Will Ship Make Us a Boxed Lunch for a Private Tour?

[txtechmk]

We have a private tour planned for one of our stops, and the tour guide said with our intense itinerary, there will not be time for lunch.  I was wondering if anyone has had experience with Celebrity making a boxed lunch to take on a tour?  I know we can ask once we are on board, but I'm curious if anyone has done this?   Also if it helps, we are in the Retreat, so I'm hoping maybe our butler, or Luminae might help.  Thanks.

[cruisestitch]

Probably not.  Most locations have prohibitions against taking any sort of fresh food off the ship.    No meat, cheese, fruit, baked goods.  It violates agricultural laws.
 

pack a couple of pre-packaged energy bars.  Something from a commercial bakery.  They will usually allow those.

[MamaFej]

In some ports, removing food or any beverage other than commercially bottled water is not allowed. Some even require passengers to go through Biosecurity (Chile, New Zealand, Hawaii...).

 

I imagine that your butler would be more than happy to help you, if it is allowed in the particular port.

Edited July 14, 2023 by MamaFej

[RTShaker]

One thing to consider is the possibility that no or restricted foods may be brought ashore depending on the port.

[jelayne]

We have been with a group exiting the ship for a private tour when it was determined 1 person was bringing an apple and some cookies.  They were confiscated and then everyone’s backpacks/purses were checked for any other food items.  We were almost 1 hour late starting our tour.

[Alakegirl]

Txtechmk, You don’t say which port, but it is highly unlikely that the ship will prepare such a meal for you.  Pack a candy bar or a granola bar, have a big breakfast, and don’t take a chance on breaking local laws

[NutsAboutGolf]

Just have a backup plan if you can't get food off the ship.  I would personally ask my tour guide to call in an order for takeout or something as I'd imagine if your butler would make you a boxed lunch, it'll just be deli meat sandwich

[WestLakeGirl]

Whether or not your butler would go through the Buffet for you and make you sandwiches, and I think that is extremely unlikely, you are still the one responsible for following the agriculture regulations of the country you are visiting.  Pay attention to the instructions on the Daily newsletter and at the exit from the ship, and watch for sniffer dogs (seen in Cozumel and Ushuaia and Australian ports). 

[Texed]

1 hour ago, txtechmk said:

We have a private tour planned for one of our stops, and the tour guide said with our intense itinerary, there will not be time for lunch. 

 

Isn't it your private tour?  You should be able to tell the tour guide what you want to do.  

[Shiba_Lover]

If you are on a private tour, you can tell the guide if you wish to eat.  They can eliminate one of the stops if you want to take a break.  If not, just grab a granola bar or something to eat on the run.

[JFontaine]

One of my favorite cruise memories: in a tiny town in Italy my driver recognized a  black mini truck as the bread guy.  I said, please follow him. Driver pulls into the town square, opens the back of the truck, and sells his warm delicious bread (no bag) to the locals waiting for him (the women wrapped their bread in their aprons). Luckily I had small bills, and we had the most delicious treat. I'd give up every museum and church to have an experience like that again.  

[txtechmk]

18 minutes ago, Texed said:

 

Isn't it your private tour?  You should be able to tell the tour guide what you want to do.  

 Yes, our little group doing this private tour has specific things we want to see.  Lunch was on our original plan, but do to time constraints, travel miles, and not wanting to eliminate any stops, we told our guide we might can get a box lunch from the ship.  She thought that was a great idea.  The stop is Jeju Island, South Korea.

[Northern Aurora]

I've been to South Korea and I will be very surprised if you will be able to take some sort of box lunch from the ship.

[dcbiker97]

29 minutes ago, txtechmk said:

 Yes, our little group doing this private tour has specific things we want to see.  Lunch was on our original plan, but do to time constraints, travel miles, and not wanting to eliminate any stops, we told our guide we might can get a box lunch from the ship.  She thought that was a great idea.  The stop is Jeju Island, South Korea.

 

I would not count on a box lunch. That is an off the beaten path port am am sure not many folks will know.  But if it’s like 

most every other port, bringing food off the ship is prohibited. 

[dlh015]

35 minutes ago, txtechmk said:

 Yes, our little group doing this private tour has specific things we want to see.  Lunch was on our original plan, but do to time constraints, travel miles, and not wanting to eliminate any stops, we told our guide we might can get a box lunch from the ship.  She thought that was a great idea.  The stop is Jeju Island, South Korea.

How long is your ship in port?? That is quite a distance (assuming you are arriving at Busan port??)

 

I can see how that would be tight...good luck and safe travels!!

 

ETA: I'm assuming you are at some other port...

Edited July 15, 2023 by dlh015

[WestLakeGirl]

47 minutes ago, txtechmk said:

 Yes, our little group doing this private tour has specific things we want to see.  Lunch was on our original plan, but do to time constraints, travel miles, and not wanting to eliminate any stops, we told our guide we might can get a box lunch from the ship.  She thought that was a great idea.  The stop is Jeju Island, South Korea.

She sounds inexperienced.  You will run into a lot of trouble if you try to take food off the ship, and she should know that.

[hcat]

No...simple answer.

you can take certain wrapped granola type bars..but no fruit or sammies!

[Jim_Iain]

In most of our Asian, South American, Australian and New Zealand Ports all food was prohibited off the ship and they often had bag inspections and in some ports X-Ray machines for backpacks and dogs.   In Australia and New Zealand there are sign and the fines for Violation are quite high.

 

Not sure about your particular tour but on every private tour I've had they may not include a lunch but most have numerous free time at stops for 30 minutes or more where we were able to get a bite of lunch.    They also often tell you where to get a light snack or drink.

[chemmo]

7 hours ago, txtechmk said:

 Yes, our little group doing this private tour has specific things we want to see.  Lunch was on our original plan, but do to time constraints, travel miles, and not wanting to eliminate any stops, we told our guide we might can get a box lunch from the ship.  She thought that was a great idea.  The stop is Jeju Island, South Korea.

Ask your tour guide to arrange packed lunches for you. They should be able to contact a local bakery/restaurant and put together a something…One of the reasons for booking a private tour is that things like this are the responsibility of the tour guide to ‘make happen’. I’ll bet she thought you bringing your own packed lunch was a good idea, less for her to organise. Obviously this will be at an additional cost.

 

Just as a second note, I do understand the desire to squash as much as possible into a day trip but a full day with no lunch stop is a long day…We have organised a couple of private tours. We have been very specific about a lunch stop. We have requested a lunch lasting no more than 30 minutes offering a simple taste of the country we are visiting with a view if possible and decent rest rooms…We usually stipulate a restaurant not attached to a shop…The reason for this is often the shops will offer incentives for guides to stop. Not conducive to the guide choosing the best food or location…

[keesar]

One concern that has not been addressed deals with being late in getting back to the ship.  On a private tour, the ship will not wait for your group.  I have questions regarding the experience of the OP and the tour guide.  

[chemmo]

2 hours ago, keesar said:

One concern that has not been addressed deals with being late in getting back to the ship.  On a private tour, the ship will not wait for your group.  I have questions regarding the experience of the OP and the tour guide.  

Yes, this is always a concern. We do tend to lean more towards X tours if the time back to the ship is tight. Also more risks in ports the ship visits less frequently as the tour guides are more likely to be less experienced. 

[AmberCascades]

You likely can't take any fresh food off the ship.

 

You are going to be very uncomfortable after a while if you don't have bathroom breaks and some kind of food during the day.  I would ask the guide if she can arrange something.  She would know if there's somewhere along the way that you could pick up something quick and eat it on the bus if you have to. 

 

We've been on private tours where the guide has picked up a pre-arranged lunch for us.  One time we had a picnic at a fort eating local food.  We only stopped for about 15 minutes but having that little break was very welcome. A couple of times we had our lunch in a parking lot. Hahaha  On others the guide passed around sandwiches and cookies on the bus.  We also always bring pre-packaged GF snacks because there's no guarantee that my celiac husband can eat whatever is offered.  

[zitsky]

Would the shore excursion desk have info about lunch breaks when description doesn’t say anything?  I’m not sure how knowledgeable they are?

[chemmo]

48 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Would the shore excursion desk have info about lunch breaks when description doesn’t say anything?  I’m not sure how knowledgeable they are?

They are doing a private tour not a Celebrity private journey…

 

You are correct, if you book a through Celebrity it will indicate if food is included. It will also indicate where there are restaurants and you will have time to purchase a snack if you choose to do so.

[Pinboy]

12 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

They also often tell you where to get a light snack or drink.

LOL--- Reminds me of a tour we took " years " ago in Costa Rica to see a banana plantation.

Talk about wasting $$$ --- After 1 minute and 15 seconds I was done !!

Not only did our tour guide tell us where to get a snack or drink , he was nice enough( ?? ) to take us to his cousins souvenir ( junk ) stand for 30 minutes. Lucky for us, the %^#^ was on sale that day and he stood right by the cash drawer to make sure nobody got ripped off .

Then on the way back to the ship he had the driver stop the bus ( 20 minutes )--- wiped his eyes  and told us that we are the best tour group he ever had.  He went up and down the aisle showing us ( only the women looked !! ) pictures of his kids ( 6-7 ?? ). What a great guy !!

However, when we got back to the ship some of the men ( including said writer ) tried to get off by the back door ( guess why )--- but, it was locked !!

Mind you, he did hug all the women and shook every man's hand .

The cost, oops, tip to get off the bus was $10(US) !!!

But, it was worth it----- for our tour group to be the " best he's ever had "--- that's something !!

Rumor has it that the very next day there was a tour group ( nicer than ours ) that was the best , etc etc.

LOL--- Who needs University Marketing courses ? Just send the kids to Costa Rica to take the banana plantation tour !!