Not all water is created equal.
Journey of Water
Face it — we all have our favorite bottled water brands. There’s just something about our favorite brands that tastes better. We’ll sometimes even pay for more expensive water just to get that special taste. But does water even have a taste? That age-old debate not only has an answer, but the general consensus also seems to be that Walt Disney World sells the worst-tasting water.
Rest assured, Disney does not use a laboratory to concoct foul-tasting water that they, in turn, sell to you with an evil grin as they curl their handlebar mustaches. No, the reason behind Disney selling less-than-favorable water has more to do with brand partnerships. Disney has had a longtime partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and with that comes Coca-Cola products. It’s really that simple.
So which kind of water that Coca-Cola sells is making people spit it out in disgust? The answer to that, resoundingly, is Dasani.
Dasani
One of the cheaper options for bottled water, Dasani has many people second-guessing themselves and debating ponying up for a more expensive brand. Unfortunately for guests at the Disney Parks, this is the prime option you get for your water-purchasing needs. But why is the general water-drinking population so sour on Dasani? Many people have done their research and the results are alarmingly uniform.
Nearly everyone we referred to had Dasani at or near the bottom of their bottled water rankings. The most condemning review came from USA Today. In it, they had Dasani ranked 17th out of 17. Ouch. They did call Dasani “a step up from tap water” — but followed up with a “depending on the city”. Double-ouch. USA Today said the water smelled horrible and described it as sulfuric. They suggested sticking your head under a sink for water instead and only drinking Dasani in desperate situations. If you’re Dasani, how do you recover from that?
Stay hydrated at your own risk!
Mashed was also rough on Dasani. They ranked Dasani 15th out of 16 water brands. Just slightly ahead of Aquafina, a water brand from Coca-Cola rival PepsiCo, Dasani was called out for being nearly undrinkable. Mashed remarked that the only time you will ever see an empty Dasani bottle is “maybe the finish line of a 5k”. They labeled Dasani as the kind of water you drink until you’re no longer thirsty and that it’s akin to drinking fountain water, albeit with “fewer germs”.
Mashed added that Dasani water isn’t terrible, but that it tastes bitter, and you’re better off buying generic store-brand at a better value. As it relates to Disney, this suggestion would be the equivalent of bringing your own bottle or suitable container of water with you to the parks.
This Is the Water Bottle That Literally Everyone Takes to Disney World
In their “Best (and Worst) Bottled Waters of 2023” list, Brit+Co asked Belinda Chang, a water sommelier, to rank the water (yes, there are people whose job it is to taste water — go figure). Chang gave Dasani a 70/100, good enough for ninth place out of 10. Her notes were less about the taste and more about the smell, describing it as stinky. She equated the stench to something like “a wine that’s been dosed with sulphates.” Yuck.
Here’s the Dasani over at Galaxy’s Edge!
The kindest review we saw definitely belonged to Thrillist. In their article, they used a panel of ordinary people to rank the water. Dasani finished sixth out of eight, which has been the ceiling so far. Thrillist described Dasani water as “buoyant”, with a flavor that the tasters “didn’t fully embrace.” They did note that the water was “clean and fruity”, but that it exuded hints of “unchanged Brita filter”. Ok, so not the most glowing endorsement.
Example Dasani Screen
It’s important to note that all of these reviews and rankings were done of the basic Dasani water, and not of the different flavors of Dasani that are also available. Still, whether or not you actually like Dasani, it’s hard to argue against the general consensus that it’s hardly anybody’s favorite. What do you feel about most people dragging Dasani water? Do you personally avoid it while you’re at the Disney Parks and opt for fountain water or a different beverage? Let us know, and continue to follow us at DFB for all the latest Disney news!
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The post Why Disney World Water Is the WORST first appeared on the disney food blog.