Can food be taken off the ship?

[bkrickles1]

On 9/10/2016 at 5:44 PM, BirdTravels said:

 

The quote was from the NCL Freestyle Daily on a cruise last month. Seems pretty straight forward. I think that even you can understand what the printed requirement allow and don't allow.

I'm sorry to ask you in such an old thread, but I am anyway. Lol 😂 

I'm sailing Joy to Bermuda in July, 2023 and my niece and nephew are joining us with there 1 and 5 year old girls. 

My niece wants to bring snacks to the beach for her girls. 

Stuff like small boxes of cereal, granola bars, cheese it's, etc. I told my niece that I believe that is all ok but then I started doubting myself. 

Anyway, what are your thoughts on this with regards to specifically Bermuda? 

TIA

[chengkp75]

Food brought into Bermuda (i.e. off the ship) needs to be declared, and are mostly dutiable, so unless you plan to arrange for a customs agent to clear you off the ship, nothing will be allowed off the ship.  I believe that most snacks that are available in the US are available in Bermuda, but more costly.

[OrangeCatRamblers]

There's an awesome pharmacy in the Dockyard, close to the clock tower mall. It's basically a mini mart with tons of drinks, packaged food, even deli items. We always stop there for snacks and drinks before going to Horseshoe. 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, bkrickles1 said:

I'm sorry to ask you in such an old thread, but I am anyway. Lol 😂 

I'm sailing Joy to Bermuda in July, 2023 and my niece and nephew are joining us with there 1 and 5 year old girls. 

My niece wants to bring snacks to the beach for her girls. 

Stuff like small boxes of cereal, granola bars, cheese it's, etc. I told my niece that I believe that is all ok but then I started doubting myself. 

Anyway, what are your thoughts on this with regards to specifically Bermuda? 

TIA

First and foremost, it is never good to bump an old thread. A lot of things change in 7 years and having old information out there causes a lot of confusion. If you have a question just post it versus bumping an old thread.  Lol 😂 

 

This is the official guidance for Bermuda from late last year. I have seen Customs in Bermuda searching bags (not always) for contraband foods. And it is technically smuggling if you do not tell them before they find it. Also for the little kids, you may not remove sand (pink or any other color) from the beach. Ship's security is specifically on the lookout for that and will stop you when you're trying to reboard. 

[RocketMan275]

Little known fact.  Most of those cute little dogs sniffing bags at the port aren't looking for drugs.  They work for the agricultural department and are looking for food items.

[uneamie]

So the fact that I bought myself a nice yeti to take water with me on our excurstions was a pure waste of money? What pray tell do they have against water? 

[vacation44]

1 hour ago, uneamie said:

So the fact that I bought myself a nice yeti to take water with me on our excurstions was a pure waste of money? What pray tell do they have against water? 

My husband and I both took our Yetis filled with water to Horseshoe Bay along with two extra cartons of water this past September.    

[njhorseman]

7 hours ago, bkrickles1 said:

I'm sorry to ask you in such an old thread, but I am anyway. Lol 😂 

I'm sailing Joy to Bermuda in July, 2023 and my niece and nephew are joining us with there 1 and 5 year old girls. 

My niece wants to bring snacks to the beach for her girls. 

Stuff like small boxes of cereal, granola bars, cheese it's, etc. I told my niece that I believe that is all ok but then I started doubting myself. 

Anyway, what are your thoughts on this with regards to specifically Bermuda? 

TIA

We've been cruising to Bermuda for 35 years and always take factory-packaged snacks such as protein bars ashore and have never had them confiscated...and we have had our bags inspected so they've been seen. You just can't take fresh food items off the ship. 

7 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Food brought into Bermuda (i.e. off the ship) needs to be declared, and are mostly dutiable, so unless you plan to arrange for a customs agent to clear you off the ship, nothing will be allowed off the ship.  I believe that most snacks that are available in the US are available in Bermuda, but more costly.

"That's not completely accurate. Not everything has to be declared. Visitors are permitted to bring food into Bermuda provided it's for personal consumption. Only goods in excess of duty free allowances have to be declared. For visitors there's a $50 allowance for accompanied personal goods.

https://www.gov.bm/duty-free-allowances :

Duty free allowances

There are five kinds of duty free allowances:

1. Passenger duty free allowances

If you a passenger arriving in Bermuda by air or sea, you are entitled to duty free allowances on your accompanied personal goods.

If you are arriving in Bermuda as a passenger, you have a duty free allowance on accompanied personal tobacco products and alcoholic beverages not exceeding 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 0.5 kg of tobacco, one litre of wine and one litre of spirits.

If you are a visitor you also have a duty free allowance of up to BDA $50 on other accompanied personal goods that will remain in Bermuda."

 

Also see:

https://www.bermuda4u.com/essential/customs-regulations/#:~:text=Visitors are permitted to bring,%2C sweet potatoes%2C and corn.

 

Edited March 18, 2023 by njhorseman

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, uneamie said:

So the fact that I bought myself a nice yeti to take water with me on our excurstions was a pure waste of money? What pray tell do they have against water? 

There's nothing prohibiting your taking water ashore.

If you're looking at what "Bird" posted, water is part of the list of items that can't be brought back on board...not something you can't take ashore.

 

[njhorseman]

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

This is the official guidance for Bermuda from late last year

It's the same boilerplate wording they put in the Freestyle Daily at every port, and definitely isn't "official guidance" for Bermuda. 

There are very few places in the world that prohibit you from taking factory packaged food ashore. The prohibitions published by NCL are aimed at preventing you from taking fresh food off the ship...something that is always prohibited.

Edited March 18, 2023 by njhorseman

[njhorseman]

3 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Little known fact.  Most of those cute little dogs sniffing bags at the port aren't looking for drugs.  They work for the agricultural department and are looking for food items.

They're not looking for factory packaged snacks. They're looking for fresh food, particularly fruit and vegetables, some types of meat, as well as plants.

It's done to protect against the importation of pests that could wreak havoc on a country's agriculture.

Edited March 18, 2023 by njhorseman

[BirdTravels]

Milk and milk products were the big confiscated items the last time we were on a cruise to Bermuda and they checked.

 

And you can either follow the written policy. Or you can break the written policy and take your chances. 

Edited March 18, 2023 by BirdTravels

[Host Kat]

12 hours ago, bkrickles1 said:

I'm sorry to ask you in such an old thread, but I am anyway. Lol 😂 

I'm sailing Joy to Bermuda in July, 2023 and my niece and nephew are joining us with there 1 and 5 year old girls. 

My niece wants to bring snacks to the beach for her girls. 

Stuff like small boxes of cereal, granola bars, cheese it's, etc. I told my niece that I believe that is all ok but then I started doubting myself. 

Anyway, what are your thoughts on this with regards to specifically Bermuda? 

TIA

 

@bkrickles1

 

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[uneamie]

With all these regulations for which I totally understand the need, I have to wonder how they inspect all the food etc,  that comes in on ships to supply the islands. 

[chengkp75]

9 minutes ago, uneamie said:

With all these regulations for which I totally understand the need, I have to wonder how they inspect all the food etc,  that comes in on ships to supply the islands. 

As far as Bermuda is concerned, it isn't about health and food safety, but about collecting duty on the items brought into the country.  Contents of shipping containers will be declared prior to arrival, and random containers selected for inspection as to accuracy of declaration.  But, this applies to everything brought in, not just foodstuffs.

[uneamie]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

As far as Bermuda is concerned, it isn't about health and food safety, but about collecting duty on the items brought into the country.  Contents of shipping containers will be declared prior to arrival, and random containers selected for inspection as to accuracy of declaration.  But, this applies to everything brought in, not just foodstuffs.

So it's about money! Hmm! They certainly have a right to collect the duty on items. That said, many here are guilty people for not thinking of the safety issues of bringing in disease and pest on their food. So maybe they need to educate themselves before pointing fingers. 

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, uneamie said:

So it's about money! Hmm! They certainly have a right to collect the duty on items. That said, many here are guilty people for not thinking of the safety issues of bringing in disease and pest on their food. So maybe they need to educate themselves before pointing fingers. 

You and the chief are talking about two different things . There's no duty on your personal food taken ashore or brought into the country for your own consumption. I've already cited that in the posts that were moved by the moderators to the Bermuda board.

He appears to be talking about imports of goods bought by residents for their own use or that will be sold on the island . Notice that he's talking about shipping containers .

 

[chengkp75]

5 hours ago, njhorseman said:

You and the chief are talking about two different things . There's no duty on your personal food taken ashore or brought into the country for your own consumption. I've already cited that in the posts that were moved by the moderators to the Bermuda board.

He appears to be talking about imports of goods bought by residents for their own use or that will be sold on the island . Notice that he's talking about shipping containers .

 

Actually, I'm not.  That poster asked about inspection of all the food that supplies the islands, which is inspected and dutiable, but also food for personal consumption is dutiable.  According to this website, even foodstuffs brought in while flying to Bermuda are dutiable.  See the answers to the questions:

 

https://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_000260.htm

 

Typically, only cigarettes, liquor and wine (in limited quantities) are duty free.  There is no minimum amount of foodstuffs that is not dutiable.  The article does mention that many times it is not detected, or allowed to slip by customs agents, but that is the risk.

[njhorseman]

23 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Milk and milk products were the big confiscated items the last time we were on a cruise to Bermuda and they checked.

Bringing milk products into Bermuda is specifically prohibited. Bringing a box of cheerios or a granola bar isn't.

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Actually, I'm not.  That poster asked about inspection of all the food that supplies the islands, which is inspected and dutiable, but also food for personal consumption is dutiable.  According to this website, even foodstuffs brought in while flying to Bermuda are dutiable.  See the answers to the questions:

 

https://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_000260.htm

 

Typically, only cigarettes, liquor and wine (in limited quantities) are duty free.  There is no minimum amount of foodstuffs that is not dutiable.  The article does mention that many times it is not detected, or allowed to slip by customs agents, but that is the risk.

Yes, you're right that @uneamieasked about inspecting all the food that comes in on ships that supply the islands and I overlooked that. I was focused on the initial question being discussed.

 

However these last few posts were not yet moved to the Bermuda board along with the initial question and responses.  I pointed out there, including a citation and quote from the official Bermuda government website that  in addition to the allowances on spirits, cigars cigarettes, wine and tobacco that "If you are a visitor you also have a duty free allowance of up to BDA $50 on other accompanied personal goods that will remain in Bermuda."

So that $2 granola bar you want to take off the ship isn't dutiable...and remember this entire discussions was initially about "Can food be taken off the ship". 

 

[Host Kat]

2 hours ago, njhorseman said:

... However these last few posts were not yet moved to the Bermuda board along with the initial question and responses...

 

Now they have been split out of the 2016 thread & merged into this new thread. The 2016 thread has been locked.

[Charles4515]

16 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Actually, I'm not.  That poster asked about inspection of all the food that supplies the islands, which is inspected and dutiable, but also food for personal consumption is dutiable.  According to this website, even foodstuffs brought in while flying to Bermuda are dutiable.  See the answers to the questions:

 

https://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_000260.htm

 

Typically, only cigarettes, liquor and wine (in limited quantities) are duty free.  There is no minimum amount of foodstuffs that is not dutiable.  The article does mention that many times it is not detected, or allowed to slip by customs agents, but that is the risk.

First of all you are linking to a website in India which is not at all official and is not always accurate.  They exist for the clicks. Somehow they have worked the system and managed to get to the top of google searches. If you read the official goverment website that njhorseman linked to it says there is a $50 personal allowance and I doubt anyone bringing packaged snacks will go over that. https://www.gov.bm/duty-free-allowances

 

The other site that njhorseman linked to is not official but is accurate. 

 

Having been to Bermuda many times what the governmant is interested in is agricultural products. Don't bring oranges, apples or bananas from the ship. Don't make a sandwich. 

Edited March 19, 2023 by Charles4515