Taking food on HALexcursions?

[Maclean girl]

We will be going on our first ever cruise and it will be on the Rotterdam "Jewels of Europe" in August. We have signed up for a couple of excursions already and I have noticed that for the Paris trip, we will be gone for many hours. Could someone who has been on similar excursions tell me if it is possible to request food from the kitchens to take on the bus with us? I have been thinking that we might need to bring from home a large container of cashews etc for snacks to keep up our strength on those long trips. I would sure appreciate any and all suggestions you might have for us. Thank you.

[jtl513]

We will be going on our first ever cruise and it will be on the Rotterdam "Jewels of Europe" in August. We have signed up for a couple of excursions already and I have noticed that for the Paris trip, we will be gone for many hours. Could someone who has been on similar excursions tell me if it is possible to request food from the kitchens to take on the bus with us? I have been thinking that we might need to bring from home a large container of cashews etc for snacks to keep up our strength on those long trips. I would sure appreciate any and all suggestions you might have for us. Thank you.

Most excursions that cross the lunch hour either provide a box lunch or include a lunch stop. If you're on a train at noon food may be provided there. Check your excursion description. A warning, however: the box lunches usually aren't that great and I've seen a lot of them just get tossed. One, for example, had a 1/2 ham-and-cheese sandwich, an apple, a small (6 oz maybe) bottle of water, and a candy bar! :eek: We usually bring along some trail mix or Granola bars for snacks.

[Ephraim]

Just want to make sure that I understand this correctly. You are going to be in France with all it's beautiful cheeses, fantastic breads, delicious meats and you want to bring a boxed lunch from the ship? Or trail mix?

[hammybee]

All excursions into Paris are 10.5-11 hours. The bus trip is about 3 hours each way. This is one long day.

 

All but the transfer ( bus transport only) include lunch. I agree with Ephraim, I cannot imagine why you would want to take food off the ship in of all places, Paris. Also, many countries do not allow pax to bring food items into their country. I am not sure if France is one of them.

[Scottish Cruiser]

Don't know anything about the quality of ship packed lunches, but DO know about Paris food. It is great. It need not be expensive. Leave the main drags and you will find small stores - almost kiosks - selling delicious sandwiches of anything you could imagine - ham and cheese was my favourite. Next door you can buy fresh fruit at the greengrocers. Best apple I ever tasted was bought like that. 2 years ago, all that, plus bottled war for 2 was 8 Euros. The fruit lasted us two days! Find a park and watch the locals pass by as you eat.

 

You can find creperies everywhere. They are more filling than they look and taste delightful. Again, get off the Champs Elysee or other main street and they are a fraction of the cost. Eat at the sidewalk tables and watch teh world go by. A glass of wine with the meal is the final touch. If they do not sell by the glass - most do - they will have "pichets", 125cc bottles. You may not pay much less than in US, but the quality will be much better for the same price.

 

You may find lunch is included in your tour, but if not try the above.

 

Have a great time and enjoy the local food.

[noblepa]

Wouldn't this also likely run afoul of French laws about bringing agricultural products into the country? Most countries, including the US, will only allow you to bring in pre-packaged foods. Sealed bags of trail mix or granola bars might be okay, but if you mixed your own, it probably wouldn't be.

 

It only takes a few insects to decimate crops in a country, so most countries are very strict about this. While I don't think that any sandwiches you got from a HAL kitchen are likely to contain insects, the customs agents in most countries, and the laws, don't make exceptions.

 

But then, I could be wrong.

[Ine]

Remember that in many countries (like in to the USA) is it NOT allowed to bring food ashore...

Of course a bar of chocolate etc., is no problem, but fruits, meats, vegetables etc. can be a problem.

[ldog]

The bus will stop for rest stops and you can purchase food there. If you are on a HAL excursion for the day they will probably feed you a substantial lunch. That said you could always bring some zip lock baggies and put in a muffin or two for a snack.

[NoNoNanette]

I haven't been everywhere but it's on my list." - Susan Sontag

 

JAN! I LOVE THAT! :)

[cnvh]

I have to agree-- why on earth would you want to bring ship food when travelling to a wonderful city like Paris? I can see bringing along some light munchies for a long bus ride-- some nuts/trail mix, something like that-- but I hope the OP wasn't talking about an entire MEAL.

 

Egads-- that would be like going to Paris just to eat at McDonalds. Oye!!

[mamaofami]

Ah, Paris. My favorite city. Everyone is correct. The food you can buy in Paris is out of this world. I would just bring something as a snack to have on the bus and leave the serious eating to the streets of Paris. Those crepes that you can buy from a stand....ummmm. How many hours do you actually get to spend in Paris?

[Cruising Illini]

We rented a car to drive to Normandy beaches (from Honfleur) a couple of times and had perfectly acceptable box lunches from the ship. The cost was about $7.00 each as I remember. This a great time-saver and we went many miles farther than the ship's tour because we didn't waste time eating a lunch along the way. Some countries don't allow food to be brought

into a contry but we did do it in France and Scotland.

[hammybee]

 

Egads-- that would be like going to Paris just to eat at McDonalds. Oye!!

 

I have not gone to Paris just to eat at Mc Donalds but I have eaten at Mc Donalds, in Paris. Given my limited time, first time, I chose to not spend it sitting in a cafe having a wonderful meal soaking up the ambiance. I also had to retrieve a note left earlier for a fellow pax by their daughter, tucked into a secret place in the Eiffel Tower. This was an excursion unto itself. :)

 

Actually, I make a point of hitting Mc Donalds everywhere I travel, even for a Coke. The price of a Big Mac meal tells me the true cost of living in a given area. The variance within the U.S. and the world is enormous but the product is darn consistent.

 

Yeah, I am weird.

[mamaofami]

You can eat one of those crepes while you are walking and don't have to stop to sit at a cafe to do it. But sitting and people watching is an experience in Paris like in no other city. The clothing will definitely pass for country club casual.

[Stevesan]

We've taken Rotterdam's Paris excursion twice.

 

The city tour includes lunch served in a restaurant. It's chicken, of course. When they serve forty cruise ship pax at once, it falls far short of being Haute Cuisine.

 

The second time was a city tour including a River Seine cruise. Lunch was served on board the river boat, and was surprisingly very good. It included wine and bottled water, both gassata and non-gassata. Even entertainment was included in the form of a French soprano diva.

 

If you have a choice, the tour the w/River Seine cruise is much better, and not just because of the lunch.:) :)

[Maclean girl]

Thank you for all your great information. You are absolutely correct in saying that it would be a crime to go to Paris and take a bagged lunch BUT....!! We will be over 10 hours touring ....3 hrs each way on a bus and then sightseeing and then the river cruise for lunch and so on. I was not planning to take a lunch but having never been on one of these trips, I had no idea if the bus stopped along the way at places suitable to purchase snacks etc. Many of you mention walking and finding great little places to eat, but unfortunately I have health concerns(arthritis and cancer) that will limit how much walking I can do. We will be at the mercy of the HAL tour. I really wish that my husband and I could do the spontaneous walkabout type of holiday but it was either this HAL planned excursion or stay home and dream! Guess which we chose??:)

[Jade13]

Hammybee - We have looked for McDonalds. In India it's an experiance itself since they have doormen, and those french fries are always the best :)

[plantlady095]

I love Paris, too. There are little grocers all over and the pre-made Parisian sandwiches are yummy. You can get 1 or 2 liter sodas and picnic beneath the Eiffel Tower (park benches are everywhere in that park), or on the quay of the Seine River. An even better place to look for quick food ideas is a Rick Steves travel book. I am certain that your library has several available. He is all about making your time count in a place without breaking the bank. We have been on two of his tours, Best of England and Best of Europe, so I know that his advice is sound. If the bus stops at a rest stop on the highway, they also have excellent food. The bags of little candy bars like our Halloween bags are great take home souvenirs for friends and you can find those at grocers and auto rest stops. Bon voyage!

[hammybee]

Hammybee - We have looked for McDonalds. In India it's an experiance itself since they have doormen, and those french fries are always the best :)

 

Love it. India is known for creative employment. I look forward to visiting, one day and MC Donalds is on the to do list.

[agabbymama]

I have not gone to Paris just to eat at Mc Donalds but I have eaten at Mc Donalds, in Paris. Given my limited time, first time, I chose to not spend it sitting in a cafe having a wonderful meal soaking up the ambiance. I also had to retrieve a note left earlier for a fellow pax by their daughter, tucked into a secret place in the Eiffel Tower. This was an excursion unto itself. :)

 

Actually, I make a point of hitting Mc Donalds everywhere I travel, even for a Coke. The price of a Big Mac meal tells me the true cost of living in a given area. The variance within the U.S. and the world is enormous but the product is darn consistent.

 

Yeah, I am weird.

 

I don't find you weird at all. I have eaten at McDonalds in London, Athens, Sydney, Amsterdam, Budapest, Frankfurt, Honolulu, and Zermatt. I think it's fun to see the different items on the menu and the different prices. Plus as you say, the product is darn consistent. Nice to know if you end up somewhere that you don't really care for the food, there is the old American standby.

[gooselace]

hammybee wrote: Actually, I make a point of hitting Mc Donalds everywhere I travel, even for a Coke. The price of a Big Mac meal tells me the true cost of living in a given area. The variance within the U.S. and the world is enormous but the product is darn consistent.

 

Reminded me of a "tip for tipping" when we were traveling a lot in Mexico and the Caribbean in the 50s and exchange rates were in constant flux, We were advised to check the price in pesoa or other local currency of a Budweiser (or equivalent) and use that to calculate a standard tip, which could be cut or increased as merited. I recall my mother saying, years later, that some service was a "two Bud" job.

 

Wonder if that measure still applies? Anyone bought a beer in Mexico lately?

[pms4104]

I've not been to Europe and I applaud your decision to make the journey in spite of your health issues. I think the key here, if you believe you'll need a snack of some sort, if to take along some SEALED, PRE-PACKED goodies ... granola bars, nuts, candies. These would make fine supplements to whatever you may be able to get at a stop on your excursion. If I understand correctly, you may not take off the ship fresh/prepared food, like muffins in a ziploc bag. Such items could introduce health issues to the area you're visitiing.

 

I learned a couple of years ago that if any food was served on an international flight arriving at ORD, all trash from that flight is loaded onto semi trucks, hauled to a contractor in Indiana, incinerated. Guessing that happens at all US ports ... a clear indication that seemingly innocent food scraps are treated very seriously.

[Maclean girl]

Thanks so much for your response. Your suggestion to take only prepacked and sealed bags of nuts or granola bars is an excellent one. I do remember from flights I have taken to various places that we could not even take off the plane the packaged cheese slices from the meal trays so all you say makes sense.

 

Do you know if it is possible to get or purchase bottled water on board that could then be taken on buses? Since the 9/11 incident, so much has changed that I am not sure where you can or cannot take bottles!!

 

Once again, thanks and thanks also for your encouragement to take this trip. There are days I wonder if we are doing the right thing as we won't be able to get the full benefit of this incredible experience...but then I tell myself that even a bit of the experience will be better then sitting home having none of it!!