Question about bringing homemade food on board

[Carolinagirl2417]

Hi!  I am new to posting, but am an experienced Carnival cruiser, and have been reading these message boards for years!  I have a health condition that is best controlled by  diet. My diet is extremely limited, i am very sensitive to most foods.  As a result, i cannot eat any of the desserts on board.  I would love to be able to bring a few homemade treats, such as fudge, cookies, or brownies that contain the ingredients i know are safe for me.  I can't buy them in stores because i need to be able to control the ingredients.  Will i be able to bring these on board?  I will also be bringing real butter, as i cannot take the chance of eating vegetable oil 🙂  I know that will be okay because it is packaged.  I will likely only be eating meat while on board, as even fruits and vegetables can cause issues for me. I have a friend who sailed on RCL and was able to take baggies of homemade food onboard, but i am thinking Carnival requires it to be store bought, and unopened.  We will be on the Sunshine out of Charleston.  Any advice or help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

Edited October 26, 2019 by Carolinagirl2417

[cathyz]

I believe they only allow closed pre-packaged food, nothing home made.

[Purvis1231]

Buy some cake boxes and cookie bags and print you some labels. I doubt anyone would take a second look. 

 

[Elaine5715]

48 minutes ago, Carolinagirl2417 said:

Hi!  I am new to posting, but am an experienced Carnival cruiser, and have been reading these message boards for years!  I have a health condition that is best controlled by  diet. My diet is extremely limited, i am very sensitive to most foods.  As a result, i cannot eat any of the desserts on board.  I would love to be able to bring a few homemade treats, such as fudge, cookies, or brownies that contain the ingredients i know are safe for me.  I can't buy them in stores because i need to be able to control the ingredients.  Will i be able to bring these on board?  I will also be bringing real butter, as i cannot take the chance of eating vegetable oil 🙂  I know that will be okay because it is packaged.  I will likely only be eating meat while on board, as even fruits and vegetables can cause issues for me. I have a friend who sailed on RCL and was able to take baggies of homemade food onboard, but i am thinking Carnival requires it to be store bought, and unopened.  We will be on the Sunshine out of Charleston.  Any advice or help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

No cruise line allows homemade food to be brought on board in the US. People do smuggle it onboard and it may or may not be found

[CallistaSkye]

They don't allow homemade foods on board. Also, the cruise has already told everyone it's real butter, so taking your own on board is completely unnecessary. 

[ukbecky]

This is confusing.

 

  Off the ship?  Yes, that's a problem I know about. On to the ship? I don't know why they would care. What would/could it hurt?

 

I know I've brought cookies, pastries etc that we've picked up at bakeries in ports, just in a bag.  Never even occurred to me that it would be a problem - and it never has been.

 

That said, we've never brought food on initial embarkation, if that makes a difference.

[Elaine5715]

3 minutes ago, ukbecky said:

This is confusing.

 

  Off the ship?  Yes, that's a problem I know about. On to the ship? I don't know why they would care. What would/could it hurt?

 

I know I've brought cookies, pastries etc that we've picked up at bakeries in ports, just in a bag.  Never even occurred to me that it would be a problem - and it never has been.

 

That said, we've never brought food on initial embarkation, if that makes a difference.

It is health code violation.  Packaged commercial food is fine

[beachbum53]

2 hours ago, Carolinagirl2417 said:

Hi!  I am new to posting, but am an experienced Carnival cruiser, and have been reading these message boards for years!  I have a health condition that is best controlled by  diet. My diet is extremely limited, i am very sensitive to most foods.  As a result, i cannot eat any of the desserts on board.  I would love to be able to bring a few homemade treats, such as fudge, cookies, or brownies that contain the ingredients i know are safe for me.  I can't buy them in stores because i need to be able to control the ingredients.  Will i be able to bring these on board?  I will also be bringing real butter, as i cannot take the chance of eating vegetable oil 🙂  I know that will be okay because it is packaged.  I will likely only be eating meat while on board, as even fruits and vegetables can cause issues for me. I have a friend who sailed on RCL and was able to take baggies of homemade food onboard, but i am thinking Carnival requires it to be store bought, and unopened.  We will be on the Sunshine out of Charleston.  Any advice or help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

Contact Carnival and explain that you have certain dietary restrictions. Although you may or may not be allowed to bring homemade items on board, the ship's kitchen staff will try to accommodate your needs as best as they can.

[2xsin12mths]

I had no idea. I always make homemade cookies to snack on in the plane then I throw them in my carryon and take on ship. 

26 cruises and never questioned 🤷‍♀️

[TerReuv]

I've brought on both homemade and prepackaged food that I've opened & put in a ziplock bag.   Never had any issues.   Usually in carry on.   You can take it on,  just not off.   Just like you can bring stuff on board from ports, but you can't take it off. 

[christyran1228]

We've brought on open bags of snacks from our drive down and never been questioned.  Never even thought about it.  

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, beachbum53 said:

 

Contact Carnival and explain that you have certain dietary restrictions. Although you may or may not be allowed to be answer is "will not"ring homemade items on board, the ship's kitchen staff will try to accommodate your needs as best as they can.

 

50 minutes ago, TerReuv said:

I've brought on both homemade and prepackaged food that I've opened & put in a ziplock bag.   Never had any issues.   Usually in carry on.   You can take it on,  just not off.   Just like you can bring stuff on board from ports, but you can't take it off. 

The answer is "will not".  Dietary restrictions do not top health code.  

[lasekeye]

I too have dietary restrictions (Celiac).  I ALWAYS fly with some homemade something....cookies/banana bread/pizza....I usually have some leftover when we get to the ship.  I keep the food in a Tupperware type container in my carry on, and have NEVER had an issue upon embarkation day.

[chengkp75]

While it is true that this requirement is most often observed in non-enforcement, it is a USPH requirement for all ships calling at US ports:

 

"7.3.2.1.1 Comply with Law (15 C) FOOD must be obtained from sources that comply with applicable local, state, federal, or country of origin’s statutes, regulations, and ordinances."

 

Without a factory sealed package the ship has no way of knowing whether the place the food was purchased at does in fact comply with all laws.

 

"7.3.2.1.2 Food from Private Home (15 C) FOOD prepared in a private home must not be used or offered for human consumption on a vessel."

 

Here is the blanket rule about home made food onboard.

[ShakyBeef]

13 hours ago, Carolinagirl2417 said:

Hi!  I am new to posting, but am an experienced Carnival cruiser, and have been reading these message boards for years!  I have a health condition that is best controlled by  diet. My diet is extremely limited, i am very sensitive to most foods.  As a result, i cannot eat any of the desserts on board.  I would love to be able to bring a few homemade treats, such as fudge, cookies, or brownies that contain the ingredients i know are safe for me.  I can't buy them in stores because i need to be able to control the ingredients.  Will i be able to bring these on board?  I will also be bringing real butter, as i cannot take the chance of eating vegetable oil 🙂  I know that will be okay because it is packaged.  I will likely only be eating meat while on board, as even fruits and vegetables can cause issues for me. I have a friend who sailed on RCL and was able to take baggies of homemade food onboard, but i am thinking Carnival requires it to be store bought, and unopened.  We will be on the Sunshine out of Charleston.  Any advice or help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

Hi, Carolinagirl2417, welcome to CruiseCritic.  Unfortunately, as cited by Elaine5715, and Chengkp75,  your homemade treats are not allowed.

 

From Carnival's Prohibited Items List:

 

"Due to concerns for food safety and contamination prevention, any food items brought on board must be pre-packaged and unopened.  Homemade items or pre-cooked foods are not allowed.  We are unable to provide food preparation, refrigeration or storage for personal food or beverage items."

 

Here is the info from Carnival's site on Special Dietary Needs (the highlighting is mine):

 

Carnival can provide our guests with meals suited to the following special dietary needs: vegetarian, low-cholesterol, low-fat, low-carbohydrates, low-sugar, and gluten free. Our chefs will make every effort to fulfill your requests, and will gladly prepare freshly-made options that meet your dietary needs. Once on board, we ask you speak with the headwaiter or dining room host in advance, so they can assist in planning your daily meals in the dining room. This will allow us the necessary time to prepare foods, as requested, in a timely manner.

Gluten-free pizza dough, pasta, bread for deli sandwiches, and hamburgers buns, as well as cake are available upon request. Plus, our frozen desserts and yogurt are gluten-free. All items are freshly prepared and may take a little longer than regular menu items. Gluten-free beer, Estrella Daura, is available for your enjoyment.

We also provide prepackaged kosher meals. If you're requesting kosher meals, you must let us know two weeks advance of your cruise.

Guests who require a different dining time than they chose when booking can change once on board the ship. Guests will be accommodated on a first come, first served basis.
 

Food Allergies:

We ask that you please inform our dining team of any food allergies and special preparation you may require to accommodate your allergy. Please discuss this the first evening of your cruise. Although there are a number of options at our various restaurants, special dietary and food requests can be accommodated in our main dining rooms only.
 

Other Dietary Needs:

Although we do not have dietitians on board, we can offer assistance with simple requests such as the method of preparation of menu items. Diet requirements need to be arranged with the head waiter on the first night of the cruise. If dining in the Lido Restaurant, the guest should discuss requirements with senior dining staff.


 

If you need general information about accessibility before you cruise, or have an ADA complaint, please call our Guest Access team at 1-800-438-6744 ext.70025 or email access@carnival.com. Carnival's designated ADA Responsibility Officer is Vicky Rey, Vice President Guest Care and Communications.

[Jasonsterling]

I can understand your worry here but as people have stated Carnival's policy prohibits it. You can try to bring it on but maybe you get caught/ maybe not. Have you spoken to you doctor about this as to what his advice may be regarding what you can do to mitigate to side effects you typically have to endure while traveling? There may be nothing that can be done but I'd check with  medical professional. Beyond that perhaps a local bakery could create and package some items for you to your exact needs and specifications with necessary accompanying labels to satisfy the cruise ship policy. We have a few small locally owned places that work with various allergies and ailments frequently when creating cakes, cookies and so forth. Good luck with this! 😄 

[cb at sea]

Actually, you CAN bring that ON the ship...but you cannot take it back off again.

[airlink diva]

May not, but brought food items, mainly sweets, on board.  Sailed out of New Orleans several times and brought parlines on board, popcorn

 

[Carolinagirl2417]

Thank you so much for all of the responses!  Shaky Beef nailed it, i need to eat a ketogenic diet , and it is very strict as i have a lectin intolerance, and an egg, coconut, and yeast sensitivity as well.  Basically i eat meat, lots of healthy fats, a few lectin free nuts, and high quality chocolate.  So, it is extremely limited and most definitely does not contain weed!  In addition, i have a degenerative eye disease, and if i eat things that irritate me, my vision deteriorates very quickly, that would not be fun on vacation.  I appreciate those of you who are open minded and did not judge me, especially for this being my first post when i have read these boards for years.  For those who don't think this is a healthy diet, it is healthy for me, and i'm in the best shape I've ever been in at the age of 46! My dr said my bloodwork is perfect, and i never need to check my cholesterol again, even though i will every year 🙂   I know i don't need to explain myself, but maybe this will help open other people's eyes a bit to a different way of living/eating.  Thanks, again!

[grandmarnnurse]

21 hours ago, Carolinagirl2417 said:

Hi!  I am new to posting, but am an experienced Carnival cruiser, and have been reading these message boards for years!  I have a health condition that is best controlled by  diet. My diet is extremely limited, i am very sensitive to most foods.  As a result, i cannot eat any of the desserts on board.  I would love to be able to bring a few homemade treats, such as fudge, cookies, or brownies that contain the ingredients i know are safe for me.  I can't buy them in stores because i need to be able to control the ingredients.  Will i be able to bring these on board?  I will also be bringing real butter, as i cannot take the chance of eating vegetable oil 🙂  I know that will be okay because it is packaged.  I will likely only be eating meat while on board, as even fruits and vegetables can cause issues for me. I have a friend who sailed on RCL and was able to take baggies of homemade food onboard, but i am thinking Carnival requires it to be store bought, and unopened.  We will be on the Sunshine out of Charleston.  Any advice or help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

As an RN, I’m well aware that sometimes special diets need to be followed for a variety of conditions. With that said, it clearly states on Carnival website that no homemade food is allowed onboard. My suggestion is to contact Carnival and discuss your special needs, and they can provide you with an appropriate diet. You need to fill out a menu with the Matre D on embarkation day, and then everyday for the following evening. I know that many people have said they have carried on food from home with no problem. You can try putting some in your carry on, as it seems it’s not strictly enforced. But if they do find it, question it, and confiscate it, do not argue with them, as they are only following regulations.

[Shaded Lady]

First of all, @Carolinagirl2417 good for you for taking care of your health in a way that's appropriate for you, regardless of what others say.

 

I follow a pretty strict keto diet purely for weight-loss purposes, so it's not nearly as strict as yours needs to be, but I found that I was able to find tons of keto-appropriate food onboard, especially if you do as others have suggested, and reach out to the Special Needs dept...

 

And while I won't argue that bringing non-packaged goods onboard is not allowed (clearly stated in the regulations) I was unaware of it and I too have brought many items in the past, and never been questioned... if it's truly not allowed, I would think that more enforcement would be appropriate. On our cruise last June, I brought several baggies of different nuts and beef jerky so that we'd have keto-friendly snacks onboard- just in case they start enforcing this rule in future, I'll have to convert those to the prepackaged, sealed nuts and slim jims!

[joeyancho]

20 hours ago, beachbum53 said:

 

Contact Carnival and explain that you have certain dietary restrictions. Although you may or may not be allowed to bring homemade items on board, the ship's kitchen staff will try to accommodate your needs as best as they can.

That is the way I would go. People are always commenting on how well the cruise line took care of their special needs.  Bon Voyage! 

[Carolinagirl2417]

I really appreciate all of the responses!