Do you grab lunch at the port or head back on board for a quick bite?

[Sandie5]

If you're at a port from say 8 am to 6 pm, do you head back on board for lunch or try to eat somewhere at the port? If the ports are at areas where the water might upset your stomach, do you try not to eat the food on land?

 

[LHT28]

it depends

If we  are very close to the ship we may go back to  eat  if not we  eat ashore

[Mum2Mercury]

Option 3:  90% of the time we eat a fairly big breakfast, complete our activities ashore, then have a late lunch when we return to the ship.  We typically do not return to the ship to eat, then go out again.  

[mom says]

Depends on the port, and depends on the excursion. Sometimes we only get off for an hour or 2 to walk around the port area or don't bother getting off at all ( some really boring Caribbean port stops). For these, we would have lunch on board. Sometimes we are on a longer excursion that includes  lunch. If we are in port all day on our own, we will find a place for lunch. Of course we eat food on land. We just do due diligence to know when not to eat raw foods. And we only drink bottled/canned water, juices, or sodas. Alcoholic drinks - no ice.

[K32682]

I eat local and have never scurried back to the boat because I was afraid of eating in port. I've enjoyed some amazing local cuisine with no ill effects. 

 

Edited August 3, 2023 by K32682

[evandbob]

We've always looked in port for restaurants filled with locals and eaten lunch there.  We enjoy different foods and avoid chain restaurants and think it would be a bother to go back to the ship for a mid day meal.

[StollyBolly]

It depends on the port.  In Europe it’s possible to find a nice restaurant with the local specialty worth trying.  If nothing worth the money or looks dodgy head back to the ship.   Sometimes just a beer or coffee for a rest from walking. 

[BklynBoy8]

 

When we sail on our trips we do look forward when visiting certain islands/ports which we know of restaurants we wish to dine at instead of returning to the ship.

 

Like in St Maarten we like to stop at a restaurant which has another branch in St Thomas called Greenhouse. I enjoy eating some of the local cuisine which you can only get on to eat on a trip.

 

In Halifax on a Canadian sailing, we like Salty's Seafood Restaurant to have a great Nova Scotia Cold Water, Sweet Lobster Meat meal.

 

I know we also research other locations we may stop and visit on board to try them.

 

I know we are sailing and have meals available on board we paid for and are available for us to eat. If it will take sometime to return to ship and go thru the process to reboard, and settle in on the ship again and finally head to the restaurant. Why not just try a meal after some research and enjoy a meal that will meet our means ($$).

 

Just like touring and shopping while visiting a port, there are alot of great restaurant and local cuisine to try as of the a cruise.

[Dancing Shoes]

We like to eat in port.  I will look up places to go.  

[DarrenM]

7 hours ago, Sandie5 said:

If you're at a port from say 8 am to 6 pm, do you head back on board for lunch or try to eat somewhere at the port? If the ports are at areas where the water might upset your stomach, do you try not to eat the food on land?

 

I always have a large breakfast so never need lunch.

 

I don't eat 3 meals a day at home so to do it for 11 days on a cruise would kill me.

 

Especially eating 3-4 course meals every night as well.

 

So to leave an excursion or port area just to go back on the ship for lunch seems crazy to me.

[wineoclock]

I will usually have a coffee to keep me going but occasionally we will have lunch in port as we like to try the local cuisine. 

[sydney dog]

I research like crazy.  I thing the best part of cruising is getting off and trying the local food and any local beer to.  This is probably one of favorite parts of cruising.  For instance we had such a great time and experience with food and drink in Cozumel we eventually took a land trip there. We ate at a lot of local places including one where is a known hangout for local taxi drivers.  Got a bowl of corn soup for under $1.00 and huge margaritas for about $1.00 and they were off the charts.  

 

[mrgabriel]

We often leave the ship for the morning or the afternoon so will have lunch on the ship. But if I see someplace interesting, we'll eat onshore - but only if it's a local restaurant and not something we can get at home (no Mcdonalds!). 

 

What complicates things for us is my shellfish allergy. Ports often mean seafood and my life isn't worth it. It's not a matter of hygiene, it's often language or my lack of trust that they get the seriousness. 

[CunucuMom]

3 hours ago, sydney dog said:

I research like crazy.  I thing the best part of cruising is getting off and trying the local food and any local beer to.  This is probably one of favorite parts of cruising.  For instance we had such a great time and experience with food and drink in Cozumel we eventually took a land trip there. We ate at a lot of local places including one where is a known hangout for local taxi drivers.  Got a bowl of corn soup for under $1.00 and huge margaritas for about $1.00 and they were off the charts.  

 

@sydney dog Will you please share the name of the corn soup/marg place?  Walkable from port?

[edinburgher]

16 hours ago, Sandie5 said:

If the ports are at areas where the water might upset your stomach, do you try not to eat the food on land?

You are asking an extremely general question to which there is no clear answer. Which part of the world are you specifically asking about?  We are wary of eating and/or drinking water in countries such as Egypt and India but happy to eat anywhere in Asia,S America and Europe.

 

We don't eat much for breakfast unless going ashore when we do eat breakfast. We have quite a substantial one, enough to keep us going if we won't be returning until early or mid-afternoon at which point we will grab an onboard snack to keep us going until dinner.  We will sometimes have a snack ashore to keep us going until our sightseeing is finished,  but usually something along the lines of a sandwich or a toastie, or a single slice of pizza,   or even a brunch bar and an apple, or a local speciality such as a special pastry. Very occasionally we will have a light lunch and watch the world go by. After a  more substantial breakfast than we are used to, it is all we need.

We take packets of brunch bars with us as they are handy to have for flights and other longer journeys. We would never ever return to the ship for lunch part way through our sightseeing only to go out again.

Edited August 4, 2023 by edinburgher

[Nebr.cruiser]

It just depends, but if we are on shore at lunch time we usually find a nice looking place, preferably with outside eating and a view (if weather permits) and eat ashore. It's part of the experience for us.  At the least we stop for something to drink.

 

I don't think we've ever gone back to the ship just for lunch and then gone on shore again.  If we are only on shore a few hours, when we return to the ship, we probably won't get back off.

[sydney dog]

2 hours ago, CunucuMom said:

@sydney dog Will you please share the name of the corn soup/marg place?  Walkable from port?

It's called La Choza. I just looked it up its about a 10 minute drive/1 hour walk from the cruise port.  It was very hard to find, no real sign but on a small street and a safe area.  We must have passed it at least 3-4 times and we stayed only 1 block away from it. 

Edited August 4, 2023 by sydney dog

[ldubs]

17 hours ago, mom says said:

Depends on the port, and depends on the excursion. Sometimes we only get off for an hour or 2 to walk around the port area or don't bother getting off at all ( some really boring Caribbean port stops). For these, we would have lunch on board. Sometimes we are on a longer excursion that includes  lunch. If we are in port all day on our own, we will find a place for lunch. Of course we eat food on land. We just do due diligence to know when not to eat raw foods. And we only drink bottled/canned water, juices, or sodas. Alcoholic drinks - no ice.

 

It depends is a good answer.   In Europe, even after a big breakfast, I have a tendency to wander into bakeries.  😃

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, edinburgher said:

We would never ever return to the ship for lunch part way through our sightseeing only to go out again.

Exactly.
 

I’m not sure whether the OP posed the question because they have some concerns about eating ashore (a concern that really depends on where in the world you are), or whether they are wondering whether people don’t want to pass up a lunch they’ve paid for. 

[ldubs]

17 hours ago, Sandie5 said:

If the ports are at areas where the water might upset your stomach, do you try not to eat the food on land?

 

 

If I had that concern, then yes, I would avoid things that might be suspect.   

[klfrodo]

For myself, one of the many things I enjoy about travel is trying new foods. Also true for me is that after a few days of trying new foods, I need to get me some comfort food. So, a McDonalds or KFC is not out of the question.

[slidergirl]

"Eating local" is a big part of all of my vacations, land or sea.  I'll never run back to a ship for a meal.

[XBGuy]

Like a previous poster, we do not, as a rule. eat lunch.  Also, after a few days of shipboard food, we are ready for something else.  We may have a lunch on shore, in which case we will have just a little nosh for dinner, or we might have dinner ashore.

[Pyrate13]

If we're wondering around at a port stop, we eat ashore. Don't want to waste our time going back to the ship then leaving it again plus, eating ashore helps support the locals.

[cruisemom42]

I cruise for the ports and usually try to maximize my time ashore; often I don't come back to the ship until shortly before the "all aboard". 

 

I don't come back to the ship for lunch on days like that. I will either make time for lunch (if there is a nice opportunity for local food) or I will just have some kind of small nosh and keep going.

 

My cruises are mostly ex-US though. I rarely cruise the Caribbean. If I did do a Caribbean cruise, I'd probably stay on the ship at some places or possibly be back on board by lunchtime if I do get off. I'm not really a beach person.