Author Topic: Drinking water on board QE2  (Read 8825 times)

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline Isabelle Prondzynski

Drinking water on board QE2
« on: Sep 14, 2010, 10:53 PM »
Fascinating to see that...my dad's in the marine antifouling industry, building units to prevent zebra mussel infestation...so I've heard plenty about seachests!

Does anyone know what the treatment method for raw water would have been on QE2, especially to deal with such things as zebra mussels?

This question is very welcome, as it can start a new topic on the drinking water on board QE2 -- how it is made, how it tastes, and how it changed over the years...

I used to dislike it at first, but eventually grew very fond of the flavour, as I did of all things QE2! Perhaps I noticed it most in the coffee, to which it imparted its own distinctive taste...

Offline cunardqueen

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #1 on: Sep 15, 2010, 09:38 AM »
 
Quote
 
I used to dislike it at first, but eventually grew very fond of the flavour, as I did of all things QE2! Perhaps I noticed it most in the coffee, to which it imparted its own distinctive taste...
 
 
 
 
I never had any trouble drinking the iced water during dinner, it was very nice, the cabin water also tasted fine, the only thing l objected to was the charge for the bottled water, hence why l never touched the stuff.
From the moment you first glimpsed the Queen,
 you just knew you were in for a very special time ahead.!

Cruise_Princess

  • Guest
Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #2 on: Sep 15, 2010, 10:20 AM »
We stopped drinking any water manufactured on board and this included the ice....we were told many years ago by a doctor that this desalinated water just added to the swelling up of ladies ankles! and we proved it right....from then on we only ever drank bottled water....and yes it really did work....we still do it today whenever on board ship....

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12375
  • Total likes: 15954
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #3 on: Sep 15, 2010, 10:28 AM »
QE2 water production :-


Water fit for a Queen by Rob Lightbody, on Flickr
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Offline Lynda Bradford

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #4 on: Sep 22, 2010, 09:51 PM »
We stopped drinking any water manufactured on board and this included the ice....we were told many years ago by a doctor that this desalinated water just added to the swelling up of ladies ankles! and we proved it right....from then on we only ever drank bottled water....and yes it really did work....we still do it today whenever on board ship....

Would this apply to drinking water on any cruise ship or was it just on the QE2? 

I swell up when cruising but I think the afternoon tea cakes contribute to this.
I was proud to be involved with planning QE2's 50 year conference in September 2017 in Clydebank

Cruise_Princess

  • Guest
Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #5 on: Sep 23, 2010, 10:48 AM »
Applied to us on all cruise ships...somehow it makes a difference...I know that some new  ships bring on fresh water etc  now and don't have a desalinisation plant like QE2 did but its all to do with the atmosphere and the air conditioning etc....the high heels in the evening don't help either!!  Another reason we don't like the big new modern ships...soooo much walking to do from restaurant to theatre etc...and that marble flooring can be like a skating rink in stilettos...they don't think about that for formal nights when ladies all dressed up in their sunday best do they??   but have to admit that it was more obvious on QE2 and that was the ship we sailed on 99% of the time anyway,....sometimes the smell from the tea or coffee was absolutely unbearable at times....it was weird....just affected us in that way...maybe it didn't for others...but stopping drinking it was the only answer.

Meant to add it also applies to the ice in the drinks as well....
« Last Edit: Sep 23, 2010, 10:55 AM by Cruise_Princess »

Offline Beardy Rich

  • QE2 Crew member
  • Britannia Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 262
  • Total likes: 17
  • Engineering Department 1984-1988
Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #6 on: Sep 23, 2010, 10:27 PM »
I disliked the taste of the drinking water on the ship. It always seemed to taste of bleach! Perhaps it might have had something to do with the fact that 'chloros' was used in the R.O system.
Rich Drayson. Ex Snr Mechanic QE2 1984-1988.

Offline Lynda Bradford

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #7 on: Sep 24, 2010, 09:48 AM »
Question on Cruise Critic about water supply and waste makes for some interesting reading

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=878157
I was proud to be involved with planning QE2's 50 year conference in September 2017 in Clydebank

Offline Rod

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #8 on: Oct 08, 2011, 10:42 PM »
Since day one QE2 ALWAYS had a water problem. At launch they had 3 flash evaporators that basically boiled water and condensed the steam. Supposedly these supplied 1200 tons of water/day......not.
The evaporators also had to supply make up water for the boilers. We are talking a different quality of water here. Boiler water had to be basically 99.99% distilled, in laymans terms, while drinking water needed to be much less pure. The 1200 tons/day also reflects on optimum conditions, does not take into account the Engineers party the night before...did I say that?
The sea temperature, the quality of the steam being delivered from the boiler room, the cleanliness of the plant...mussels seaweed, fish, that can reduce the efficiency of the plant. On a GOOD day with everything operating correctly, the tea boiler shut off, and the bench vise closed (in joke there Beardy rich should get it) the evaporators would make 1000 tons/day. Domestic consumption, showers cooking LAUNDRY would take about 800 tons, boilers would take about 400. So we are already on a negative.
We would buy water almost any where for the domestic, just to make up the negative. This was bought on board into holding tanks, then treated with chloros/bleach then sent around the ship. If however we went to a  place where a health warning was issued for..it was no thanks! Water was treated to WHO standards, which are the same as most US/UK cities, records were/are kept and examined by every health authority that had jurisdiction. That is regarding bacteria! Some of the water we bought varied as to taste because of where it came from. NY water tastes different from LA water, Soton water tasted different from Edinburgh water. But it was all safe.

Offline Isabelle Prondzynski

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #9 on: Jan 09, 2012, 06:38 AM »
And another interesting reply from Rod :

Regarding the very old post about evaps and osmossis systems. They would have been turned off. Basically they were shut down, except in exceptional circumstances, 50 miles from land. Or where when I was on board. Regarding the hudson...can you imagine making drinking water from that?

Thank you, Rod! I'd rather not...

Offline Barrie Evans

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #10 on: Jan 09, 2012, 09:07 AM »
Would this apply to drinking water on any cruise ship or was it just on the QE2? 

I swell up when cruising but I think the afternoon tea cakes contribute to this.
Hey Lynda.  Now  we know why all the scones had gone when we used to go the Queens room for afternoon tea. ;D ;D ;D
Barrie & Jean

Offline Barrie Evans

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #11 on: Jan 09, 2012, 09:30 AM »
Hey Lynda.  Now  we know why all the scones had gone when we used to go the Queens room for afternoon tea. ;D ;D ;D
Barrie & Jean
Sorry i got side tracked again! ::) I have found that on all the four Queens we have sailed with, there was an odd taste to the water. Some times you could smell it before you had actually drank it. ( More tea vicar)  ;D ;D
Cheers Barrie

Offline Twynkle

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #12 on: Dec 26, 2013, 10:21 AM »
In the Dining Rooms, as well as in the cabins, the cold drinking water was always really well iced...was this done to disguise the taste?!

Offline June Ingram

  • Global Moderator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 9623
  • Total likes: 6557
  • Beautiful, elegant QE2 - forever Queen of the Seas
Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #13 on: Dec 26, 2013, 03:49 PM »
Thank you to all for some very interesting reading. 
QE2 - the ship for all of time, a ship of timeless beauty !

Offline Rod

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #14 on: Dec 26, 2013, 04:16 PM »
In the Dining Rooms, as well as in the cabins, the cold drinking water was always really well iced...was this done to disguise the taste?!

No because in the dining rooms, the ice came from the same place as the drinking water. In the cabins it was mechanically chilled.

Offline Twynkle

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #15 on: Dec 26, 2013, 07:19 PM »
No because in the dining rooms, the ice came from the same place as the drinking water. In the cabins it was mechanically chilled.

Greetings to you, Rod!
The waiters were always ready to top up the water glasses with heavily chilled water, you couldn't taste the water - or the ice!...To the extent that sometimes it was bordering on getting in the way of the taste of the food!
Did you get well iced drinking water in the Wardie / Mess?

Offline Rod

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #16 on: Dec 26, 2013, 09:28 PM »
Only if we asked for it! But we had other ways of staving off dehydration!

Offline cunardqueen

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #17 on: Feb 21, 2019, 08:41 PM »
Throwback Topic....
Did we ? or didnt we ? Drink QE2s water .

Was there this trend 10 years ago for bottled water ? or did we all just happily fill a glass from QE2s taps ?
From the moment you first glimpsed the Queen,
 you just knew you were in for a very special time ahead.!

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12375
  • Total likes: 15954
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #18 on: Feb 21, 2019, 10:24 PM »
Throwback Topic....
Did we ? or didnt we ? Drink QE2s water .

Was there this trend 10 years ago for bottled water ? or did we all just happily fill a glass from QE2s taps ?

I just drank it
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Online Chris Thompson

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #19 on: Feb 21, 2019, 10:27 PM »
During my time working onboard we used to find that the water would often cause upset stomachs after New York port calls. One of the engineers explained to me that the water tanks would be topped off in NY, although the water there is of very good quality USPH would insist on the addition of Chlorine for hygiene purposes.
Never had this problem leaving Southampton.......

Offline Thomas Hypher

  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 2879
  • Total likes: 5605
  • QE2 started a dream to go to sea - now a reality!
Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #20 on: Feb 21, 2019, 10:43 PM »
Throwback Topic....
Did we ? or didnt we ? Drink QE2s water .

Was there this trend 10 years ago for bottled water ? or did we all just happily fill a glass from QE2s taps ?

The only time I ever really drank the cabin tap water was when brushing my teeth. It wasn't the nicest water to drink for understandable reasons (such as the added chlorine) so we used the bottled water (which was expensive) when really needed but mostly drank the water in the restaurants which tasted better and was iced (although maybe it came from the same source as the cabin water but the placebo effect took hold of us ;) ).
« Last Edit: Feb 22, 2019, 04:16 PM by Rob Lightbody »
First sailed on QE2 in August 2003 aged 6 years old. Last sailed on QE2 in July 2008. Last saw the seagoing QE2 in person from the decks of QM2, on QE2's last Transatlantic crossing (Eastbound tandem) in October 2008. Visited QE2 in her new life, in Dubai, in January 2020 and August 2022.

Offline Rod

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #21 on: Feb 22, 2019, 12:14 AM »
Water on the ship whether from ashore or made on board varied from day to day.
Yes, chlorine was added but not to higher doses than you would find in any other municipality around the world.
Water was not taken on in every port that could provide it because there might have been doubts that it was of suitable quality. Even though the locals drank it.
Occasionally the chlorine dosing equipment might "throw a wobbler" and overdose. Once that became known steps would be taken to correct and dilute the water. However, sometimes the water did taste of bleach.
The problem had a knock on effect because this is the same water that fed the 38 ice machines on board, all of the soda machines the 250 gallon soup cauldrons and some would even say the draught beer in the bars! Kidding, or am I?
Constant monitoring of the chlorine in the drinking water was required by both US and UK health authorities and printed graphs were kept for 2 years, I believe, as required.
Water quality differs in every city and town in the world from distances as little as 30 miles apart as I am sure you have all seen in your travels. This will depend on the source, spring, river, lake, reservoir, well...etc, etc but also by the way it is sanitized. Bleach, called chloros at sea UV light etc, etc.

Online Chris Thompson

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #22 on: Feb 22, 2019, 01:05 PM »
Regarding water quality on ships in general, I remember a discussion with one of the Engineers on the Cunard Countess, he told me that in the old days the water tasted and smelled better because there was a Charcoal filter in the last stage of water treatment. Apparently USPH had banned the use of these due to possible germ growth in the charcoal......any thoughts from those in the know??
BTW, when I lived in central Florida my house was on a well system, I had what looked like a chemical works in the garage involving Chlorination, softening and a Charcoal filter......worked great, water tasted and smelt fine, before we installed the system it DIDN'T!!!!

Offline cunardqueen

Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #23 on: Feb 22, 2019, 09:41 PM »
 I never gave the water any thought and would just drink it from the tap, but in the restaurants when it was ice cold it tasted better.
From the moment you first glimpsed the Queen,
 you just knew you were in for a very special time ahead.!

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12375
  • Total likes: 15954
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
Re: Drinking water on board QE2
« Reply #24 on: Feb 23, 2019, 05:00 PM »
Water on the ship whether from ashore or made on board varied from day to day.
Yes, chlorine was added but not to higher doses than you would find in any other municipality around the world.
Water was not taken on in every port that could provide it because there might have been doubts that it was of suitable quality. Even though the locals drank it.
Occasionally the chlorine dosing equipment might "throw a wobbler" and overdose. Once that became known steps would be taken to correct and dilute the water. However, sometimes the water did taste of bleach.
The problem had a knock on effect because this is the same water that fed the 38 ice machines on board, all of the soda machines the 250 gallon soup cauldrons and some would even say the draught beer in the bars! Kidding, or am I?
Constant monitoring of the chlorine in the drinking water was required by both US and UK health authorities and printed graphs were kept for 2 years, I believe, as required.
Water quality differs in every city and town in the world from distances as little as 30 miles apart as I am sure you have all seen in your travels. This will depend on the source, spring, river, lake, reservoir, well...etc, etc but also by the way it is sanitized. Bleach, called chloros at sea UV light etc, etc.

Brilliant stuff Rod, thanks so much.  Your contributions "from the horses mouth" so to speak are very valuable.
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.