Baggies....really?..

[TxCougar]

Will be on POA next week.

 

I once saw a post advising people to take baggies for food while on excursions during the day and kinda shrugged it off as someone who was fanatically frugal.

 

Well today, I told a client that I was heading to Hawaii for vacation and was told to take baggies because the food was ridiculously expensive....as in, $40 for a medium pizza for everything on it. :eek:

 

I'm throwing this out to you fine people because there is no "snopes" to consult on the issue. I'm not a cheapie when it comes to decent food, but now I am rethinking my earlier shrug. :confused:

 

What do y'all say?

 

Thank you in advance!

[bakerintn]

Hawaii does not want you to take certain food items off the ship...don't know if they will catch you or not. I would not take fresh vegetables or fruit off the ship, just to be considerate of the State and it's population.

[kcwingwalker]

Will be on POA next week.

 

I once saw a post advising people to take baggies for food while on excursions during the day and kinda shrugged it off as someone who was fanatically frugal.

 

Well today, I told a client that I was heading to Hawaii for vacation and was told to take baggies because the food was ridiculously expensive....as in, $40 for a medium pizza for everything on it. :eek:

 

I'm throwing this out to you fine people because there is no "snopes" to consult on the issue. I'm not a cheapie when it comes to decent food, but now I am rethinking my earlier shrug. :confused:

 

What do y'all say?

 

Thank you in advance!

 

Do you mean taking your own food that you purchased and brought with you or taking food from the ship when you go ashore?

[Cherie319]

Will be on POA next week.

 

I once saw a post advising people to take baggies for food while on excursions during the day and kinda shrugged it off as someone who was fanatically frugal.

 

Well today, I told a client that I was heading to Hawaii for vacation and was told to take baggies because the food was ridiculously expensive....as in, $40 for a medium pizza for everything on it. :eek:

 

I'm throwing this out to you fine people because there is no "snopes" to consult on the issue. I'm not a cheapie when it comes to decent food, but now I am rethinking my earlier shrug. :confused:

 

What do y'all say?

 

Thank you in advance!

 

I take baggies for alot of things carrying wet items, keeping toiletries separate and for dirty items. But there is always that one time that I might say I should have brought of those goodies off the ship for a snack :). Why not? If you would take bottle water off the ship why not a few snacks? Seems OK to me. I remember in Bermuda bottle water was $5! I bought it because I was thirsty and didn't think to bring some water w/me. But then again if you want to have a fab lunch (it is vacation) and don't mind spending $$ go for it - after it's all up to you. Either way enjoy :D

[TxCougar]

Because of weight/baggage restrictions, I don't plan on shipping any food into Hawaii.

My client advised me to take food from the ship to eat during the day...

[spidybabe]

Once saw at last breakfast buffet people with baggies taking TONS of food And I mean TONS!!! They say cuz they going home it won't go bad. That's not cool, but taking a snack or small amount of food fine. Especially if not coming back to ship for lunch.

Safe sailing

[mking8288]

When we did the POA 4 years ago, I recall some folks were taking peanut butter & jelly sandwiches to shore with them & some items in the buffet were disappearing fast. That's budget travel while cruising the Hawaii islands, for sure - :D

[puddles99]

The short answer is, "No, you don't need baggies."

 

We didn't find the local food to be high priced at all & truly enjoyed trying all sorts of things (Mac Nut Brittle - yum!!!). With that said, you could take baggies & carry snacks off the ship. Everything on POA has been cleared by the state of Hawaii since the ship never leaves Hawaiian waters, so that is an option.

 

Enjoy your adventure!

[JuneauWhatIMean]

As long as you're looking for food near one of the port or resort areas you won't have a problem. However, if you plan on renting a car and exploring some of the "off the beaten path" areas you might want to bring some snacks, (crackers, cheese, fruit, etc.), and beverages. Especially if you have small children or special dietary needs. :cool:

[BOS_CruiseGuy]

The short answer is, "No, you don't need baggies."

 

We didn't find the local food to be high priced at all & truly enjoyed trying all sorts of things (Mac Nut Brittle - yum!!!). With that said, you could take baggies & carry snacks off the ship. Everything on POA has been cleared by the state of Hawaii since the ship never leaves Hawaiian waters, so that is an option.

 

Enjoy your adventure!

 

Agreed. Not a bad way to save some money, but while HI food prices are high, they are not so high that $40 is remotely normal for a medium pizza.

[Viv0828]

We take food from the ship when we will be gone all day and it is not easy to get food there such as when we go on a long hike or we drive through a sparsely populated area. On Hawaii it is usually easy to find a place to buy a snack or lunch In other less developed countries outside of the USA it may be more difficult.

[rhinomike]

Hawaii isn't overly expensive to eat. It's just like any other port.

[karoo]

I can't remember the food being that expensive. I remember the pineapple in Hawaii being really fresh and juicy. I'm pretty sure we purchased it just from the ABC shops. I guess if you take a small snack as a back up you would have eaten that on the ship anyway.

Something I have seen which really annoys me though, is a particular ethnic group on some of my sailings take backpacks, lunch boxes etc to the buffet and proceed to fill them. They couldn't possibly eat all that food as most of them have very small builds. Another passenger was commenting how she saw them all tipping it all out of their bags and lunchboxes as they were coming back on board. A total waste and greed as far as I'm concerned.

Even on our Bermuda sailing when we were told not to take food off, due to Bermuda's quarantine restrictions you would see them still taking it , then eating it at the caves, beach etc.

I must admit I've been guilty of taking a small muffin off as I have a very small breakfast-fruit, yoghurt and coffee as I'm not usually very hungry at that time of the day. Years of rushing to work, eating fruit in the car, having a coffee and yoghurt when I get there. Morning tea break is around 11 at work, so around 11 I'm usually feeling peckish so it's good to have a snack, particularly if I'm going to have a late lunch and I'm on an excursion that doesn't visit any food places. However, if I'm told to not take food off, I don't.

[Lerin]

We've been to Hawai'i several times and never had nor seen a $40 pizza.

Last time we went was about 8 months ago, and aside from gas, I don't recall prices being much different than at home. Some things(like pineapple) were cheaper in fact.

[Tyskie]

Adding my 2 cents to the topic...............

 

Yes, we did take sandwich bags with us, for a variety of items. However, on many threads and reviews it was recommended to bring a small soft cooler bag for water and snacks, which we did.

 

In the buffet each morning there was a station with rolls/bread and sandwich makings, ie. cheese, ham, turkey. We didn't do this everyday but it was nice to have a snack along with us. Don't get me wrong we ate in lots of really cool places too ! Prices are not any different from New York. We did rent a car on each island.

 

When you are touring, especially some areas that are remote, it's nice to be prepared.

[HokiePoq]

Hawaii isn't overly expensive to eat. It's just like any other port.

 

That's the way we found it. Rented a car and ate at a McDonald's along the way somewhere.

I always pack (from home) several protein bars to have in the airports or on excursions where lunch is not included and it's not convenient to take time to eat locally. This takes care of the $$ concern (airport food is expensive and not all that great, IMHO) and also agricultural restrictions in some ports as it is prepackaged and processed.

I see people fill Baggies all the time. (ducks) I think it looks pretty ill-mannered and in some climates is a risk for food poisoning.

On our last cruise (not NCL) people packed from the buffet on all day excursions in 100 degree heat. Not a good idea in my opinion.

[rvsullivan]

I lived in Hawaii for some time. Food is a little bit higher than on the mainland, but not much. McDonalds for example might be a quarter higher for a Big Mac than on the mainland, but not enough to avoid eating there. The locals are not rich by any means and they go out to eat just as anywhere else. A pizza there will be less than a dollar more there than on the mainland, if that's enough to make you want to pack a lunch, I guess you might be frugal?

Part of why we cruise is to try local items, including dining, there are many local, small restaurants on the islands that are amazing. I would not miss out on them for anything.

[NH Cruisers]

I think paying the high ticket price on your cruise ticket it going above and beyond in helping the local economy. Just because you are on vacation doesn't mean you should flush money down the toilet.

How does spending $1500 on your cruise directly help Ma and Pa in their general store. Pay $2.00 for a peanut butter crackers and $2.00 for a bottled water will go a lot further helping them. The cruise fare helps out at the embarkation and debarkation port due to folks overnighting though.

 

Eating at specialty resturants could be construed by many as flushing money down the toilet. Most folks I know who have never cruised feel a whole cruise vacation is flushing money down a toilet. I guess it is all opinion.

 

I personally don't mind purchasing snacks ashore or the occasional light meal. The locals usually seem greatfull for the patronage (even at that new italian joint we stopped at in Portland, Maine a few years back. They knew we were on a cruise and treated us real nice).

[travelnap]

Forgive me if I am wrong, but don't most ports not allow food to be brought off the ship unless it is pre packaged food that is wrapped? Fruit especially is something they don't want brought into Hawaii and other tropical ports.

[latebloomer56]

I have carried baggies on all trips. First because when we travel to Europe I don't alway know the currency exchange and if I need something small due to bus sickness I have it. I never take fruit or veggies as this isn't recommended, though I've seen others do this. I try to bring packs of crackers for long days but am not in the mood sometimes and think why not a cookie from the buffet :). Second is we are quiet people who deal with people in our daily lives so we pay for a larger cabin and will go there by 11 or so each night just watch TV or read and don't want room service I will have small snacks bagged if we want them. We get fresh cut fruit in the AM and leave it in baggies in the fridge for afternoon snacks if we are on our balcony and don't want to go out or br bothered. Money has nothing to do with it just convenience. We have pals that alway pack a lunch though when they go ashore anyplace that has a beach, they use the little coolers with bagged sandwiches they make from the buffet.

We don't do the beaches, I need to limit my sun exposure. We generally do like trying locale foods and spend plenty it's just those odd times 2 hour bus rides or private time in our cabin. Love my baggies and thank CC for this hint long ago.

[punkincc]

Forgive me if I am wrong, but don't most ports not allow food to be brought off the ship unless it is pre packaged food that is wrapped? Fruit especially is something they don't want brought into Hawaii and other tropical ports.

 

This is true for most ports, but the difference here is that the POA is in Hawaii year round and never leaves the state. All ports are Hawaiian. All provisions are brought on board from Hawaii and therefore it should be no problem to take off the ship a food item that came from Hawaii.

 

I certainly don't think it is tacky to take some snacks or sandwiches off the ship in Hawaii depending on our plans for the day, especially when the POA sets up a buffet exactly for that purpose. It's not like you went to your local buffet resturant and loaded up carryout for later.

[RJ2002]

Most all ports prohibit you from taking foodstuffs from the ship, and we always follow that practice regardless as to whether it might be allowed to do it in a certain port. Anyway, we get a lot of enjoyment in sampling the local fares when ashore. We get enough of the ship food already. ;)

[mamma0233]

There are so many unique and tasty items available on all the islands it's seems a shame to be talking about peanut butter and pizza. Manapua, Loco Moco, Spam Musubi, Malasadas, a Chicken Katsu plate lunch, Lau Lau and an endless variety of Saiman to name just a few.

All are delish and inexpensive. Get out there and "taste" the islands!

[Ilovesailing]

Hawaii does not want you to take certain food items off the ship...don't know if they will catch you or not. I would not take fresh vegetables or fruit off the ship, just to be considerate of the State and it's population.

 

 

YOU CAN TAKE FOOD OFF AND ON SHIP as well as flowers. The ship stays in Hawaiian waters so it is not restricted.

Where you run into trouble is trying to take food and plant material on to airlplanes. Hawaii airport has a luggage inspection before you can go to the ticket counter looking for plants and food. This is prior to the regular security check in.

While I don't agree with taking food off ship and would rather support their local economy we have seen numerous people unpacking food on excursions.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Ilovesailing

[Ilovesailing]

I think paying the high ticket price on your cruise ticket it going above and beyond in helping the local economy. Just because you are on vacation doesn't mean you should flush money down the toilet.

 

 

I disagree !The cruise price has nothing to do with Hawaii economy except for port fees which are pittance. Your high cruise price for NCL cruise is because there is NO casino, NO scratch tickets, and NO bingo onboard. Plus it's one of the few cruise that is profitable for NCL now that they only run with one ship verses three a few years.

 

The number one selling food In Hawaii is SPAM and even McDonald's sells it. One of the reasons is because it's cheap. The local people struggle to make a living to support their family, their housing situation for most consists of many relatives living in one home, most of their homes are built up one level in case of flooding the then they close the first level in and turn it into housing.