Sandwiches For Excursions?

[Fern Crest]

I've read so many conflicting reports on whether or not you can get a sandwich from the Deli or from Room Service the night before and bring it on your shore excursion. I'm not talking about oranges or bananas or the fruit salad from the breakfast buffet, now, just the sandwiches.

Does a BLT really count as a local biohazard, or is it an acceptable item to legitimately take with you? DH's emissions after eating at one of the local places in Cozumel last year were *certainly* more hazardous than anything we could have taken from the kitchens of the ship! ;)

[musicmansmom]

fern

 

i have read the same conflicting post also. but when we go to the mexican riviera and plan on just setting on the beach most of the day, we will order cookies or brownies the night before from room service and take them with us. i always make sure i have zip lock bags in my bag for anything i want to store or take on shore. and danish or bagels would be good also for taking away the hunger pains. i do beleive in not taking any fruit or veggies off the ship. im sure it will work out alright for you and you will have a great time.

[Fern Crest]

Thanks! So, I'm not going to worry too badly that the BLT that DH takes for lunch will wipe out entire villages, forests, ecosystems, etc.

Hey, I wonder if the guys patrolling the debarcation/rebarcation station have great stories about the contraband that people have tried to get onto the ship with bizarre stories?

"Uh, these Cuban cigars are for my grandmother ... yeah ... they're the only things that help with her rhumatiz ..." ;)

[big_duck]

B, no L or T. The problem of course is it isn't just one, it thousands goes if one wants to do it then etc etc.

 

 

BTW, you bring as many Cuban cigars on the ship you want. The problem is you can't take them off.

[Cruising89143]

 

BTW, you bring as many Cuban cigars on the ship you want. The problem is you can't take them off.

 

Well you can BUT the secret is not getting caught.;)

[zydecocruiser]

I'd be more concerned about the mayo after a few hours in the sun.

[hdawson]

Most countries have laws (including the US) about bringing food or other agricultural products into their country. I think trying the local food in different countries is high on my priority list. In 18 cruises and many other trips abroad I've never once had a problem. I've had some great meals on Grand Cayman, Antigua, Costa Rica and Mexico (Cozumel, Cancun, Progreso and Merida).

[kujobie]

It's like bringing alcohol on the ship. Technically it's not allowed but a lot of people do it. Use your own judgement. Just know that if you wheel a cooler off the ship, it's likely to be inspected. And if you walk off holding bananas and apples in your hands, they will be confiscated. If you got a small bag of brownies in your beach bag, no one is gonna know. Just be discreet, and avoid the raw veggies and fruit.

[hdawson]

I'm sure raw veggies and fruit are ok if peeled. Actually I think it's a matter of washing them good as most restaurants do as a matter of doing business. They can't afford for tourists to become sick. They know the value of the internet and also the danger of bad reports.

[EastTex]

I'd be more concerned about the mayo after a few hours in the sun.

 

That's a very popular misconception. Commercially prepared mayonnaise has enough vinegar, lemon and salt in it to effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria. The meat and cheese on your sandwich are more likely targets for bacterial contamination than the mayo.

[Cotton]

Personally, I don't take food off the ship. I prefer the local cuisine - just another part of my adventure when traveling.:)

 

However, I did pack a ham/cheese sandwich for a friend once. She was 80 yrs. old and couldn't eat spicy/MX food. So - I ordered the sandwich late the night before we docked at Cozumel. I removed the lettuce and tomato. I put the sandwich in a freezer Ziploc bag. Then I put it down into the ice bucket in her cabin. Next morning, I filled a larger freezer Ziploc with some ice and put the first bag in it. I put that, along with some cookies from room service, into my small insulated tote bag. It was nice and cold for lunch time. She wanted to take a banana, but I told her no way would I take any fruit. We went to Pancho's Backyard for lunch. I enjoyed my MX food and she was happy with her sandwich and cookies.

 

If you have gastrointestinal issues, I think it's fine to take a sandwich off the ship; otherwise, I think it's tacky, as well as not allowing yourself the pleasure of experiencing local cuisine.

[zydecocruiser]

That's a very popular misconception. Commercially prepared mayonnaise has enough vinegar, lemon and salt in it to effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria. The meat and cheese on your sandwich are more likely targets for bacterial contamination than the mayo.

 

Well then it's all good! I've never let a little discoloration of meat and cheese discourage me.;)

[Fern Crest]

If you have gastrointestinal issues, I think it's fine to take a sandwich off the ship; otherwise, I think it's tacky, as well as not allowing yourself the pleasure of experiencing local cuisine.

 

::nodnod:: DD, DS and I *adore* trying local cuisines, but DH's metabolism is so fast and odd that something that might never affect anyone else could hit him broadside in less than 30 minutes. Seriously, he processes *that* quickly. So, we've learned the hard way that it's better to bring along a plain turkey sandwich for him, just in case.

'Twould be terrible for him to get "that look" on his face as we're out on a snorkel excursion! ;)

 

Poor fishies! :eek:

[hstrybuf]

I prefer to try the local cuisine rather than risk the embarrassment of being caught by security taking something off the ship that isn't allowed. While I research my cruises for months, I don't even try to figure out what products are not allowed into each port. I just don't do it. My version of just say no. ;)

[zydecocruiser]

There is NO security getting off the boat other than what is requried to make sure they record your sail and sign card on the way out.

 

While I'm not going to bother carrying something off just to save a dime, some excursions require you to bring your own lunch, beverage, etc.

 

To say FOOD is not allowed off the ship is bogus. To say there are laws against carrying FOOD off is also bogus. Mostly fresh things and seeds are examples of what you might want to avoid carrying off, but if the countries being visited have no agriculture, it is unlikely they have any laws related to agriculture.

 

The signs posted getting off the ship are bogus. The signs posted entering, for example, the United States, are real. You could feed a small country with all the fruit that is dumped in the terminal leading to customs in Miami.

[GoinCruisin]

I have seen items dumped into trash cans and confiscated MANY times.. it is not bogus at all. You can carry food off, just not produce. Economies can suffer greatly because, and these laws are taken seriously... These are the kinds of numbers our very own country has to deal with when someone doesn't follow these laws... don't do it to other countries... get a taco, leave the produce on the ship, you just never know...

 

 

The Valley Center Mexican fruit fly quarantine officially ended on Sept. 23 to the delight of growers and government officials alike. While everyone is relieved that it is once again "business as usual" and the flies have been eradicated, it is important to note that the incident came with a very high cost. Perhaps more importantly, no one should forget that one unknown individual who decided to sneak fruit across the border from Mexico likely caused the disaster.

United States Department of Agriculture and California Department of Food and Agriculture officials reported that the quarantine cost a total of $22 million for regulation and eradication. That's $11 million from each agency that certainly could have been put to better use by the cash-strapped state and federal governments.

For growers, the financial cost came in two ways. The first was lost revenues from fruit that couldn't be harvested and taken to market. The second was the cost of treatments applied to trees in order to assure tha fruit was pest-free before harvest.

Early losses came from windfalls. About one month after the quarantine was declared, heavy winds struck the Valley Center area knocking between 3 and 5 million pounds of avocados to the ground, according to the California Avocado Commission. Because of the quarantine, growers were prohibited from picking the up the good fruit and taking it to market. The industry-average price for Hass avocados in January was $.834 per pound, making the growers' losses between $2,502,000 and $4,170,000.

For growers of citrus and specialty fruits in the immediate vicinity of where the invading flies were found, work crews were brought in to strip the fruit from the trees and bury it. The market value of that lost fruit totaled $638,834, according to the County Department of Agriculture. Other growers took losses as well if they were unable to harvest their fruit due to location or timing that made it impossible for them to apply the pest-killing bait treatments. Those losses totaled $1,374,582, also according to the County Department of Agriculture.

All growers in the quarantine zone who were able to market their fruit had to make several applications of fly-killing bait treatments. All told, there were 96,884 acre-treatments (a five-acre parcel treated four times would count as 20 acre-treatments) made by ground and by air. At an average cost of $12.27 per acre-treatment, growers incurred $1,188,926 in treatment costs.

Growers caught inside the boundaries of the quarantine suffered more than direct financial damage. They also incurred time losses due to additional management, loss of flexibility to sell their fruit in the strongest markets, and the possible loss of market positions for next year's crop if buyers switched to other suppliers.

__________________

[zydecocruiser]

...Mostly fresh things and seeds are examples...

 

...Mostly fresh things and seeds are examples...

 

There should be no problem with peach ice cream, for example. I am seriously considering bringing some Blue Bell ice cream to a lost soul in Cozumel, and the only thing that will stop me is not enough dry ice.

[harrodsfan]

Each country varies...I have taken banannas off the ship many places..(Unless posted we can't.) I took raw carrots to India and Mexico because I need raw vegies. No problems. As for sandwiches...my favorite is cheese for keeping.

basically it doesnt' need refridgerating. Also mustard keeps.

I am adventurous with food but not while traveling...bathrooms can be too few and far between.