Taking food from ship to port and vice versa

I am wondering about the possibilities of taking food from the ship to Marseilles port and Villefranche port. Are there any issues with doing this? Also if I was to buy local produce, can I take it back on the ship or not?

My goodness, we cannot believe our ears! You are in France and want to take food from the ship? Surely you jest. This is a country where we would love to bring food onto the ship!

Hank

But the OP did ask about bringing food back onto the ship. These boards are meant to be helpful, not judgmental. Yours wasn't helpful at all. I'd like to know the answer to this question as well!;)

No worries :cool:

The French tend not to be concerned about bringing food in, certainly from a cruise ship.

We've not done so from a cruise ship but I don't recall any advice to the contrary, and we've never been quizzed or checked when going ashore from a cruise ship or ferry.

I would think ditto with bringing food back onto the ship - certainly no problem with port security, I don't know about ship's security.

I don't know about Irish limitations should you be planning to take food home, but certainly there's theoretically no restriction since we're all EU countries. And we've always loaded our car when returning to England, where the only goods that Customs are concerned with is tobacco.

JB :)

It is our first and possibly only cruise so I am not sure what to expect or what I will do. I want to save my money for the Italian shore excursions, so my main thinking was possibly to save money on eating at french ports but it may be a case of just taking some fruit to snack on. I lived in France for six years but not around the south east and I think the food is quite different there, not to mention expensive. I don't eat any kind of fish or seafood so the famous bouillabasse soup is not an option and neither is the likes of nicoise salad. Want to keep pizza eating for Italy. In my head that only leaves the likes of couscous or a boring croque monsieur.

No definite plans on taking food back onboard either. Just handy to know the rules if I see something I feel like buying. Thanks all

You normally have to be back on-board half an hour before the advertised sailing times, mostly that's around 4.30 to 5.30.

So a hearty breakfast in the buffet, snaffle some fruit from there, & with perhaps a stop somewhere for a coffee & a sandwich baguette you should survive til you're back on board. ;)

Problem then is whether & what to eat in the buffet as soon as you're back on board, without spoiling your appetite for dinner.

JB :)

I have to agree with John Bull, after a substantial breakfast then, surely a huge lunch isn't needed.

Many bakeries in France sell savoury things suitable for a snack and some will even make up a baguette for you. Otherwise I am sure something can be found in a supermarket.

If you are back to the ship by around 4pm then go for afternoon tea, that's what we do. However, if I was so hungry I had to eat something, I would probably just have a crepe or something.

Unless I had a medical condition which meant I needed to take food off the ship, I wouldn't be such a cheapskate, especially in France where I know I can get something decent to eat.

If you go to Nice, you might try a Socca (chick pea crepe) sold at the flower market. It would make a nice tide-me-over local snack

bugging

That chick pea crepe sounds delicious.

Yes, you can bring food back to the ship. We have brought desserts back without a problem in France.

Check with the cruise line when you are on board about your stops. I say this because I have seen first hand how something is allowed one time and not on another date due to changing rules. The last time we were in France in 2015 it was permitted to take food off the ship.

Wishing you a great time waterlegs.

There have been times we have taken food off the ship even in Italy. in our case it wasn't to save money but it was because we didn't want to spend any time looking for a place to eat as we wanted to spend the time touring.

Keith

Yes, you can bring food back to the ship. We have brought desserts back without a problem in France.

 

Check with the cruise line when you are on board about your stops. I say this because I have seen first hand how something is allowed one time and not on another date due to changing rules. The last time we were in France in 2015 it was permitted to take food off the ship.

 

Wishing you a great time waterlegs.

 

There have been times we have taken food off the ship even in Italy. in our case it wasn't to save money but it was because we didn't want to spend any time looking for a place to eat as we wanted to spend the time touring.

 

Keith

Pleased to read this. We intend taking a limited amount of food with us when we go to the Grand Prix in Monaco next year

Some may accuse me over overdoing it, but here goes. Since there are countries which are picky to the point of using dogs to find banned items, carry your food in a paper bag and not your travel pack. I have found that smells can remain in some materials.

If you go to Nice, you might try a Socca (chick pea crepe) sold at the flower market. It would make a nice tide-me-over local snack

Also, several stands at the market sell pan bagnat and other sandwiches, pissaladière, pastries and other quick treats. And of course, lots of beautiful fresh fruit. Socca along with pan bagnat (salade niçoise on a round bun) and pissaladière (caramelized onion and anchovy tart) are the typical Niçois snacks.

Don't miss the socca! The stand is called Theresa Socca. It is right at the center of the flower market in front of the chapel. Can't miss it. And watch out how the whole socca is brought in to the selling stand - on the back of a bicycle.