How to arrange "pack lunches" for a group on a tour

We took the Grand Tour with Alla and had 12 in our van, I guess for a little less than you did, according to your statement. The sit down meal was wonderful and the provided box lunch was provided during transit so we could see more and not be left behind after the ship sailed. That was certainly not any part of the equation.

We had 6 in our van with Alla. We did not take a private tour. It was simply how many people signed up. We thoroughly enjoyed the sit down meal and actually the box lunch was great. Our van fell in love with the chocolate that they provided. We would not have changed either one because we got to experience different types of food plus the box meal allowed us more touring time.

i can remember so many "grab a bite" occasions from our travels that have added to our experiences. I had a sausage from a stand in prague, an arancini in verona from a little walk up counter, there were gyro's in athens, and of course a slice of pizza from multiple places in italy. Some of these places may have been geared toward tourists, but the food was delicious. The olives and cheese we ate in a square on capri was one of the attractions! (agree that none of those were worth missing the ship for, but that glass of wine and lamb meat balls on santorini might have been!)

(y)

I'm curious to see Viking's response. I'm not sure that making custom packed lunches is feasible when there are 900+ passengers going into port but they do strive to please!

They go out of their way to accommodate feeding everyone on port days. We returned to the ship around 3 PM one day and there were plenty of open face sandwiches at the bar in the Living Room on Deck 1. Bartenders were asking everyone passing by if they missed lunch and if they would like something to eat.

 

If your tour is private--could you build in a brief lunch/cafe stop? You will need a restroom break anyway and anyone who is hungry or thirsty could replenish. As others have said---bring some nuts, protein bars, piece of fruit (if allowed in that port) with you, especially for the person with food allergies. Viking will give you water bottles as you disembark.

Yes, I'm planning for a private tour out of Invergordon. After an early stop in Inverness, we will get on a boat for a Loch Ness cruise and then time in Urquhart Castle. By then we will be in the country and I think some ways from restaurants. I thought it would be fun to "brown-bag" it on our mini-bus or at a picnic spot while we do the rest of our country tour. Your other suggestions are fine if we cannot get the ship to make lunches.

How long is your tour?

Every all day private tour I have arragned or have been on , there has been free time build in to have a bit to eat .

Guide and driver need to eat too. In many cases a sit down lunch was arranged by our guide before hand.

On shorter tours ,a 30 minute break or "bathroon break" is included. Enough time to buy a coffee and local snack.

A tour in Scotland with a break in a Scotlish pub sounds better that eating out of a bag sitting in a van or on a park bench, IMO.

On port day the main restaraunt is closed during the day.

You could order room service early or pick up some cheese ,bread, fruit in World Cafe to put in a bag to take ashore, if that is allowed in this port.

Our tour will be about 8 hours. Our guide indicated he could find someplace for lunch if we couldn't get packed lunches. I agree that a more leisurely lunch might be nice, but I think we're trying to maximize our touring time. Your other suggestions seem good as well. Thanks.

I am still pretty new to cruising, so I am not sure if I understand this. Would this be something the original poster would expect to pay a fee to obtain? Viking does not pack lunches for guests taking their own excursions, why would they do so for people off on their own? On our one cruise, Viking's crew went above and beyond, but is this a reasonable request?

 

Again, not expressing criticism, just asking what is acceptable. Taking food from the buffet to take off the ship feels like the not allowed taking food away from a land based restaurant buffet. But on the other hand, if you are on the ship at lunch time, they certainly do feed you. What is the usual cruise etiquette?

On our previous V.O. cruises we were impressed with the lengths the restaurant staff went to for everything. The person in our group with a food allergy (the least speck of a peanut will literally kill her) was treated exceptionally. We were always seated at the same table, no matter when we showed up for dinner so that our waiter knew of the allergy. The head chef came to our table every night and gave her a copy of tomorrow's menu so she could choose an entree which was prepared separate from all others. Most wait staff all over the ship knew who she was and were careful about things like bowls of nuts. All-in-all, the V.O. staff on the SEA responded with truly exceptional care and professionalism on this matter. And I'm certain they would want to assure that she was provided with appropriate food on an excursion.

On a previous V.O. cruise I saw bagged lunches prepared for a group that was doing a private fishing rrip all day. I suspect they don't mind at all as long as they don't get a huge number of requests.

There is a lovely place to eat at Urquhart Castle. Light meals/snacks and more while enjoying the fabulous view.

Also catering on board the Loch Ness boat.

I sound like an advert for Scotland but it's all true. Forget packed lunches and pray for good enough weather to appreciate the scenery!

Scotland isn't Russia. We share a (more or less) common language. Good food is easy to find locally and, indeed, should be part of the 'must do' activities. You shouldn't miss our salmon, fresh, smoked or hot cured. Cheeses, scones, beef, so many wonderful things to eat it's just plain daft to think of sitting in a bus scoffing down old sandwiches so you can tick yet another old church off your list!

Nippy Sweetie, I sure hope I didn't give offense with my suggestion. We are certainly looking forward to enjoying local food and drink in other Scottish ports, it just seems that the opportunities to do that will be slim on this tour because of time, distance and rural locations we're visiting, we thought we'd try for a picnic instead of a sit-down meal.