor profile of San Pellegrino or others, but I am told it is good.  They are still handing out plastic water bottles for shore excursions on voyager.  The glass bottles do not fit in the refrigerators in the suites.

[flossie009]

12 hours ago, kjbacon said:

We appreciate and support the philosophy. The water tastes very good too but we are not enamored with the bottles. We find them too large and heavy plus they are clumsy to grasp. Yesterday, with very rough conditions, I was scared to death that I would drop the bottle on the marble counter and break it.

Presumably you are talking about reusable bottles for use in the suite.

What are you using to take water ashore on excursions?

 

We also support the environmental efforts being made by Regent.

[flossie009]

5 minutes ago, makai 7 said:

They are still handing out plastic water bottles for shore excursions on voyager.  The glass bottles do not fit in the refrigerators in the suites.

Mmmmmm ................ obviously a few wrinkles still to be ironed out

[Floridiana]

1 hour ago, flossie009 said:

We also support the environmental efforts being made by Regent.

 

So do I. Maybe they have a look at options that are implemented on lines that travel in waters around the Galapagos and in other sensitive areas. TUI ships have water dispensers where nothing touches the opening of the bottles. In addition, each cabin has a water carafe that is washed just like cups and glasses are washed on a ship. They don't provide plastic bottles for excursions, but the bus companies in the desert did.  

[Kwaj girl]

I just bring my own refillable water bottle with me - the one I take to the gym here at home.  Wash it with hot soapy water every day & refill in the bathroom sink.  Hasn't killed me yet.

[kjbacon]

We were given the old fashioned single plastic water bottle for our excursion. I wish we had thought to bring our own refillable bottle. The glass one here in the room is too large and heavy to take on an excursion.

[Gilly]

We use the Vapur brand of flexible "bottle" which rolls up when empty and has a detachable spout so refilling doesn't involve any hygiene compromises.  It's easy to fill from the tap and has a built in carabiner to clip to a bag or belt.  Thanks for the reminder to take them with us when we board Mariner in just a couple of weeks time.

 

https://www.vapur.us/about/

[papaflamingo]

18 minutes ago, Gilly said:

We use the Vapur brand of flexible "bottle" which rolls up when empty and has a detachable spout so refilling doesn't involve any hygiene compromises.  It's easy to fill from the tap and has a built in carabiner to clip to a bag or belt.  Thanks for the reminder to take them with us when we board Mariner in just a couple of weeks time.

 

https://www.vapur.us/about/

Those look great!   Thanks for the link.  They seem perfect for traveling.  

[Mudhen]

42 minutes ago, Gilly said:

We use the Vapur brand of flexible "bottle" which rolls up when empty and has a detachable spout so refilling doesn't involve any hygiene compromises.  It's easy to fill from the tap and has a built in carabiner to clip to a bag or belt.  Thanks for the reminder to take them with us when we board Mariner in just a couple of weeks time.

 

https://www.vapur.us/about/

WOW! That is a great and wonderful thing and how ridiculously simple!!! Thank you for sharing!

[douginct]

On 4/9/2019 at 7:07 PM, DrivesLikeMario said:

How hygienic is that really?  Who will be refilling the bottles?  Will they be putting them up against a nozzle that is a carrier of germs like Norovirus?  Does anyone know what the process will be?  I'm hoping they have precautions in place as I cringe now when I watch people filling up dirty bottles at the water spigot that haven't been cleaned since day 1 of the cruise.

Finally someone brought this up.  That is exactly my concern.  I have seen many, many people refill bottles at various types of water dispensers touching their bottle to the dispenser.  I will not use water refilled that way - an absolutely wonderful way to spread germs. if that is the only choice for water on a frightfully expensive cruise, my next Regent cruise will be my last!