Can you ask for extra food?

[Babygirl5408]

Is it true that you may ask for an additional meal to bring back to your room for later with no questions asked on the Sun free of charge? My boyfriend and I are night owls and really do eat a "fourth meal". Also, are there any restaurants or anything like that free of charge that are open all night? Is it possible to ask them to pack a lunch for you if you are going on an all day shore excursion? I know it's a lot of questions but I'm a first time cruiser! Thanks!

[Don Haynes]

Some shore excursions will have an opportunity to buy a sandwich, others will provide meals. Read about this with your shore excursion.

 

Many of the newer ships have a Blue Lagoon restaurant open almost all night. Then there is always room service available with sandwiches. You can also find a snack late at night in the casino. Or you can do what I do, dine early and late, twice each night in the main dining rooms or buffet.

[Toyz711]

many ports no longer allow certain food items to be taken off the ship...things like fruits and veggies. sometimes you will see a sign about that, some times you will see a big waste container just for that. on my last cruise they didn't search my bags was i was leaving for excursions...but in alaska they did.

the sun doesn't have a blue lagoon..but you still have the limited menu of room service. yes, the main dining you can order more..many do. if you want to take anything back to the room, they will put plastic over the plate. another thing, go up to the buffet and grab some sandwiches for later.

[beachchick]

Almost all ports do not allow any fresh food to be brought off the ships onto the islands. These are local laws (not suggestions or rules) enacted to protect the safety of the places we visit. Fruit, veggies, meat, and cheese are usually the biggest no-nos, so sandwiches would not be allowed. Closed beverage containers of water, soda, and so forth are almost always okay; pre-packaged items such as cereal boxes, energy bars, packaged crackers and cheese, packaged cookies, etc. are all almost always allowed. The ship's crew will not pack a lunch for you for several reasons. One, it's not allowed in most ports, and two, many pax do not store food properly, eat it anyway, get sick, and blame the cruise line for "bad food" problems.

 

Some shore excursions provide lunches or other meals, but they are almost always provided by the excursion providers and made with local food products.

 

For consuming later in the evening, you certainly can request items for later (in any upcharge restaurants, those extras would be limited to everything except the entrees). You can call for limited room service items 24 hours a day. You can hit the buffet and "stock up" to take to your fridge for a midnight (or whenever) munchie.

 

beachchick

[beachchick]

Almost all ports do not allow any fresh food to be brought off the ships onto the islands. These are local laws (not suggestions or rules) enacted to protect the environmental/ecological/agricultural safety of the places we visit. Fruit, veggies, meat, and cheese are usually the biggest no-nos, so sandwiches would not be allowed. Closed beverage containers of water, soda, and so forth are almost always okay; pre-packaged items such as cereal boxes, energy bars, packaged crackers and cheese, packaged cookies, etc. are all almost always allowed. The ship's crew will not pack a lunch for you for several reasons. One, it's not allowed in most ports, and two, many pax do not store food properly, eat it anyway, get sick, and blame the cruise line for "bad food" problems.

 

Some shore excursions provide lunches or other meals, but they are almost always provided by the excursion providers and made with local food products.

 

For consuming later in the evening, you certainly can request items for later (in any upcharge restaurants, those extras would be limited to everything except the entrees). You can call for limited room service items 24 hours a day. You can hit the buffet and "stock up" to take to your fridge for a midnight (or whenever) munchie.

 

beachchick

[jeanlyon]

If you're a first time cruiser, I would doubt very much that you would need more food late in the day. The food they give you is usually far too much.

[salty dingo]

It is usually not customary for passengers to bring food from the main dining room back to the cabin. There are lots of reasons this would be difficult, but suffice it to say it's not an option.

 

Room service is always avaliable, and free (except for the tip). The menu is somewhat limited, but if you are hungry at 2 AM this is a good option. Many ships have 24 hour pizzerias on the Lido deck.

 

However, if you have the late seating, your meal may last until 10 PM or so, and it is very unlikely you will be hungry any more that night.

[newmexicoNita]

On our last Star cruise there were signs everywhere informing us, we could not take any food off the ship. 2 of the ports they were checking backpacks etc. As for bringing food back to the cabin after dinner, how would you re-heat it? The casino offers a light buffet (mostly snacks) from 11pm for a few hours (on some of the ships) room service is available but it is a limited menu, etc. I don't think you will have any problem finding something to eat.

 

Nita

[trish1c]

You can bring food back to your cabin & you can have food delivered to your cabin. No one is going to say "boo" to you if you are walking around with a plate of food. There is something to eat at the buffet all the time. Even when they are changing between meals, NCL has 1 station at least partially open with fruit. cookies, cheese & usually one other item. During the day you can get burgers at the bar by the pool or self serve ice cream. You can hop from 1 restaurant to another. As others have mentioned the Blue Lagoon (it's kind of a diner type place usually midship by the front desk) always seems to be open. On a cruise, there will be food coming out your ears if that's what you want. If all else fails you can buy salty snacks & candy in the gift shop.

Some excursions offer lunch included in the price. Adventourous people can try local cuisine. It's so easy to get on & off, you can do something in the morning, come back for lunch & be off again. You can request box lunches. I think they delivered to your cabin.

There are laws againt bringing fruits & veggies on shore, but that aspect of security is pretty lax. Nobody has ever looked in my beach bag or even asked me except when we were disemarking at the end of the cruise. I'm a smuggler; I admit there have often been bananas & or dried fruits & cookies in my beach bags. :o Call homeland security.

[fin]

OP asked about the Sun. Several people have mentioned Blue Lagoon. Unless it was added very recently, they don't have one.

[mbisson]

OP asked about the Sun. Several people have mentioned Blue Lagoon. Unless it was added very recently, they don't have one.

 

I was wondering if anyone else noticed that ;) (and since I haven't seen any threads about a BL having been added, I'd assume it's still not there)

 

We've sailed the Sun twice. The main dining rooms are open until something like 11pm for dinner, and if you want to go more than once-go for it. We've been known to make a late night run just for a dessert. We've never brought food back from the main dining room, but we've never asked. On both of our sailing, the buffet was open for "late night snacks" until something like 2 or 3 am. While they called it late night snacks, we honestly thought the selection and preparation was pretty good (for a buffet that is). We once saw the Capt come in during the early morning hours and pull a quickie surprise inspection on them (which might be why we found the quality of that buffet pretty good-I don't even know if the current capt is the same on-this was over a year ago, & he was pretty hands on). We have from time to time gone ahead and filled a plate there and brought it back to the cabin instead of using room service at night (the std room service menu was pretty limited).

 

We haven't gone hungry on the Sun. :D

[salty dingo]

I don't think it makes any sense to pack food to eat while ashore. Usually, I am not ashore long enough to get hungry, but if so, there are tons of places to get a snack. The bars usually have nachos or other bar food. Sometimes there are familiar fast food places.

 

On Stone Island in Mazatlan, we walked down the beach to a bar/restaurant and had some amazing garlic shrimp! Compare that to a piece of fruit from the breakfast bar... no thanks!

 

Why would anyone go to a foreign country and break a law, no matter how minor? For what... to save a few dollars? Or for fear of catching some deadly food borne disease? I guess there are all types of wierd people out there.

[beachchick]

You can bring food back to your cabin & you can have food delivered to your cabin. No one is going to say "boo" to you if you are walking around with a plate of food. There is something to eat at the buffet all the time. Even when they are changing between meals, NCL has 1 station at least partially open with fruit. cookies, cheese & usually one other item. During the day you can get burgers at the bar by the pool or self serve ice cream. You can hop from 1 restaurant to another. As others have mentioned the Blue Lagoon (it's kind of a diner type place usually midship by the front desk) always seems to be open. On a cruise, there will be food coming out your ears if that's what you want. If all else fails you can buy salty snacks & candy in the gift shop.

 

Some excursions offer lunch included in the price. Adventourous people can try local cuisine. It's so easy to get on & off, you can do something in the morning, come back for lunch & be off again. You can request box lunches. I think they delivered to your cabin.

 

There are laws againt bringing fruits & veggies on shore, but that aspect of security is pretty lax. Nobody has ever looked in my beach bag or even asked me except when we were disemarking at the end of the cruise. I'm a smuggler; I admit there have often been bananas & or dried fruits & cookies in my beach bags. :o Call homeland security.

 

Homeland Security? No. But how about the conscience police? I'm sorry to be a nag, but those laws (yes--LAWS) are in place for good reasons. As an example, even within the islands of Hawaii right now there are restricted areas for BANANA transport because of pests. I live in CA and have spent a fair part of my life dealing with the consequences of casual "smugglers" who don't seem to think they need to follow our agricultural restrictions. Scheduled malathion drops for Med fruit fly; constant inspections to keep the glassywinged sharpshooter area from our area's extremely valuable wine grape crops; seizure and destruction of smuggled plants harboring voracious beetles from Asia. You think this is not a big deal? It's a HUGE deal, and I resent the attitude that it should be taken lightly or is funny. It has cost and will cost millions of dollars in enforcement and eradication, and untold harm to our ecological health. Please stop making a joke of it! It is NOT a joke.

 

And don't bother to tell me to "get a grip" or "relax" or anything else. Don't bother to rationalize why it's okay to break laws that protect the agricultrural and ecological health of the places we visit. Don't bother to tell me to calm down about my belief that people who smuggle like this are unbelievably selfish. My family and friends and I live every single day with the results of those thoughtless, casual acts, and, yes, I resent it. I resent attitudes that make it seem like a joke or simply an "inconvenience" to pax. Tell me how you'd feel if someone purposely broke a law that damaged the health of your community.

 

Bottom line: If it's against the law in the places you visit, DON'T try to smuggle fresh food off the ship.

 

beachchick

 

p.s., Most packaged dried fruit (depending on type and packaging) and most cookies are okay. Bananas are not.

[TomAndLeigh]

I do recall ordering some type of hot food at the sports bar on the Sun past mid-night. I think it was hot dog or nachos or something.

 

T

[CanadianTwosome]

Homeland Security? No. But how about the conscience police? I'm sorry to be a nag, but those laws (yes--LAWS) are in place for good reasons. As an example, even within the islands of Hawaii right now there are restricted areas for BANANA transport because of pests. I live in CA and have spent a fair part of my life dealing with the consequences of casual "smugglers" who don't seem to think they need to follow our agricultural restrictions. Scheduled malathion drops for Med fruit fly; constant inspections to keep the glassywinged sharpshooter area from our area's extremely valuable wine grape crops; seizure and destruction of smuggled plants harboring voracious beetles from Asia. You think this is not a big deal? It's a HUGE deal, and I resent the attitude that it should be taken lightly or is funny. It has cost and will cost millions of dollars in enforcement and eradication, and untold harm to our ecological health. Please stop making a joke of it! It is NOT a joke.

 

And don't bother to tell me to "get a grip" or "relax" or anything else. Don't bother to rationalize why it's okay to break laws that protect the agricultrural and ecological health of the places we visit. Don't bother to tell me to calm down about my belief that people who smuggle like this are unbelievably selfish. My family and friends and I live every single day with the results of those thoughtless, casual acts, and, yes, I resent it. I resent attitudes that make it seem like a joke or simply an "inconvenience" to pax. Tell me how you'd feel if someone purposely broke a law that damaged the health of your community.

 

Bottom line: If it's against the law in the places you visit, DON'T try to smuggle fresh food off the ship.

 

beachchick

 

p.s., Most packaged dried fruit (depending on type and packaging) and most cookies are okay. Bananas are not.

 

Thank you for the information, BeachChick. Many people are not involved in agriculture in any way and are very unaware of the potential ramifications of smuggling produce or other agricultural items. Your informative post will open some eyes. :)

[mbisson]

I do recall ordering some type of hot food at the sports bar on the Sun past mid-night. I think it was hot dog or nachos or something.

 

T

 

I had forgotten about that, but we've done the same on the Sun as well. Another late night food possibility. Thanks for refreshing my memory on that one! (we had Fisn-n-Chips & Buffalo Wings-we thought the wings were good & the fish was just so-so)

 

-Monte

[trish1c]

Thanks so very much for the lecture beachchick. :rolleyes: My life is now complete.

I find it impossible to believe that a banana I got from the cruise ship buffet that I am willing to eat on both the ship & off is going to cause the ecological disaster you predict.

[JWestShuh]

At least now you will give some thought to taking items off and others as well - somewhere your brain will trigger this post on your next cruise :). You might not have caused harm when you have done it before, but I am sure that you would feel horrible if you did. You have to think that those laws are there for a reason right? Thanks beachchick for giving us who haven't been affected some real life perspective of what can happen.

[bulgargirl]

Thanks so very much for the lecture beachchick. :rolleyes: My life is now complete.

 

I find it impossible to believe that a banana I got from the cruise ship buffet that I am willing to eat on both the ship & off is going to cause the ecological disaster you predict.

 

I'm not trying to lecture or really jump into the fray, but as an FYI - our cherry crop was destroyed once by fruit from california coming in Oregon without being properly sprayed.

 

You are absolutely right - one banana doesn't cause an ecological disaster. Many single bananas, by many single people thinking it doesn't matter can cause very harmful effects to the local crops. But hey - cruise ships cause a great deal of ecological damage too. So none of us is perfect! :)

 

<backing slowly away after adding my two cents>

[mbisson]

You are absolutely right - one banana doesn't cause an ecological disaster.

 

I'll agree that usually this is true---but if that one has some kind of unfriendly virus/bacteria/parasite on it or in it-it could! :eek:

[FBFLORIDA]

Fortunately I just disembarked from the Sun two days ago so my memory is still pretty much in tack to help you. The regular cabin room service has sandwiches, ham , turkey and roast beef with potato salad or chips available 24 hrs. other than the first and last day. The suite menu is extensive. They didn't check bags going off the ship but I wouldn't suggest taking food off. It is extroidinarly hot. I would recommend that you find another way to save a few dollars. Unless you are going on a tour in Roatan, you won't be off the ship for long. There is nothing to do or see on your own. Just extreme poverty. The buffet is open from 12:00 until 3. The buffet farther back on the aft deck until 3:30 for lunch. Sports bar has food beginning at 5:30 with fish and chips, personal pizzas and perhaps the best wings that I have ever had..and believe me..I've had my share! Tip.. order double orders. Sinlge order is 3 and that WON"T be enough. When you board they will give you info as to what food venues are open and when. We ate at the various Specialty restaurants and will be glad to tell you about them if anyone is interested. As far as dress goes, WE dressed many nights. It really is up to you. I was told No jeans or shorts at night in the Seven Seas but that never was anything that I would have considered anyway. Hope this was of help. Feel free to ask anything that you may want to.

[beachchick]

Thanks so very much for the lecture beachchick. :rolleyes: My life is now complete.

 

I find it impossible to believe that a banana I got from the cruise ship buffet that I am willing to eat on both the ship & off is going to cause the ecological disaster you predict.

 

And because you refuse to belive it, others may suffer. The banana you eat on the ship is not going to harm the places you visit. Take it off the ship and eat it there and you have no way of knowing what the real consequences might be. It's exactly attitudes like yours that can cause agricultural and ecological disasters.

 

It's fairly obvious to me that you will not be convinced of this until and if it happens to your community or hits closer to home for you. Go on doing what you're doing figuring that you certainly don't need to follow those laws because you simply can't fathom why they exist in the first place.:rolleyes: I hope you get caught, are fined, and are forced to visit places (such as large agricultural areas in various states) which have been harmed by behavior such as yours.

 

beachchick

[karriec]

Beachchick:

Thank you for the reminder. I understand the thing with fruits and veggies. I am curious about what could happen if meats that are processed or cooked or cheeses are moved? Thanks

Karrie

[beachchick]

Beachchick:

Thank you for the reminder. I understand the thing with fruits and veggies. I am curious about what could happen if meats that are processed or cooked or cheeses are moved? Thanks

Karrie

 

It depends on the various countries' laws, but some allow things like cheese and certain meats. (Warning: These next sentences may turn stomachs!) I think that many of the meat and cheese restrictions are due to the fact that these are still food items that can carry pathogens (molds, fungus, etc.) even though they may be microscopic. Introducing a foreign pathogen can affect the native/natural pathogens and cause problems. Many food items (cheeses, wines, breads) rely on very specific regional bacteria and other cultures for proper production. It's not that much different from the insects and so forth that we can "see" because the basic issue is the same: The disruption of the native flora and fauna. Imagine if a "wild" yeast got into the supply of San Francisco sourdough starter. The consequences could actually be huge because SF sourdough gets it's distinctive flavor from the specific yeast (and water, air, etc.) in that region. I suppose that the places which restrict the import of meats and cheeses don't care to differentiate between "processed" cheeses and meats and non-processed. However, I do know that things like those little sealed "cheese" and cracker packets are allowed to be taken off the ship almost everywhere. So are sealed cereal boxes, energy/granola bars, and other packaged, non-fresh items. OTOH, there may very well be ports which don't allow any food of any kind to be brought ashore from the ships.

 

I know many people consider the issue silly or stupid or just a waste of time. Thank you very much for not being one of them. I can't tell you how hard it is to get some people to "get it" about what can and does happen. I suppose for some, they won't believe it until they've lived with it. It's really not fun.

 

beachchick

[karriec]

thanks for the info. I will definately be more careful