What Prepackaged Food Do You Bring With You?

[wannab4Ecruiser]

I generally do not bring snacks on board the cruise but our last cruise included an overseas plane ride so snacks were packed (on our carry on) and subsequently brought on the ship. That included sour patch kids (my favorite!) and a bag of trail mix. We did dip into these snacks a little bit on the cruise (mostly the sour patch kids), but overall, we find plenty of snacks on board (and many can be brought back to your room).

 

Something I have done on previous cruises is stop by the Windjammer in the morning and grab a box of cereal (they are the single serve small boxes) they offer for breakfast. These usually come in handy if needed as a snack on an excursion.

[ScrapHappy44]

I'm not a sweet eater... therefore I usually bring salty snacks such as the Ritz Snack Mix 100 calorie bags or Cheez Its Snack Mix. Sometimes packaged peanuts or Goldfish. We also use these on the plane trips to/from if any are left. We also like trail mix bars or the Nature's Valley Oat Bars (the hard crunchy ones without chocolate) to take in our back packs on tours in case there is no meal, or if its something we don't care to eat.

 

This is not something from home but something I learned about here on CC:

I request a cheese plate "to go" instead of dessert each night. I take it by the cabin & drop it off after dinner. Then when we return to the room for the night I usually bring back a glass of wine & sit on the balcony & enjoy my wine, cheese, crackers & fruit. The cheese plate is not on the menu but it is just the right size. It has 4-5 small pieces of cheese, 4-5 pecans or walnuts, a few grapes, some dried apricots and a couple packages of crackers.

 

Love the cheese/fruit idea on the balcony!

[HappyCampers3]

Individually wrapped lifesavers, Mentos and and Haribo gummie bears.....every trip :)

[trump]

I bring Bran Buds :o

[HappyCampers3]

Love the cheese/fruit idea on the balcony!

 

Mee, too! Will definitely keep it in mind for next cruise :)

[ScrapHappy44]

I always take some chocolate in my carry-on.....dark chocolate kisses and chocolate covered edamame from Trader Joe's! I also pack protein bars for the excursions. Some of them are long and I feel better knowing I have a quick snack in my camera bag if I need it and we're in the middle of nowhere. Melted chocolate is a mess, so that stays in the cabin!

[jlrn366419]

I like taking nuts and/or trail mix in individual packages. I don't like feeling shaky if I get overly hungry and this keeps me from overindulging when I do get to eat.

[richstowe]

Do cans of diet Coke count as prepackaged food?:D Otherwise it is gum and small cans of nuts.

Don't want to be paying ship prices for these.

[Rondo]

M&Ms, trail mix, walnuts, almonds and protein bars. I do wish there was someplace to get popcorn on the ship.

[carolmacey]

I've never considered bringing our own snacks and such on a cruise before, however, on our last cruise we found ourselves craving certain things which we either couldn't get on board or finding ourselves spending far too much for items which should have cost half the price if we were on land (chips, nuts, etc.) let alone, we didn't like the brands or types available.

 

Also, my BF is diabetic so having some food in the cabin for a quick pick-me-up really is kind of important. We don't mind doing room service, but seriously, having to wait can be problematic at times.

 

So, I'd love to hear what kinds of food items everyone takes with them that are easy to pack, don't take up too much space and are good at satisfying cravings and maybe even a bit nutritious as well :D

 

Thanks!

 

I bring Hershey's kisses or nuggets. If I crave chocolate, I want pure Hershey's.

Sometimes I bring granola bars for shore excursions. I bring individual packets of drink mix to add to water bottles.

[carolmacey]

potato chips, pretzels I don't know why but chips are scarce on cruise ships.

I used to say the same thing, but they seem to be showing up at the fresh sandwich bars.

[JamesEM]

DW chocolates, me nuts, hint - place the nuts in bags, other wise you will wind up in the naughty room.

[sherilyn70]

I pack protein bars for the plane trip and long excursions. They're easy to take along and will keep us going if we don't have time to stop for real food.

 

The ships that have the Park Cafes offer bags of chips.

[dmdicato]

We don't bring snacks with us. I see that you'll be sailing on the Explorer, we've sailed on her several times. It's a great ship.

We love the staff and crew, very friendly and accommondating. The Cafe Promenade on deck 5 is open 22 to 23 hrs. a day. They close down for cleaning for an hour or two daily. You can get coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk, ice water, fruit, small sandwiches, cookies (including sugar free), cake, and pizza there. It's all free.

 

I agree that something is always available to eat and the less there is to pack, the better it becomes!

[struther1]

I always bring a supply of protein bars

[Host Faith]

I'm a chocolate lover and the only dessert on the ship that can satisfy that craving for me is the Mud Pie in Chops. So, I bring a bag of Dove chocolates with me. I also bring a box of my favorite Tazo tea to enjoy with breakfast on our balcony. :)

[kyriecat]

I like peanut butter M&Ms so I will bring a bag of those along. I will also bring some Lifesavers. I've noticed on longer cruises (more than a week) I start craving junk food, like flavored chips. I will pack a can or two of Pringles.

 

I know there are plenty of food selections onboard, but sometimes you just crave some familiar junk food.

[jakesmom04]

I bring Crystal Light packets to add to my water, flavored coffee creamer (non-dairy), and granola bars. I have also brought along a bag of wrapped mini chocalates. I do this while doing other traveling also.

[sivyaleah]

Just was able to check back into the thread this morning. What a wonderful bunch of ideas everyone!

 

I love the idea of taking back the cheese plate to the room especially. I never would have thought to do this.

 

We don't intend to stuff our luggage full of food lol. Just a few little items to ward off hunger for my BF (because of the diabetes) mostly. As mentioned, waiting for room service at times like that is problematic as is making a long walk to get food, especially since we're not fans of the buffet service food. We personally do not eat at buffets. Even those midnight buffets have no draw. Mountains of food don't appeal to us. In all the cruises I've taken, only once did I eat at one and regretted it. I just find the food quality is never up to par and I prefer to sit down and calmly eat my meals. Between trying to find a seat, the noise level, getting jostled in line, etc. I find the whole experience unpleasant.

 

Of course, I recognize YMMV and for those on the go, with kids, or for people who don't want a sit down meal it's a good choice. Having plenty of options is a good thing, and having said all of the above I wouldn't rule it out completely if the need arose. To each their own!

[QTBabyNurse]

I usually bring Folger's singles for a decent cup of coffee while onboard since I'm not a fan of Seattle's Best or Starbucks.

 

Also I bring some peanut butter cheese crackers for excursions, etc.

 

But that's usually about it.

[Jimnbigd]

I bring cereal bars when I check in, because a few times check in has been delayed (once by over 3 hours), and in Galveston there is nothing to eat in the terminal, or even close by to terminal 2. (Nearest place is the other side of terminal 1.)

[Kycruisefan]

I do wish there was someplace to get popcorn on the ship.

I love popcorn and have often wished the same!

[bibbysnow]

Not really the same subject, but a cruise critic member suggested that if you are on a long excursion, take a box of cereal with you to munch on.

[sealeggs]

I've never considered bringing our own snacks and such on a cruise before, however, on our last cruise we found ourselves craving certain things which we either couldn't get on board or finding ourselves spending far too much for items which should have cost half the price if we were on land (chips, nuts, etc.) let alone, we didn't like the brands or types available.

 

Also, my BF is diabetic so having some food in the cabin for a quick pick-me-up really is kind of important. We don't mind doing room service, but seriously, having to wait can be problematic at times.

 

So, I'd love to hear what kinds of food items everyone takes with them that are easy to pack, don't take up too much space and are good at satisfying cravings and maybe even a bit nutritious as well :D

 

Thanks!

 

Sorry we don't take food on a cruise. To us that is like taking sand to the beach.LOL

[slm517]

The only think I take is a bag or two of Baskin Robbins sugar free candies.