How often do you eat in local places during your cruise?

[Ship's Wake]

One of the many things we enjoy when taking a cruise is to stop in a local restaurant or cafe for lunch or drinks and spend 30 minutes to an hour (or more) soaking up the local atmosphere (preferably in a spot with an interesting location or view of the plaza, etc.) and trying local specialties.

 

Enjoying salad nicoise in a busy sidewalk cafe in Nice or eating fresh cannoli in Taorimina or having a the best pina colada I have ever tried in an outdoor restaurant on the harbor in Aruba really add to our experience.

 

How about you? What local items have you enjoyed that made an impression on you and what about it made it memorable?

[1025cruise]

With the exception of a quick snack, or if lunch was included on a long excursion, my meals have all been on the ship. My feeling is I already paid for it, so why would I eat elsewhere?

 

With that said, my cruises have been to Alaska and the Caribbean, so its easier to just hop back on the ship.

[gerif]

Lobster on a New England cruise in practically every port and crab legs in Anchorage on Alaska cruise. Just can't get some stuff anywhere else.

[Krazy Kruizers]

lobster on a new england cruise in practically every port and crab legs in anchorage on alaska cruise. Just can't get some stuff anywhere else.

 

yes!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We always try to have lunch off the ship -- love to sit back, eat some local food, have a nice drink and watch the sights.

[Keith1010]

We eat infrequently off the ship. In places like Europe we might have something off the ship and also on full day tours.

 

Keith

[paul929207]

My wife is taking chemo (been in remission for nearly 11 years!!) which lowers her ability to fight off diseases. When we were in Seim Reap (Angkor Wat) she ate or drank something she should not have. Became extremely ill. Took two months and four different antibiotics to cure it. The drugs they gave her in Cambodia fought it back so she could travel, but did not kill it so it came back after we were home.

 

So, we are very careful where and what she eats. We bring packages of crackers and things like granola bars.

[John Bull]

We don't tend to eat when off the ship.

Which is a great shame.

But we don't tend to eat during the day anyway, the offerings on "the tourist trail" tend to be poor quality & over-priced, and going off-route to find something more typical is too time-consuming.

Worst pizza by far that I've ever had ............ was in Naples :rolleyes:

 

When we overnite in port we make a special effort to dine ashore - much more rewarding.

 

But we do linger over a beer or two at a pavement table, people-watching. Again, over-priced - but little local bars "round the corner" tend to be boring.

 

JB :)

[Karysa]

We often drive to Grand Case in St. Maarten for a delishious gourmet lunch with beautiful sea views. My favorite is the tarts at Le Soleil on restaurant row on the water side. It's thin like a thin pizza and the sauce is a cream and cheese mixture topped with sautéed onions and chopped bacon. it is scrumptious ! The frozen grand marniere dessert is heavenly and they give flavored rums at he end of the meal. It's an excursion in itself for us. :)

 

We had lunch at the famous Gladys's Cafe in St. Thomas last month and the curry chicken rottis were excellent.

 

We search out places to eat prior to our cruise much the same as we would an excursion.

[spookwife]

One of the many things we enjoy when taking a cruise is to stop in a local restaurant or cafe for lunch or drinks and spend 30 minutes to an hour (or more) soaking up the local atmosphere (preferably in a spot with an interesting location or view of the plaza, etc.) and trying local specialties.

 

Enjoying salad nicoise in a busy sidewalk cafe in Nice or eating fresh cannoli in Taorimina or having a the best pina colada I have ever tried in an outdoor restaurant on the harbor in Aruba really add to our experience.

 

How about you? What local items have you enjoyed that made an impression on you and what about it made it memorable?

 

quite honestly.. never to mostly never. I have food waiting for me on board.

 

we did stop for lunch in town in Bermuda since we were an hour away from the ship. we have evil plans to get Garlic fries in Monterey in our favorite joint next year

 

But otherwise, we do not routinely eat in port at all. and it has nothing to do with being scared of catching Montezuma's Revenge. It's just not something that we feel is necessary or even enhances the experience.

 

now I will definitely buy rum cake( esp the ginger one.. sublime) to take back on board, or if I find a Violet Crumble locally but you'll only see me in Margaritaville to buy a tee shirt.

[xxoocruiser]

On port days I always try to work my schedule around eating on board the ship. After all I've already paid for it so why should I spend more many on shore eating in restaurants.

[Ship's Wake]

We often drive to Grand Case in St. Maarten for a delishious gourmet lunch with beautiful sea views. My favorite is the tarts at Le Soleil on restaurant row on the water side. It's thin like a thin pizza and the sauce is a cream and cheese mixture topped with sautéed onions and chopped bacon. it is scrumptious ! The frozen grand marniere dessert is heavenly and they give flavored rums at he end of the meal.

 

 

That sounds so good. Good find!

[toolangi]

We did an eating tour while in Puerto Vallata last year. A guide took us to local food stalls and restaurants. We also got great information on the town etc. we would never have been brave enough to buy off the stalls by ourselves. food was great and we didnt get sick!

 

We are off to Italy in September to cruise on the Ocean Princess. I have just booked a 4 hour food tour in Rome , where we have 10 different tastings as well as visiting local markets. We won't be eating breakfast that morning!

 

 

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[Karysa]

That sounds so good. Good find!

 

I am always in search of great food when on vacation especially at ports or islands where I have been fortunate enough to visit on multiple occasions.

A wonderful leisurely lunch followed by a couple of hours on a beautiful beach is all the excursion this girl needs anymore.:)

[Twickenham]

On our recent Med cruise, we adopted a 'snack-to-surf' policy - find a local restaurant offering free internet to their customers, buy a drink and/or small snack, then do our internet thing while enjoying the local offering. Had the best.moussaka.ever on Rhodes.

[clackey]

Love to try authentic local fare. We always make it a point to eat with the locals. Preferably in some out -of -the -way spot frequented by local natives and few tourist. I have no idea what I had in Progreso one trip, but it was fantastic.

 

I find it sad that so many people visit these exotic places and forgo the opportunity to try local dishes in lew of a hotdog or a hamburger.

[mtwingcpa]

I don't think I've ever eaten off the ship unless the port is in the US or Canada (haven't been to Europe on a cruise ship). That said, I have occasionally stopped for a beverage - preferably bottled - and that gives me opportunity to check out the local scene.

[Sailor_Sally]

We definetely try the local cuisine . I especially love trying different fish chowders best ever was in halifax last year.

[Ship's Wake]

On our recent Med cruise, we adopted a 'snack-to-surf' policy - find a local restaurant offering free internet to their customers, buy a drink and/or small snack, then do our internet thing while enjoying the local offering. Had the best.moussaka.ever on Rhodes.

 

I still reminisce about the moussaka we had in Athens in the Plaka. I have never been able to come close to that at any Greek restaurant at home. Followed it up with Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts for dessert. :)

[Thoie]

I usually try to eat something on-shore, on the basis that the arrival of a cruise ship often scares away a lot of their other potential customers for the day.

[zacc]

My wife and I always try to find an out of the way location(a place where the locals eat-not a place for the tourists) to enjoy lunch in each port of call we visit. As far as we are concerned one of the most enjoyable parts of visiting other cultures is to share time with the locals and try local cuisine and beverages. The idea that "we have already paid for lunch on the ship" really doesn't enter into our equation. To us the experience is worth the "extra" money we spend. We have had the pleasure of eating in some really interesting places and had some wonderful food! Many of our favorite memories include meals we have enjoyed in port.

[spookwife]

 

I find it sad that so many people visit these exotic places and forgo the opportunity to try local dishes in lew of a hotdog or a hamburger.

 

never said that.. in fact I won't as a general rule eat a Hot dog or Burger on board either. and living for three years in Japan we found PLENTY of places to eat that avoided touristy areas( our favorite spot in Yokohama we had to be 'escorted and introduced' by a local and nobody spoke a lick of American. )

 

mmm tako yaki from a street vendor.

 

I just cannot usually justify spending more money on food off the ship if I have easy ish access to the ship. esp since we tend to do ports that are heavy on shellfish> which I cannot eat.

[Laughing Angel]

What clackey and zacc said.

 

Finding tasty food to eat or great drinks off the ship is usually a highlight of my cruise. These places usually tend to be a mix of locals and some tourists, and I've always enjoyed the experience of soaking in the local color and meeting new people. I always budget a few meals off the ship for my cruise--for me, the experience and memories are worth it.

[Donray]

We always try to eat lunch off the ship. The food in nice restaurants is much better then eating at any ship buffet.

 

Why would anyone want to eat in a buffet when they have another choice? McDonalds is better than eating at buffet.

 

Nothing like drinking margaritas eating some very good Mexican food while sitting outside watching the river and iguanas for a few hours in Puerto Vallarta.

 

Eating flying fish in Barbados while people watching over a cold beer.

 

Having an excellent fish dinner in St. Lucia while watching the ocean wave inches from your feet. Nice romantic dinner with you and your loved one.

 

Crappy self serve buffet or nice dinner trying new food in nice restaurants while enjoying the peaceful company of your loved one?

[Scrapnana]

If the ship is close by, I will likely eat on board. I have enjoyed some good meals ahore though on days when the ship was far away. Had to try Swedish meatballs at a little sidewalk cafe in Stockholm. Had a really good meal (not sure what it was other than beef) with a local beer in Tallinn. Tried some really good Greek food on a number of the islands.