Taking Water off Ship in Australian and NZ Ports

[SilvertoGold]

Have been reading a World Cruise Blog and it was noted that in Australia, for certain, maybe NZ, also, you cannot take anything off the ship in port except a "sealed container of water". No thermos (of anything), no sealed container of juice or soda/pop. I have looked for more information about this and can't find anything.  Any experience or info would be appreciated. Thanks!

[yarramar]

Both Australia and New Zealand have strict bio-security laws to protect their agricultural and farming industries.

https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/aircraft-vessels-military/vessels/cruise-vessels#cruise-vessel-day-trippers

The New Zealand government will have similar rules

[MicCanberra]

While this is true, it is not generally enforced except at disembarkation ports where you may be searched. Otherwise it is just random.

[SilvertoGold]

8 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

While this is true, it is not generally enforced except at disembarkation ports where you may be searched. Otherwise it is just random.

Thanks for your info. "Random" may be what is happening. In all the blogs I read about cruising in Australia and NZ , this is is not something I have seen before.

[MicCanberra]

6 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

Thanks for your info. "Random" may be what is happening. In all the blogs I read about cruising in Australia and NZ , this is is not something I have seen before.

The ship will have announcements about NOT taking any food or drink off the ship, security on the ship will stop you walking off with a coffee or such but do not search your bags. Of course there may be officers in the terminals which  may do so and may even have the sniffer dogs.

[OzKiwiJJ]

11 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

The ship will have announcements about NOT taking any food or drink off the ship, security on the ship will stop you walking off with a coffee or such but do not search your bags. Of course there may be officers in the terminals which  may do so and may even have the sniffer dogs.

And the ship will have plenty of bottled or canned water to sell you as you leave the ship. 

[lissie]

Water is not a problem. Sealed drinks are not a problem. You'll still need to declare them though and be prepared to show them. Taking  sandwiches, and particularly fruit from the buffet is a HUGE issue. Its a $400 instant fine in NZ and yes they have dogs searching in the terminals - our agriculture matters to NZ . 

 

You can probably buy all these items for less than the ship's prices as soon as you arrive in NZ 

Edited February 14, 2023 by lissie

[buchhalm]

9 minutes ago, lissie said:

Water is not a problem. Sealed drinks are not a problem. You'll still need to declare them though and be prepared to show them. Taking  sandwiches, and particularly fruit from the buffet is a HUGE issue. Its a $400 instant fine in NZ and yes they have dogs searching in the terminals - our agriculture matters to NZ . 

 

You can probably buy all these items for less than the ship's prices as soon as you arrive in NZ 

Agree. 

On our recent cruise to NZ they played that message what you can or cannot take off over and over and over again at every port.

Of course they still busted a few people with "just" a pastry/banana/sandwich...

And they WERE fined. (Probably for being rude and argumentative)

[lissie]

47 minutes ago, buchhalm said:

Agree. 

On our recent cruise to NZ they played that message what you can or cannot take off over and over and over again at every port.

Of course they still busted a few people with "just" a pastry/banana/sandwich...

And they WERE fined. (Probably for being rude and argumentative)

It's an automatic fine - there are no excuses and no  way to avoid paying - parents get quite upset when they are fined because kids have fruit in their bags! 

[Bubbeh]

Whether the possibility of 'getting caught' or not is a random event, the requirement is there for a reason, just don't do it.  Buy a sealed bottle of water as you disembark or buy one on land.  

[MMDown Under]

I have just returned from Hobart, Tasmania for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival.  On arrival by plane, security were at the exit with those cute little sniffer dogs.  Whilst I waited for my daughter on a later delayed flight, I watched the sniffer dogs sniff all the suitcases as they came out for collection. Good exercise for the dogs walking against the flow.  Tasmania has some of the world's most stringent biosecurity requirements. 

nre.tas.gov.au

[cruiser3775]

Please don't bring any food or drink off the ship.  Australia and New Zealand work very hard to ensure that our bio-security regulations are enforced.

You can buy anything you need once you are on land. Use a credit card, even for small purchases. No need to tip. The price you see is the final price, no added taxes.

Australian tap water is safe to drink.

[Pushka]

We had the sniffer dogs in full force in Sydney for all passengers not just because of disembarkation. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

42 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

Please don't bring any food or drink off the ship.  Australia and New Zealand work very hard to ensure that our bio-security regulations are enforced.

You can buy anything you need once you are on land. Use a credit card, even for small purchases. No need to tip. The price you see is the final price, no added taxes.

Australian tap water is safe to drink.

On some excursions you don't get any opportunity to get water which is why the cruise lines have it for sale close to where you leave the ship. 

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

On some excursions you don't get any opportunity to get water which is why the cruise lines have it for sale close to where you leave the ship. 

They hand it out for free to all on Viking by the gangway. I'd forgotten some charge. On some of the very long Egypt excursions (7 hours driving plus 6 hours at Venue) they bring a bus load of food and drink to meet people on the way back. Given the price then 'free' is a funny word to use I guess. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 hours ago, Pushka said:

They hand it out for free to all on Viking by the gangway. I'd forgotten some charge. On some of the very long Egypt excursions (7 hours driving plus 6 hours at Venue) they bring a bus load of food and drink to meet people on the way back. Given the price then 'free' is a funny word to use I guess. 

🤣🤣🤣

 

Yes, the luxury lines provide the water, and sometimes other drinks, "free" but mostly the mass market lines don't. Although with drinks packages you usually get small bottles of water included.

 

Holland America annoyed me. They only had water in cans. 300ml ring tab and 600 ml with a screw cap. They charged extra for the screw cap cans even with a drinks package. It was ridiculous - who want a non-resealable container of water on an excursion? Open it and you have to drink the lot immediately or risk spilling it everywhere. You also have to take into account whether there are toilet stops during the excursion - too much water and you could have a problem. 😯😚

[boeckli]

30 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

 Open it and you have to drink the lot immediately or risk spilling it everywhere.

 

Take an empty water bottle with you and decant the contents into that once ashore (a little cumbersome but workable).

Edited February 15, 2023 by boeckli

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, boeckli said:

 

Take an empty water bottle with you and decant the contents into that once ashore (a little cumbersome but workable).

Unfortunately I didn't have an empty water bottle to do that. We hadn't done any excursions in NZ so hadn't really thought about it until we were getting ready for our Bruny Island excursion.

 

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, boeckli said:

 

Take an empty water bottle with you and decant the contents into that once ashore (a little cumbersome but workable).

Lol, the empty bottle can be used for other purposes as well.

[yarramar]

I don't travel anywhere in Australia or the world without carrying my double walled SS drink bottle. I take it through security empty and fill it from chilled fountains or bottled water

[SilvertoGold]

An empty water bottle (not plastic!).   An idea! Should work unless they don't like my empty thermos?

Edited February 15, 2023 by SilvertoGold

[Hogbay]

[lissie]

6 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

An empty water bottle (not plastic!).   An idea! Should work unless they don't like my empty thermos?

NZ doesn't care about empty anything - its the contents that agriculture cares about. Can't speak for he cruise ships 

[lissie]

13 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

🤣🤣🤣

 

Yes, the luxury lines provide the water, and sometimes other drinks, "free" but mostly the mass market lines don't. Although with drinks packages you usually get small bottles of water included.

 

Holland America annoyed me. They only had water in cans. 300ml ring tab and 600 ml with a screw cap. They charged extra for the screw cap cans even with a drinks package. It was ridiculous - who want a non-resealable container of water on an excursion? Open it and you have to drink the lot immediately or risk spilling it everywhere. You also have to take into account whether there are toilet stops during the excursion - too much water and you could have a problem. 😯😚

I just carry an empty bottle.  Cunard was worst - they went on and on about how long a drive it was to Luxor (it was 6 hours) and no facilities. And tried to sell people glass bottles of water!  Got on the bus and of course we hadn't sat down before they were handing out free and cold bottles of water - and you could get more anytime you wanted it. 

[yarramar]

18 minutes ago, lissie said:

Got on the bus and of course we hadn't sat down before they were handing out free and cold bottles of water - and you could get more anytime you wanted it. 

Unfortunately, you have to be careful with that. In India I took got a bottle of water on a bus that had been refilled. Lucky I noticed something was "not quite right"