Recycle Vero Water System

[Las Vegas Sailing]

My wife and I will be sailing aboard the Explorer, Venice to Rome, from October 19 to October 29, 2019. Does anyone have any current information regarding the conversion by Regent Seven Seas from plastic bottle water to this new Vero water system.  Does this new system present a possible health/safety issue for passengers aboard the ship?

[SWFLAOK]

I was worried about this on our recent Med cruise from Barcelona to Venice. Having worked as a microbiologist as my first profession, and having lived on a boat for extended periods of time where we relied on making our own water, and drinking it,  I wondered how the bottles were handled, refilled, and what happened to them in between.

On board, our first problem was that we had only had one glass bottle left for us in our cabin. It was much less than one of us would drink in a day. And the bottle was too tall to fit in the frig. We asked our steward to give us 2 bottles per day. We poured these into the 2 plastic water bottles we brought onboard, and then brought other partial water bottles back from all of our excursions, and kept about 4 small water bottles filled in our frig. That was our water management plan.

I mentioned on arrival that I was worried about where the water was coming from, and on our first morning at the Coffee Connection, I saw some half filled water bottles being brought to the coffee bar and left there, and mentioned it to the man behind the bar, and he said they would be emptied and returned to the kitchen. It seems like they should have been directly returned to the kitchen instead of to the Coffee Connection, or at least dumped out before they were brought back, but that's just me.

Later on our cruise, we received an invitation to tour the kitchen. I love to cook, and really enjoyed the tour. Near the end of the tour, we saw the glass bottles, and they mentioned how "green" Vero was without giving any details. Since it was only pointed out how the bottles were refilled, and not how they were cleaned, I asked. The chef said that the glass bottles are put through the same sanitizing washing that all of their glassware and plates go through. Then they refill them with water from the Vero system. I asked if that was reverse osmosis water which would be made from salt water and should be safe to drink. He said that he thought so.

 

 

 

[Las Vegas Sailing]

WOW.  Thank you for your reply. Doesn't sound very safe or sanitary. 

[JMARINER]

Crystal uses a similar system that I have experienced. I thought the water was good. The  water on the ship is supplied usually from domestic water supplies from port. If at sea for more than several days, water is produced by steam evaporation. All drinking/cooking water is further treated and disinfected like domestic water supplies. I have been told that he Vero water system further purifies the water using a special 5 stage process. Vero is used Ritz Carlton and MGM resorts.   As far as purity, it is probably a far better product than any plastic bottled water and would not have any BPa palstic bottle residue to containment the water due to long storage. 

 

J

[Travelcat2]

I would not believe anything that I read.  People may recall when coffee caused cancer ....... then it didn't.  Today. I heard that taking a baby aspirin every day can cause brain bleeding.  Now, "green" containers can cause cancer (see linked article) https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/08/06/chipotle-bowls-contain-cancer-linked-forever-chemicals-study-finds/

 

If we worry about everything that eat and drink, we will go crazy.  I am open to the water offered on Regent.  If, 10 years from now it is determined to be harmful, so be it!

[DeepFreeze63]

I'll get my own experience next month but for now I am "aghast" that Regent , for all its superlatives in the advertising that I receive almost daily, can't provide a system where the cabin's water bottles fit in the frig!

 

I drink lots of water daily and prefer it chilled. I pay Regent " big bucks" and didn't expect to have to be concerned about how many water bottles are in the cabin; do thay fit in the frig or do I have to bring smaller bottles from ashore; or do I have to be concerned about the provided bottles cleanliness, etc.

[Kwaj girl]

I just bring my own refillable water bottle when I travel.  The same one I take with me to the gym.  Soapy-wash regularly and just refill from my sink.  Problem solved.

[BBWC]

Just off the Navigator. The bottles fit just fine in the fridge. You just have to adjust the shelves.

[jeb_bud]

I like room temperature water so I didn’t try to get my bottle into the fridge. For me the water tasted fine and I didn’t get sick. I did find the bottles a little awkward to handle and pour. I usually wound up with a little water on the counter top. 

[2012_Alaska_bound]

I was on Mariner when they switched mid-cruise.  My problem was also only having one bottle, since I also like water available in the bathroom during the night and morning. Should have asked for an extra bottle!  When I did remember to put the bottle in the bathroom before bed, it took up quite a bit of counter space.

[cruiseluv]

I will not participate in this new system established just to virtue signal how environmentally responsible Regent is. I will circumvent it any way I need to. Ditto for the ridiculous paper straws they now provide. No need to mess up a perfectly good Bloody Mary or Piña Colada drinks (or soft drinks)  with melting paper in them!

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

1 hour ago, cruiseluv said:

I will not participate in this new system established just to virtue signal how environmentally responsible Regent is. I will circumvent it any way I need to. Ditto for the ridiculous paper straws they now provide. No need to mess up a perfectly good Bloody Mary or Piña Colada drinks (or soft drinks)  with melting paper in them!

 +1

[Las Vegas Sailing]

18 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

I would not believe anything that I read.  People may recall when coffee caused cancer ....... then it didn't.  Today. I heard that taking a baby aspirin every day can cause brain bleeding.  Now, "green" containers can cause cancer (see linked article) https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/08/06/chipotle-bowls-contain-cancer-linked-forever-chemicals-study-finds/

 

If we worry about everything that eat and drink, we will go crazy.  I am open to the water offered on Regent.  If, 10 years from now it is determined to be harmful, so be it!

 

[Las Vegas Sailing]

Thanks for your comment.  However, I for one do care about my health 10 years from now and would hope Regent Seven Seas does also!

[cruiseluv]

1 minute ago, Las Vegas Sailing said:

Thanks for your comment.  However, I for one do care about my health 10 years from now and would hope Regent Seven Seas does also!

 

Follow your instincts. No need to be part of the herd

[liptastic]

Our last cruise was in May on Mariner and the system was not operational then, I am not quite sure after reading the reports how it works?  

What is available at the gang way on port excursion disembarking? 

Also being someone who drinks lots of water, will there be enough in the fridge / cabin overnight? 

We live just beside the Speyside Whiskey Trail here in North East Scotland and have beautiful clear water and it’s readily available on tap , very spoiled am sure but something we appreciate greatly.     Jean.

[Flgreg]

Regarding water on the gangway as of last month on Explorer they had the small plastic bottles of water.

 

The Vero water was in the suites and restaurants.

[SWFLAOK]

4 hours ago, liptastic said:

Our last cruise was in May on Mariner and the system was not operational then, I am not quite sure after reading the reports how it works?  

What is available at the gang way on port excursion disembarking? 

Also being someone who drinks lots of water, will there be enough in the fridge / cabin overnight? 

We live just beside the Speyside Whiskey Trail here in North East Scotland and have beautiful clear water and it’s readily available on tap , very spoiled am sure but something we appreciate greatly.     Jean.

At the gang way leaving Voyager, there was a crew member handing out the usual small plastic bottles. They were handing out 1 each, but we asked for an additional bottle and received it. Our excursions on the Med cruises in July were long, and the temperatures were in the 90's so we both drank at least 1 bottle on the excursion, and more often drank both bottles. Sometimes there were a few small bottles available, just after security check-in, when we got back on board. If there were, we grabbed a bottle.

We were provided with no bottled water at our Barcelona hotel pre-cruise (we drank from the faucet, and I had saved 2 empty bottles from our flight that I put in the mini-fridge). We took a Regent excursion of Barcelona in the morning before Embarkation. No water was provided on this excursion, but we stopped at a store for a bathroom break and it was suggested that we buy something, so it was bottled water for us.

Once onboard, we had a glass bottle of water in our cabin. It was just short of a liter. It was definitely insufficient for us, and there was no way to fit it in the fridge. The top shelf in the fridge. We poured it into the 2 plastic bottles we had left from the excursion, and put them into the fridge. They were gone before morning, and we refilled them with the ship's water from the faucet, hoping it was the same Barcelona water that we had from the hotel faucet, which had not made us sick after 24 hours.

 

[cruiseluv]

This reminds me of that saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!

[cruiseluv]

5 hours ago, SWFLAOK said:

 

 

 

Once onboard, we had a glass bottle of water in our cabin. It was just short of a liter. It was definitely insufficient for us, and there was no way to fit it in the fridge. The top shelf in the fridge. We poured it into the 2 plastic bottles we had left from the excursion, and put them into the fridge. They were gone before morning, and we refilled them with the ship's water from the faucet, hoping it was the same Barcelona water that we had from the hotel faucet, which had not made us sick after 24 hours.

 

Let me get this straight... You're paying $$$$ for your cruise, but need to refill some plastic bottles you were "suggested" to buy in Barcelona with faucet water???  #Ain'tworkingforme

Sorry for my cynicism, however, they're not going to make me be compliant with this stupidity!

Edited August 15, 2019 by cruiseluv

[GrJ Berkshire]

 We have just returned from the Navigator using the Vero water system. This is a brilliant move to save all those small water bottles, there is no health risk at all, this suggestion is ludicrous!!! You can have more than 1 bottle, sparkling or flats, they do fit in the fridge as well. The sooner guests either bring or a reusable bottle is provided to replace the bottles on excursions the better, as the waste and  environmental damage of single use plastic has to stop.

As to the concern over straws, why not drink out of the glass as it's designed for and cut out straws all together.

Ice in drinks is much more of an issue.

A great move by Regent, roll out the next stage !!!!

[cruiseluv]

8 minutes ago, GrJ Berkshire said:

 

As to the concern over straws, why not drink out of the glass as it's designed for and cut out straws all together.

Ice in drinks is much more of an issue.

A great move by Regent, roll out the next stage !!!!

I will agree with Regent getting rid of those paper straws, hideous. However, you can drink from the glass, I'll drink from my own straw, thank you very much. 

[califsealion]

I'm interested to see how well this system works.  I have been on expedition ships before where they supply a reusable water bottle and they have filling stations on the ship, so you have your own bottle for the trip (or to take home) and get your own water.  I'm thinking I will bring a reusable water bottle to fill from their glass bottles to use onshore.

[Las Vegas Sailing]

1 hour ago, GrJ Berkshire said:

 We have just returned from the Navigator using the Vero water system. This is a brilliant move to save all those small water bottles, there is no health risk at all, this suggestion is ludicrous!!! You can have more than 1 bottle, sparkling or flats, they do fit in the fridge as well. The sooner guests either bring or a reusable bottle is provided to replace the bottles on excursions the better, as the waste and  environmental damage of single use plastic has to stop.

As to the concern over straws, why not drink out of the glass as it's designed for and cut out straws all together.

Ice in drinks is much more of an issue.

A great move by Regent, roll out the next stage !!!!

Next stage.  Perhaps paper plates!  Why use up the ship's water cleaning the china when they can simply throw out the paper plates along with the paper straws.

[SWFLAOK]

15 hours ago, cruiseluv said:

Let me get this straight... You're paying $$$$ for your cruise, but need to refill some plastic bottles you were "suggested" to buy in Barcelona with faucet water???  #Ain'tworkingforme

Sorry for my cynicism, however, they're not going to make me be compliant with this stupidity!

Yes, on our first day, we had to refill the leftover plastic bottles from our morning excursion with water from the faucet in our cabin. We expected that the ship had filled their water tank with potable water at the Barcelona port, and that they treated it and tested it to ensure it would not make everyone onboard sick while brushing our teeth. It smelled and tasted OK. We only needed to do this on our first day, since we asked for an additional bottle of Vero water and received it the next day, and also picked up a few extra small bottles when returned from our excursion.

Do I want to do water management on a cruise line that is otherwise high end with a price to match? Not really. If they remove the small bottles for excursions, or go to refill stations, I'll cancel my future cruises.