Can I bring these on board

[Palm Beacher]

Hello cruisers,

 

The last time we cruised was 2019...

 

We're on a 21 day this month.  So looking forward to this cruise.

 

We're from Rhode Island.  Our Italian bread, Rhode Island Pizza and spinach pies are out of this world.  Also our cured meats are the best.

 

My question.   Can we bring our favorite foods on board, so we can enjoy on our balcony?  We're boarding in Boston.

 

Thanks a bunch 🙂 

 

[Mary229]

Yes, snacks are allowed 

[Susanmaz]

I don’t know that open foodstuffs are allowed. Snacks that are packaged are okay. It might be best to check with the line about what you want to bring aboard.

[Palm Beacher]

GREAT!  

 

Thank you!

[cccole]

Bringing your favorite apps and charcuterie would be awesome.  Looking forward to how it goes.  We will be boarding in Chile and I know I will want to bring savory treats on board.  Sometimes you can get food items "packaged" for airline travel and this may be what you need.  Let us know,  Cherie

[Palm Beacher]

Will let you know 🙂 

 

I will bring my Rhode Island bread, olives, cheeses, etc. to FLA all the time with no problem.

 

I'm bringing our favorites and will let you all know what happens 🙂 

 

I love Holland America !  

[Lakesregion]

1 minute ago, Palm Beacher said:

Will let you know 🙂 

 

I will bring my Rhode Island bread, olives, cheeses, etc. to FLA all the time with no problem.

 

I'm bringing our favorites and will let you all know what happens 🙂 

 

I love Holland America !  

What makes Holland America so great if you have to bring your own food?

[Blackduck59]

I doubt you will be able to bring "cured meats" or spinach pie or any other fresh food products, especially if you are crossing an international border. One of the reasons to travel is to try new things. I have a some local places that make great cold cuts, there are bakeries that people line up for hours to get their baked goods. Funny thing is wherever we travel they have those places, try them.

[Palm Beacher]

Everything!  My first cruise on Holland America was 2001 and have been sailing ever since.

 

These "snacks" are my treats from home.  I bring these snacks every where I go ☺️.

 

 

[POA1]

2 hours ago, Palm Beacher said:

My question.   Can we bring our favorite foods on board, so we can enjoy on our balcony?  We're boarding in Boston.

 

Yes, but you have to bring enough to share with the class. 😁

[Palm Beacher]

Of course. Always!

[cbr663]

My understanding is that you can bring limited amounts of pre-packaged, shelf stable foods.  I'd call HAL to see if I could bring the bread, pizza and spinach pies, especially if they are not pre-packaged items.  

[cccole]

If I remember, snacks can be brought on board if they are wrapped like something from Trader Joes.  You can have just about anything wrapped like that.  I don't think HAL delivers apps like you are describing to your cabin, not even sure they have them.    Wish you were on our cruise!!!!  Cherie 

[TiogaCruiser]

Cold pizza and spinach pies?

[PigsCanFly]

Possibly if you used a plastic bag sealer machine for those "home-made" snacks.  It would make them both less detectable and less bulky.

[Crew News]

Without getting into beverages, it is my experience that you may bring any food, in any packaging, while embarking the ship as well as during stops for excursions.  That means key lime pie in Key West, popcorn and fudge in Alaska, rum cakes and Gouda cheese in the Caribbean, and chilled Maine lobster may be brought on board.

 

You may only remove manufacturer-sealed foods when you leave the ship.  Some ports may prevent any food from leaving the ship.

[ExpatBride]

8 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

What makes Holland America so great if you have to bring your own food?

I wish I'd brought my own food last week 😅

[Mary229]

I bring trailmix and nuts everywhere I travel.  For ease and freshness I always travel with factory sealed products.  Customs at the airport is the only hurdle I worry about.   I have brought back opened food from port with no problems. 
 

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by Mary229

[alwaysfrantic]

This is so odd.  There is no microwave in the room.  Are you eating it cold on a balcony?

 

you could make a Charcutetie tray yourself from the lido.  If you’re in a Neptune they will bring you appetizers.  
 

I’m feeling like I’m on a Disney World board where someone asks about bringing a Crock Pot to cook during the day. 

[johnmik1]

Bringing food on a cruise is like bringing sand to the beach!

[DE Solo]

I could see bringing a small quantity of snack items on board so you can have a private sail away celebration, but isn't part of the pleasure of traveling the discovery of new and unique foods and beverages? How appetizing will cold pizza and cold spinach pie be after a day or two? Are you also bringing a microwave oven with you?

[Palm Beacher]

Thanks all for the info. 

 

If any of you visit Rhode Island the Ocean State, be sure to check out Buono's Bakery for Rhode Island pizza and spinach pies.  Also visit Seven Stars Bakery for delicious Olive Bread.

 

Enjoy!

[EatonDoolittle]

50 minutes ago, DE Solo said:

isn't part of the pleasure of traveling the discovery of new and unique foods and beverages? 

 

My thoughts exactly. Why travel at all if you want everything to be like home. 

 

I will never forget the time I witnessed a man in the Lido horribly berating the hard working staffer at the fresh egg station because the eggs were not done exactly as his wife makes them at home.  I was younger and more polite then, today I would have loudly told the old fud that he should stay at home. 

 

 

 

[cruisemom42]

19 minutes ago, EatonDoolittle said:

 

My thoughts exactly. Why travel at all if you want everything to be like home. 

 

I will never forget the time I witnessed a man in the Lido horribly berating the hard working staffer at the fresh egg station because the eggs were not done exactly as his wife makes them at home.  I was younger and more polite then, today I would have loudly told the old fud that he should stay at home. 

 

 

 

 

Okay, but it's quite a leap from berating a server to bringing a few favorite foods to enjoy on your balcony....🙄

 

Officially, I'm pretty sure it's okay with HAL to bring local food aboard. I've done it many a time -- cannoli in Sicily, baklava in Greece, etc.

 

I also read on this board of people bringing fresh flowers aboard (which would be more likely to harbor food pests than any already prepared food).

 

The OP didn't say that they weren't going to enjoy the food onboard. But they ALSO enjoy a local treat on their balcony. Not a big deal. HAL's offerings in the area of "charcuterie" and "balcony snacks" do leave something to be desired, IMO.

 

 

 

 

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, ExpatBride said:

I wish I'd brought my own food last week 😅

 

Oh dear, this sounds like a story in the making. Do tell...