Taking food off the ship

[kaneeta]

I have a long trip home and I'm wondering if I can bring food off the ship, like a sandwich?

 

I thought I saw a table with bananas that they had taken from people who tried to "smuggle" them off the ship.

[Susie51]

They do not allow food to be taken off of the ship, because it might contain things that could contaminate the agriculture industry. Unopened prepackaged food items like granola bars, crackers, pretzels, ect. are allowed. Have a safe journey and enjoy your cruise.

[Mary Ellen]

Within the last few months I've seen a show about ICE. One of the featured was a man caught with a sandwich in his backpack - it was one darn cute beagle that sniffed him out. I'm thinking it was a $300-500 USD fine. So, no.

[ddavis539]

Is this just for the U.S., or does it apply to excursion ports in the Carribean or Europe? What if you wanted to take some food off the ship to snack on during a train or bus ride or something?

[Krazy Kruizers]

It has gotten tough in many of the ports -- no food off the ship.

Mexico really enforces the ruling.

[RuthC]

Is this just for the U.S., or does it apply to excursion ports in the Carribean or Europe? What if you wanted to take some food off the ship to snack on during a train or bus ride or something?

Indulge your inner child---bring a box of Cheerios along. :D

[Ine]

Is this just for the U.S., or does it apply to excursion ports in the Carribean or Europe? What if you wanted to take some food off the ship to snack on during a train or bus ride or something?

 

 

This rule goes almost for any place in the world. As mentioned it is to keep diseases out. In some places bags are searched for this.

And...you can always buy some snacks at any place in the world or get some chocolate or crackers which are safe to bring.

[scottjeanne]

In New Zealand and Australia, they were most adamant about the fact that no food or floweres could be carried off the ship. They had dogs at each port sniffing bags. Ironically, you could bring food on to the ship that was purchased in the port.:)

[hulamoon]

Hawaii has the dreaded fruit fly, so I can not take fruit that hasn't been cooked. inspected, irridated or dryed out of the state. At the same time our eco system is challenged by the foreign toads, bugs and we are in fear of the brown snake. So I understand.

 

In NZ a sniffer dog tagged my back pack that had an apple in it two days before. I loved that dog, we were presented with a stuffed toy sniffer dog at dinner the next evening.

[serendipity1499]

Kaneeta,

Actually the answer to your question is not a yes or no...It completely depends on what is banned by the USDA & changes constantly..You have to be very careful about bringing food products into the US & must declare them..

Customs & Border Protection laws are that you must declare all food products brought into the United States: Failure to do that could result in a $10,000 fine..

Generally plants, plant products fruits & vegetable products are banned..However some Dairy items such as milk, yogurt, hard cured cheese, bakery products are usually permitted, however the rules are subject to change...Soft cured cheese such as Brie generally is not permitted...Meat products generally are not permitted..

See the FAQ section of Customs & Border Protection WEB site :

cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD02NzAsNjcwJnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9ubCZwX3BhZ2U9MQ**&p_li=&p_topview=1

The following is a quote from this WEB site:

Quote: Failure to declare all food products can result in civil penalties.

 

Because CBP officers are stationed at ports of entry and along our land and sea borders, they are often called upon to enforce laws and requirements of other government agencies. Because of the complexities of regulations governing the importation of food, CBP officers may need to contact an expert for information about what is or is not admissible. If no expert is available, food may be detained in the interest of preventing possible food-borne diseases into the U.S. This is done to protect community health, preserve domestic plant and animals life, etc.

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture establishes criteria for the admissibility of plant, dairy and meat products returning with travelers and they have the final say about what may be admitted into the U.S. The USDA web site has somewhat more detailed information for travelers, and they can be contacted at 301-734-0814 or 1-877-770-5990 for information about the admissibility of plant or plant products. Unquote

We've brought processed hard cheese in from Aruba as well as chocolate, Rum cakes etc..

Betty

[sail7seas]

I think baked goods (bread) are permitted as is peanut butter so perhaps a peanut butter sandwich might be okay.

 

You need to check with authority to be absolutely sure what is permitted.

 

I always have factory sealed packets of crackers and individual size serving of peanut butter in our carryons in the event we are stranded on a plane or in an airport for hours with no food available for whatever reason. If we have some crackers and peanut butter, we can manage.

 

[bbq]

Just came off 28 days around Australia (Sun Princess) stopping at 14 ports in Australia, no where else. Almost every port had a dog and they checked every carry off item. So the ships that start and stay in Australia warn you, if you have food it's up to a $60,000.00 fine and two years in jail.

[Pete Jackson]

But on some shore excursions, they provide passengers with a 'boxed' lunch, so not all ports must have prohibitions against food being brought off the ship.

[DutchByAssociation]

Last summer several of us in the office took a tour of the Amsterdam while she was in port. It was also a colleague's birthday and the Culinary Ops Manager had made a cake for her that looked INCREDIBLE.

 

We had lunch in the Lido at a time that was not busy and actually filled up enough from lunch, bread pudding and other goodies that we never even got to the cake. When we were done with our tour/visit we were told we couldn't take the cake off by folks associated with pier security/homeland security and gave it to the Front Office staff as a thank you for arranging the tour. We also saw a couple gentlemen that I believe were staff of one of the onboard vendors that were told they had to "fully consume" their ice cream cones before they were "allowed to step foot off the ship"

 

Unfortunately, this is a VERY seriously taken rule.

[Putterdude]

You are constantly warned the ship's newsletter not to take food off the ship in any port. At best it may be removed from you with a warning and at worst you could face a stiff fine.

[dcsam]

I can see this rule applying to foreign ports, but what about those, say, in Alaska?

[Mary Ellen]

Alaska is part of the U.S. The cruise ship is considered foreign. The U.S. has strict rules about bringing in foods. You are safest trying to bring prepackaged foods ashore.

 

A good number of the previous posts were about foods not being allowed into the U.S. See my earlier post about a VERY hefty fine for a sandwich, DBA's recent post about cake / ice cream not being allowed off in Seattle, Betty's (serendipity) post had quite a bit of specific's about what is/isn't allowed into the U.S.

[pipedreams62]

I have a long trip home and I'm wondering if I can bring food off the ship, like a sandwich?

 

I thought I saw a table with bananas that they had taken from people who tried to "smuggle" them off the ship.

 

 

nevermind... There's always one

 

 

[Copper10-8]

But on some shore excursions, they provide passengers with a 'boxed' lunch, so not all ports must have prohibitions against food being brought off the ship.

 

Yep! We received lunch boxes on the ship to take into Warnemunde for Berlin and Alexandria for Cairo. Boxes contained a roll (Dutch 'krentenbol'), apple, bag of chips, cookie, granola bar and a bottle of water

[Beowulfpk]

I've taken sandwiches off nearly every type of cruise with no problem. In the very rare case there is a threatening looking checkpoint (usually in an US port after a foreign one), you are always given an opportunity to throw it out before you pass through it. So if you need a sandwich pack it and if you need to, toss it. Its not like you had to pay for it.

[Copper10-8]

I've taken sandwiches off nearly every type of cruise with no problem. In the very rare case there is a threatening looking checkpoint (usually in an US port after a foreign one), you are always given an opportunity to throw it out before you pass through it. So if you need a sandwich pack it and if you need to, toss it. Its not like you had to pay for it.

 

Just a heads up, though; in some Mexican ports, Cabo San Lucas, being one of them, they will physically inspect/have you open up all carrying bags as soon as you step off the tender. Not sure what they do if they find food products not allowed, warn or fine.

[Northshorecruisers]

I've noticed when we get off the tender in Cabo there is a large garbage for passengers to throw their fruit if they have brought some off the ship.

[Pam in CA]

I can see this rule applying to foreign ports, but what about those, say, in Alaska?

Last time I looked, Alaska was still part of the United States.

 

As has been said, the ship has clear warnings about bringing food off the ship in port and it's taken very seriously. Packaged food is OK (which doesn't include food stuffed into a ZipLoc bag) but anything else isn't. Australia and New Zealand are very, very strict as is the U.S. A few years ago, I was getting off an international flight in Boston and waiting for my suitcase in Baggage Claim before going through Customs. An officer with a beagle walked by, and the dog sat next to a young woman's carry-on. She was asked whether she had food in it and she said, "No." Then she was asked to take everything out, which she did. There was an apple she'd put into the bag and forgot. When she claimed her luggage, she was taken away by the officer.

 

When I disembarked off the Amsterdam in Valparaiso last January, we were shuttled to the terminal building and told to line up on both sides of an open area and put all of our bags and purses on the floor in front of us. Once there were lines on both sides, soldiers with guns accompanied another with a German shepherd who sniffed every bag, purse, etc. Only once he'd completed both sides were we allowed to continue. Obviously, this is taken very seriously in Chile.

[dcsam]

If the ship is supplied in Seattle, then why wouldn't people be permitted to take food off in Alaska (YES - a state in the U.S. - Geeezz)? Sounds like I didn't make myself clear.

[Mary Ellen]

If the ship is supplied in Seattle, then why wouldn't people be permitted to take food off in Alaska (YES - a state in the U.S. - Geeezz)? Sounds like I didn't make myself clear.

Because the ship is considered 'foreign'. Did I not type this earlier? It does NOT matter where the food was loaded onto the ship.