Taking food off the ship

[stereo]

Hi--Mywife and Iwill be sailing this month and the ship will stop at ports in France and Spain. Can we take food off the ship--Fruit--sandwiches--from the ship--What about sealed food purchased in the US--POWER BARS--SNACKSetc. Any experiencei n Europe?--Thanks

[lovespositano]

Hi--Mywife and Iwill be sailing this month and the ship will stop at ports in France and Spain. Can we take food off the ship--Fruit--sandwiches--from the ship--What about sealed food purchased in the US--POWER BARS--SNACKSetc. Any experiencei n Europe?--Thanks

 

Yes, you can successfully take off packaged snacks. As to fruits and sandwiches, you are really not supposed to take these off the ship, but some people take them anyway and they food probably doesn't get confiscated.

[cat616]

Most countries do not want you to import non packaged foods.

 

This is an attempt to protect their plant life from diseases and bugs that may be transported in the food.

 

Please respect other countries flora and do not take this type of thing off of the ship unless you want to be responsible for importing a pest or plant disease that could ruin the beauty of that country.

[Gonzo70]

Most countries have agricultural laws in place that make it illegal to bring certains foods into the country (fruit, meat and other items are typically banned). It varies some from country to country, but as a general rule of thumb it is good to assume that it is illegal to bring fresh food into a foreign country unless you find out with certainty that it is not illegal. If caught breaking agricultural laws you may be fined a large sum of money or possibly even detained. In addition to risking personal consequences, you possiblty are risking damage to your host country's agriculture. Generally pre-packaged foods (that are still sealed) are permitted to be brought into most countries.

[hcat]

There are threads about this on Celebrity & Royal Boards....suggest you do a search-- One person was fined for taking an apple off ..not sure of it was in a port or clearing cutoms... I am diabetic so I stick with small sealed packets of crackers...I don't think anyone would object to that..

[Dunmore2]

Last year while eating breakfast just before disembarking from a Costa cruise, we were shocked/ stunned/ flabbergasted to see many women packing lunches- to- go. Perhaps they had a long train ride ahead of them, but they made at least 20 sandwiches each, plastic wrapping them as they worked. They even filled their carry-ons with fruit and cookies from the buffet. Amazing how some people try to get their money's worth!

[jayoldschool]

You paid a couple thousand dollars for a cruise. Spend a few bucks on a local lunch. Contribute to the local economy, and get the pleasure of experiencing food from a different country.

 

This is as diplomatic as I can make it.

[hajekfam]

You may even have a problem with bringing some packaged food off the ship in France. For one of our transatlantics, we had to change planes in Paris. The way CDG is set, you have to go through security and carryon screening again. I had a little tin (similar to a band-aid tin) that had a sewing kit in it. The agents kept asking me if I had a tinned meat product and I kept telling them no. Finally, I realized that I put the sewing kit in my carryon and showed them. No problem with a sewing kit, but if it was tin of meat, they would not let me take it through.

[JanineM]

Most countries do not want you to import non packaged foods.

 

This is an attempt to protect their plant life from diseases and bugs that may be transported in the food.

 

Please respect other countries flora and do not take this type of thing off of the ship unless you want to be responsible for importing a pest or plant disease that could ruin the beauty of that country.

 

Thank you. That's exactly what I was going to say!!! :)

 

And edit to add ... many countries will impose a very hefty fine if you are caught bringing food ashore.

 

I suspect you won't have a problem with packaged, prepared foods like a powerbar, but other foods are extremely dangerous to foreign environments.

[kitty9]

In quite a few ports I saw bags being checked and food discarded. You are not allowed to bring even packaged foods off the ship in Australia. On our last cruise they had it written in the daily that food is not to be taken off the ship. Mexico ports are especially strict. France is also one country that's very strict on taking food off the ship.

[JBINTOR]

Two years ago my husband and I were on the Constellation and one of our ports was Panama. We booked a Panama Canal cruise (through Celebrity). I had read several reviews on cruise critic prior to boarding the Panama trip about the lunch that was served on the tour - the reviews weren't great.

 

I have to confess that I did take a couple of bagels and 2 apples from the breakfast buffet off the ship and I am glad I did. The lunch that was served on the tour was not edible.

[cat616]

Two years ago my husband and I were on the Constellation and one of our ports was Panama. We booked a Panama Canal cruise (through Celebrity). I had read several reviews on cruise critic prior to boarding the Panama trip about the lunch that was served on the tour - the reviews weren't great.

 

I have to confess that I did take a couple of bagels and 2 apples from the breakfast buffet off the ship and I am glad I did. The lunch that was served on the tour was not edible.

 

And what did you do with your uneaten apple cores?

[bphman]

We were leaving the Galaxy in port when my son was still in a stroller and he was eating a box of Rice Crispies. They made us throw them out. I sort of laughed at the Security Officer not believing he was serious. He was. My son was not happy.

[bikinibottom]

My son was finishing an ice cream cone and we were running a bit late to meet our excursion, so we were rushing him to get out the door. Security stopped us and said he could not walk out with the cone - so he powered it down (9 year olds :rolleyes:) but really it was funny how serious they were.

[stereo]

Hi--Thanks for all the advice.--Last year friends rented a car and drove through Europe--They had bought food in France --crossed into Spain and consumed the French food in Spain--no one asked them at border crossings--I do know that if you enter Calif from Nevada you are not supposed to carry fruit into Calif--Thanks

[dodger1964]

Last year while eating breakfast just before disembarking from a Costa cruise, we were shocked/ stunned/ flabbergasted to see many women packing lunches- to- go. Perhaps they had a long train ride ahead of them, but they made at least 20 sandwiches each, plastic wrapping them as they worked. They even filled their carry-ons with fruit and cookies from the buffet. Amazing how some people try to get their money's worth!

 

I plan on ordering extra lobster tails for the next day shore excursion!;) The trouble will be transporting the melted butter.

[CruisingEasy]

And what did you do with your uneaten apple cores?

 

 

Your serious right?

[cat616]

Your serious right?

 

Yes I am.

[robtulipe]

There are threads about this on Celebrity & Royal Boards....suggest you do a search-- One person was fined for taking an apple off ..not sure of it was in a port or clearing cutoms... I am diabetic so I stick with small sealed packets of crackers...I don't think anyone would object to that..

That happened to an UK family while going into Chile. DW was fined something like $300 for partially eaten apple that was bought at UK airport and unknown to her placed in her back pack by one of her children. We were going to Santiago Chile several weeks later to catch Radiance cruise and can attest there are sniffer (beagles) dogs at the airport there to check luggage for food. One did hone in on one of our carry on bags which had previously held an apple in a side pocket. It had been eaten and the core disposed of before our flight while at our home country airport. The agent did ask if food had been in that bag prior when nothing was found and rewarded the dog for the positive response when we gave the above information.

[jester121]

That happened to an UK family while going into Chile. DW was fined something like $300 for partially eaten apple that was bought at UK airport and unknown to her placed in her back pack by one of her children. We were going to Santiago Chile several weeks later to catch Radiance cruise and can attest there are sniffer (beagles) dogs at the airport there to check luggage for food. One did hone in on one of our carry on bags which had previously held an apple in a side pocket. It had been eaten and the core disposed of before our flight while at our home country airport. The agent did ask if food had been in that bag prior when nothing was found and rewarded the dog for the positive response when we gave the above information.

 

Our dogs would be good for that job, if a bit slobbery. They take it as a personal affront any time we go out to dinner and come back smelling of delicious food but not bearing any samples to share. :)

[alicam]

Hi...a little story here about how serious someone can be about this issue...8 years ago we were travelling in Australia and came up to the border of South Australia...before we got to the border (we were on a bus) the tour guide told everyone to get rid of any fruits that were on board as S. Australia had a strict policy about fruits/vegetables coming into their state and any disease/pests that may be associated with such fruits/vegetables....everyone got all of their stuff gathered up and had it ready for disposal prior to reaching the border....the agriculture inspectors came on board and removed everything that could be a problem...and reminded everyone that if something was brought in and they caught them, it would be a $20,000.00 fine...period...no excuses..that would be what would happen... I took photos of the sign stating such at the border...so please don't bring your fruits and such off the ship....you could inadvertantly destroy a whole agricultural industry by being cheap

[robtulipe]

Our dogs would be good for that job, if a bit slobbery. They take it as a personal affront any time we go out to dinner and come back smelling of delicious food but not bearing any samples to share. :)

We have a beagle and he does the same. He especially looks for the fortune cookies we always bring him back after dining out on chinese food. The fact we have a beagle prompted DW to offer one of the beagles at the Santiago airport one of our carry on bags to sniff. It had been high on a luggage cart and that dog hadn't reacted to it on the first pass through the passenger waiting for their luggage at the carousel.

[stereo]

Hi All-After reading the replies I believe that the rules seem to be that taking fresh food --fruit--meat etc. off the ship is a no-no--however it seems to be ok if you take a power bar -[-a candy bar--a cookie or bread off the ship--can not destroy the agriculture--just the economy--Thanks again

[6502programmer]

duperific!

[6502programmer]

Hi All-After reading the replies I believe that the rules seem to be that taking fresh food --fruit--meat etc. off the ship is a no-no--however it seems to be ok if you take a power bar -[-a candy bar--a cookie or bread off the ship--can not destroy the agriculture--just the economy--Thanks again

Don't follow your beliefs. Follow the laws of the country you're entering. Those are what you'll be held to. Can a cookie throw a country into economic ruin? Not likely. Can a cookie cause you to be detained by a border agent? Not likely, but probably more than the chances of it bringing down a country. Can buying a cookie on shore throw YOU into economic ruin? If it can, perhaps you shouldn't be cruising... :rolleyes:

 

Those laws will be clearly posted, both in the ship daily and at the gangplank.