Food Rules-etiquette?

[Hsmama]

I am wondering some things..... what are the rules regarding food on a HAL cruise? Since there are all you can eat places all the time onboard, is it ok to get sandwiches to go,say on a port excursion? Are there rules on this? It would be convenient to have some packed lunch along with us. Also, to clarify, is there ample clean drinking water on the ship? I am a little confused by talk of drink packages, soda packages,etc. I just want to know about water,hot tea,coffee,etc. Is it allowed to bring bottles of water onboard with us?

[Toad]

Yes you can bring water on board, but you don't need to, as you can drink the water out of the tap. There is always coffee, tea, iced tea, lemonade and the like available. In most ports you will be told not to bring food off the ship, or fruit etc.

[iflyrc5]

I am wondering some things..... what are the rules regarding food on a HAL cruise? Since there are all you can eat places all the time onboard, is it ok to get sandwiches to go,say on a port excursion? Are there rules on this? It would be convenient to have some packed lunch along with us. Also, to clarify, is there ample clean drinking water on the ship? I am a little confused by talk of drink packages, soda packages,etc. I just want to know about water,hot tea,coffee,etc. Is it allowed to bring bottles of water onboard with us?

 

First the water. In the Lido you can get water, ice tea, hot tea, hot chocolate and coffee most any time of the day or evening. Coffee and tea (and probably hot chocolate) is available from room service 24 - 7. Some of the ships willl also have lemonade but not always. The water on the ship out of the tap is fine to drink. If you want soft drinks, beer, wine, specialty coffees, mixed drinks they are extra and can be purchased one at a time or by using various drink packages. You can bring as much soda and bottled water on board as you want but you must carry it on - not in you checked luggage.

 

As to taking food off the ship. It is discouraged and is very dependent on the port. On our recent cruise on the Maasdam to Australia and New Zealand the countries are very strict and do not allow ANY food off the ship. They had the local customs folks on board checking the bags we were taking off and in a couple ports had dogs sniffing the bags too. When in New Zealand waters they even removed the whole apples, oranges and bananas from the lido breakfast and only had cutup fruit so guests could not take the whole fruit off the ship. If you are going to the Caribbean and heading to a beach for the day you may be able to take a little Baggy of cheese and bread but again it depends on the port. Listen to the announcements and also read the plan of the day.

 

Have a great cruise.

[xlxo]

As to taking food off the ship. It is discouraged and is very dependent on the port. On our recent cruise on the Maasdam to Australia and New Zealand the countries are very strict and do not allow ANY food off the ship.

similar situation on Alaskan cruises.... if it's a long tour.... the excursion will have local snacks or food arrangements waiting for you. Otherwise, you can purchase food at the stops.

[RMLincoln]

We drink the tap water on board. Always have. We bring water bottles we can refill.

 

Lido has the basic beverages all day and night: water, ice dispenser, iced tea, coffee (regular and decaf with milk or half and half/light cream), hot chocolate (which is do it yourself made from envelopes of mix), hot tea from a selection of tea bags. Lemonade is usually available at lunch time and during the afternoon. I've seen people ask for juice during non-breakfast hours and someone gets it for them. During breakfast there is an array of different juices.

 

Most ports do not allow fresh food to be taken off the ship. But we usually board with some sealed protein bars or granola bars which are usually allowed to be taken ashore but might not be allowed off the ship in very port - it's up to the port not HAL. If sealed foods are allowed another option I have used is to take a box of Cheerios or packaged crackers (saltines, graham crackers, melba toast) from the Lido to have on shore in case I need to have something to eat with medication.

 

m--

[sanger727]

Water on board is 100% drinkable whether it comes from the faucet in your bathroom or a dispense as the buffet. Some people prefer bottled. I've never had any issues with tap water on the ship. Talk of drink packages is more related to the high prices of soda and alcoholic drinks on the ship.

 

As others have said, in terms of making a sandwich and taking it off board, generally is not allowed by customs. Sealed, packaged food is ok. Say a package of sealed crackers and a small one use container of peanut butter. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat wouldn't be allowed off the ship due to the customs issues.

 

 

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[jakkojakko]

Cannot comment on Australia and New Zealand. We have always taken food of the ship in Caribien, europe and even Alaska and never saw or experienced any bag checks. By food I mean apples, banana's and small breads.

[take us away]

Have seen people get fines in Australia for bringing food off then arguing with officials about not having any. My DH had to have protein on a regular basis and had a note from his doctor about this. We carry sealed bars and have had no issues with any officials, even in Australia. In some ports, fruit is not allowed off the ship due to pests - remember the med-fly way back when.

 

Make sure you follow the advice given for each port, as mentioned.

[TheCalicoCat]

1. The water is ok to drink. (Bottled is preferred by many, but some of them drink it at home too.) I bring a travel mug - more so I can walk around with my coffee, but I have poured water into it as well. (Don't put your water bottle up to the nozzle on the water fountain.)

 

2. I've seen food that people intended to take off the ship thrown in a trash can at the gang plank. (In Baltimore at the end of a cruise - USDA has strong rules on produce imports.)

 

I have also seen people gleefully bragging about bringing a sandwich off the ship - like they got away with something ("Everyone else on the tour was jealous & wished that they did it too.") Kind of like those who replace mouthwash with vodka and food coloring & then brag about smuggling alcohol onto the ship.

 

3. I bring packaged granola bars from home to take off the ship in ports. (I also bring my own tea bags because I have a preference in the flavor.)

[rafinmd]

Here's a list of CPB (US) approved food that can be carried into the US. In addition to most sealed items baked goods are on the list. I think this is fairly universal; I've entered Chile, Australia, and New Zealand with similar items taking the initiative to show them to the inspectors where I've identified them.

 

https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/General%20List%20of%20Approved%20Food%20and%20Plant%20Products.pdf

 

The only time I've ever had something refused was when I was flying back from St. Thomas and had an apple with me. I had planned to eat it on the plane and declared it after discovering that there was an inspection station. I was offered the choice of trashing it or eating it on the spot. I've also been on a crossing from Mexico where a party member had an apple in his backpack and didn't declare it. He was lucky enough to get away with a real scolding.

 

Roy

[Krazy Kruizers]

The water on the ship is way better than what we have at home. No need to bring bottled water onto the ship or buy bottled water on the ship unless you want to.

As to food, on nearly every cruise we have been on, it has been stressed either by the PA system or in the daily program that food should not be taken off the ship.

We bring from home packaged snack crackers for when we go on tours.

[sapper1]

Cannot comment on Australia and New Zealand. We have always taken food of the ship in Caribien, europe and even Alaska and never saw or experienced any bag checks. By food I mean apples, banana's and small breads.

 

I remember one west coast Mexican port having dogs sniffing for food as passengers disembarked.

[DaveOKC]

After seeing a number of comments thus far on this topic about drinking HAL's tap water, I have to comment that while we also normally do this, on our Koningsdam cruise last month we really did not like the taste of the tap water. First time this has happened.

 

I do not know why this ship is different from the others, but it certainly is.

[Hsmama]

Thank you for the great info! Yes...Alaska, so it sounds like my usual package of sealed granola bars is a good idea for snacks to take along....if we're allowed to do that. and I don't mind tap water at all,just wondered bout the potability of the ship water- most of the time we only drink the basic stuff so that's perfect! And I will bring some tea of my own choice along....

[RocketMan275]

Thank you for the great info! Yes...Alaska, so it sounds like my usual package of sealed granola bars is a good idea for snacks to take along....if we're allowed to do that. and I don't mind tap water at all,just wondered bout the potability of the ship water- most of the time we only drink the basic stuff so that's perfect! And I will bring some tea of my own choice along....

 

A lot of the concerns about the quality of the ships water stems from the idea that the water is "recycled". All water is "recycled". It's been "recycled" millions of millions of times.

[bUU]

Interesting comments (in another thread) about the water aboard ship:

The process used is generally flash steam distillation although sometimes reverse osmosis. Afterward they add "trace minerals" for taste because pure distilled water is "flat" or unnatural tasting. But the amount of minerals and mix should be far lower than most tap water on shore. This is the same process most bottled water is made with - unless it is listed as from a spring source and thus Spring Water not Bottled Water. Bottled water also often has a statement to the effect "trace minerals added for taste."

...

I suppose there's a chance someone can mess up the trace minerals but chances are it is computer metered as milligrams per 100 liters so probably not enough for filters to deal with. I feel totally OK with ship water as long as I can get it cold - cabin taps are often a little warm at the coolest setting due to the pipes running through warm areas.

 

K'dam has a reverse osmosis plant with a capacity of 400m^3 per hour. I suspect all the newer ships have similar plants, with the older ships using steam distillery.

[bUU]

It's probably important to include this rebuttal from that other thread:

I wish folks would stop pushing this myth. Ships do not add anything back into the water "for taste". And not "all" waters have added ingredients. Some do, some don't.

[Lizzie68]

After seeing a number of comments thus far on this topic about drinking HAL's tap water, I have to comment that while we also normally do this, on our Koningsdam cruise last month we really did not like the taste of the tap water. First time this has happened.

 

I do not know why this ship is different from the others, but it certainly is.

 

I have always disliked the taste of the ship tap water, thought I have no doubt that it is safe. Our water at home is so good, (likely why Nestle pinches so much of it, but that's another topic...:rolleyes:) that the contrast is startling. I use bottled water on board.

[OlsSalt]

Have seen people get fines in Australia for bringing food off then arguing with officials about not having any. My DH had to have protein on a regular basis and had a note from his doctor about this. We carry sealed bars and have had no issues with any officials, even in Australia. In some ports, fruit is not allowed off the ship due to pests - remember the med-fly way back when.

 

Make sure you follow the advice given for each port, as mentioned.

 

A hard boiled egg would certainly work for any pure protein needs. Wonder if this too would be restricted as long as it still in its shell.

 

NZ is certainly the strictest we have seen, though they allowed pre-packaged items such as a box of See's candy we were bringing to friends. Also seeing the devastation from unwelcome nonnative invasive species of plants and animals in both NZ and Australia I strongly support their concerns.

[Sequim88]

Interesting comments (in another thread) about the water aboard ship:

 

I would definitely defer to the experience of the Chief Engineer but I know I did see a documentary about cruise ships (I think it was for Veendam) that explained their water and showed them adding back some minerals. Maybe that is no longer done. Also he had said that water is sometimes "loaded on" from shore sources to supplement what they make - which for Alaska cruises would be from Seattle or Vancouver where the water is great.

 

 

BTW - don't take bananas ashore in Juneau or Ketchikan. The Alaska Banana Growers Association is very protective. :rolleyes: :D

[take us away]

A hard boiled egg would certainly work for any pure protein needs. Wonder if this too would be restricted as long as it still in its shell.

 

The official told us in both NZ and AUS that the food must be commercially pre-packaged to be allowed. Never had any issue with Nature Valley bars or nut packages. Now we can do the egg debate as natural packaging but ...

[Tom O.]

The official told us in both NZ and AUS that the food must be commercially pre-packaged to be allowed. Never had any issue with Nature Valley bars or nut packages. Now we can do the egg debate as natural packaging but ...

 

This is true in most ports around the world, including the U.S. Any food item taken off a cruise ship must be in an unopened commercial package.

[RMLincoln]

I recall on a cruise from Sydney to Auckland the NZ inspectors came on board the day before we were to disembark and requested that we bring them anything on their list for inspection. We had been "camping" in Australia and were going to "camp" in NZ in a sleeper van for a month so we did have some leftover stores that we had kept with us: peanut butter, honey (in a nice squeeze bottle), dry muesli and also a wooden spatula of Huan Pine from Tasmania (wood was on the list to be inspected).

 

We took our stuff to the inspector and he passed everything except the honey which he said they would incinerate to avoid any contamination of their honey bees or honey crop.

 

Their country, their rules! We eventually did find another squeeze bottle of honey in NZ at an outrageous price but quite trivial compared the cost of travel and the cost of fines in terms of hassle and money.... just not worth it. So we enjoyed the delicious NZ honey.

 

I do not understand how people can simply think that the rules do not apply to them! - not meaning the OP but many we have witnessed.

 

In French Polynesia we saw people eating sandwiches from the ship on a shore excursion. Nobody said they wished they'd done that too! Everybody said it's not worth the risk. We were on a half day kayak trip and no food was provided because it wasn't near any place with food service. We had some juice offered to us from a few thermos bottles, that was all.

 

There are often dogs at the piers to sniff out any food violators. Meat, cheese and fruit are the biggies. I personally very seldom eat foods while on shore... squeamish about foods that might make me ill, plus the inconvenience sometimes of local currency. I'm usually ready to go back to the ship for lunch or dive into our sealed protein bars. I have never gotten ill from foods served during an all-day ship tour; it seems they do a good job of making sure the vendors meet health standards.

 

On one of our first cruises (Princess) the Cruise Director told us never to eat anything from a street vendor, particularly meats cooked in a street cart. That advice has stayed with me through 60+ countries, and still healthy.

 

Note that Alaska is a "foreign" country when you are getting there by ship, even if you boarded in Seattle, USA, because the ship itself is foreign (territory???).

 

But have a great cruise and happy planning. m--

[ellieanne]

After seeing a number of comments thus far on this topic about drinking HAL's tap water, I have to comment that while we also normally do this, on our Koningsdam cruise last month we really did not like the taste of the tap water. First time this has happened.

 

I do not know why this ship is different from the others, but it certainly is.

 

The taste and hardness of water has always changed over the the course of my cruise. When the subject was discussed at lunch one day while sitting with some officers, the explanation given was it depends on where the water was brought on. According to the officers, the ship can desalinate sea water for onboard use, but often it is easier and cheaper to bring on water at port stops. But doing so means the water will be different over the course of the cruise.

[The Other Tom]

I remember one west coast Mexican port having dogs sniffing for food as passengers disembarked.

Uhhh...more likely sniffing for drugs