Eating in ports - is it safe

[doubleduty]

We are a couple of old married folks from Virginia, USA and have never cruised the Mediterranean but are on the Noordam in May for the Adriatic cruise. How safe is it to eat and drink in ports? We will be in Greece, Croatia, Malta, Montenegro, and Italy. I usually don't have stomach problems but my husband does.

[cruisemom42]

It's perfectly safe. It's Europe, not a third-world country! ;)

 

Same rules apply there as anywhere -- you can get food poisoning in a US restaurant too if safety precautions are not followed...

 

One thing some report having trouble with is drinking local water -- while it is "safe", it may be different enough from the water you are used to that it can sometimes cause some GI problems. But only in the sensitive, I would imagine.

 

I travel there every year, often 2-3 times a year. I've never experienced any problems eating local food or drinking local water in Europe. In fact, I really look forward to eating in great local restaurants.

[beachbum53]

We are a couple of old married folks from Virginia, USA and have never cruised the Mediterranean but are on the Noordam in May for the Adriatic cruise. How safe is it to eat and drink in ports? We will be in Greece, Croatia, Malta, Montenegro, and Italy. I usually don't have stomach problems but my husband does.

 

I would think you'd be all right if you were at a regular restaurant and could get a waiter that spoke English. That way, you can ask about how things are cooked, and hopefully avoid anything spicy that wouldn't agree with your husband. To play it safe, you could avoid street vendors selling food from a cart.

[trish1c]

Half the point of going to Europe is to eat the food which will be worlds above anything prepared in bulk & served to you on a cruise ship.

 

Mangia! Enjoy!

[navybankerteacher]

You should have no problem with food, but occasionally you can have problems with water - not that it's unclean, just enough different from what your system knows to cause minor problems. Throughout Europe, the food should be no problem, but you might want to stick to bottled water in Greece and the Adriatic ports.

[puppypundit]

Half the point of going to Europe is to eat the food which will be worlds above anything prepared in bulk & served to you on a cruise ship.

 

Mangia! Enjoy!

 

Amen! Now, how can I train myself to stop eating the cruise food in addition to the delicious stuff ashore?

[doubleduty]

Thank you everyone for your information. We are looking forward to have some good meals while in port!

[Zach1213]

You can never plan for getting sick, but I've never gotten sick in any of those places. Food or water.

 

You can get sick anywhere. I've had food poisoning in Chicago, but never the Congo. In China, I've gotten sick from the Sheraton hotel food, but never from the "sketchy" street food. You just never know, but those places you're visiting are fine.

[taglovestocruise]

When in port I always eat from the street vendors, have never been sick , and that includes a lot of trips to Mexico. happy cruising

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

You can have problems with water.

[alexspepa]

I don't know about the other 3, but i bet Greece and Italy account for 80% of the pre 1990 restaurants in America; and yes somewhat exaggerated, but not much.

 

In Charlotte probably 99%...enjoy.

Edited March 20, 2014 by alexspepa

[Taxguy77]

Amen! Now, how can I train myself to stop eating the cruise food in addition to the delicious stuff ashore?

 

That's the problem!!!

Too much food can get you really upset!

[Taxguy77]

You can never plan for getting sick, but I've never gotten sick in any of those places. Food or water.

 

You can get sick anywhere. I've had food poisoning in Chicago, but never the Congo. In China, I've gotten sick from the Sheraton hotel food, but never from the "sketchy" street food. You just never know, but those places you're visiting are fine.

 

Our daughter and Son-in-Law lived in China a year. We visited them for Christmas and had a turkey from the USA for dinner. ALL vegetables were soaked in water treated with chemicals for an hour before consumption. It was sheer misery not eating those beautiful strawberries, but all US and other English-speaking people left their shoes at the door (to avoid pathogens).

The city was on the water, but never saw anyone, or footprints in the sand, by the water. DD had an insulated backpack to bring things like the turkey from Hong Kong. Only about $50.00 away!

[Velvetwater]

Safer to eat than the Caribbean.

 

 

Also...in a lot of places beer is cheaper than bottled water....win!

 

We live in the UK and we drink bottled water on the med but always forgot about ice in drinks...never had any problems.

[Slugsta]

Some people have problems no matter how careful they are. Best to take along a small supply of your husband's usual GI remedy, just in case.

[feathersandnananose]

Just a chuckle on the subject of eating in a foreign country where you don't speak the language.

 

My sister and friend were in Italy at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant - they didn't speak Italian, waiter didn't do English. With the little Italian menu-studying they had done, they pointed to what they wanted. This (somewhat elderly) gentleman just looked at them, shook his head, and said, "NO!"

 

He walked away and brought them what he thought they SHOULD have. They very much enjoyed their meal, but still chuckle about "NO!"

[Ethel5]

One of the things I like to do is to eat the local food. I have never gotten sick. I don't drink water but I do drink soda with ice, so I am getting the local water that way and (knock wood) have not had any problems in the Caribbean or Europe.

[SadieN]

Took DH a full week to drink out of the water fountains in Rome so I know where you are coming from.

 

Does he have specific issues? If so you can have cards made up by yourself or purchased online. We made some business card sized ones for DD who is allergic to nuts.

I found this http://www.selectwisely.com/ over on the Family board.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

In most European and Mediterranean countries, restaurant food is usually safe. Problems can sometimes come from street food, which, by the way, is usually amazing, since it's homemade. When I did a youth tour to Israel in 2006, I had to take a 2-hour safety course, which covered many topics, but one of them was street food. It applied specifically to Israel, but I'm sure it's true for a lot of other Mediterranean countries. These were some of the rules I was taught.

1. Only buy whole fruits with inedible peels, like oranges and bananas.

2. Any cooked meat or fish must have steam rising from it at the time of purchase.

3. Vegetarian foods and bread products (like falafel) are safe when kept covered.

4. Avoid dairy products other than hard cheeses.

5. Sweet baked goods with fruit fillings are always safe.

Edited March 21, 2014 by LandlockedCruiser01

[jocap]

European laws about food are many and strict....there will always someone who breaks the law, but on the whole the food will be amongst the safest in the world. The problem for someone with a digestive problem is the different flavours used; there's often garlic added, and much food is cooked using olive oil. On the whole, there will be many delicious dishes, but if they prove a little too strong, there's always the burger and pizza chains.....:cool:

[doubleduty]

All:

 

Again, thanks for the information. I think we have a good idea of what to expect - which is delicious and great food but perhaps caution with the water. Husband is more adventurous with trying food than I am so will be sure to pack his stomach meds.

[pris993]

We have traveled the mediterranean for many years, sometime we eat foods we buy in ports. We don't eat street foods in the USA, nor elsewhere. But we do look for fresh foods that locals eat. To be honest the only time we have gotten sick probably was from some pastry we eat from a local bakery in Paris France. Like others say, one can get food poisoning anywhere.

 

We have travel from Portugal, to Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece, and Israel. The only country I decided not to eat anything during a day trip was Egypt, but many others did and did not seem to have any problems.

[mousey]

Just a chuckle on the subject of eating in a foreign country where you don't speak the language.

 

My sister and friend were in Italy at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant - they didn't speak Italian, waiter didn't do English. With the little Italian menu-studying they had done, they pointed to what they wanted. This (somewhat elderly) gentleman just looked at them, shook his head, and said, "NO!"

 

He walked away and brought them what he thought they SHOULD have. They very much enjoyed their meal, but still chuckle about "NO!"

 

That's a cute story. It reminds me our the DH's and my first night in Rome on our first land trip there. We had finished eating and asked the waiter for our bill. He picked up the wine bottle, saw that there was still some wine in it and said, "No, you no finished...relax enjoy your vino." So the DH and I kicked back and finished our wine. And learned to just slow down from our fast-paced American life. It was an awesome trip.

 

OPs

 

Just be careful if you decide to drink some espresso in Italy. I don't drink coffee but my DH encouraged me to try some espresso... how can I put this delicately... it went right through me very quickly! While it was delicious...the affect it had on my body was not pleasurable!:eek:

[Smiles3usa]

Besides the history and culture, I think THE most important reason to visit other countries is to eat the food -- the fine food, the day-to-day food and the street food. While most can be had at home, there is truly something special to savor the authenticate tastes of the different cultures. I have learned, the hard way, to buy bottled water -- even in countries where the water is "safe." I've learned to linger over lunch -- which is the same as dinner, but much more reasonably priced. And I've learned (for my hubby's benefit) to always pack pepto in my suitcase. Enjoy your meals!