Bringing food onboard the ship

[Cruise Raider]

I’ve occasionally seen questions about bringing your own food onboard the ship and this pretty much mirrors what we have heard from a couple of F&B directors over the last couple of years.  
 

Thanks to @MsSoCalCruiser for this info from a letter from Princess.  
 

For your safety, any food/drink items you wish to bring onboard must be non-perishable, must not have reached the expiration date before the cruise ends, store bought, and factory sealed in their original containers and packaging upon boarding. Items requiring refrigeration must be transported in a cooler on ice in order to maintain proper temperature. Mini refrigerators are readily available in all staterooms. Items brought onboard must be stored in the stateroom and we cannot assign crew members to assist with the preparation. No meats, fruits, vegetables, homemade food or restaurant food will be allowed. Although we may allow certain items onboard, local port authorities may override any approvals we give. Once onboard, due to local agricultural regulations, food items may not be taken ashore.

 

 

[wcflats]

With the abundance of food on board why would you ever want to bring food onboard.

[SCX22]

That's just the script.  It's a question of enforcement at security.  If security doesn't enforce it when going through the x-rays.  Who is going to enforce it once on the ship?  If it really was such a big deal, why aren't there public notices stating that passengers aren't allowed to bring food on the ship, like how passengers aren't allowed to bring food off the ship?

[SCX22]

Just now, wcflats said:

With the abundance of food on board why would you ever want to bring food onboard.

 

If you've ever taken a long cruise, like over two weeks, the food onboard gets really repetitive.  Bringing food onboard is one way to combat the monotony.  Sometimes all aboard is too early for dinner, so I grab something to go and eat it on the ship during dinner.  Some ports have food that you want to continue to savor, like pastel de nata in Lisbon or mochi in Hawaii.

[Rick&Jeannie]

These poor guys were caught trying to smuggle themselves off the ship...

 

 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

7 minutes ago, wcflats said:

With the abundance of food on board why would you ever want to bring food onboard.

I am allergic to Dairy and at times it’s hard to find something to eat or drink. There are all sorts of reasons… 

[Cruise Raider]

12 minutes ago, wcflats said:

With the abundance of food on board why would you ever want to bring food onboard.

I think it’s about food safety in bringing meals onboard when they can’t monitor food safety protocols, especially with transporting it.  I know we’ve bought food for certain crew members while out in port before when they couldn’t get off the ship.  A friend of mine has wonderful cherries from her tree that she took onboard for some of her favorite crew members.  We had no problem bringing a hot meal back onboard and my friend had no problem bringing fresh cherries onboard but have now heard it’s against their policy to do so.  
I have seen prepared restaurant food dumped in both LA and San Francisco recently, though. While it is possibly not enforced at all ports, other ports more can be very strict about it.  
 

Edited May 22 by Cruise Raider

[MsSoCalCruiser]

1 minute ago, Cruise Raider said:

I think it’s about food safety in bringing meals onboard when they can’t monitor food safety protocols.  I know we’ve bought food for certain crew members while out in port before when they couldn’t get off the ship.  A friend of mine has wonderful cherries from her tree that she took onboard for some of her favorite crew members.  We had no problem bringing a hot meal back onboard and my friend had no problem bringing fresh cherries onboard but have now heard it’s against their policy to do so.  
I have seen prepared restaurant food dumped in both LA and San Francisco recently, though. While it is possibly not enforced at all ports, other ports more can be very strict about it.  
 

Monterey took the Clam Chowder that I purchased on the pier for my friend. They let me on the tender with it and when I went to step onto the ship they took my soup. 

[SCX22]

Also, the crew bring back food to the ship as they please.  When there's a Jollibee or Panda Express in port, you see the crew carrying back bags from these places en masse.

[karatemom2]

1 minute ago, wcflats said:

With the abundance of food on board why would you ever want to bring food onboard.

 

There are many people with specific food allergies that may feel more comfortable having certain food items that they know are safe for them to help supplement the food onboard, which may be limiting for some with specific food or medical needs.

 

Also, some people may just want to have a favorite snack available as the food onboard can get a little redundant and everyone has food favorites that are a welcome deviation from ship food. Also, we tend to really go all out on our port days, often venturing off on our own doing independent tours and activities. I always bring prepackaged snacks with us that we can take on these excursions in order to make sure we have sustenance while we are on the go. DH takes diabetes meds and he needs to make sure he is keeping his blood sugar regulated with frequent snacks and sometimes it isn't always easy or convenient to get something when you have ambitious port plans.

 

 

[memoak]

We have brought potato chips back to ships since bars don’t supply them anymore. Buy some Pringles that are sealed no problem bringing on ship

[Ombud]

50 minutes ago, memoak said:

We have brought potato chips back to ships since bars don’t supply them anymore. Buy some Pringles that are sealed no problem bringing on ship

I found potato and tortilla chips in the buffet.

 

But I have brought factory sealed NV Granola bars onboard & carry 1 with me in ports. I'm never certain I can find vegetarian foods in every port -- other than unwashed raw fruit & veggies. Then if I do find those, how will I make sure I can properly wash it?? If I can find a good bakery, fine, otherwise I'll just have a bar 

[Cruise Raider]

7 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I found potato and tortilla chips in the buffet.

 

But I have brought factory sealed NV Granola bars onboard & carry 1 with me in ports. I'm never certain I can find vegetarian foods in every port -- other than unwashed raw fruit & veggies. Then if I do find those, how will I make sure I can properly wash it?? If I can find a good bakery, fine, otherwise I'll just have a bar 

They even have potato chips on the room service menu.  I get them sometimes on my plate even though I never order them.  They are my weakness and if I don’t see them, I am not tempted.  But if they are there .. well, I hate wasting food.  Fries are the same.  

[startedwithamouse]

We've brought takeaway food back on the ship from Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Samoa, American Samoa, Fiji and Tahiti. No problem. Crew were doing the same. Even brought something for South African crew who aren't allowed off the ship in Tahiti. Four different ships. 

Edited May 22 by startedwithamouse

[sunviking90]

2 hours ago, wcflats said:

With the abundance of food on board why would you ever want to bring food onboard.

We bring a few items to try to stay healthy and mimic a little more closely what we eat at home. On a longer cruise, food gets repetitive, fibre can be in short supply (no whole grain breads, they run out of nuts, etc)

We bring a bag of unsalted mixed nuts and I recently started bringing ground flaxseed to add to my oatmeal. 
While we certainly enjoy the food on a cruise it’s different from how we eat at home, and we often find we are not feeling our best as a result.
 

[Cruise Raider]

What I am reading is a lot of people saying they always bring whatever they want on to the ship and because they have done so, it will always be that way.  The reason for the post is because I’ve been told they are looking into enforcement of this policy and you may not be able to do it in the future.  Just because you’ve gotten away with it this far, don’t be surprised if you are asked to follow this guideline later on down the line.  You may or may not be so lucky next time.  I’ve already seen it enforced on cruises on the west coast.  Los Angeles has certainly been the strictest in my experience.  They haven’t even let people enter the terminal with any food or drink not meeting the guidelines.  
 

 

[startedwithamouse]

20 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

What I am reading is a lot of people saying they always bring whatever they want on to the ship and because they have done so, it will always be that way.  The reason for the post is because I’ve been told they are looking into enforcement of this policy and you may not be able to do it in the future.  Just because you’ve gotten away with it this far, don’t be surprised if you are asked to follow this guideline later on down the line.  You may or may not be so lucky next time.  I’ve already seen it enforced on cruises on the west coast.  Los Angeles has certainly been the strictest in my experience.  They haven’t even let people enter the terminal with any food or drink not meeting the guidelines.  
 

 

We've never looked at it as getting away with anything. 

 

When we first started cruising, thought you couldn't. We asked crew at the security checkpoint on the ship and they said yes, so we've been getting takeaway ever since to enjoy onboard.

Edited May 23 by startedwithamouse

[LawDog61]

3 hours ago, wcflats said:

With the abundance of food on board why would you ever want to bring food onboard.

Because some people have food allergies.  I am Celiac and extremely allergic to gluten.  Princes does a great job with food allergies- although you must be vigilant and assertive.  However, there are gaps in what is available  I bring GF cold cereal on board and GF tortillas chips as snacks.  I am on the Crown right now, in the Reserve Selection dining, and they bring me an empty bowel and milk every morning for the Cereal.

[Teechur]

28 minutes ago, LawDog61 said:

 they bring me an empty bowel and milk every morning.

Very thoughtful of them...

[SCX22]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

What I am reading is a lot of people saying they always bring whatever they want on to the ship and because they have done so, it will always be that way.  The reason for the post is because I’ve been told they are looking into enforcement of this policy and you may not be able to do it in the future.  Just because you’ve gotten away with it this far, don’t be surprised if you are asked to follow this guideline later on down the line.  You may or may not be so lucky next time.  I’ve already seen it enforced on cruises on the west coast.  Los Angeles has certainly been the strictest in my experience.  They haven’t even let people enter the terminal with any food or drink not meeting the guidelines.  

 

My gripe about enforcement of this policy is, if Princess is going to take this privilege away from passengers, then they need to take it away from crew as well.  They're human too and are subject to the same food borne illness as passengers are.  Let's see how well this policy goes over when the crew begins to complain.

[Ombud]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

The reason for the post is because I’ve been told they are looking into enforcement of this policy and you may not be able to do it in the future

Exactly. Which is why I post the date I noticed something. I've noticed more than a few changes between the earliest ship back on (Majestic Princess August 15, 2021) and the latest ship back on (Royal Princess April 6, 2024). Not just in how we're greeted when boarding (no more lines applauding us & thanking us for boarding) 

 

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, wcflats said:

With the abundance of food on board why would you ever want to bring food onboard.

 

Because the crew prefer homemade cookies over cash gratuities.   😀

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, SCX22 said:

That's just the script.  It's a question of enforcement at security.  If security doesn't enforce it when going through the x-rays.  Who is going to enforce it once on the ship?  If it really was such a big deal, why aren't there public notices stating that passengers aren't allowed to bring food on the ship, like how passengers aren't allowed to bring food off the ship?

 

Passengers are allowed to bring food on the ship -- except for certain kinds of food.  

[MsSoCalCruiser]

1 hour ago, Ombud said:

Exactly. Which is why I post the date I noticed something. I've noticed more than a few changes between the earliest ship back on (Majestic Princess August 15, 2021) and the latest ship back on (Royal Princess April 6, 2024). Not just in how we're greeted when boarding (no more lines applauding us & thanking us for boarding) 

 

I should have listed the date. I received the email today, 5/22/24, from the Princess Dietary Department. @Cruise Raider was kind enough to start this thread so others would be aware.

[Ombud]

Just now, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I should have listed the date. I received the email today, 5/22/24, from the Princess Dietary Department. @Cruise Raider was kind enough to start this thread so others would be aware.

So more changes coming. I think my bars fit the updated regs as they are factory sealed