Bottled Water - WHY?

[SandraC]

We have not had trouble with the water either and we are WATER DRINKING FAMILY! S

 

[Goofyzgurl]

The water was awful in FL. I'm a water drinker and used to drinking tap water. I don't mind it, in fact, my tap water tastes better than some of the bottled water. The water upset my dh stomach so bad he said he felt like they should give a warning about Montezuma's revenge before you go to FL . When we got home, there was a bottle of "treated" water that we even treated with Brita. He said it reminded him of his childhood when he used to play in the creek...ewww...So from then on we buy a case of water before we go.

 

[fredonna]

To all those in favor of bottled water, ditto. We go to Sam's Club or Walmart and buy a 35-pack case of 16oz. water bottles for $5.50. The case lasts forever! We freeze the bottles and put them in a collapsible mini-cooler I carry around like a bag -- fits perfectly under the kids' stroller.

At .17 a bottle, it beats WDW's prices!

 

[weloveminnie]

We always take water bottles if we need a water bottle break.

 

[disneysteve]

As I said in the original post, I knew this topic would spark some interesting discussion. I definitely agree that we all choose to save money in different ways and I realize how strongly some people feel about bottled water. No one in my family drinks bottled or filtered water - maybe our tastebuds just aren't that sensitive. Since we don't use bottled water, I didn't realize how cheaply it can be gotten - $.17 per bottle is pretty reasonable and obviously has virtually no effect on the overall cost of your trip.

I must say that as a doctor, I'm more than a little curious about those of you who said that drinking the local water actually makes you ill. Offhand, I can't think of any simple medical explanation for that. Have any of you ever looked into that or reported it to the local water company in the area? Its certainly possible that there is something in the local water that you are overly sensitive too. It would be interesting to know what it is.

dcfromva - you're point is a good one. Most people don't drink nearly enough water, especially when they are physically active and sweating like while trekking around WDW. Drink the tap water or bring your own but make sure you keep on drinking the water. Just don't pay Disney $2.50 per bottle. I'm amazed how many people are more than willing to do that.

Steve

 

[Pete's Mom]

Maybe I was too thirsty to notice but the tap water tasted fine to me.

 

[BethR]

Originally posted by disneysteve
Drink the tap water or bring your own but make sure you keep on drinking the water. Just don't pay Disney $2.50 per bottle. I'm amazed how many people are more than willing to do that.

Not too many here on the Budget Board, Steve. That is why you see so many posts here about pre-purchasing bottled water!!!

 

[BounceyOne]

We also buy water by the case and bring it with us. When we drive that is, if we fly we buy water at publix.
I live in NY and our water tastes pretty good. Florida water does not appeal to my taste buds at all. I also do not like to drink from public fountains, so many people put their mouhts on there, it grosses me out

 

[Kermit]

I'm a water snob. Water is all I ever drink, and I think that makes me able to taste water a little more than some other people. I take my own bottled water (we drive). I have to have certain brands because I don't even like certain brands of bottled water. I'm glad WDW switched to Dansani because I never liked Zephyrhills and I always felt funny carrying in my own brand.

 

[plutosmyfav]

Originally posted by Kermit
I'm a water snob. Water is all I ever drink, and I think that makes me able to taste water a little more than some other people. I take my own bottled water (we drive). I have to have certain brands because I don't even like certain brands of bottled water. I'm glad WDW switched to Dansani because I never liked Zephyrhills and I always felt funny carrying in my own brand.

Kermit,

I'm also a "nothing but water" drinker. No juice, no soda (I do drink milk). I agree that I can taste variations in chlorine and minerals that others don't seem to notice. As for the Orlando water, the strong smell of sulfur is probably the worst deterrent to drinking the water. It is absolutely disgusting. I even had trouble enjoying the water parks because the smell was so strong. When I opened my suitcase upon arriving back home, I got a burst of sulfur smell from the clothes I had washed in Orlando! I guess some people are lucky to not notice it. Whether its water or chocolate or any other thing I put in my mouth-- if it smells like sulfur I'm not going to enjoy it! Maybe some people don't mind the smell? That's amazing to me.

PlutosMyFav

 

[Jeanny]

Poland Springs is my bottled water of choice~ do they have that brand down in Orlando? or do I have to go with a local bottled water??

 

[mike07801]

Poland Spring is only sold in the Northeast. The same company that owns Poland Spring owns Zephyr Hills. They have different brands and spring sources in each region.

Hope this helps.

 

[tink2dw]

I think the Variable here is FLORIDIA'S WATER TABLE.

When they have plenty of water it may thin out the sulfur so it is less noticable,But when it is low due to dry periods or over use,the sulfur in the water is much stronger.

 

[kylara]

I live in the area and I do not drink the tap water. If you stay at a place that does not ariadate (not sure about spelling) there is a strong sulfar smell. Also for some reason, some areas seem to have a higher chlorine content...and since I have an allergic reaction to chlorine, to much makes me sick to my stomach. So it is either filtered water or bottled water for me.

 

[froglady]

Originally posted by plutosmyfav
Kermit,
I guess some people are lucky to not notice it. Whether its water or chocolate or any other thing I put in my mouth-- if it smells like sulfur I'm not going to enjoy it! Maybe some people don't mind the smell? That's amazing to me.

PlutosMyFav

It's possible that a lot of people really don't smell it! I can smell silk (it smells fishy), so can't wear it, but many other people don't seem to notice it. I read somewhere that only certain people can. So you may be among the few who are very sensitive to the smell of sulfur. I can only smell it in untreated water. BTW...I believe it is somewhat of a natural laxative; it is hyped as a "tonic" by the native Floridians. We have a weekend house with well water, and that's certainly been our experience! I suspect we've become acclimated to the city water. I can imagine that someone who is totally unused to the local water might have some problems.

 

[kilarney]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but a lot of the time there is no mountain, no flowing spring. The source, in Dasani's case, is a Coca-Cola plant in Jacksonville, FL. If you consider this corporate summit a mountain, then climb on.
At least 25% of all bottled water is bottled tap water - some place it as high as 40%. Of course Dasani is purified and enhanced with minerals, but it doesn't come from any mountain spring!
Generally, standards for bottled water are less stringent than those for public water systems. There is no guarantee that bottled water is high quality. The National Resource Defense Council recently tested 103 brands of water, and found that one third of the brands contained contamination.
A good article can be found at:
http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/nbw.asp

Personally, I think that the municipal water supply is fine. I also think that bottled water marketing goes after emotion, and tries to make people forget logic.
The simple fact is that most cheap bottled water is bottled tap water. I drink lots of water, and have NEVER had a problem drinking municipal water. (even in many third world countries from Africa to Asia)
If you genuinely sense a difference in taste, then go ahead and buy bottled water. If you are doing it for "health" reasons, you're probably wasting your money.
Of course this is just my opinion!

As the saying goes... buyer beware!

 

[BethR]

Thanks for your information, kilarney.

I know that for me, I purchase bottled water for our trips to WDW because, to me, the water tastes AWFUL!
I think that there are many who feel the same way.
I know that municipal water is healthy enough to drink. But even here at home, I prefer the taste of my Brita filtered water to what comes out of the tap. Just seems to "go down" easier. But I still drink the tap water whenever I have not filtered any water or don't feel like pouring from the pitcher. It is simply preference.
And when I can't get past the taste and smell, like that if the water in Orlando, I purchase water, or use my Brita water bottle.
I am sure that this is the case for most of the others as well.

 

[BethR]

froglady,

I know what you are saying about silk. I think that I am aware of an odor from it too - especially when it is wet. But, for me, it is not bad enough to stop me from wearing it. We all have our different levels of tolerence, don't we?

 

[twinmomto3boys]

The tap water at WDW is awful and it's usually warm. I don't want to risk getting a sour stomach on vacation.

 

[Poohbear123]

and have to admit: I NEVER DRINK OUT OF THE WATER FOUNTAINS AT WDW!!! God ONLY knows WHO drank out of it last, and besides that, I do NOT mind spending 2.50 for a bottle of water I can buy in Miami for 50 cents!!