Bringing food on and taking off the ship

[bluewater1298]

We are sailing on Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan. After our cruise we are flying to St Thomas for an additional week. Can I bring sealed/boxed snack food (crackers, cookies, etc) on the ship and off so we can have it in St Thomas? We have stayed in St Thomas before and groceries are very expensive. Plus the choices are more limited. I usually bring items from home, but since we were doing the cruise first, I was unsure what to do. Do you think it will go through customs ok since it will be sealed?

[Langley Cruisers]

Factory sealed snacks are acceptable to take on and off the ship. We do this as well - holds us over on excursions or in airports.

 

Just a note though, that there will be some in this thread who will say it's OK to take off sandwiches or fresh fruit or whatever. They take things from the buffet or room service and put them in their bags for later. This is absolutely NOT all right and you will see signs to that effect and depending on your port, there may be dogs, or bag checks in port.

 

Have fun. :)

[grand isle joe]

I've never had a problem bringing sealed cookies, crackers etc. through customs getting into the U.S. so long as it is sealed in it's original container. I never bring fruit, meats or anything on the banned list. With anything to do with the customs it "depends" I guess.....Good luck on your trip and happy vacation.:)

[cb at sea]

Prepackaged foods are fine. If you bring fresh foods onto the ship, you will NOT be allowed to take them off again.

You can be fined or even, jailed, for taking "contraband" ashore. Veggies, fruits, plants, cheeses, meats, etc...can be considered contraband. Don't do it.

Edited December 21, 2016 by cb at sea

[njkruzer]

I agree about the pre-packaged snacks. Also remember when flying out of SJU your luggage has to go through agriculture inspection before checkin.

[GUT2407]

Commercially packaged and sealed never had an issue, seen people hauled away in lovely shiny bracelet tee for trying with fruit, sandwiches etc. normally your just made hand it over but the official penalty can be harsh.

[MLevin]

So just to clarify.....you can bring a closed and sealed box of power bars or protein bars on board. Will I be able to take a bar or two with me on excursions if it is a sealed and wrapped bar? I know there are conflicting reports of bringing beverages on board. I drink a special Ginger juice and Raw Apple Cider Vinegar drink. I am guessing that I will not be able to bring those on for my cruise. Is this correct? Or is there a way I can bring a couple bottles on?

[GUT2407]

So just to clarify.....you can bring a closed and sealed box of power bars or protein bars on board. Will I be able to take a bar or two with me on excursions if it is a sealed and wrapped bar? I know there are conflicting reports of bringing beverages on board. I drink a special Ginger juice and Raw Apple Cider Vinegar drink. I am guessing that I will not be able to bring those on for my cruise. Is this correct? Or is there a way I can bring a couple bottles on?

 

Yes to the power bars.

 

Mrs Gut always takes Apple cider vinegar, never had a problem.

[GUT2407]

Might be worth an email to special needs about the ACV Mrs G uses it for pancreatitis.

[MLevin]

Yes to the power bars.

 

Mrs Gut always takes Apple cider vinegar, never had a problem.

 

Thank you. I will contact special services and inquire about the ACV. I can bring just the vinegar but prefer the drinks or the Stomach Soothers Ginger drink for my IBS. If they ONLY let em bring Braggs ACV...I will be happy.

 

Oh one more questions, can you take off the ship filled water bottles/canteens? We were planning on brining small thermos water bottles on excursions. Since we are new to this....I am not wondering if that is allowed. Our ports will be Cozumel, Belize and Costa Maya.

[njkruzer]

We have never had a problem taking water in our own bottles off the ship. Do it all the time.

[OCruisers]

In Caribbean ports you are allowed to take things to eat that are packaged and sealed by the manufacturer.

[GUT2407]

Thank you. I will contact special services and inquire about the ACV. I can bring just the vinegar but prefer the drinks or the Stomach Soothers Ginger drink for my IBS. If they ONLY let em bring Braggs ACV...I will be happy.

 

Oh one more questions, can you take off the ship filled water bottles/canteens? We were planning on brining small thermos water bottles on excursions. Since we are new to this....I am not wondering if that is allowed. Our ports will be Cozumel, Belize and Costa Maya.

 

Brags is her ACV of choice, never had an issue with it with any line we've sailed with.

[easyboy]

So just to clarify.....you can bring a closed and sealed box of power bars or protein bars on board. Will I be able to take a bar or two with me on excursions if it is a sealed and wrapped bar? I know there are conflicting reports of bringing beverages on board. I drink a special Ginger juice and Raw Apple Cider Vinegar drink. I am guessing that I will not be able to bring those on for my cruise. Is this correct? Or is there a way I can bring a couple bottles on?

They don't allow non-alcoholic beverages.

[aubreyc1988]

So I may be in the minority here, but at most just take a couple of sealed things(boxes of cereal, etc) with you. The cruise fare isn't meant to supply you with groceries for your week in St. Thomas. It doesn't matter whether groceries are expensive there or not, don't cart a ton of stuff you can get away with off the ship, because your cruise is technically over and what you paid for is OVER

[vacationlover_mn]

Related question- is factory sealed beef jerky allowed onboard, onto the islands, and possibly back home (if I don't eat it). I'm never sure if this counts as "meat"

 

 

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[griffy116]

Jerky counts as meat and should be marked on your declarations. If you don't and they "sniff" you out, the fine you pay is going to make this some VERY expensive jerky (just for falsely declaring "none.") The forms states that if you are unsure, to mark yes. Last I saw, the fine is $350 and must be paid immediately.

[dcgrumpy]

So I may be in the minority here, but at most just take a couple of sealed things(boxes of cereal, etc) with you. The cruise fare isn't meant to supply you with groceries for your week in St. Thomas. It doesn't matter whether groceries are expensive there or not, don't cart a ton of stuff you can get away with off the ship, because your cruise is technically over and what you paid for is OVER

 

I may be wrong. But I think the OP was asking about bringing food that he/she purchased on and off the ship. Not taking food from the ship.

[Fouremco]

I may be wrong. But I think the OP was asking about bringing food that he/she purchased on and off the ship. Not taking food from the ship.

No, you're absolutely right. OP asked "Can I bring sealed/boxed snack food (crackers, cookies, etc) on the ship and off so we can have it in St Thomas?"

[aubreyc1988]

I may be wrong. But I think the OP was asking about bringing food that he/she purchased on and off the ship. Not taking food from the ship.

 

sorry i misread

 

I would definitely not bother with the hassle, to be honest, of taking food on the ship and then taking it back off. seems a huge hassle.

[trev71]

I have always brought granola bars and small packages of pre packaged candy and not once have I had it taken away from me. Also brought some mini bags of chips and they didn't say a word. All that is what I use for lay overs in airports and excursions

[seabeew]

Walgreens in St. Thomas and k-mart have reasonable prices if you're planning to rent a car.

 

 

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[scubagirrl]

Oh one more questions, can you take off the ship filled water bottles/canteens? We were planning on brining small thermos water bottles on excursions. Since we are new to this....I am not wondering if that is allowed. Our ports will be Cozumel, Belize and Costa Maya.

 

Only sealed bottled water or juice bottles allowed. Open bottles, or thermos are usually not allowed. I've seen people made to toss their coffee cups before disembarking.

[vacationlover_mn]

Ok- no more jerky for me!

 

 

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[TravelerThom]

Only sealed bottled water or juice bottles allowed. Open bottles, or thermos are usually not allowed. I've seen people made to toss their coffee cups before disembarking.

Can you cite a rule that water has to be in sealed bottles? In hundreds of disembarkations (for what it is worth I am D+, also E+ on Celebrity, plus lots of other cruises), almost always with self filled water, I have never heard of this rule. I've never attempted to hide or smuggle the water, but then I've never asked about it either, so maybe I've just missed this rule. Yes, I have seen the no coffee cup enforcement, but I assumed that was a spillage / safety issue.