No food for trip home?

[Merion_Mom]

Will be getting off Anthem on March 12 and boarding a bus for a 12 hour ride back to Atlantic Canada. I've packed some ziploc bags and stretch wrap thinking of picking up a wrap or a sandwich at Cafe Two270 on the eve of disembarkation to cut some costs on the way home.

 

Just read in one thread that it wouldn't be allowed? I know that dogs at Customs/Border patrol in Bayonne smell luggage, but do they smell your backpack?

 

you guys need to reread my original post. The bus will make several stops, but I'm trying to cut costs a little.

 

 

Actually, you said no such thing.

 

Here are some suggestions, some of which are repeats of previous posts:

 

Use individually or together.

 

1. Stuff yourself at breakfast.

 

2. Steal ten boxes of cereal and ten bags of chips. Fill up your water bottle.

 

3. Before your cruise, go shopping and bring on the ship with you: Cans of tuna. Cans of fruit. Cups of fruit and applesauce. An entire package of oreos. A bag of popcorn. Cans of soda.

 

Then you can eat any or all of these things on your bus ride home, instead of spending a couple of dollars more at the various rest stops that you will visit.

[reallyhooked]

Pack snacks bars / trail mix and save for trip home

[psupa]

Why would you want to end an otherwise pleasant and expensive holiday by stressing over whether or not you will get caught smuggling a few sandwiches? Just bring some prepackaged snacks from home.

 

 

Bring some Tastycakes or fruit bars that are prepackaged from home. On the ship grab some of the potato chips and don't forget something to drink. I can't imagine a bus not stopping along the way for a little break especially on such a long trip.

[Sailaway Girl]

Just came through Bayonne off the Anthem on February 19th. After going through customs an agent stopped me and took me and my luggage to another room. He asked the agent clearing me for my customs declaration. In the room he asked me if I had any food or fruit in my bags. He opened and searched my backpack and smaller suitcase. I had nothing. Twenty minute delay. The reason he reviewed my declaration was to see if I checked off no fruit or meat yet had some. Don't do it!!

[Ocean Boy]

I love dogs. However, there are some places where I prefer they have no interest in me.... Airports, Cruise Terminals, Border Crossings, and Train Stations immediately come to mind.

[luckyinpa]

so whats the reason why canned tuna or a bag of chips is safe to bring off a ship vs a sandwich from the ship?

 

would one of those lunchable meals from the supermarket be ok?

[chengkp75]

so whats the reason why canned tuna or a bag of chips is safe to bring off a ship vs a sandwich from the ship?

 

would one of those lunchable meals from the supermarket be ok?

 

If it was sealed, yes. The difference is that products allowed to be landed from the ship are factory sealed to prevent introduction of bugs, bacteria, viruses that may not be native to the port country.

[spookwife]

so whats the reason why canned tuna or a bag of chips is safe to bring off a ship vs a sandwich from the ship?

 

would one of those lunchable meals from the supermarket be ok?

 

 

its factory sealed.

 

I would only consider the shelf stable lunchables, not the ones that require refrigeration.

 

I love the little mini tuna salad kits.. everything is included, even the spoon.

[bouhunter]

You will need to BUY food for your trip home. You CANNOT take food off the ship, unless it's pre-packaged. There is a hefty fine, or imprisonment for bringing foodstuffs into a country. Don't risk it.

 

Yes US and Canadian prisons are full of sandwich smuggling felons...........:rolleyes:

[luckyinpa]

its factory sealed.

 

I would only consider the shelf stable lunchables, not the ones that require refrigeration.

 

I love the little mini tuna salad kits.. everything is included, even the spoon.

 

 

i did not phrase the question correctly

 

why is it safe to bring in a factory sealed sandwich/bag of chips etc. when its not safe for 'other stuff' you have on the ship. the food i literally have been eating for a week.

[squadron]

Will be getting off Anthem on March 12 and boarding a bus for a 12 hour ride back to Atlantic Canada. I've packed some ziploc bags and stretch wrap thinking of picking up a wrap or a sandwich at Cafe Two270 on the eve of disembarkation to cut some costs on the way home.

 

Just read in one thread that it wouldn't be allowed? I know that dogs at Customs/Border patrol in Bayonne smell luggage, but do they smell your backpack?

 

 

Once you leave the ship - RCI is no longer responsible for feeding you. The bus will stop for breaks during a trip that long so you will have a chance to buy something. As someone pointed out- only prepackaged food can cross borders - eg granola bars etc. I carry several plus a chocolate bar for whatever flight I'm taking. Don't want to mess with grumpy border personnel.

[Cruisin'4Us]

Departing Baltimore, then one sea day, then first stop at Port Canaveral. No forms to fill out. Are we allowed to bring sandwiches off the ship?

[markeb]

i did not phrase the question correctly

 

why is it safe to bring in a factory sealed sandwich/bag of chips etc. when its not safe for 'other stuff' you have on the ship. the food i literally have been eating for a week.

 

 

It's safe to eat; that's not the issue.

 

Fresh fruits and vegetables and most other fresh plant materials, regardless of the original source, are generally not allowed into the United States to prevent the introduction of non-native pests (remember the Mediterranean fruit fly?). Meats and some cheeses that are not processed and sealed (generally canned) are not allowed in the United States, largely to prevent the introduction of Foot and Mouth Disease Virus, among other foreign livestock diseases. The way the law is written, the fact that the item was produced in the U.S., left the U.S., and is returning is not relevant.

 

The same is true on most Caribbean islands, BTW.

[akcruz]

i did not phrase the question correctly

 

why is it safe to bring in a factory sealed sandwich/bag of chips etc. when its not safe for 'other stuff' you have on the ship. the food i literally have been eating for a week.

 

 

Its all got to do with the possibility of bringing in foreign bugs, infections, etc. The ship takes on food in various ports along the way, each country has their own "acceptable" bugs, ones that their crops can tolerate. If you bring those into a country that may not be able to handle them you can start an infestation. Yes, this pertains mainly to fruits and the like but each type of food has similar concerns.

 

Pre-packaged foods have removed these things and are safe to travel with just about anywhere. I know this post is not talking about Australia, but take a look at their agricultural laws and you will see they don't even allow pre packaged items. Its all about protecting the local agriculture.

[squadron]

I was thinking the same thing. This bus makes no stops for 12 hours? Can a bus even drive that far without stopping for refueling? Does the driver not need to eat?

 

 

There are laws that govern how many hours drivers can drive before stopping for a break. Who would want to be a passenger with a driver who has driven too long!!

[squadron]

https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/protecting-agriculture/agriculture-canine

 

 

My "untrained" Labradors could smell a crumb of dog cookie in a pocket of a coat that hadn't been worn for months!

[akcruz]

Departing Baltimore' date=' then one sea day, then first stop at Port Canaveral. No forms to fill out. Are we allowed to bring sandwiches off the ship?[/quote']

 

 

Not 100% positive but I would say no. The food on the ship may not have been loaded in Baltimore, therefore it is not just going from the US to the US. It might have been loaded on the last voyage.

[markeb]

Departing Baltimore' date=' then one sea day, then first stop at Port Canaveral. No forms to fill out. Are we allowed to bring sandwiches off the ship?[/quote']

 

 

Probably not, but I'm not sure. The USDA may consider that the (presumably) U.S. provenance of meat and cheese products was "lost" when the ship entered international waters. They may also not inspect the arrival as it's a U.S. to U.S. leg. There "shouldn't" be a CBP inspection...

[Ocean Boy]

Take all the food that you want. It helps to ensure that all the food will be nice and fresh when I board.;)

[chengkp75]

The fact of the matter is that regardless of whether the stores were loaded in the US or not (and most ships do not load "as they go", except for very long cruises) or whether or not the ship calls at a foreign port between your embarkation and your taking a sandwich off the ship, the ship is foreign territory, and treated as such by USDA.

 

For lucky; it is not a food safety issue. Yes, the food you have been eating all cruise long is safe, but the USDA (and these days it's CBP Agriculture Agents) is tasked with not allowing foreign vermin or disease into the US, so they don't care what you've been eating outside the US.

 

These regulations go even to garbage, which is why cruise ships incinerate so much of their trash, or grind up food waste and pump it overboard. Any ship calling at a US port from a foreign port, which wishes to land garbage, this garbage is considered "regulated waste" and must be double bagged, with approved bags, and handled completely separate from any domestic garbage the collector handles. This costs about triple what domestic garbage disposal costs. Now, even a US ship, that never bought any food from a foreign port, must meet these regulations as well. Say this ship now is scheduled to begin a "coastwise" trade, only going to US ports (remember, this is a US flag ship). For six months after the last foreign port call, the ship's garbage is considered to be "regulated waste" at the higher cost, even though everything during that 6 months has come from the US. The only way around the 6 month rule is for the ship to throw out every last scrap of food when it comes into the US from foreign, clean the walk-in boxes and dry stores, and have a Dept of Agriculture inspection.

 

The only cruise ship where you can take anything you want to ashore is the Pride of America, since it is US flag, and never leaves the Hawaiian Islands.

[Ocean Boy]

The fact of the matter is that regardless of whether the stores were loaded in the US or not (and most ships do not load "as they go", except for very long cruises) or whether or not the ship calls at a foreign port between your embarkation and your taking a sandwich off the ship, the ship is foreign territory, and treated as such by USDA.

 

For lucky; it is not a food safety issue. Yes, the food you have been eating all cruise long is safe, but the USDA (and these days it's CBP Agriculture Agents) is tasked with not allowing foreign vermin or disease into the US, so they don't care what you've been eating outside the US.

 

These regulations go even to garbage, which is why cruise ships incinerate so much of their trash, or grind up food waste and pump it overboard. Any ship calling at a US port from a foreign port, which wishes to land garbage, this garbage is considered "regulated waste" and must be double bagged, with approved bags, and handled completely separate from any domestic garbage the collector handles. This costs about triple what domestic garbage disposal costs. Now, even a US ship, that never bought any food from a foreign port, must meet these regulations as well. Say this ship now is scheduled to begin a "coastwise" trade, only going to US ports (remember, this is a US flag ship). For six months after the last foreign port call, the ship's garbage is considered to be "regulated waste" at the higher cost, even though everything during that 6 months has come from the US. The only way around the 6 month rule is for the ship to throw out every last scrap of food when it comes into the US from foreign, clean the walk-in boxes and dry stores, and have a Dept of Agriculture inspection.

 

The only cruise ship where you can take anything you want to ashore is the Pride of America, since it is US flag, and never leaves the Hawaiian Islands.

 

 

Anybody care about foreign vermin or disease carried in by people or is it all just food and garbage?

[chengkp75]

Anybody care about foreign vermin or disease carried in by people or is it all just food and garbage?

 

Different agency. USPH, despite most cruisers' ideas, doesn't care about your health on the ship, they are mandated to prevent the importation of contagious diseases into the US. They will board and inspect ships calling from foreign ports and can do inspections of the living quarters and interview crew as to their health. They could do this for cruise ships, every week, when they return to the US. Since that would be a nightmare for both the cruise lines and USPH, they implemented the VSP (Vessel Sanitation Program), where if a cruise ship follows the construction and operational requirements of the plan, USPH will only inspect on a random basis, and not conduct passenger interviews.

[markeb]

Anybody care about foreign vermin or disease carried in by people or is it all just food and garbage?

 

 

Remember that "have you visited a farm" question on your forms or Global Entry screen?

 

Or the temperature checks for people traveling to West Africa during the Ebola outbreak?

 

The first is for USDA, the second for HHS/CDC.

[Charles4515]

Departing Baltimore' date=' then one sea day, then first stop at Port Canaveral. No forms to fill out. Are we allowed to bring sandwiches off the ship?[/quote']

 

 

 

Not allowed. I have been on that itinerary and when I did it they were very insistent about not taking food off the ship. That was the first sailing that the prohibition against taking food off made an impression on me.

 

 

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[Corby114]

My family cruised on the Allure Of Seas in January 2017 to the Western Caribbean. On the ships last stop in Cozumel, Mexico we left the ship to do some shopping at the port. At the end of the pier there were a few Mexican police officers with two dogs going through everyone's backpacks and bags. There were two large garbage cans full of apples, bananas, and a few sandwiches that passengers thought they could take off of the ship. I couldn't believe that the passengers didn't know that this wasn't allowed.