Packing a lunch from the boat for off the boat....

[Davis2010]

Strange question, but we have booked back to back excursions. The excursion companies BOTH suggested we pack a lunch from the boat and bring it along as we will be on both tours a total of 6-7 hours. 

 

Has anyone did this?  Suggestions? Should I pack some ziplocs😂?

 

Edited to add we are going to Alaska.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Davis2010

[Underwatr]

Customs laws in most places won't allow you to take food off of the ship. Count on grabbing something from ashore.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Underwatr

[GUT2407]

Many places will only let you take commercially packaged, sealed, food off the ship.

[Flatbush Flyer]

15 minutes ago, Davis2010 said:

Strange question, but we have booked back to back excursions. The excursion companies BOTH suggested we pack a lunch from the boat and bring it along as we will be on both tours a total of 6-7 hours. 

 

Has anyone did this?  Suggestions? Should I pack some ziplocs😂?

 

Edited to add we are going to Alaska.

Inappropriate. Please leave the ziplocks at home.

Commercially prepared/prepackaged/inspected food is often okay. 

[Davis2010]

14 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

Customs laws in most places won't allow you to take food off of the ship. Count on grabbing something from ashore.

 

 

4 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Many places will only let you take commercially packaged, sealed, food off the ship.

Thank you. I thought that was the case and found it strange when the tour person suggested it. Just thought I’d ask 😊

[Davis2010]

3 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Inappropriate. Please leave the ziplocks at home.

Commercially prepared/prepackaged/inspected food is often okay. 

Inappropriate? It was a question phrased with a little humor. My apologies. I was just truly asking as it’s been a very long time since I’ve cruised and was kind of shocked the tour people suggested it. Just needed clarification.

[ldubs]

They probably suggested it because, laws aside, it is widely done.  I'm not endorsing that, especially with fruits.  Best, as already said, is pre-wrapped/packaged stuff -- or in other words just the kind of stuff that wouldn't be your first choice! Lol.  

[ducklite]

I'd suggest packing some granola bar/power bar types of things.  

 

Have a large breakfast with a lot of protein (takes longer to digest), a couple bars for lunch, and then a snack when you get back on board to hold you to dinner.  You'll be fine.

[John Bull]

Yes, in some countries there are laws about taking ashore foodstuffs that aren't commercially packaged.

I might be wrong, as I often am , but I can't imagine a problem on a Lower 48 to Alaska cruise. 

 

In our early cheap-skating days of cruising we used to get a plateful of rolls & fillings from the breakfast buffet and sit out on deck making up filled rolls, plus mebbe an apple or two. And we weren't alone. 

Nowadays that's regarded as not being de rigueur, but due to past indiscretion I won't chide anyone who does.

 

In plenty of ports worldwide, tasting local snacks is part of the vacation. 

 

JB 

[Flatbush Flyer]

9 hours ago, Davis2010 said:

Inappropriate? It was a question phrased with a little humor. My apologies. I was just truly asking as it’s been a very long time since I’ve cruised and was kind of shocked the tour people suggested it. Just needed clarification.

No need to apologize. I wasn't saying that you or your comment were inappropriate. Rather, it's taking ship food ashore is in most cases inappropriate. 

Haven't you noticed those discard bins at the ship's gangways? 

[ducklite]

Citrus fruit from ANY country is not allowed to be brought into Alaska without a USDA inspection.  Other meats, fruits, seeds, and vegetables it depends on where it is from originally, how it is packaged, and more.  

 

Think about it this way--If you come off the ship with an apple and it is detected in your day bag by a USDA dog or found during a random search, you can be detained.  At best you will miss your (non-refundable for this reason) shore excursion(s) and at worse you could be detained, brought in front of a judge, and fined quite heavily.  If you have Global Entry you will lose it, and possibly TSA Pre as well.  If you have a government security clearance you've just opened a huge problem with that as well.

 

Do you really want to take that chance?

[Flatbush Flyer]

34 minutes ago, John Bull said:

....... I won't chide anyone who does.

You won't have to in US states like California and Hawaii where agriculture is the foundation of their economy and penalties for violating the related laws are severe enough.

[spookwife]

10 hours ago, Davis2010 said:

Strange question, but we have booked back to back excursions. The excursion companies BOTH suggested we pack a lunch from the boat and bring it along as we will be on both tours a total of 6-7 hours. 

 

Has anyone did this?  Suggestions? Should I pack some ziplocs😂?

 

Edited to add we are going to Alaska.

not possible.    only prepackaged factory sealed items are permitted  to be taken off the ship at ports.  so pack protein bars  and the like.  

[John Bull]

Just now, Flatbush Flyer said:

You won't have to in US states like California and Hawaii where agriculture is the foundation of their economy and penalties for violating the related laws are severe enough.

 

Hi Flatbush,

 

I've never encountered restrictions at state borders in the US, certainly within the lower 48 and including multiple routes into California.

Coming from a foreign country, understandably yes. Ditto countries like Aus., whose regime is even more strict.

But - a query, not a contrary stance - are you saying that there are restrictions into California from Alaska?

Or into Alaska from California?

 

JB 

[ducklite]

5 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

You won't have to in US states like California and Hawaii where agriculture is the foundation of their economy and penalties for violating the related laws are severe enough.

And Florida and Arizona!   Florida alone has suffered over $10B in agricultural losses due to pests brought into the US and bordering countries by tourists.

[ducklite]

1 minute ago, John Bull said:

 

Hi Flatbush,

 

I've never encountered restrictions at state borders in the US, certainly within the lower 48 and including multiple routes into California.

Coming from a foreign country, understandably yes. Ditto countries like Aus., whose regime is even more strict.

But - a query, not a contrary stance - are you saying that there are restrictions into California from Alaska?

Or into Alaska from California?

 

JB 

 

Yes, there most definitely ARE restrictions.  There are checkpoints in California, if you ever drove from a neighboring state into California I'm not sure how you missed them.  There is a check point in Arizona and several in Florida.

[denmarks]

When I used to go on escorted tours (non ship) I would always make a cold cut sandwich at breakfast for lunch which was not included. Too bad we can't do it from the ship. What kind of bugs would escape from a sandwich?  I understand fruits and vegetables.

[lynncarol]

This occurred over 40 years ago but my husband and I (USA citizens driving a car with a Tennessee license plate) were stopped at the Arizona border and asked if we had any plants or perishables. We didn't, and although now neither of us can remember exactly what my husband said (jokingly) in reply, it really pissed off the guard. We had to get out of the car, while they searched the entire thing. So yes, they can and will enforce restrictions.

Edited January 9, 2020 by lynncarol

[akcruz]

I remember a few years back sailing out of southern California, no food was allowed outside until we were a certain distance from port.  Had something to do with fruit flies if I remember correctly.  Our usually routine was to get seats by the pool and then grab lunch from the buffet and eat by the pool.  We couldn't on that cruise.  So yes California dies have some different rules than other states.

[clo]

2 hours ago, ducklite said:

Yes, there most definitely ARE restrictions.  There are checkpoints in California, if you ever drove from a neighboring state into California I'm not sure how you missed them.  There is a check point in Arizona and several in Florida.

THIS^  We drive regularly from Oregon and Nevada into California and both have what are colloquially referred to as "bug stations."

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, ducklite said:

 

Yes, there most definitely ARE restrictions.  There are checkpoints in California, if you ever drove from a neighboring state into California I'm not sure how you missed them.  There is a check point in Arizona and several in Florida.

 

 

Hi Ducklite,

 

Thanks for that.

Checked with my friend Mr Google, expecting him to show me off-ramps with changeable signs telling mainly trucks & sometimes cars to peel off, cos I've seen plenty of those all across the States.

But no - he showed me some with booths (like toll booths) across the carriageway.

Including on a couple of interstates that I've driven into California !!

Damned if I can remember them, and certainly never been inspected or questioned. Mebbe because of Californian or Nevada licence plates?

 

They seem to be very thinly spread, perhaps we've missed most of them because we like to drive the bye-ways. For instance Vegas thru Death Valley to Hwy 395. And there's one on the I-5 at Donner Pass but we took what I presume to be vaguely the original Donner route (called Glenshire Drive on googlemaps), glorious mountain road but it by-passed the checkpoint.

 

Anyway, mebbe the OP was sailing from Seattle or Vancouver.

 

JB 

[spookwife]

2 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Hi Flatbush,

 

I've never encountered restrictions at state borders in the US, certainly within the lower 48 and including multiple routes into California.

Coming from a foreign country, understandably yes. Ditto countries like Aus., whose regime is even more strict.

But - a query, not a contrary stance - are you saying that there are restrictions into California from Alaska?

Or into Alaska from California?

 

JB 

As a former Resident of CA, I assure you, they are fanatics when it comes to agriculture And animal contamination.  There are restrictions on items entering CA from anywhere.  

[Texas Tillie]

15 minutes ago, spookwife said:

As a former Resident of CA, I assure you, they are fanatics when it comes to agriculture And animal contamination.  There are restrictions on items entering CA from anywhere.  

 

California was doing the same in the 50s, long before any interstate highways opened. I remember being stopped crossing from Yuma, Az. into California along the route that's now I-8 in 1956 and 1958.

[Davis2010]

4 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

No need to apologize. I wasn't saying that you or your comment were inappropriate. Rather, it's taking ship food ashore is in most cases inappropriate. 

Haven't you noticed those discard bins at the ship's gangways? 

Ok. Gotcha! It’s been a long time since we cruised. 10 years 🤦🏼‍♀️

[Davis2010]

My hubby is a diabetic so we were trying to find the best way to get something into our bags for him. We will get some prepackaged stuff.