Taking food off the ship in Hawaii

[NDRB]

Are there any restictions on packing a lunch for yourself and taking it off the ship in Hawaii (specifically Norwegian)? Would fruit be a no- no?

 

Nina

[ed_k_tx]

Don't think that there is any problem.

The ship takes on her provisions from the islands so anything they have onboard would have already passed inspection.

Ed

[flipflops62]

You can take whatever you want off, but nothing back on. That being said, I put an apple in my backpack on our first day in Maui;never ate it so every day it went on and off the ship with me. My bag was so full the security people never saw it. DH took an apple off one day, never ate it and got it confiscated wen re boarding-they actually saw it on the X-ray!

[riofriotex]

You can take whatever you want off, but nothing back on. That being said, I put an apple in my backpack on our first day in Maui;never ate it so every day it went on and off the ship with me. My bag was so full the security people never saw it.

 

I had the same experience in May!

[pmc7704]

What about flowers, can you bring them back on the ship ??

[gbucky]

On recent cruise to Alaska, we were told no food could be taken off the ship. We didn't try although I would have liked to take some fruit. Actually, I don't see how they could tell you had anything with you except when coming back on board when your belongings are screened.

[beachchick]

On recent cruise to Alaska, we were told no food could be taken off the ship. We didn't try although I would have liked to take some fruit. Actually, I don't see how they could tell you had anything with you except when coming back on board when your belongings are screened.

 

That's Alaska. Each state has its own agricultural laws and regulations.

 

The rules for Hawaii are different. To be specific, passengers on internationally registered ships, that is ships that come from the mainland or other non-Hawaii ports or that have a single non-Hawaii port, may not bring any fresh food off the ship, no exceptions. The rules for NCLA Pride of America are different because it is the only ship that does a Hawaii-only itinerary and that doesn't leave the islands. Passengers on Pride of America only may bring fresh food off the ship. (Caveat: Be sure to check current regulations and make sure the exception for PoA passengers is still in effect; the Hawaii Dept of Agriculture could change that.)

 

As far as how they would know if passengers tried to illegally smuggle fresh food off the ship, there are sometimes inspectors and food-sniffing dogs. But even when there aren't, it's illegal for a reason. The islands have enough challenges without visitors adding to them. But again, PoA passengers are the exception to the very strict rules and currently may bring fresh food off the ship. Of course, I urge PoA passengers who do so to pack it properly and store it safely. The tropical climate can spoil fresh food in a snap.

 

beachchick

[PanamaJoe]

What about flowers, can you bring them back on the ship ??

Yes you can bring flowers and leis, we did it in 2008, we also bought an arrangement in Hilo at the pier for $10 as we were doing b2b cruises, it was perfect size for table in cabin.

 

We will do the same on upcoming cruise.

[whale-watcher]

We found it very convenient to pack a light lunch, but chose items that did not require refrigeration (bread and cheese, fruit). We did a lot of hiking off the beaten track, and it was nice not to worry about finding a restaurant and cutting into our hiking time.