Taking "Snacks" off ship

[cassamanda]

Thanks all for this post.

My husband is a vegan (who also doesn't eat nuts or anything with oil) and usually brings a piece of fruit (or two) on excursions because there is RARELY anything he can eat.

We are in Auckland for 3 days pre cruise and plan on our first stop being to a supermarket to get him packaged snacks. Our next stop will be to a Health Food store.

I hope that if we find him packaged snacks he'll be allowed to take those off the ship with him in the rest of NZ and in Australia. (I will leave them wrapped and keep the receipts.)

I understand that both countries are civilized and have grocery stores but it would be awful to make that our first stop at every port!

 

We would all be very interested in how you went on this one. Would you mind posting the results?

[chamima]

We would all be very interested in how you went on this one. Would you mind posting the results?

 

Sure, but it won't be until next March.

 

BTW - Thank you for all of your help with the trip planning in general from these boards!!!!!!

[Jacs]

You could face difficulty bringing Raw edible seeds into Australia, even if they are packaged. You can try your luck, just declare all your food and let the customs people make the decisions.

[sparky-elpaso]

This is from our Cruise Compass for one of the ports in New Zealand.

 

 

"New Zealand law prohibits the following items to be taken off the ship in port:

 

Fresh fruit and vegetables, meat of any kind, prepared meals including sandwiches and dairy products. Any consumable food items. Flowers, seeds, or plants.

 

Only sealed and unopened bottles of drinking water are permitted to leave the ship.

 

Guests going ashore will be subject to inspection by the New Zealand Quarantine stationed by the gangway."

 

 

Australian ports had this in the Cruise Compass:

 

"Australia has strict quarantine controls to prevent the introduction of weeds, pests, and diseases - protecting Australia's unique environment, important agricultural industries, and human health.

 

To fulfill Australian quarantine regulations, no food, plant, or animal materials are allowed to be taken ashore. This includes meat, fruit and dairy products, packaged and processed food, plant cuttings, seeds, and souvenirs made with wood, plant or animal materials. All food items should be left onboard or disposed of in the quarantine bins located at the gangway.

 

Guests will be subject to inspection by the Australian Quarantine Officer stationed at the gangway."

 

 

At all the ports there were cute little beagles to check your bag as you left the ship.

 

Even the trash bins on deck were covered so you couldn't throw anything away except inside the ship.

[room010]

AQIS are not going to bend the rules to accommodate individual dietary choices or requirements. It can sometimes be very inconvenient when we do have such special needs but that applies to everyday life as well as cruising. It's very rare that you'll go ashore and not see a convenient grocery store or supermarket if you really must have food or snacks with you.

[MrsBBuffalo]

I need to understand if the comments about 'taking all medications in their original packaging with a copy of the script' is just the usual statement posted for every country/every cruise or if someone has had an experience in NZ or Aus where there was a problem or questions about their medications. Did anyone actually have their medications confiscated????????

 

I always prepare our medicines (mostly vitamins, one BP pill daily for me) in little bags and put them all in a zip bag in my purse for travel. I never carry original packaging. And then I have a prescription cream, and what I call our first aid medications - antibiotics, sudafed, benadryl, imodium, non-script pain relievers in a small case in our checked bag. Almost none of those items are in original boxes. I have carried our meds this way to England, the Med, and a previous visit to NZ/Aus. Will I have a problem if I follow my usual procedure?

 

Thanks for all the help. We will NOT try to bring food in, or carry it off our ship. We will google maps the closest grocery store to any port where we have a day long tour.

[joejoe 59]

I need to understand if the comments about 'taking all medications in their original packaging with a copy of the script' is just the usual statement posted for every country/every cruise or if someone has had an experience in NZ or Aus where there was a problem or questions about their medications. Did anyone actually have their medications confiscated????????

 

I always prepare our medicines (mostly vitamins, one BP pill daily for me) in little bags and put them all in a zip bag in my purse for travel. I never carry original packaging. And then I have a prescription cream, and what I call our first aid medications - antibiotics, sudafed, benadryl, imodium, non-script pain relievers in a small case in our checked bag. Almost none of those items are in original boxes. I have carried our meds this way to England, the Med, and a previous visit to NZ/Aus. Will I have a problem if I follow my usual procedure?

 

Thanks for all the help. We will NOT try to bring food in, or carry it off our ship. We will google maps the closest grocery store to any port where we have a day long tour.

 

 

Dont worry you wont have a problem doing it that way.:)

[6andy6]

Dont worry you wont have a problem doing it that way.:)

 

I actual beg to differ.

 

While I don't think they will have a problem per see bringing in the drugs ... People do it every day..... If they are removed from their packaging and sitting 'loose' out of their blister packs I think if you have a zealous AQUIS officer they will may be taken away and checked. But that's if they do decide to check you anyway...as always you should start the process by declaring them.

[celle]

I need to understand if the comments about 'taking all medications in their original packaging with a copy of the script' is just the usual statement posted for every country/every cruise or if someone has had an experience in NZ or Aus where there was a problem or questions about their medications. Did anyone actually have their medications confiscated????????

 

I always prepare our medicines (mostly vitamins, one BP pill daily for me) in little bags and put them all in a zip bag in my purse for travel. I never carry original packaging. And then I have a prescription cream, and what I call our first aid medications - antibiotics, sudafed, benadryl, imodium, non-script pain relievers in a small case in our checked bag. Almost none of those items are in original boxes. I have carried our meds this way to England, the Med, and a previous visit to NZ/Aus. Will I have a problem if I follow my usual procedure?

 

Thanks for all the help. We will NOT try to bring food in, or carry it off our ship. We will google maps the closest grocery store to any port where we have a day long tour.

 

You should always carry your medications in their original containers, as well a having a copy of a prescription or a letter from your doctor. That's what is recommended for travel to most countries. Have medications in your hand ouggage and ready for inspection, if necessary.

 

That's what is recommended and what you should do. I travel frequently between NZ and Australia and do as recommended. I never make a point of declaring my medications. It's not necessary unless you are carrying prescribed narcotics, or similar.

 

I have never once been asked to show my medications, or to show proof that they are prescribed for me. However, technically, the customs and agriculture officers could ask you. If you carry your medications as you described, you might then have a problem. You might well be allowed to continue with the meds, but equally, if you have an official who is a "jobsworth", or who is having a bad day, you could have a big problem.

 

The choice is yours - but I'd be inclined to carry my medications as recommended.

[newfarmers]

The dog sat beside me one day in Christchurch Airport, when we returned from a trip to Melbourne.

 

I'd had a banana in my bag two days earlier, the dog picked up the scent.

These dogs are very clever.

 

Me too, also in Chch.

 

I took the knapsack that I use when I ride to work and it had (had) two pieces of fruit in it every day prior to us heading over on holidays. I was horrified but they were very nice about it and explained that the smell of the fruit stays for a long time!

 

pete

[fantasy51]

I am joint Australian and English. I grew up with the tough Australian rules about fruit, even when travelling from one state to another. Now, when I fly from the UK to Australia I always declare food. As soon as I explain that it is chocolate I'm waved through. Even though I know that's their attitude, I still declare it every time.

 

I had a funny experience one year in Sydney airport asking one of the dog handlers for directions. After telling me where to go, he then asked if I'd had fruit in my plastic bag at any time. I had to laugh. I'd got the bag at Heathrow airport with a bottle of curacao in it. At Singapore airport I'd noticed it was leaking and had attempted to wash out the bag and seal the bottle. Evidently the liqueur had enough fruit in it to alert the dog.

[MMDown Under]

Like Celle, I travel the world with my medication in its original packaging. I've never been asked, but I know I wouldn't have to worry if I was asked by Customs what I was carrying.

 

However, I have been stopped by the friendly Beagle many times on arriving back in Australia, as I use bags in which I've carried food on my travels!

[Jacs]

The reparation card for Australia will ask if you are carrying narcotics, prescription or otherwise, or other controlled or illegal drugs. If everyhing you have is over the counter, then you don't need to declare them. I wouldn't have any loose capsules in a bag though, just in case they pick you for a random bag search (and this happens all the time).

 

A few years ago I had to take prescription controlled drugs (morphine based pills and steroids), so coming back in I had to declare them. I had to show them the box with my name and doctors name on it, or a letter from the doc or the original prescription. I had all of this but they took a couple of loose pills that had fallen out during travel.

 

Always better to be safe then sorry when it comes to Australian customs.

[MrsBBuffalo]

Okay to clarify further: Would you say I would be fine with my non-prescription Vitamins in tiny bags, one for each day of my trip? And then take the one pill bottle with my BP med intact, plus the just-in-case antibiotic in their original box? I will not be carrying any narcotics.

 

I'm sorry, but with Air New Zealand's tight restrictions on carry-on luggage and handbag sizes, if I tried to pack the warehouse volume-sized bottle for my multivitamins and calcium, etc, I'd have no room for my wallet. I'm really not trying to be difficult, just practical.

 

Thanks so much.

[celle]

Okay to clarify further: Would you say I would be fine with my non-prescription Vitamins in tiny bags, one for each day of my trip? And then take the one pill bottle with my BP med intact, plus the just-in-case antibiotic in their original box? I will not be carrying any narcotics.

 

I'm sorry, but with Air New Zealand's tight restrictions on carry-on luggage and handbag sizes, if I tried to pack the warehouse volume-sized bottle for my multivitamins and calcium, etc, I'd have no room for my wallet. I'm really not trying to be difficult, just practical.

 

Thanks so much.

 

How many days will you be away from home? And how long is your flight to Aus/NZ?

 

If it were me, I would take my prescription medications in my carry-on bag, in their original containers, as recommended.

 

Since the vitamins and calcium are not essential during the flight, I would pack them (in their original containers) in my check-in luggage. You won't be at any risk if you don't take your vitamins and calcium for 24 hours, but your prescription meds are essential. Or, you could just buy smaller bottles OTC before you leave home.

 

If the worst comes to the worst and your checked luggage goes astray, you can buy vitamins and calcium over hte counter here in the Antipodes. (Lost baggage doesn't seem to be as much of a problem here as it, apparently, is in the US.)

[Jacs]

You wont get fined or anything for having the vitamins loose in a bag, but if you're one of the people selected for a bag search and they find them, they'll take them as they can't proove what they are.

 

Plus loose pills in a bag looks pretty dodgy to an X-ray operator, it will probably flag you for a bag search anyway :)

 

You can buy multi vitamins and calcium tablets in any pharmacy or large supermarket in Australia and New Zealand, and international airports here have pharmacies so you can buy them as soon as you land.