Bring food purchased @ Granville Island onto the ship in Vancouver?

We are planning to visit Granville Island Markets pre-cruise Vancouver. If we purchase items like cheese, dried meats etc...will we be permitted to bring them on the ship @ embarkation?

Mostly wondering if we can clear security/immigration/customs @ Canada Place? We are US citizens with passports.

Becky

Because you are clearing US CBP they may not allow the meats but cheese should be ok.....however you could confirm what's admissible on the CBP website.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1273/~/food--bring-personal-use-food-into-the-u.s.-from-canada

Even shelf stable, processed, and sealed and labeled meat products are going to be a gamble. Best for them to be in your stomach and not your bags.

Cheese should be more firm than brie, sorry, no gooey cheese. This quick method of measurement was given to me by US Customs

Also, cheese made from unpasteurized milk is still a problem.

The custom's beagles know by travel bags by sight, and smell .......

Thank you both for your input. Very helpful!

We won't bring any meat...but sounds like firm cheeses and bread products are acceptable. I knew fresh produce would be a challenge. Sometimes we like "nibbles" in our cabin as we get ready for dinner...or in this case, view glaciers from our balcony.

Thanks again for your advice!

Becky

Thanks for the suggestion.....never thought of getting any cheeses for the cabin. We will be in Vancouver for 3 days prior to our cruise and I am going to try it with cheese!! Yum!!

Many cruise ships have cheeses and meats in the buffet that you can take back to the cabin for nibbles on the balcony. Some even have guacamole and chips at times.

Many cruise ships have cheeses and meats in the buffet that you can take back to the cabin for nibbles on the balcony. Some even have guacamole and chips at times.

Yes, I have occasionally been able to obtain nicer quality cheese slices from the OV Cafe near salad bar area, also crackers.

Would only buy cheese in Vancouver if we find something unique...which seems highly probable @ Granville Island Markets. We don't care for the afternoon canapés offered for our cabin.

Hoping to find some hard cheese that is safe @ room temperatures for the land tour portion of our trip in AK.

Try Benton Bros - you'll definitely find something, and as long as it's hard & pasteurised theoretically it's OK to bring into the USA.

See if they have some aged Lankaaster (an Ontarian gouda-esque cheese that ages beautifully, and has won a buttload of awards), or one of Carmelis aged goat products from here in BC (these can often be found in Urban Fare supermarkets, one of which is easily walkable from Canada Place and another just off the Seawall in Yaletown).

When you are visiting Granville Market find the Rogers Chocolate shop and buy a chocolate. You will probably then end up buying some to take on board.

Thank you both for you food/shopping recommendations for Granville Island. They wound wonderful. I considered a foodie walking tour there but they start a bit too early , and we wanted a more leisurely pace for our first full day in Vancouver. ;)

I have created a list in my phone of the makers and items you recommended.

Becky

Do you think we would be able to bring fresh flowers onboard the ship? I know Granville sells some beautiful flowers and I was thinking of getting some to enjoy in the cabin.

I purchased flowers in ports two different time and brought on the ship. Both were Med cruises. Once in Nice, France and once in Kotor, Montenegro. Both time Celebrity staff smiled and welcomed me back.

But I have not ever found a Celebrity policy one way or the other.

Hopefully others can share their experiences.

Becky

I regularly bring flowers onboard from pike place when out of Seattle. If you look on Amazon you can find some great travel vases that are foldable plastic. I was planning on picking up some flowers in Vancouver, but it is my first time boarding in Vancouver.

I regularly bring flowers onboard from pike place when out of Seattle. If you look on Amazon you can find some great travel vases that are foldable plastic. I was planning on picking up some flowers in Vancouver, but it is my first time boarding in Vancouver.

I have requested a vase from my room steward. The either located one "left over from other guests" or provided a champagne chilling bucket.:D

Becky

Thank you both for you food/shopping recommendations for Granville Island. They wound wonderful. I considered a foodie walking tour there but they start a bit too early , and we wanted a more leisurely pace for our first full day in Vancouver. ;)

 

I have created a list in my phone of the makers and items you recommended.

 

Becky

We spent some time there post cruise. It was wonderful... so many crafters selling great stuff.... the area has some great shopping and it is feast for the senses. enjoy

Do you think we would be able to bring fresh flowers onboard the ship? I know Granville sells some beautiful flowers and I was thinking of getting some to enjoy in the cabin.

Yes, cut flowers are permitted, however a potted plant will not be allowed.

Fantastic! Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences.

Do you think we would be able to bring fresh flowers onboard the ship? I know Granville sells some beautiful flowers and I was thinking of getting some to enjoy in the cabin.

Since this is Vancouver, it's irrelevant what anyone experienced in any other port except where it pertains to Celebrity rules. CBP rules are the primary driver of all policies here, since you are entering the USA as you board to all intents & purposes.

Cut flowers - as long as it's not a species that can be propagated by cuttings - are generally fine. Specific rules abound though, based on them being a possible vector for insects and disease, mostly based on where they come from. Full details are in a CBP manual here, which has relatively Plain English 'If-Then' statements you can click the relevant responses to in the PDF and find out if your particular bouquet is Low or High risk depending on species and where it was grown (we have plenty of fresh flowers shipped in, so without proof of where they were grown you risk having CBP simply forbid them to play it safe). Difficult to use in advance unless you know exactly which kind of flowers you plan to buy though!

Since this is Vancouver, it's irrelevant what anyone experienced in any other port except where it pertains to Celebrity rules. CBP rules are the primary driver of all policies here, since you are entering the USA as you board to all intents & purposes.

 

Cut flowers - as long as it's not a species that can be propagated by cuttings - are generally fine. Specific rules abound though, based on them being a possible vector for insects and disease, mostly based on where they come from. Full details are in a CBP manual here, which has relatively Plain English 'If-Then' statements you can click the relevant responses to in the PDF and find out if your particular bouquet is Low or High risk depending on species and where it was grown (we have plenty of fresh flowers shipped in, so without proof of where they were grown you risk having CBP simply forbid them to play it safe). Difficult to use in advance unless you know exactly which kind of flowers you plan to buy though!

Thank you for the link & info. I did try to search for it too!

Becky

Personally speaking, you can read a 156 page manual or accept the fact that 99% of cut flowers will be permitted aboard a ship docked at Canada Place, quite frankly I am not even sure that the is an USDA officer at Canada Place. Our rule of thumb going back almost 40 years is "if a flower is cut it is likely OK, if it has dirt on it or around it....don't do it". Florists in Vancouver have been delivering bouquets to Alaska bound passengers for as long as I can remember.

Personally speaking, you can read a 156 page manual or accept the fact that 99% of cut flowers will be permitted aboard a ship docked at Canada Place, quite frankly I am not even sure that the is an USDA officer at Canada Place. Our rule of thumb going back almost 40 years is "if a flower is cut it is likely OK, if it has dirt on it or around it....don't do it". Florists in Vancouver have been delivering bouquets to Alaska bound passengers for as long as I can remember.

Speaking as a botanist, who has been responsible for researching rules for plant import/export, then completing the required forms (and of course the associated hefty fees in many cases!) with many different agencies in many different countries for personally taking or enabling others to take cut, dried, desiccated, pressed, potted, frozen, and in pretty much any other state you can imagine flowers, plus of course seeds and all other parts of or indeed entire plants, across international borders - I am pretty sure I have vastly more experience and training on this topic than you.

Cut flowers are NOT simply allowed. That's precisely why there is a hefty manual on the topic. Despite my professional experience of such things though, since it's been years since I acted in a professional capacity on the matter and never when entering the US from Canada I stuck to conservative wording in my reply rather than making up statistics - that generally it's going to be OK to take cut flowers on-board but that there are exceptions.

Now since you specifically state that in fact 99% of cut flowers are allowed aboard, I have some follow-up questions - call it professional curiosity...

Where did you get the data? What about the other 1% of flowers - if they weren't allowed aboard surely the only other viable possibility is SOMEONE forbid them being brought on? But who's rejecting them if there's no relevant officer present?

We have purchased flowers in supermarkets and taken them aboard at Canada Place, have observed many people bringing flowers aboard at Canada Place....no idea where they were purchased. Vancouver florists have been delivering flowers to Alaska bound passengers for decades, I have knowledge of this since 1963, long before there was a Canada Place. For 22 years we had a weekend home in WA, never had cut flowers removed going or coming from the US. Have never seen cut flowers removed from a passenger at Canada Place. Have been active on Cruise Critic since 2007 and have never read of anyone having cut flowers taken from them at Canada Place. The 1% removal factor was likely and exaggeration on my part, I would suggest that the probability of having cut flowers removed is less than that. However, if someone really wants to read a 156 page government document before purchasing $25 worth of cut flowers then so be it.

However, if someone really wants to read a 156 page government document before purchasing $25 worth of cut flowers then so be it.

I can only assume you're being deliberately facetious at this point PD, unless you actually believe a dictionary or thesaurus is supposed to be read from end-to-end like a novel - the PDF I linked to (which you obviously opened to check the page count...) is thoroughly indexed, and even includes right at the start a 'how to use this guide' section.

Depending on species, you may only have to click on a single link and read a couple of sentences; even the most complex situation, with a plant that could be High or Low risk depending where it was grown/transshipped through still only requires looking up the species plus a couple of extra tables.

And frankly all experiences over the years are rendered moot every time the rules change - surely you remember all the press about Longhorned Beetle infestations? It spurred a big change in inspection rules when ALB was found in Vaughan, ON and CLB in Tukwila, WA just as 'Mad Cow' disease impacted cross-border beef sales. Things go the other way too - WA and BC apples can both be taken freely over the border as long as they're individually stickered with their origin for example, as they've proven low enough risk no inspection at all is required for individual use import/export any more.

So, to wrap this back around to relevant, factual info & advice for LMZinSC, lobster129 and any others who might be considering some fresh flowers - while the odds are slim you'll have an issue, there are things you can do to minimize the risks even further without having to worry about decoding US government manuals, however well-indexed they might be:

First, avoid decorative grasses and especially anything that looks like wood - roses are particularly safe, as these are the only plant that gets a pass on other species being mixed in as long as 75% of the stems are roses.

Second, choose a bouquet that lists where the flowers were grown if possible - and avoid the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia like the plague. Chile & Jamaica are particularly safe origins, and Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Guatemala also are generally lower risk than other places including Canada.

Third and most important - DECLARE THEM. If there's a new and super-keen guy on the job, a new directive to increase inspection rates, a sudden outbreak of a disease or pest hits the news, or anything else that makes the agent want to look at your flowers - they get confiscated and you lose the cost of the bouquet. Fail to declare them and hefty fines are on the cards!

Thank you both for you food/shopping recommendations for Granville Island. They wound wonderful. I considered a foodie walking tour there but they start a bit too early , and we wanted a more leisurely pace for our first full day in Vancouver. ;)

 

I have created a list in my phone of the makers and items you recommended.

 

Becky

Can you please elaborate or share your research regarding the foodie walking tours available? I think DH would love to do that after disembarkation when we are in Vancouver for a couple days. Thanks much!

Can you please elaborate or share your research regarding the foodie walking tours available? I think DH would love to do that after disembarkation when we are in Vancouver for a couple days. Thanks much!

The only one I could find begins @ 10:30AM. I have not toured there, so uncertain if I am permitted to recommend or not. Just Google "Granville Market Food Tours".

Since we have a late flight into YVR the night before, and it's been years since we have been to downtown Vancouver (and never to Granville Island)...I thought we needed more time to find our way. We are not distance walkers or bikers.

Becky