Cruise question

[Defcon5]

Im off on a cruise around the Mediterranean at the end of July, having never been on one before.

Can you drink the water on the ship? I have had a bit of a google, and the general consensus it that you can, and that the ship takes on water at ports it visits - but if I went to Spain I wouldnt drink the water, so surely I cant drink it on the ship as its the same stuff as the mainland?

I tend to drink loads of water, and dont particluarly want a 100 euro bill just for water at the end of the week.

[anonymous-user]

I've always assumed this was one of those things that hark back to the early dawn of mass market package holidays. Thousands of Brits suddenly eating and drinking things that they just don't normally have and then getting a bit Ill as a result.

Personally I think the water in most places is perfectly drinkable. The exceptions include smaller places where the sanitation isnt up to our standards but these are generally just small islands. In my view the locals drink it so if you're used to different foods and such you'd be fine. Infact, I've always put the stories down to scaremongering to get tourists to spend more money buying water!

I've cruised a couple of times and have always used the water. I'm not even sure all ships use water tanks now, I think th modern ones have their own desalinisation plants.

[Chr1sch]

Yep you can drink it (well we have on the last 5 cruises) saying that there are bars everywhere serving iced water which was always my preference...

[LimaDelta]

Water on board is either produced on board by the ship's evaporator plant or on some (generally smaller) vessels by reverse osmosis. Potable water is also bunkered in most ports in order to keep up with supply. In both cases the water is treated with chlorine and usually passes through a UV steriliser before entering the tanks. The water must then remain in the tanks for 24 hours, where it is tested for any remaining chlorine (this is good - if it has all gone, there are too many bugs in the water). As long as the chlorine content is ok, the water enters the distribution system for the ship. This is one of the most highly regulated systems on board, and the record keeping requirements stipulated by USPH (United States Port Health) mean no vessel will pass a port health survey without them. These rules apply worldwide to any vessel which may at any time wish to enter a US port - i.e. all major cruise lines. Similar rules also apply to pool and jacuzzi water - fresh water treatment is actually a full time position for one engineer on the larger ships.

So in answer to your question - yes it is perfectly safe to drink the water. By the time the water reaches your cabin it should be around one part-per-million Cl2.

HTH

Edit - WRT the Norovirus outbreaks which occasionally make the news, these are generally the result of a passenger joining the vessel already carrying the bug, and with so many people in close proximity, it s passed around easily. It is nothing to do with food or water quality or hygiene.

Edited by LimaDelta on Thursday 28th June 08:32

[cjs]

Everything he said above is correct. Wether you actually like the taste of the ships water is another matter, chlorine is always high and you can often smell it. Leave it to stand for a while and it is fine. As said, any jugged water you get with meals, or tea and coffee are all made with the ships water, also any ice in drinks, so it is all safe.

They do charge quite a bit for bottled water onboard, $4-5 dollars for a 1.5L bottle is common. I always try and get some water ashore, bring back half a dozen bottles for drinking in the cabin where the ships water always tastes a bit odd.