Taking food onto shore

[SailingSuzy]

I'll be cruising on the Pearl in the Southern Carribean this month. Is it OK to pack a lunch on the ship and take it with you to the beach?

[Toyz711]

not usually, many of the islands/countries have gotten smart about the damage to their crops/trees by those little pesky bugs on fruits and veggies. some are stricter then others. even in alaska, there were signs about about what you can't take off the ship.

the general rule of thumb, anything pre-packaged (store bought) is ok. fruit is a big NO-NO.

we take a couple of candy bars/crackers with us for snacks.

[JWestShuh]

Just don't take fruits or veggies. That's all I know that you aren't allowed to take. There might be more restrictions that I don't know about.

[salty dingo]

We used to order granola for breakfast, pour it into a bag, and take it with us.

 

But really, we rarely needed anything onshore. This is because:

 

1) We ate some local food (very tasty!)

 

2) We were not gone long enough to be hungry

 

3) With all the strenuous activity, we did not feel like eating

 

Maybe your experience will be different, but I recommend ordering something good at a local bar or restaurant if you get really hungry and are not near the ship. There are tons of places in the touristy ports that cater to cruisers, and they have the kind of food we like to eat. Plus, your dollars support the local economy, so spend some!

[zqvol]

I'll be cruising on the Pearl in the Southern Carribean this month. Is it OK to pack a lunch on the ship and take it with you to the beach?

 

You will get a wide variety of answers on this question. The mass market lines do not want you to take food off the ship. The luxury lines will often pack a picnic for you.

 

The only answer that really counts is the one that is imposed on your ship at each particular stop, and the only way to answer is to ask when you are on board.

[JerseyHorseLover]

Since a few of us got sick on the food in Antigua many years ago, islands that I don't trust (like Samana), I bring peanut butter & jelly on a bagel sandwiches. Until you go thru what my friends and I went through in Antigua, I am REAL careful where I eat. I trust Cozumel, the Virgin Islands, and I ate in Tortola, and Bahamas.

[Terre]

We were on the POAm recently and we got fruit and rolls from the buffet and put them in baggies and took them in an insulated colaspeable lunch box. One day we ordered club sandwiches from room service and took those on our day on the Road to Hana...we ate those at the Black Sand Beach. We also filled a baggie with ice to keep everything cold. No one said anything to us about taking the lunch box off...never checked it.

 

Maybe because we were taking food that was loaded from Hawai'i and we were getting off in Hawai'i ports?

[Toyz711]

in hawaii, all the food on the ship was loaded in hawaii and come through hawaii...making it legal to take it off the ship. though on some of the islands, the locals worry about a bug from one island spreading around the other one.

but other places, if the ship leaves from new orleans...the plant life in, say...guatemala...could be heavily damaged by bugs/insects that they don't know how to control. it's the local agricutural laws, not the ships.

[salty dingo]

Until you go thru what my friends and I went through in Antigua, I am REAL careful where I eat. I trust Cozumel, the Virgin Islands, and I ate in Tortola, and Bahamas.

 

Was it norovirus you got in Antigua?

 

I was in Antigua once, and the only thing I ate that I recall was from a boiling pot of fig jam that was cooking somewhere out in the jungle. It was funny, we had a island tour and the driver took a short cut, and we got to the top of a hill and saw a lady in her yard selling stuff, and we told the driver to stop.

 

She had some really good jam! She picked figs for us, and there was a breadfruit tree, and some kind of fish was cooking too, but I think that was just her lunch. It was cool seeing how the locals live, for real, not just what the tourists usually see.

 

Anyway, some of the islands have McDonalds... for real. And some have Senor Frogs. If you get sick there it's not because of the food.

[TCF]

There can be hefty fines in some countries for bringing fruit and vegetable ashore....and don't even think about a live chicken!!!

In The Caribbean we eat local on....Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Costa Rica, Virgin Islands....we never eat local in Jamaica....hell we never even get off the ship in Jamaica any more!!

Just be careful...keep your eyes open...if the food vendor is clean and the food is fresh cooked you are likely to be ok. Remember too that you can get food that you have never eaten before on some islands and your body will let you know that is does not like strangers around.

Food borne illness is usually gastro intestinal....and the food bugs in those couontries train on Imodium and nap in Pepto!!!! You will suffer!!!!:(

[Toyz711]

basically, if the food is cooked..you should be alright. it's the fresh, unwashed stuff like lettuce..that can get you.

[beachchick]

We were on the POAm recently and we got fruit and rolls from the buffet and put them in baggies and took them in an insulated colaspeable lunch box. One day we ordered club sandwiches from room service and took those on our day on the Road to Hana...we ate those at the Black Sand Beach. We also filled a baggie with ice to keep everything cold. No one said anything to us about taking the lunch box off...never checked it.

 

Maybe because we were taking food that was loaded from Hawai'i and we were getting off in Hawai'i ports?

 

You were fine because the Pride of America is one of the Hawaii-only ships. All ships which have stop in ports other than Hawaii are not allowed to let pax take fresh food off the ships.

 

As for the higher end line offering to pack a lunch for pax, they're not going to do it in ports where it's against the law. The last thing they need is massive fines and perhaps restrictions from even going to those ports. The cruise lines are not exempt from local laws!

 

Bottom line is that in most places fresh food is not allowed to be taken off the ship. Most specifically fruit and veggies. Some places do not allow meat and cheese, and in some places even bread, because they are food items which can carry foreign pathogens. (I know, I know, it sounds so disgusting.) Some people don't care and try to smuggle food off the ships. This shows a selfish disregard for the welfare of the places they visit. It's not the cruise lines who have "rules" about it; it's the countries/states/islands that have laws about it (not suggestions, not rules).

 

It's always best to check and make absolutely certain. When there's any doubt, don't do it. Packaged items (cereal boxes, granola bars, etc.) are fine in pretty much every port. Sodas and bottled water are fine too.

 

beachchick

[salty dingo]

I recommend that whatever you eat ashore, wash it down with a hefty dose of alcohol - it may or may not kill all the bugs but it will make you feel better! :D

[Terre]

I recommend that whatever you eat ashore, wash it down with a hefty dose of alcohol - it may or may not kill all the bugs but it will make you feel better! :D

 

LOL!! That sounds like a great idea!

[ohioNCLcruiser]

If you go with the rules then no your not allowed to. Only pre packaged foods (chips, etc). Even on the Pride ships cruising just in Hawaii they are saying this also.

[beachchick]

If you go with the rules then no your not allowed to. Only pre packaged foods (chips, etc). Even on the Pride ships cruising just in Hawaii they are saying this also.

 

This is fairly new, although I'm not surprised to hear it. On our cruise last year, there were no signs, no notices in the dailies or elsewhere, no checking when disembarking at the ports. But most importantly (to me), I checked directly with the Department of Agriculture which was at that time allowing pax on the "Pride of" ships doing the 7-night Hawaii only itineraries (and no other itineraries, such as PoAl is doing now with the Fanning alternates) to take fresh food off the ship in the ports.

 

If they have changed the rules, then we wouldn't do it next time because we don't break those laws for any reason. Mahalo for posting the current regulations.

 

beachchick