Why do you bring food?

[GUT2407]

I like the post about bringing crackers for the cheese plate. I ordered a cheese plate after dinner to take back to my cabin, but no crackers. May bring those as well as tortilla chips :)

 

 

I've always got crackers with my cheese plates guess it comes down to who you are cruising with.

[bplazo]

We brought nothing on board our first cruise and I have a crisp (chips) problem haha! So one of our first ports we bought crisps and a few other bits. For the rest of the cruise we bought crisps, chocolate and sweets in ports as extra memories of our trip.

 

Last year we cruised from the US so stocked up on snacks we did not get over here and bought little bits in port again...I really love perusing then buying foreign snacks!

 

By the way, theres a whole internet storm on tips on smuggling booze on a cruise....feel free to do if you want but check the risks first.

 

I would never try to smuggle something that is not allowed by the cruise lines.

[Velvetwater]

I would never try to smuggle something that is not allowed by the cruise lines.

 

Its alcohol...not crack cocaine.

 

What people decide to do with their holiday is up to them, as long as it doesn't ruin anyone's cruise. I personally think bringing your own alcohol is fine when cruises are constantly trying to grab money off you and you are sensible with it. I would smuggle my own drinks if I could be bothered but I am not a huge drinker.

[wwcruisers]

And isn't eating in port part of experiencing the various cultures while traveling?:confused:

 

 

Oh yes! I'm really looking forward to having a great fish sandwich, when we return to Bermuda, next month! And, probably the best shrimp I've ever tasted, were from a little beach bar (Victor's) on Stone Island (Mazatlan) in Mexico. :cool: After a while, ship food gets really boring.

[Sue Do-Over]

On the topic of chewing gum... cruise ships won't sell it because they don't want the used bits stuck to surfaces around the ship. Disneyworld, for example, doesn't either, for that reason.

 

We do carry off sandwiches on Mahogany Bay, where the only other real option is the cruise-line-controlled Margaritaville. We do not carry (fresh) food away from the ship for all the insect/seeds reasons -- which are legitimate. We enjoy local foods, even 'street meat' from vendor carts, and support the local businesses... just don't put more money into the cruiseline pockets.

 

That said, we're both diabetics, so we always have granola bars and some hard candy. In the cabin, in the shore bag, in my pocket at the casino.

[KatieBug28]

I would never try to smuggle something that is not allowed by the cruise lines.

 

OP here.

 

Some lines do allow alcohol. We're sailing Carnival, and they allow you to bring one bottle of wine per person. I won't be doing it, because I don't drink, but it is allowed. So just wanted to clarify that the point of this thread isn't to encourage smuggling alcohol, just saying that I understand why you would want to bring the full amount allowed by your cruise line.

 

And I agree that eating food in port is part of the fun! It's a big part of every culture, so we try to seek out whatever the local specialty is, whether we travel by land (my preference) or sea. I'm a mom, so I do usually have a fruit leather or apple sauce buried in the diaper bag somewhere, but usually we try to get our kids to experience new foods with us. It's fun!

 

Thanks for all the replies. I think we'll stick with our plan to not bring any food along this time, but I totally have a better understanding of why someone would want to!

[law1956]

I usually check out snack prices on board before I bring something from a port stop. $5.98 for a bag of Gummy Bears convinced me to pick up some snacks on shore!:)

[Velvetwater]

OP here.

 

 

 

And I agree that eating food in port is part of the fun! It's a big part of every culture, so we try to seek out whatever the local specialty is, whether we travel by land (my preference) or sea. I'm a mom, so I do usually have a fruit leather or apple sauce buried in the diaper bag somewhere, but usually we try to get our kids to experience new foods with us. It's fun!

!

 

Agreed.

 

Part of my love of travel is food, I am a foodie but in the sense of I want to try everything. Not to mention food tastes better by the sea. :)

 

I dont understand it when people wander back to the ship to eat at midday.

[sail7seas]

What I do might be wacky - but what you are doing is illegal and may have you paying a steep fine or arrested. You are right, there is no rule.... just laws. Crazy!

 

You are right.

Some countries have rigid laws that carry very severe penalties. Australia is one that requires any form of food be reported..... with good reason.

 

[Nebr.cruiser]

We take along some energy bars or bags of nuts to have on excursions. We do eat on the islands sometimes, but often we just want a snack. Also, need something in case my husband becomes hypoglemic.

 

We also each have our stash of snacks for in the room; licorice and trail mix for my husband, a bag of kisses or some other chocolate for me, maybe some salty snacks of some kind too.

 

While there certainly is plenty of food on the ship, snack food isn't always readily available. Also, if I just want a bite of say, chocolate, first of all, I don't want to pay the inflated shop prices and second of all I don't want to traipse up to the buffet area for a small snack, if even available.

[DirtyDawg]

Oh yes! I'm really looking forward to having a great fish sandwich, when we return to Bermuda, next month! And, probably the best shrimp I've ever tasted, were from a little beach bar (Victor's) on Stone Island (Mazatlan) in Mexico. :cool: After a while, ship food gets really boring.

 

A great fish sandwich! Yummm!:D You're making me hungry.:p

[Bookish Angel]

so I bring raw, unsalted nuts, gluten-free, low sodium, whole-grain crackers, dried apricots and pineapple, etc. Those are eaten on board. In port, I occasionally eat something (depends on the country) if it is relatively healthful and is not seafood, organ meats, etc. as I don't eat those.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Bookish Angel

[Cruisin' Chick]

I wil frequently bring some pre-packaged snacks like granola bars or crackers to bring on excursions. You cannot take food off of the ship unless it is pre-packaged. I generally don't buy much food in the ports, since the ship has plenty of food that I paid for. Therefore the snacks help me from getting too hungry while on shore.

 

I bring factory sealed power bars for shore trips too. Most of the time we go out in port on our own and if hungry, might stop at a local eatery. But on one excursion, which came with a lunch, I couldn't eat the provided sandwiches as they were pre-made with the condiments, which I can't stand, added. I was very hungry by the time we got back to the ship (I really regretted not bringing something in my purse). On our last cruise, one tour came with lunch and when the guide was taking orders to call into the diner, I asked if we can get sauces and condiments on the side. She said they all are on the side, which was true.

[cantwaitt]

"Drop that sandwich and cheerios box. You're under arrest."

 

Please!

[griffy116]

I carried a few snacks on the plane to Italy because I was afraid we would get stuck with long waits or that the food on the plane would be terrible and I would get hungry. The food turned out to be plenty. I didn't really expect to end up with snacks when we arrived in Italy. They sat in our bag, ended up on the ship. I almost threw them away, but worried about being stuck in an airport between flights with nothing. The snack we got from room service were great (and included crackers and chips). Food at every port was fabulous and I didn't carry any of our food with us in ports anyway. I lugged the snacks through the U.S., Ireland, Italy, Greece and Turkey and across the ocean...and back in reverse. I threw those sad snacks out when we got home. I am not carrying snacks again. We did carry gum. I'm sure it's intentional that they don't sell gum.

[pris993]

Really depends on where we are traveling to, i.e., which ports we will visit.

 

We don't like most of the desserts on cruise lines, i.e., for example, most cakes are more creamy icings then cakes. So we pass on them. If we want something sweet we find it is best to bring a box of Sees candy or buy a special treat in port. When we are in the Mediterranean, we often on the look out for a good quality bakery... we have found some wonderful treats in Venice, Istanbul, Nice, Malaga and Haifa Israel.

 

We often shop for nuts in port... nice to have in the cabin to go with wine or a drink.

[SadieN]

"Drop that sandwich and cheerios box. You're under arrest."

 

Please!

 

 

Sandwich will probably get thrown away. (Never understood taking sandwiches off, they just go bad after a few hours.) Keep the Cheerios.

 

No idea where you're from but California has a big problem with invasive pests. Several of our inbound freeways have AG stops. Yep, throw out those Washington cherries or apples. Depends on season and crop.

 

You didn't live thru the Med Fruit Fly in the early 90's. Malathion crop dusted over whole neighborhoods. Animals brought in, Jungle Gyms wrapped, then washed the next day. Air conditioners turned off (did I mention it was Summer in Los Angeles).

 

It's early spring. Season for Vector traps in fruit trees. Seen several in our neighborhood. Different colors for different pests.

 

You do not want the goofy Labrador sitting next to you in port. Many ports have staff looking thru every bag or have dogs. If alerted the officer will riffle thru your stuff. In San Diego a gal was forced to go thru her stuff on the asphalt. An AG dog alerted on my lemonheads.

 

Right now we're battling an Asian Psyliad. It has its own website.

[lovesublime]

One of the funniest things I've read here on these forums was a post by a pax who observed a large family group in line to board the ship. The family was carrying on several buckets of KFC.

 

To be honest though, the KFC was probably a lot better than some of the slop served at the buffet.

[boating girl]

One of the funniest things I've read here on these forums was a post by a pax who observed a large family group in line to board the ship. The family was carrying on several buckets of KFC.

 

To be honest though, the KFC was probably a lot better than some of the slop served at the buffet.

 

Maybe they were hungry and had not eaten while traveling.....and, did not want to deal with the crazy lunch at the lido buffet.

[notentirelynormal]

"Drop that sandwich and cheerios box. You're under arrest."

 

Please!

 

Just because you are uninformed and refuse to believe others might know a tad bit more than you is no reason to point it out to everyone. Boxed food like cheerios are fine. Pre-packaged as has been mentioned several times as allowable. It is the fresh food that is not. Even if you have no respect for yourself (or you wouldn't have posted the above, please show respect for the places and countries you visit. You are a visitor and it is a privilege to enter their country. By telling others that it is okay to break the law is disrespectful and not too bright. You wouldn't like it if someone came to your house and brought something that could hurt your household. Same difference.

 

If you ever fly to New Zealand, please let us know the outcome when you take your sandwich into the airport or off the ship. We were stopped because the day before we had had an apple in our bag.

Edited April 21, 2015 by notentirelynormal

[SadieN]

Maybe they were hungry and had not eaten while traveling.....and, did not want to deal with the crazy lunch at the lido buffet.

 

 

One cruise Mom stayed behind while Sis and I got a molcajete for dinner in Ensenada. Brought back the leftovers for Mom. Next time she joined us at the restaurant.

[Illyria]

I'm usually so full after breakfast on a cruise ship, I never bring any food on a shore excursion (I'd rather be able to eat something local on shore - or at the very least to be hungry for dinner). But in Europe or Canada, I buy chocolate bars to bring back, because the chocolate there uses different formula than the U.S. and tastes infinitely better to me (I've been known to spend an entire per diem on a business trip to Canada buying chocolate bars at a convenience store :) )

[Cruisin' Chick]

Sandwich will probably get thrown away. (Never understood taking sandwiches off, they just go bad after a few hours.) Keep the Cheerios.

 

No idea where you're from but California has a big problem with invasive pests. Several of our inbound freeways have AG stops. Yep, throw out those Washington cherries or apples. Depends on season and crop.

 

You didn't live thru the Med Fruit Fly in the early 90's. Malathion crop dusted over whole neighborhoods. Animals brought in, Jungle Gyms wrapped, then washed the next day. Air conditioners turned off (did I mention it was Summer in Los Angeles).

 

It's early spring. Season for Vector traps in fruit trees. Seen several in our neighborhood. Different colors for different pests.

 

You do not want the goofy Labrador sitting next to you in port. Many ports have staff looking thru every bag or have dogs. If alerted the officer will riffle thru your stuff. In San Diego a gal was forced to go thru her stuff on the asphalt. An AG dog alerted on my lemonheads.

 

Right now we're battling an Asian Psyliad. It has its own website.

 

I remember medfly spraying happening back in the 80s, too. Even if they are completey eliminated one year, it takes just an infested piece of fruit to set things off again in another year.

 

I imagined some pests even get their own Twitter accounts too.

[GUT2407]

One of the funniest things I've read here on these forums was a post by a pax who observed a large family group in line to board the ship. The family was carrying on several buckets of KFC.

 

To be honest though, the KFC was probably a lot better than some of the slop served at the buffet.

 

Maybe they were hungry and had not eaten while traveling.....and, did not want to deal with the crazy lunch at the lido buffet.

 

 

Or they really love Colonel Sanders product.

[GUT2407]

 

If you ever fly to New Zealand, please let us know the outcome when you take your sandwich into the airport or off the ship. We were stopped because the day before we had had an apple in our bag.

 

 

I now travel almost exclusively within Australia, or places I can cruise to and from from Australia, we have been pulled up a number of times because my wifey has had a Banana in her bag the day before.

 

Those cute little puppies sit down next to you and then it's "What's in the bag".