Do you grab lunch at the port or head back on board for a quick bite?

[Joebucks]

As like many others, it depends. I'm not trying to blow the budget, but I'm not going to waste time going back to the ship if it's too far. I've also had a lot of fantastic dishes at ports (and some overpriced average ones). 

[sparks1093]

On 8/3/2023 at 6:31 PM, Sandie5 said:

If you're at a port from say 8 am to 6 pm, do you head back on board for lunch or try to eat somewhere at the port? If the ports are at areas where the water might upset your stomach, do you try not to eat the food on land?

 

The only time we typically eat ashore is if it is part of the excursion. We will have a snack if we are ashore for awhile. Once we go back onboard it is usually for the day.

[crystalspin]

Eat off the ship. Or at least have drinks! No ice. 

[K32682]

5 hours ago, slidergirl said:

"Eating local" is a big part of all of my vacations, land or sea.  I'll never run back to a ship for a meal.

 

Mine too but not for everyone it seems. On a cruise to Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas we toured around with another couple and fell upon a fascinating little place that looked like it came out of a 1950's movie. We had a drink but when I suggested lunch the other couple looked like I'd lost my mind, declared they never ate anywhere but on the ship and off they went.  

 

The poisson cru was excellent. They missed out. 

[SPacificbound]

We never have come back to the ship for lunch yet.

[Szt]

I'm with other posters. The ship food can get a little boring. And for us, 90% of the fun of travel is tasting new cuisine and talking to locals. Plus, many port towns need all the tourist support they can get. 
Just asking for recommendations can spark wonderful conversation. Asking crew is also a great way to find places to eat. In Puerto Vallarta we asked a cop. Had the most amazing fish there. We usually hire a local driver. They take us to some really great, very local places. Sometimes we just say, "make us your favorite dish". In almost every stop there is something local to try- in Belgium you have to try the frites from the little stands all over. In Santorini we had the best frozen yogurt I've ever had. In Norway you have to try the chocolate, in Mexico and the Caribbean the seafood!  
I will admit, there have been times- a very long day ashore, a dull port- when we have returned to the ship mid day for lunch and a nap. But only when we are docked. Never when when tenders are used. 
One other tip we discovered- you can ask a crew member to pack you a little picnic lunch. They will wrap it up and put it in a little lunch bag. They will even include a little corkscrew if you ask. When ashore, add a few local specialties from food carts, bakeries, or little shops. Maybe get some local cheese or fruit or even a nice bottle of wine or the local liquor. Find a bench or park with a view and dine alfresco. Then you get the best of all worlds! Best thing I ever learned from travel- if you over plan you don't leave any room for unexpected wonders. Sometimes you have to let life happen. 

[navybankerteacher]

Part of the purpose of cruising is to experience things out of your routine world.  Failing to eat ashore is denying yourself a significant part.  Folks who will waste part of their day for a quick trip back to the ship for lunch just because they “…already paid for it…” are economizing themselves to the nth degree.

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, Szt said:

One other tip we discovered- you can ask a crew member to pack you a little picnic lunch. They will wrap it up and put it in a little lunch bag. They will even include a little corkscrew if you ask.

 

A word of warning - many places around the globe do not allow you to bring food off the ship. Prepacked unopened snacks like a granola bar may be fine, but often bringing anything like a sandwich -- or especially a piece of fruit -- is a big NO-NO and can get you in trouble.

 

 

[Charles4515]

On 8/3/2023 at 5:46 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

Option 3:  90% of the time we eat a fairly big breakfast, complete our activities ashore, then have a late lunch when we return to the ship.  We typically do not return to the ship to eat, then go out again.  

In do the same, big breakfast, but if it is a European port there are often great places to have lunch or pastries, etc.  Gelato. I would never ever return to the ship for lunch or food. 

Edited August 5, 2023 by Charles4515

[lenquixote66]

On 8/3/2023 at 6:31 PM, Sandie5 said:

If you're at a port from say 8 am to 6 pm, do you head back on board for lunch or try to eat somewhere at the port? If the ports are at areas where the water might upset your stomach, do you try not to eat the food on land?

 

If we are in a port that we do not expect to ever be in again we might choose to eat something in the port.Many years ago on a New England/Canada cruise one of the ports was in Portland ,Me.We had previously been told about a very good seafood restaurant and went to check it out.There was a long line to enter but we decided to wait.

[9tee2Sea]

I always eat own shore.  I try not to have ice in my drinks.  I also take probiotics daily when cruising, so hopefully foreign foods will not affect me too much.  But I always keep my eye open for where the bathrooms are.  

[simplelife]

We generally do breakfast in the MDR and do early dinner, so often we we have a very light lusch, if any at all. In port we will have a drink or two with a light snack  (we often seek out the local treat or sweet).

[57redbird]

I'd love to eat off the ship but I have a germ-a-phobe hubby so, unless we're on a tour with others, we end up eating on the ship.

[ldubs]

20 hours ago, SPacificbound said:

We never have come back to the ship for lunch yet.

 

Same.  I would not make a special trip back for lunch unless we are right nearby.   One time we had morning and afternoon cruise ship excursions.  In that instance, it made sense to have some lunch onboard between the two tours.   

 

I don't count dining ashore as a significant part of being a tourist (or traveler, if that term is preferred).   In reality, with the size of B-fast, lunch isn't really needed.    That doesn't mean we won't enjoy a beverage with our without a light snack at a nice outdoor seating area.  And of course, stopping in various bakeries and chocolate shops for the local favorites is always appealing.   

[SPacificbound]

3 hours ago, 9tee2Sea said:

I always eat own shore.  I try not to have ice in my drinks.  I also take probiotics daily when cruising, so hopefully foreign foods will not affect me too much.  But I always keep my eye open for where the bathrooms are.  

Definite yes on where are the bathrooms!

[George C]

Like many others definitely depends if there is a nice restaurant we tend to eat in port, would alway eat in port in Italy , also in many islands like St Thomas and St Maarten.

[canlin1]

We love to eat in each port. We walk a little further than the front of the port for us tourists and find a spot where the locals are eating. We always have a bottle of the local beer to stay safe.😉

[donaldsc]

This is a generality but going back to the ship just because you have a sensitive stomach or because you have paid for the ship lunch (I realize that the OP did not bring this factor up) is a total waste of very limited port time. You can almost always find something to eat that works for you in town.

 

DON

[Honolulu Blue]

Most times I don't bother with lunch on a cruise - not hungry enough after breakfast and too much to do.  Occasionally I'll have lunch on the ship.  A couple of times I've had lunch in port.

[BklynBoy8]

Always love to try and enjoy Local Cuisine....

[sverigecruiser]

We normally try to be back on the ship in time for lunch, but sometimes it's a late lunch around 2. We never leave the ship again after lunch.

 

We don't care about the money, so it has nothing to do with that we already has paid for the food on the ship, but we love to be on the ship! Otherwise we shouldn't book a cruise!

[Theosprey247]

We eat in port. 

[shipgeeks]

This conversation has illustrated two different reasons why people cruise: to explore new places, or to be on a ship at sea.  We are absolutely in the second category. We've explored a lot of the world in our earlier years, but when we first sailed we both knew we had found our ultimate bliss.  We still do as many cruises in a year as we can, but we choose to stay aboard much of the time, perhaps just watching the commerce that goes on ashore, and waiting for the lines to be cast off again.

As far as asking a crew member for a recommendation, no, I would never infringe on a place where the crew grapevine lets them have some authentic food and some privacy away from passengers and just have a few hours being young people with their friends.

Some of our best days have been on TAs, with nearly a week of sea days, and leisurely lunches in MDR or buffet, occasionally with an officer and his family present, and sometimes with special menus. But even on regular port days, having lunch aboard without all the crowds can be very pleasant. One such day we happened to see a huge stingray in the water next to the ship; we were able to watch it for quite a while from our table next to the panoramic windows.

[sparks1093]

51 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

This conversation has illustrated two different reasons why people cruise: to explore new places, or to be on a ship at sea.  We are absolutely in the second category. We've explored a lot of the world in our earlier years, but when we first sailed we both knew we had found our ultimate bliss.  We still do as many cruises in a year as we can, but we choose to stay aboard much of the time, perhaps just watching the commerce that goes on ashore, and waiting for the lines to be cast off again.

As far as asking a crew member for a recommendation, no, I would never infringe on a place where the crew grapevine lets them have some authentic food and some privacy away from passengers and just have a few hours being young people with their friends.

Some of our best days have been on TAs, with nearly a week of sea days, and leisurely lunches in MDR or buffet, occasionally with an officer and his family present, and sometimes with special menus. But even on regular port days, having lunch aboard without all the crowds can be very pleasant. One such day we happened to see a huge stingray in the water next to the ship; we were able to watch it for quite a while from our table next to the panoramic windows.

When we visited my brother in law in Warnemunde there was a small restaurant at the end of his street off of one of the main squares. The crews would congregate to this restaurant and just sit and relax. I'm sure that they used others, but this one was fairly secluded and away from the madness of the port. I would be loath to infringe on their solitude. I found it interesting to see a port of call from a resident's perspective. The town would explode with humanity when the ships came in and remain busy until they pulled out, then quiet would resume. We used to walk down to the dock just to see which ships were in port.

[evandbob]

While I've posted already that we prefer a port lunch, we don't go along with cruisers looking for an American chain fast food restaurant on land

 

A spot a few blocks off the main drag, with more locals than tourists, is what we look for.