What to take as snack on excursions / advices & tips?

[UniPac]

Hi all,

 

i'm one of those that get hungry 2-3 hours after their last meal :D

On sea days i have no problems as there is always plenty of food.

 

But on port days I always have the problem to find a snack which i can take with me on excursions. I go for breakfast and then usually leave the ship. I grab an apple/banana and some bread plus a muffin. That helps me "survive" the excursion if no lunch stop is included. Problem is that there are no bags to put the snacks in... so I will bring my own :rolleyes:

 

Yes I know it might look crazy but hey what can I do? It's not to save money, it's just that sometimes you don't have the opportunity to buy something to eat (or if, it might take too much time).

 

I wonder if there are more clever ways or maybe if i can get into trouble taking food off the ship. And my next cruise is somewhat port intensive so some variety would be nice, also.

 

Let's see if other's suffer from the same hunger problem :o

[marys350]

Since there are laws against taking fruits and vegetables off the ship and into ports of call, we have sometimes taken prepackaged sealed snacks such as protein bars, granola bars, individual serving packs of nuts, crackers, etc. for long excursions.

[ghstudio]

many just ignore the fact that some countries (including the US) have very strong laws about bringing food into the country. Bringing meats or vegetables into the US can find you with a very large fine and even jail time. It is similar in some other countries. If you have an apple in your bag and this cute beagle comes up to you...I'd start to sweat a bit. "I didn't know" or "I'm on the cruise ship" or "they said it was OK" are interesting phrases that you may quickly learn are not very helpful. Finally, Your cruise insurance would not cover you, (eg. for missing that excursion you paid for...or catching up with the ship) should the authorities decide that you not rejoin the cruise at sailing.

 

So...now that you are aware that fruit is not something you want to take off the ship, you are left with baked goods or sealed snacks of some sort..no, that's not an apple in a plastic bag..it's commercially sealed.

 

I know the above seems harsh and they will never question YOU....but I have been seeing more of those cute little dogs in terminals recently...in the US, Europe and Asia.

[Ma Bell]

You are possibly setting yourself up for a large fine as well.

[Gonzo70]

If you must bring food off the ship, pack some granola bars (or other factory sealed snacks) and take those as nearly every country permits this. Most countries have strict agricultural laws to protect crops against the introduction of foreign pests (that can devastate local economies if introduced). Fines in some countries are several thousand dollars for bringing undeclared fruits and vegetables. May countries also have laws prohibiting meat, nuts, dairy and sometimes other types of food. If caught you risk a massive fine and being detained as well as risk causing significant harm to the country you are visiting.

[lovemylab]

I would buy some packaged snacks such as granola bars to take with you. I've seen others take packages of dried cereals from the buffet.

 

The reason the ship doesn't provide baggies for food is because you shouldn't be taking prepared foods, or produce such as fruits and vegetables off the ship with you. This is normally mentioned in the daily newsletter. By taking those items off the ship you could be breaking local laws.

[neverbeenhere]

I've heard the jails in Istanbul are quite nice this time of the year.:)

[Yellow Lab's Rule]

We bring cheese and cracker and peanut butter and cracker snack packs. The kind they sell pre packaged in the grocery store from a brand like Keebler. Along with granola bars. I also bring pop tarts. I only buy pop tarts when we go on vacation. They tasty yummy when eaten on the beach. We use all these as snacks on the plane and for excursions.

[Travel2Learn]

I pack a large box of sealable sandwich bags on all trips. My favorite snack to pack is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cut into quarters. Once I was stopped at a port in South America. Since the sandwich did not have meat or cheese in it, it was not a problem. If I'm more concerned about getting in trouble, I'll bring just a roll. Do not take fruit off the ship.

[Gonzo70]

I pack a large box of sealable sandwich bags on all trips. My favorite snack to pack is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cut into quarters. Once I was stopped at a port in South America. Since the sandwich did not have meat or cheese in it, it was not a problem. If I'm more concerned about getting in trouble, I'll bring just a roll. Do not take fruit off the ship.

 

What you are proposing is illegal in many countries; do NOT do this unless you research in advance and determine you are not breaking the law. Even bread in some countries is illegal and you face stiff fines and possible detention if caught.

[cherylroslyn]

I pack a large box of sealable sandwich bags on all trips. My favorite snack to pack is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cut into quarters. Once I was stopped at a port in South America. Since the sandwich did not have meat or cheese in it, it was not a problem. If I'm more concerned about getting in trouble, I'll bring just a roll. Do not take fruit off the ship.

Peanut butter is made from peanuts!!!! Jelly is made from grapes!!!!!! It is the same thing. You are not supposed to take ANY food off of the ship that is not factory sealed. You can take Cherios in the box from the buffet.

 

And incidentally, I have been on dozens of excursions both private and ship sponsered and I have never seen an excursion that is 4 or 5 hours long that does not include lunch or a stop off somewhere to buy lunch.......

[cruisestitch]

"maybe if i can get into trouble taking food off the ship"

 

Yup, maybe you can get into trouble, have to pay a fine, be denied access to the country you are visiting, and just generally have a lot of hassle.

 

Bring sealed, pre-packaged commercially prepared foods if you can't make it a few hours without a snack or have some medical reason you need to eat often.

 

Don't risk taking a piece of fruit, a roll, a hunk of cheese, a sandwich or anything else off the ship that isn't pre-packaged. It's just not worth it.

[mompolo]

Usually right off the ship are stores - I'm sure you can find some kind of snack to take with you there. Candy bar, bag of chips or something.

[OCruisers]

Since there are laws against taking fruits and vegetables off the ship and into ports of call, we have sometimes taken prepackaged sealed snacks such as protein bars, granola bars, individual serving packs of nuts, crackers, etc. for long excursions.

 

Prepackaged sealed by the manufacturer snacks are fine. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[LetsGoDutch]

We take Clif or Luna bars.

 

To remove food from the ship, it has to be in its own packaging.

 

I've seen people take yogurt + a spoon.

[Gonzo70]

We take Clif or Luna bars.

 

To remove food from the ship, it has to be in its own packaging.

 

I've seen people take yogurt + a spoon.

 

Bringing in yogurt is not legal in all countries.

[WestLakeGirl]

Why take a chance on ruining your vacation? Don't bring your own bags and fill them with food, don't take fresh fruit, don't take yogurt, don't make sandwiches, and you won't get in trouble

[karena1]

Since there are laws against taking fruits and vegetables off the ship and into ports of call, we have sometimes taken prepackaged sealed snacks such as protein bars, granola bars, individual serving packs of nuts, crackers, etc. for long excursions.

 

Pretty much the same thing with us. I always take pretzels, FF Pringles and mixed nuts when we cruise. I typically do not want a "lunch", I am happier just snacking throughout the day so I bring snacks to take out on the islands with me. Since you cannot take fruit off the ship, this works perfect for me.

[UniPac]

Well thanks for this open words. However, some of them are not correct or a little bit exaggerated.

 

It depends on WHAT you want to "import", for what reason, what amount and where it is from. As my next cruise is a eastern med cruise, i can only say that within the european union nobody will get the problems some mention (prison, huge fine, denied entrance etc.).

The problem is that i don't know where the food is from: did celebrity buy it in Italy or did the buy it in the U.S.? Italy won't be a problem for most food (as long it is for personal use), U.S. food can be confiscated (no prison or big fine at all).

 

When I came to the U.S. this year, i knew about the rules and didn't bring any food with me.

Yes, staying away from bringing any eatable items into a country is a safe way.

However limiting it to "factory sealed" food is WRONG, at least for the E.U. Even some sealed items are not allowed (eg. the "Beef Jerky or Chicken Bites stuff is NOT allowed to bring into the EU afaik).

 

I did some research and besides the fact that you can't know for sure WHERE the particular item is from it is not totally clear what is allowed and what's not.

 

Finally it seems there quite some people doing what they think is correct so i think it was a good idea to post this question (hence i already thought it might cause problems).

 

If my research will bring up some facts i will post them here.

[Gonzo70]

Well thanks for this open words. However, some of them are not correct or a little bit exaggerated.

 

U.S. food can be confiscated (no prison or big fine at all).

 

 

Yours is the first post I have noticed that is exaggerated. There has not been a single mention of prison in any post. In the U.S. the minimum fine is $300, but can be quite steep. You certainly can be detained if caught bringing non declared food items into the U.S. that are illegal. There are countries where fines can be as high as $10,000 (possibly more).

[Tiggertastic]

There are many european ports where the ship is asked to put a trash bin just before you swipe to get off to drop food into.

 

they appeared last year on 3 of our cruises and they started to put it in the daily newspaper to warn you for each port

[kitty9]

UniPac, the problem with the responses you received is that you weren't clear as to where you were sailing. If you had started off by qualifying that you were cruising the Med, the answers would have been different. Many here make the assumption that people cruise mainly in the Caribbean, discounting that there are many places other than there to cruise. So, I've found that when posting on these boards, it's best to be very specific with your questions in order to get the best answers.

[UniPac]

Yours is the first post I have noticed that is exaggerated. There has not been a single mention of prison in any post. In the U.S. the minimum fine is $300, but can be quite steep. You certainly can be detained if caught bringing non declared food items into the U.S. that are illegal. There are countries where fines can be as high as $10,000 (possibly more).

 

As i have written, i know that the U.S. are strict (and therefor didn't bring ANY food with me). Same for the EU when you bring food from outside the EU to any country.

 

Don't know why you think my post is exaggerated as i only said it depends on lot of things and that it is not clear what is allowed and what's not.

 

And to the prison thing you mentioned, take a look to what i meant to refer:

 

I've heard the jails in Istanbul are quite nice this time of the year.:)

 

So maybe we can relax again, i wasn't trying to be offensive to anyone. If it reads like that, sorry was no intent - maybe it's because my english is far from perfect :)

[Gonzo70]

FYI my understanding is that much of the food on Celebrity ships are sourced from the US, even if the cruise is being conducted in Europe. I am not certain this is true, but have heard it mentioned from multiple sources.

[lovemylab]

I cruised the Med in October (visited a few Eastern European ports) and it was clearly indicated in the daily newsletter that passengers were not to take prepared foods, fruits and vegetables off the ship.

 

Earlier you mentioned you were not doing this to save money. So if that's the case why got just buy some snacks to take with you? Many people in this thread have already given some great suggestions.