Are there limits to carrying food on/off ship?

[kt6453]

We will be traveling with my 3yo and 7yo to Alaska in May. My 3yo has peanut/tree nut allergies so we always carry food/snacks that are safe for him in case places don't have anything available. (I know, it feels silly to pack and bring food on a cruise but it has to be done!!)

 

Are there any limits re: packaging, etc that I need to be aware of?

 

Thank you!

[Keith1010]

In Alaska you could carry prepackaged foods off the ship as long as they are sealed. That is very wise given your 3 year olds situation and it will be fine to bring those items onto the ship. Again just bring items that are packaged.

 

Keith

[cb at sea]

You can bring pretty much anything ON the ship, but you won't be able to take anything except "pre-packaged" stuff off....

[gluecksbaer]

I packed a suitcase of dairy-free stuff for my kids. You've already gotten advice on taking prepackaged stuff, but I just wanted to say I know how you feel about carrying food on a cruise ship. (And I always followed the prepackaged rule but no one ever checked or asked what we were taking off the ship. My kids came back on at least once with open stuff in their hands.)

[kt6453]

Thanks all!!

[Keith1010]

You are very welcome.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

Keith

[kitkat343]

Do box cereals or yogurt work for your child? I don't know what the nut situation is like for those cereals, but that's what we would carry off the ship for our son on excursions. I'd bring a big bag to the first breakfast on the ship (or order room service) and take a bunch of different cereals and yoghurts with me to store in the room. That way, we always had snacks on hand in the room. On excursions, I'd take different cereals and then let my son pick a new cereal whenever he got fussy.

 

You might want to email the special needs department to ask which cereals they carry. I was surprised Princess didn't have cheerios, but my son loved getting all the other healthy cereals Princess did carry so it wasn't a problem.

 

The buffet people can get you yoghurt or cereal from the back if you board at lunchtime and really need it for your kid.

Edited April 2, 2016 by kitkat343

[SadieN]

Are you going on Princess? Ask on the Princess board how they handle allergy meals. On other cruise lines you can see the maitre d at embarkation to order that night's meal. Then afterwards you'll order the next day's MDR meals.

 

We cruise with treenut and peanut allergies, but DD hasn't sailed on Princess yet

.

For onshore we bring some prepackaged foods with us- cereal, cereal bars, hard candy etc. No dairy, meat or produce can be taken off the ship.

 

Port days the MDR will be closed.

The buffet is always a minefield with cross contamination. Do not remember seeing allergy indicators on Princess's buffet.

 

Alaska is an easy cruise for nut allergies. For non-English countries we use allergy cards.

 

 

 

 

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Edited April 3, 2016 by SadieN

[kt6453]

Thanks all. We have already connected with special needs and are planning on working with maitre d. We have travelled quite a bit with his allergies and have our "go to" snacks.

 

Any advice on embarkation day? I was toying with idea of going to mdr for lunch just to avoid the busy buffets ... Special needs has stated that manager of buffets can tell us what is safe and bring from back kitchen but still makes me nervous!

 

Thank you!

 

 

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Edited April 4, 2016 by kt6453

[kt6453]

I just saw your post kitkat- yogurt and fruit might just work for his lunch.... Great idea!!

 

 

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[cruiselovincouple]

FYI - we always ordered/carried foods for our then 17mo old the day prior or morning of from room service or the buffet, stored in ziploc bags and took off the ship. Some blast this but when you've got hungry toddlers, sometimes junk/snack food doesn't cut it. They need something more substantial. You're always subject to a search I guess, but no one gets frisked headed ashore. Don't be afraid to employ Mommy sense and plastic baggie what you need to keep little kids fed and happy.

 

And we never got any flack from bringing boxes of prepackaged snacks for our cabin. Had plenty in our backpack and packed the rest in a suitcase. Easy peasy. Have fun!!

 

ETA: we did not, by the way, bring it back. Anything half eaten was discarded.

 

 

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Edited April 4, 2016 by cruiselovincouple

[SadieN]

FYI - we always ordered/carried foods for our then 17mo old the day prior or morning of from room service or the buffet, stored in ziploc bags and took off the ship. Some blast this but when you've got hungry toddlers, sometimes junk/snack food doesn't cut it. They need something more substantial. You're always subject to a search I guess, but no one gets frisked headed ashore. Don't be afraid to employ Mommy sense and plastic baggie what you need to keep little kids fed and happy.

 

And we never got any flack from bringing boxes of prepackaged snacks for our cabin. Had plenty in our backpack and packed the rest in a suitcase. Easy peasy. Have fun!!

 

ETA: we did not, by the way, bring it back. Anything half eaten was discarded.

 

 

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Sealed, Pre packaged things are fine. Things from the buffet are not, except cereal boxes.

 

Those of us who travel with allergies and have lived thru MAJOR infestations are extremely angry at your selfishness. There is something that you can bring off that isn't restricted.

 

In the late 80s early 90s the greater LA area was infested with invasive Mediterranean Fruit Flies. Nothing worked to eradicate these pests. Vector Control resorted to using crop dusters to spray Malathion throughout residential areas.

Everything outside had to be brought in or covered. Animals secured. Doors and windows closed, no whole house fans or AC could be used these nights. Summer in Southern California is not too pleasant without AC.

By the third or fourth time I got proficient in wrapping up the kids swing set.

We are now battling an imported Asian Psylliad.

 

In port you never want the cute dog to sit next to you.

 

I have actually had bugs come out of vegetables on a cruise (Princess, raw asparagus on the buffet).

Edited April 4, 2016 by SadieN

[denas]

Please do not bring fruit from the buffet off the cruise ship. It is a HUGE danger to local agriculture. I travel with a special needs child, so I always have to provide food. My son is tube fed and requires medication throughout the day that he must take with some type of yogurt or applesauce or other puree and he eats only about 5 things (which is why he has the g-tube).

So I really do understand that packing food from home that complies with custom rules is an issue. You can very easily buy applesauce, packaged fruit cocktail packed in fruit juice, unlimited varieties of fruit/veg purees both in the babyfood/toddler food section and as smoothies in other sections. For more nurishing meals protein bars, various types of granola bars, and dried fruit bars are also available at every grocery store in the US and can comply with everything from ketogenic diets to gluten free diets to various types of nut allergies. You can also find most of these same snack foods at whatever country you are travelling to.

 

Breaking the rules because your child simply can't live for 4 hours without an apple can wipe out local agriculture and cost huge amounts of money that both the local host country and everyone else who will now pay higher prices at the grocery store for treatments necessary to control these foreign pests. Discarding a half-eaten piece of fruit in a foreign country is exactly how these infestations occur. If your child absolutely cannot be off the ship without dairy products, meat or fruit that you are smuggling in the country from the buffet against posted rules/signs and lying to customs officers about (you will be asked when you enter most ports), then don't get off the ship or find an alternative vacation.

[kt6453]

I think I may have created confusion- my comment about yogurt/fruit from buffet was regarding embarkation day and trying to feed him from buffet which is always a difficult thing to evaluate safety for his allergies, especially when it is extremely busy! I was also considering MDR lunch for that very reason...

 

I would not carry fruit off ship- in fact my sons favorite thing are packaged applesauce so we ALWAYS travel with those. :)

 

Unfortunately I have yet to find a safe protein/granola bar for my son but I am always looking! In meantime we have plenty of other snacks he enjoys...

 

Katie

 

 

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[cruiselovincouple]

I personally wasn't confused. [emoji4]

 

And to the funny doomsdayers, fruit flies don't infest foreign countries through a PBJ and a baggie of chips from room service. Why would anyone eat or even touch bug-infested asparagus on a cruise, much less bag it up for later, that's just silly. I'll continue to rely on common sense and feed my children how I see fit. Even on a cruise. LOL!

 

 

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[rebeccalouiseagain]

They explicitly say that only unopened packaged food can be brought off the ships in ports. Yes- you can risk packing a picnic from the buffet and more than likely you won't get caught, but it's against the rules, so don't cry if you are reprimanded or fined.

 

We always bring about a dozen protein bars between the two of us when traveling. We usually buy a bottle of water as well before getting off the ship. They make for good snacks at midnight or early in the AM or when getting off the ship. They aren't that expensive.

Edited May 15, 2016 by rebeccalouiseagain

[celle]

I personally wasn't confused. [emoji4]

 

And to the funny doomsdayers, fruit flies don't infest foreign countries through a PBJ and a baggie of chips from room service. Why would anyone eat or even touch bug-infested asparagus on a cruise, much less bag it up for later, that's just silly. I'll continue to rely on common sense and feed my children how I see fit. Even on a cruise. LOL!

 

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You might get away with your policy in the US, but don't try it if you ever go to Australia or New Zealand.

 

These are island nations, highly dependent on their agriculture-based economies, which they need to protect.

 

In these countries, you are not allowed to bring any foodstuffs off the ship. While some pre-packaged foods may be allowed, as long as you declare them, something like a PBJ sandwich will not.

 

It is possible for fruit flies to be concealed in any fruit and vegetables. Eradication measures for just one fruit fly can cost millions of dollars and cause huge discomfort and disruption to the local population.

Enforcement is strict and on-the-spot fines can be applied.

[reallyitsmema]

FYI - we always ordered/carried foods for our then 17mo old the day prior or morning of from room service or the buffet, stored in ziploc bags and took off the ship. Some blast this but when you've got hungry toddlers, sometimes junk/snack food doesn't cut it. They need something more substantial. You're always subject to a search I guess, but no one gets frisked headed ashore. Don't be afraid to employ Mommy sense and plastic baggie what you need to keep little kids fed and happy.

 

And we never got any flack from bringing boxes of prepackaged snacks for our cabin. Had plenty in our backpack and packed the rest in a suitcase. Easy peasy. Have fun!!

 

ETA: we did not, by the way, bring it back. Anything half eaten was discarded.

 

 

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You have been lucky that you have not been caught taking food off the ship. We just got off Oasis yesterday and in Cozumel, everyone was stopped getting off the ship and all bags were searched for food. On other cruises, there have been agriculture dogs and drug dogs. Search these forums and you will find a thread posted by someone who had to pay a large fine because of an apple core.

 

There are many ways for you to feed your children healthy snacks without breaking any of the stated regulations.

[gerif]

You have been lucky that you have not been caught taking food off the ship. We just got off Oasis yesterday and in Cozumel, everyone was stopped getting off the ship and all bags were searched for food. On other cruises, there have been agriculture dogs and drug dogs. Search these forums and you will find a thread posted by someone who had to pay a large fine because of an apple core.

 

There are many ways for you to feed your children healthy snacks without breaking any of the stated regulations.

 

I remember that post - small child slipped a partially eaten apple into mom's tote bag without her knowledge - whap, $300 fine. Why do people insist (not in that particular case) that rules just cannot apply to them because they are so special?

[Kerry's Girls]

A little off topic, but my daughter's fifth grade class got their overnight graduation field trip cancelled because there are a number of kids who don't think rules apply to them and brought forbidden items on the last field trip. Everyone knows which kids and which parents because they've been that way all along - nothing big and nothing that would seem to hurt anyone, so they follow the rules they want and make "sense" to them. I feel sorry for the kids who are now pariahs - it's not their fault their parents taught them that rules don't apply to them.

[notentirelynormal]

I personally wasn't confused. [emoji4]

 

And to the funny doomsdayers, fruit flies don't infest foreign countries through a PB&J and a baggie of chips from room service. Why would anyone eat or even touch bug-infested asparagus on a cruise, much less bag it up for later, that's just silly. I'll continue to rely on common sense and feed my children how I see fit. Even on a cruise. LOL!

 

Hi. I'm a doomsdayer. Wait, no I'm not. I'm a person who has respect for the law both in the US and in the foreign countries that allow me to visit there.

 

You don't have to be sarcastic about bug-infested asparagus but if that's who you are then I guess no one can change that. My personal feelings about you disobeying the law: I hope you get caught one day. I hope it is in front of your children and I hope it is embarrassing for you as others watch you being either publicly chastised or even better arrested. Have fun explaining to your little children that mamma thinks she is better then everyone else so she doesn't feel she should obey the law and this is what happens and I hope you learn from my mistake. :D Should I insert the LOL here? By the way, how's the air up there. Just lower your nose and you should be okay.

 

I know it is a dream but a girl can hope. It is not your decision to decide if it is legal or not to bring a PB&J sandwich or any other type of food items into their country or our country. The fact that you think it is, speaks volumes about your personality.

[akcruz]

Hi. I'm a doomsdayer. Wait, no I'm not. I'm a person who has respect for the law both in the US and in the foreign countries that allow me to visit there.

 

You don't have to be sarcastic about bug-infested asparagus but if that's who you are then I guess no one can change that. My personal feelings about you disobeying the law: I hope you get caught one day. I hope it is in front of your children and I hope it is embarrassing for you as others watch you being either publicly chastised or even better arrested. Have fun explaining to your little children that mamma thinks she is better then everyone else so she doesn't feel she should obey the law and this is what happens and I hope you learn from my mistake. :D Should I insert the LOL here? By the way, how's the air up there. Just lower your nose and you should be okay.

 

I know it is a dream but a girl can hope. It is not your decision to decide if it is legal or not to bring a PB&J sandwich or any other type of food items into their country or our country. The fact that you think it is, speaks volumes about your personality.

 

 

Thank you. It is amazing how some people think they are above the law isn't it.

 

To the poster this quote is referencing - yes in this case it is the law of the countries you are visiting when you exit the ship, just take a look some day and maybe you will find out you are missing something. Yes it is your choice to feed your child as you wish, but it is also proper to adhere to the laws of the countries you are visiting. I did not know of the severity of restrictions myself (knew about fruits, vegetables, flowers etc) and was stopped from bringing a cup of coffee off the ship at one stop. I asked why, was told of the local laws, and dumped it. Not worth the fines, embarrassment, etc just to keep my coffee from the ship. Same applies to the food. Pre-packaged items are almost always ok, but again check as in some countries such as Australia even those are not allowed.

[SadieN]

Let's just say you do not want the cute doggie to sit next to you in port.

 

 

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[notentirelynormal]

Let's just say you do not want the cute doggie to sit next to you in port.

 

 

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Funny story: thanks to the people on CC I got the "don't bring food" message about New Zealand. Well, I was traveling with family and my brother with his 2 teens. He had brought beef jerky with him on the very long plane trip. I told him to make 100% sure that the minute he got off the plane to declare it. He did. It was a good thing too. That cute little doggie kept following him through the long lines. He kept sitting dutifully next to my Bro. The other people in the line were getting nervous. They were waiting for the big take down. The only jerky he had at this point was unopened but the smell etc was still all over them. Thanks CC for the warning!

[southnam]

I think I may have created confusion- my comment about yogurt/fruit from buffet was regarding embarkation day and trying to feed him from buffet which is always a difficult thing to evaluate safety for his allergies, especially when it is extremely busy! I was also considering MDR lunch for that very reason...

 

I would not carry fruit off ship- in fact my sons favorite thing are packaged applesauce so we ALWAYS travel with those. :)

 

Unfortunately I have yet to find a safe protein/granola bar for my son but I am always looking! In meantime we have plenty of other snacks he enjoys...

 

Katie

 

 

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I'm so surprised you cannot find safe granola bass. Our son had those allergies and more. There are a few choices in Canada and we have found plenty of choices when travelling in the USA too.

 

 

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