Is There a Reluctance to Eat/Drink in Port?

[SRF]

12 hours ago, clo said:

So did you get sick back in the day?  We're in our 70s and having never been sick - well, except for that US peanut butter that was salmonella tainted - so we're good to go.  When you say "careful on what or where we eat or drink" please give me an example of what type of things/places where you won't eat.  I swear I'm not being judgmental but sincerely curious about what's okay and what's not.  And where.  Are there parts of the world where you're more concerned?   TIA.

 

Most street vendors I will not eat from.  I have looked behind and see how the "wash" the dishes.  I will eat grilled meat on single use skewers, but only if I am pretty sure of the meat.  In some countries, they eat "bush meat."  Which can include bat, which may have been the original source for ebola.

 

I do not allow tap water in my mouth, except in US and Canada and most of Europe.  Most of the rest of the world, I use bottled water for brushing my teeth.

 

I am fine with most restaurants.

 

You have either the world's best immune system, or have been EXTREMELY lucky.

[SRF]

On 9/23/2019 at 10:36 AM, dogs4fun said:

Our sentiments exactly! In fact, on a recent Danube cruise, in Vienna we opted out of the dinner aboard ship as we have a favorite restaurant in the historic center that serves fantastic schnitzel. 

 

What restaurant?

 

I will be in Vienna over Xmas/NY.

[SRF]

On 9/21/2019 at 9:08 PM, clo said:

I also use TripAdvisor when traveling internationally.  But honestly I google and get all manner of info.  'Course, sometimes you have to read between the lines 🙂  And NEVER follow yelp!

 

I read mostly the Terrible reviews on TA.  🙂

 

And some of the Excellent ones.

 

I ran across an interesting situation recently.  I was actually IN the restaurant, having a nice dinner.  And reading the TA reviews.  I noticed that a lot of the reviews praised the waiter by name.  And I had never seen that.  Then I noticed, almost every review that mentioned the name of the waiter, the reviewer has exactly ONE review.

 

So next day I sat down, and out of the latest just under 100 Excellent reviews, 34 of them came from reviewers with only one review.  And almost all of them, did not specific a home location.  56 Excellent were from reviewers with 5 or more reviews.  And NOT A SINGLE ONE mentioned the waiter by name.  INTERESTING. 😄

 

 

[clo]

40 minutes ago, SRF said:

When he came home, he had a new aquarium, with plants, and swimming things.

 

I love the mental picture of that!  But it doesn't mean those things would have made him sick.  I eat lots of "plants, and swimming things.'  LOL.

 

We used to have an apt in Rio.  I found that "white" people would only drink bottled water and the "non-white" would drink tap water.  The water is very highly chlorinated and, to me, doesn't taste very good at room temp.  So I would have bottled water by my bed at night as I get a dry mouth.  But tap water the rest of the time.

[dogs4fun]

38 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

What restaurant?

 

I will be in Vienna over Xmas/NY.

Lucky you - love Vienna!

Figlmuller - simply the best schnitzel in the city. Convenient location right behind St. Stephen's Cathedral and reservations are a MUST.

https://figlmueller.at/en/wollzeile/

[SpencerJ]

I know you have been overwhelmed with the responses on this thread, and it is a great thing to have all the different opinions. I wanted to put my own two cents into the bin. 

 

I visited Cozumel, and I actually got a bad case of food poison. I lost the last day of my cruise as it was a hard recovery. 

 

My recommendation is to know where you are going, and look at the conditions. Obviously if you are going to Italy then you should be okay. 

[dogs4fun]

13 minutes ago, SpencerJ said:

I visited Cozumel, and I actually got a bad case of food poison. I lost the last day of my cruise as it was a hard recovery. 

My recommendation is to know where you are going, and look at the conditions. Obviously if you are going to Italy then you should be okay. 

Good advice - conditions in some areas (particularly water and foods that have been prepared or washed using water) are more likely to result in food poisoning. BIL also contracted food poisoning ... from consuming a salad in Mexico.

Generally, conditions in Europe are fine and commensurate with food preparation in the USA, Canada and the like. 

Outbreaks of food poisoning have also occurred on cruise lines (particularly foods consumed from the buffet) - it can happen anywhere. One should always exercise caution (inasmuch as is possible). We always carry scripts (usually a wide-spectrum antibiotic) that will cover us in the event that we are unlucky. 

[chipmaster]

On 9/21/2019 at 12:54 PM, Adm1Tom said:

We're going on our first cruise next year and have been thinking, "my food and drinks are already paid for on the ship, should I pay more to eat/drink in port".  Obviously, if you're on a full day excursion, there may not be a choice. Any thoughts?

 

One of the attractions for some of the cruise is the all inclusive, when you do the math; room, meals, entertainment etc. it looks like a great value and people love free stuff.  Just like the push for drink packages, single drink crazy price, drink package and people go googly eyes on how much value and drink and drink and drink and drink and drink and drink, LOL.

 

We love cruising for the opportunity to do a different port / day, and the nice meals too.   But we love best the port a day in Europe where we had time to have a local lunch/dinner the best, nothing gets you a chance to experience the world is to sit and eat, sadly most ports cater to tourist and get watered down menus tailored to their customers.

 

Yeah it ain't for the meat and potatoes people but some of the most exciting food and adventurous ( yes you need to be a risk taker ) are the street vendors.    Lots of US cities are learning that and you see exciting food cards, believe it or not local food doesn't have to be dangerous, if it is local they ain't dying.  You could argue that Western Educated and Wealthy with their sanitation is among the most chronic ill groups on earth.

 

I say get out enjoy some local eats smartly, when you can't enjoy a little variety and spice of what goes to your taste buds whats left.     

 

Wow I go to Italy, Croatia, Greece, etc.  and all I choose is from the daily NCL and specialty  of the day, darn might as well go out to eat in my foodie obsessed hometown has better eats, missing half the fun if not more.

Edited September 24, 2019 by chipmaster

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, SpencerJ said:

I know you have been overwhelmed with the responses on this thread, and it is a great thing to have all the different opinions. 

 

Unfortunately threads tend to get hijacked with a lot of discussion between posters (myself included at times) that sidetrack the original discussion.  Well intended but not always comments helpful to answering the original question.

[clo]

7 hours ago, SpencerJ said:

Obviously if you are going to Italy then you should be okay. 

Why????  Sincerely.  You can get tainted food anywhere.  Rare but you can.

[clo]

7 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

We always carry scripts (usually a wide-spectrum antibiotic) that will cover us in the event that we are unlucky. 

Good idea.  When I got salmonellosis in Rio from American made peanut butter I went to a local pharmacist who gave me Cipro.  

[mom says]

53 minutes ago, clo said:

Why????  Sincerely.  You can get tainted food anywhere.  Rare but you can.

Sure, it's possible  to get tainted food anywhere. Even on board or in your own home. Does that mean you would never trust the water or food anywhere in the world? It's a matter of probability. The rational person might look at the sanitary standards in the place they are visiting and utilize whatever  precautions they deem necessary. Italy's tap water (at least from Rome northwards) and it's restaurant food is at least as safe as your average North American city. Likewise the rest of Western Europe. 

 

If you're  afraid of eating or drinking anything when outside your own walls, then feel free to pack your water bottles and prepackaged protein bars when you're off the ship. Me, I've sampled the local dishes in the Caribbean (loved the goat curry), the Middle East, Southeast and East Asia as well as most of Europe. Maybe I should get a T shirt that says "I ate street food in Singapore and Bangkok and survived but got sick as a dog at Disney World".

Edited September 25, 2019 by mom says

[clo]

1 minute ago, mom says said:

Maybe I should get a T shirt that says "I ate street food in Singapore and Bangkok and survived but got sick as a dog at Disney World".

L. O. L.!  I'd ask you to get me one also but I've never been to a Disney property.  Did eat some rat and bugs in Thailand.  Boring 🙂

[Sweetnspicy]

We usually do super active excursions that last 4-6 hours. I have eaten local food in every port and have never been ill. I don’t feel like going back to the ship just to eat and it would waste time if you try to get on and off in most ports. 

[sanger727]

We always eat in port. Agree with the idea that port time is too limited to waste time going back to the ship, eating, and heading back out. And yes, eating locally is one of the highlights of many of our trips. But, it's still worth using some common sense. For most of the Caribbean countries and Mexico I don't trust the water. Now, the exception is the water in tourist areas around Cancun, that is well filtered. But general suggestions to be cautious would be to drink bottled water, not put ice in your drink, and not eat fresh fruits/vegetables (cause they could be washed in the tap water). I also only eat at restaurants or by meals we are lead to by a tour guide (not street food). Some people will say that it's overly cautious and we are missing out. I find that those suggestions for countries where the water makes me nervous; it's not difficult to stick to cooked foods and bottled drinks so even if it's just for peace of mind, it's worthwhile. Have never been sick on vacation.

[Kwaj girl]

On September 21, 2019 at 2:54 PM, Adm1Tom said:

We're going on our first cruise next year and have been thinking, "my food and drinks are already paid for on the ship, should I pay more to eat/drink in port".  Obviously, if you're on a full day excursion, there may not be a choice. Any thoughts?

 

Why NOT try something that you would not get at home?  So what if you have 'Paid for your food onboard'.  Get out and try something new...just use normal precaution for food safety.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Kwaj girl

[clo]

On 9/24/2019 at 8:39 AM, SRF said:

You have either the world's best immune system, or have been EXTREMELY lucky.

Ya know, having heard this before, I'm beginning to think that we have self-"vaccinated" ourselves against "bugs."  And I think there's a psychological component.  We never think about getting sick.  Maybe that's why we don't.  I still remember chuckling when we ate chicken wings from a street vendor in Guatemala.  I then threw the bones to a dog who was following us, figuring he'd had worse.

[clackey]

On 9/21/2019 at 5:18 PM, clo said:

One of the reasons we travel - anywhere - is for the food.  I can't imagine a situation where we would go back to the ship for lunch.  And we get as far away from the tourists as we can.  We want their food 🙂  And we drink the local water.  The only time we were ever sick was when American made peanut butter that was salmonella-tainted hadn't been removed from the grocery shelf. (Ate some rat in Thailand.)

I have to agree.  One of my favorite things to do is eat where the locals eat.  We get off of the beaten path and try the local cuisine.  Came close to finding the perfect fajita in Playa del Carmen.  Don't have any idea what I had in Progreso in the mercado just off of the malecon, but it was awesome.  As for drinks, I'll do a few Corona. Red Stripe, Belikin, Sol, or Modelo commercials in port.  It is a lot cheaper than the drinks on the ship.

 

I had the opportunity to live for a month with the mayor of Padilla Tamps. back when I was a teen.  We had tomales made from turkey,  quail cooked in some kind of soupy sauce, fried rattlesnake and kid goat cooked over mesquite coals. 

 

Yeah,  I'll try the local goodies.

[clo]

45 minutes ago, clackey said:

Came close to finding the perfect fajita in Playa del Carmen.

Hesitant to tell you this but fajitas actually aren't Mexican, they're Tex-Mex.  But glad they were perfect 🙂

[rkacruiser]

18 hours ago, clo said:

chicken wings from a street vendor in Guatemala.  I then threw the bones to a dog who was following us, figuring he'd had worse.

 

 I thought dogs should not be given chicken bones to eat.  My family had a dog when I was a child and my brother and me were specifically told not to give the dog our chicken bones.  The reason was, if I recall correctly, the bones would splinter and could cause damage to the dog's digestive tract.  Am I wrong?

[clo]

7 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Am I wrong?

No, you're not one bit wrong.  But this was a scrawny street dog who was certainly dumpster diving, etc.    As I wrote, I figured he'd had worse.

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, clo said:

No, you're not one bit wrong.  But this was a scrawny street dog who was certainly dumpster diving, etc.    As I wrote, I figured he'd had worse.

 

I appreciate your reply; thank you.  I have seen these scrawny street dogs in many places.  If a splintered chicken bone causes so much damage to his body that he goes to "doggy heaven", that may be the best result for this poor creature.

[clo]

19 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I appreciate your reply; thank you.  I have seen these scrawny street dogs in many places.  If a splintered chicken bone causes so much damage to his body that he goes to "doggy heaven", that may be the best result for this poor creature.

My (true) sentiments exactly.

[CarolinaGirl2010]

Sometimes it's fun to eat in port.  We normally only do that if lunch comes with our excursion.  Be careful with drinks.  For one thing, cans and bottles of water and soda may be been sitting in contaminated ice.  Bring a straw, and don't drink directly out of the can or bottle.  Also, if you get mixed drinks, make sure you know where the ice is coming from.  I've gotten sick from Margaritas in Roatan because of the ice.  

[Hlitner]

When we were young and just starting out with International travel/cruising we seldom at anything off the ship and kept our drinking to a minimum.  Now, decades later and after far more then 100 cruises (and numerous land trips) around the world we make eating/drinking off the ship part of our port day planning :).  And when we have been on cruises that overnighted in ports (pretty common now in Europe and Asia) we often will have dinner off the ship in a top local restaurant.  The idea of being in places like France, Spain or Italy and not enjoying the shoreside cuisine is almost criminal :).  Food and drink is an important part of the culture of many countries around the world.  And by the way, we live in Mexico (Puerto Vallarta) for part of the year and the food venues in that city are simply amazing.  Many cruisers go to Mexico and are reticent to eat or drink...but that is just silly.  Of course one should use some caution in choosing where to eat/drink, but when you pass-up the food/drink in Mexico you are missing out on a wonderful opportunity.   As to the Caribbean, we have not been overly impressed by the eating venues on most Caribbean islands.  There are islands like St Barts that have fabulous world-class restaurants, but many of these higher-end islands do not encourage cruise line visits.  St Maarten (where we have previously rented condos) does have some very good restaurants, but many are in an area not visited by most cruisers...not to mention that some of the best restaurants were destroyed (or badly damaged) during Hurricane Irma and never reopened.

 

Hank