water on board

[Jay Bee]

Good grief. If water had absolutely nothing in it but H2O it would be distilled. Water can have loads of stuff in it and still be perfectly safe to drink. In fact, extra minerals is what gives water its taste. I don't know anything about the ship's water production or plumbing, but lots of water has iron in it that can leave an orange/brown deposit. No big deal. The color test is silly. If you want to get worked up about it, there are plenty of colorless, odorless contaminants that will poison you. I know. There is a toxic underground stream that goes under my neighborhood, misses my well, and hits the entire subdivision downstream. We have iron though. I use a filter just to keep stains out of my sinks, but I know it's not a safety issue.

[wraithe]

FWIW, the water is desalinated by steam distillation, it is then halongenated (chlorinated) to some degree, which is required by law. The water is much more pure than anything you can buy in a bottle, since all that is (if you're lucky) is tap water that's run through a charcoal filter. If you happen to be onboard when they switch water headers, you'll get some "rust" from the pipes, no different than if the fire department flushes your fire hydrants, you'll get rust stains on your laundry if you don't flush your household pipes. There isn't any sea life in the water either, it can't carry over with the steam, and even the spores are killed off by boiling at >140F. Reverse Osmosis is only used as a backup to the evaporators. It wastes energy, which means wasted fuel, which means wasted money. The evaps use diesel or turbine exhaust heat to boil the water, using heat that otherwise would be dumped overboard. Hope that helps a little.

[LostAgain]

My husband is very picky about his drinking water. At home, although we have a whole-home water purification system, as well as a filter on our tap, he will only drink bottled water, and only one certain brand. We brought bottled water with us, and asked the steward to empty our room fridge so we could keep that bottled water chilled. However, the first time my husband was thirsty on the ship, we didn't have a bottle of water with us and he tried what was available -- it ended up that the only time we used the bottled water was when we took it with us to go ashore. The water served in the restaurants was very good. If you don't want to drink the water from your bathroom tap, you could have a jug of water delivered to your room although, as mentioned, it's probably not any different.

[cb at sea]

We always drink the water from the ship, and have NEVER had any problems from it! Since we fly to port, weight is an issue, and bring something that is readily available seems a bit of "overkill". I can't drink the water straight from the tap, as it is never cold. BUT--throw a few ice cubes in there (where do you think the ice comes from???!!!) and the water is fine and dandy!

[Jay Bee]

FWIW, the water is desalinated by steam distillation, it is then halongenated (chlorinated) to some degree, which is required by law. The water is much more pure than anything you can buy in a bottle, since all that is (if you're lucky) is tap water that's run through a charcoal filter. If you happen to be onboard when they switch water headers, you'll get some "rust" from the pipes, no different than if the fire department flushes your fire hydrants, you'll get rust stains on your laundry if you don't flush your household pipes. There isn't any sea life in the water either, it can't carry over with the steam, and even the spores are killed off by boiling at >140F. Reverse Osmosis is only used as a backup to the evaporators. It wastes energy, which means wasted fuel, which means wasted money. The evaps use diesel or turbine exhaust heat to boil the water, using heat that otherwise would be dumped overboard. Hope that helps a little.

 

Thanks, wraithe! Very interesting.

[ebandive]

Oh my, hasn't this been interesting? :eek:

My last cruise I took a whole suitcase full of bottles of water because I drink ALOT of water and not much else. However, I drink tap at home, and from the majority of the responses it seems like I won't have to do that next time. I'm too scared to do the washcloth test. I figure the less I'm aware of it, the better. Ignorance is bliss. I'm sure I've eaten/drinken much worse, and probably do on a regular basis without realizing it. :o

[Quampapetet]

What brand of bottled water do the ships sell? I think I read somewhere it is Aquafina (that stuff is nasty!), but wanted to be sure.

 

Is all the bottled water the ships sell cold? I can't drink cold water.

[OldNavy]

FWIW, the water is desalinated by steam distillation, it is then halongenated (chlorinated) to some degree, which is required by law. The water is much more pure than anything you can buy in a bottle, since all that is (if you're lucky) is tap water that's run through a charcoal filter. It wastes energy, which means wasted fuel, which means wasted money. The evaps use diesel or turbine exhaust heat to boil the water, using heat that otherwise would be dumped overboard. Hope that helps a little.

 

Wraithe, It takes a 'Blue Water" Sailor to appreciate fresh water at sea. :cool:

[RoofingPrincess]

On the Explorer, I filled my wide-mouth Nalgene water bottle from the bathroom tap and left it in the chiller. When I opened it later to use it, I noticed a chlorine odor, and when I drank it, a chlorine taste. Since I hadn't noticed the same taste in the dining room, from that point onward I would go up to the Windjammer, fill a glass with water (or take it from the already poured display) and pour it into my bottle, repeating as necessary to get the desired amount of water. With the wide-mouth bottle, it was quick, no need for contact between the glass and the mouth of the bottle.

Did the same on Jewel and Vision (without testing the tap water first, though)

[forensic]

My guess would be that it is old pipes in the ship rather than the water.

[sagiv666]

Why I don't drink the water from the cabin....

 

Place a clean washcloth under the tap in your room. Turn on the cold water and let it run for 30-60 seconds. Look at the washcloth.

 

If you see what I noticed on the past couple of cruises... a brown stain, you'll avoid the water.

 

P.S. -- It's MUCH MUCH worse if you run HOT WATER on a clean cloth for some reason. With hot water, it looks like someone ran out of toilet paper...

 

Before I retired, I was a working in environmental microbiology and tested the water in my city on a regular basis. Finding brown spots does not necessarily mean the water is dangerous to drink.

One can see brownish water on occasion in New York City, but the water is called "The Champagne of Waters". I have been drinking it all my life, and am alive well and kicking. In fact, we found approximately one third of all bottled water to have some contamination.:eek:

[cruzincurt]

I drink the ships water without reservation. Last year I was a judge at the local school district science fair. One youngster sampled bottled waters and grew bacteria cultures from them. The ONLY bottled waters that did not contain and grow bacteria was Aquafina which is a purified, soft water processed by a soft drink company and distilled water. The worst was a popular local "spring" water.

[dak_friendly]

:rolleyes: You can drink away folks. After the washcloth test... I know there are sediments in the water... and they look absolutely disgusting. Gulp it down all you want ... but at least try the washcloth test to see what you're dealing with. On the Enchantment, it was absolutely hands down SCARY how much accumulated in 20-30 seconds.

[wraithe]

Wraithe, It takes a 'Blue Water" Sailor to appreciate fresh water at sea. :cool:

 

Yes, it does, shipmate!

[CLQ]

One of the options missing from the poll was something that might resemble "I drink most of my water in the dining rooms at meals" or some such. That's our reality. What we have done on occasions is buy a few bottles just before we board and fill in empty spots in our luggage with water bottles. If there's a cooler in the cabin we'll chill it a little. But most of our water drinking happens at meals. I do suppose the filtration at restaurants on board is one step more extensive than in our cabins. I might be supposing wrongly. Never have tasted/seen anything odd yet.

[sagiv666]

:rolleyes: You can drink away folks. After the washcloth test... I know there are sediments in the water... and they look absolutely disgusting. Gulp it down all you want ... but at least try the washcloth test to see what you're dealing with. On the Enchantment, it was absolutely hands down SCARY how much accumulated in 20-30 seconds.

 

I live in New York City. Here, they sell special attachments for chlorine filters, etc. on showers to avoid them being clogged because of the sediment. However, I am a microbiologist who has worked in public health and has tested our water extensively. New York City water has been called the "Champagne of Waters" -- one third of all bottled water is contaminated.:rolleyes:

[riteonglor]

The cruise lines, I'm sure would be very careful as far as their water quality is concerned. The last thing they need is the whole ship being ill due to bad water. Can you imagine the headlines, whole cruise ship and crew sick due to bad water. It would be the end of the cruise line in a short order.

 

If the water is turning white wash clothes brown, I'm wondering how is it they come out white again in the laundry if the same water is turning everything brown.

[Bargeo]

I just did the wash cloth test here at home. We have a well, so I expected to find sediment, iron, or something. After running a full minute, the cloth was "clear". Yipeee, I feel better.

 

We always drink the tap water on the ship and never had a problem.

[Jimmers]

Place clean white washcloth under the tap

1. Run HOT water on it for one minute
   
2. Watch to see if a stain builds
   
3. Repeat steps 1-3 for COLD water
   
4. Look at washcloths and judge for oneself if they'd drink the water

 

I just did that test with my pepsi and it was really stained. Should I not drink Pepsi anymore.

 

Seriously though, I'm confident the water on the ship used for human consumption is thoroughly tested and safe. You'd be talking a major PR problem if it wasn't.

 

And if it's just hot water that staining it's probably iron from the boiler. I've gotten the same thing at home on ocassion.

 

Jimmers

[Jimmers]

I am a microbiologist who has worked in public health and has tested our water extensively. New York City water has been called the "Champagne of Waters" -- one third of all bottled water is contaminated.:rolleyes:

 

Is that because it looks like Champagne, costs as much as Champagne or tastes like Champagne?

 

Jimmers

[Bargeo]

Is that because it looks like Champagne, costs as much as Champagne or tastes like Champagne?

 

Jimmers

LOL ............. that's funny!!!!!!

[sleeples23]

FWIW, the water is desalinated by steam distillation, it is then halongenated (chlorinated) to some degree, which is required by law. The water is much more pure than anything you can buy in a bottle, since all that is (if you're lucky) is tap water that's run through a charcoal filter. If you happen to be onboard when they switch water headers, you'll get some "rust" from the pipes, no different than if the fire department flushes your fire hydrants, you'll get rust stains on your laundry if you don't flush your household pipes. There isn't any sea life in the water either, it can't carry over with the steam, and even the spores are killed off by boiling at >140F. Reverse Osmosis is only used as a backup to the evaporators. It wastes energy, which means wasted fuel, which means wasted money. The evaps use diesel or turbine exhaust heat to boil the water, using heat that otherwise would be dumped overboard. Hope that helps a little.

 

Thank you Wraithe for the best post in this thread. I own a residential/commercial water filtration company and you are right on. It was my hope that they were using reverse osmosis on board, but I do realize the expense of maintaining a system that would provide that quality of water shipwide would be cost prohibitive and inefficient. I understand reverse osmosis is used for certain applications, but not all.

 

As for the brown water that you see coming out at the faucet level, it is mainly iron, which is the not harmful although it is distasteful to see. Most of the piping on a ship is stainless steel, but there are some parts, such as water heaters, that have some galvanized steel in them and the rust/iron can't be avoided. In very new ships I think you'll see them using Pex rather than copper, so that should help. Your body cannot absorb iron in this manner, so you will expel it. You may see it more at the stateroom level, because they probably have additional purification at soda machines which basically polishes the water before its end use.

 

The big risks are when bacteria enters into a storage tank and multiply. The cruise lines will do whatever it takes to eliminate this risk, but if it does enter into a storage tank, it multiplies quickly. You are more likely to encounter that in machines that don't see frequent use and the water lies stagnant. Keep in mind, stagnant water cannot create the problem. Bacteria would have to have found its way into a tank before the problem can occur.

 

I am not a fan of bottled water, as it is unregulated and what they have found in it when testing it sporadically is scary. I will bring Aquafina on board, for convenience in ports, as it is purified by reverse osmosis and it is pure. For others who are interested, Dasani is also purified by reverse osmosis, and then it has calcium and magnesium added back for flavor. People have become accustomed to their water having a certain flavor, so they may prefer Dasani. Calcium and magnesium will not harm nor benefit you, so it's simply a matter of preference. I have reverse osmosis in my home and it tests perfectly pure, as does the Aquafina. It's funny, Aquafina is one of the cheapest brands on the market, yet people will buy spring water, mineral water, etc., which does nothing to benefit you, has no regulation and has tested poorly over and over again, regardless of brand.

 

I hope this info helps put some of these issues in perspective.

[cruzincurt]

I am not a fan of bottled water, as it is unregulated and what they have found in it when testing it sporadically is scary. I will bring Aquafina on board, for convenience in ports, as it is purified by reverse osmosis and it is pure. For others who are interested, Dasani is also purified by reverse osmosis, and then it has calcium and magnesium added back for flavor.

 

I agree, if I'm out driving, those are the two I buy in the 7-Eleven. At home in Florida, we have hard city water (12 to 13) since it is "spring" water pumped out of the ground it's loaded with calcium. Florida is sometimes called the "kidney stone" state. I have a softener at home and drink Aquafina or distilled water at work. I took a test strip on our last cruise and the water out of the tap was "soft". If our lawn sprinklers hit the wall, they leave the brown rust stain even though the city water is supposed to be "safe" to drink. I also had a problem with bacteria once when I set the water heater too low or turned it off during vacation week.