SePa Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Hi All, what are the rules to bring on souvenirs from port onto the ship. Am I right in thinking I am not allowed to bring wine on- of course. But what about other liquids. I am travelling to Italy and would love a bottle of 2 quality olive oil. Or other pasta and foods- that will be dry not fresh. Am I allowed to bring these on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psycho and Barb Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Don't know about food but we would doubt you could bring back onboard. We have bought vanilla many times in Mexico and never had a problem bring it back on board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ubiquitous Cruiser Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 You can bring wine/liquor and security will hold it until the last night of the cruise. The stateroom attendant will leave it in your cabin. Also don't think they'd care about pasta. We've brought truffles and other snack items (chips, etc.) without issue. SePa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody14 Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 As long as the food/liquid is commercially packaged you should not have issues. Qeyton Dude, SePa and KJones 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonCruiser Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 My mom buys vanilla extract from Curacao or Cozumel every time we go and there's been no problem with her bringing it back on board. She did have fun on Allure last time because the Curacao vanilla does technically have rum or rum flavoring in it and the people at the booze desk apparently were confused on if it counted as alcohol or not (and that was only to determine if she had to leave it with them - no issue bringing it back). You should be able to bring any other prepackaged foods and snacks on board as well. Water, chips, pasta etc Qeyton Dude, SePa and KJ777 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 As long as it's not illegal (based on local laws, US laws or ship rules), you can bring it on. DoomSlayer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmar02 Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 1 hour ago, CrimsonCruiser said: My mom buys vanilla extract from Curacao or Cozumel every time we go and there's been no problem with her bringing it back on board. She did have fun on Allure last time because the Curacao vanilla does technically have rum or rum flavoring in it and the people at the booze desk apparently were confused on if it counted as alcohol or not (and that was only to determine if she had to leave it with them - no issue bringing it back). You should be able to bring any other prepackaged foods and snacks on board as well. Water, chips, pasta etc Interestingly, by law vanilla extract in the US must contain 35% alcohol. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Just declare any wine or alcohol you buy in port when you get back on and give it to them to hold. They will hold it for you until you get back to your home port. You only have an issue if you try and sneak it on to consume before you get home. One side note -- be careful if Galveston is your homeport. Texas has a funny law and will tax you when you disembark if they know you are bringing in Tobacco or Alcohol from abroad. stevendom57 and SePa 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobroo Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 I've brought onboard olive oil, coffee, vanilla, and how could you not restock the spices in your cupboard when you visit St Lucia? All without a problem with Royal security or a cute beagle showing his sitting skills during customs. However, one type of related souvenir that I've seen denied by Royal security are conch shells. I bet I've seen at least a half dozen passengers over the years in heated confrontations with security that Royal will not allow animals or native cultural items onboard. Apparently this rule applies to an animals former house. The passengers are upset because they likely just spent about $25 for the pretty seashell and it is going to go into the trash. Like so many things cruising, your results may vary. Different ships have different rules. And, there will be people who will claim that they brought these types of items back. But if you carefully read your cruise contract these restrictions are buried in there--somewhere. The reality is, if you receive a NO from security; it's not like you can argue the call. So, on the whole it's just fine to bring the real olive oil from Greece or Italy, the good coffee from Jamaica or Columbia, or what might be considered a dealer quantity of oregano; just keep your fingers crossed that the cute beagle remains standing. SePa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 21 minutes ago, melmar02 said: Interestingly, by law vanilla extract in the US must contain 35% alcohol. I had to go look at what we have in the cabinet from Mexico on our cruises. What we bought in Costa Maya last month was labeled simply as "Pure Vanilla" and does not indicate it has alcohol and does not smell like it has alcohol. It is not labeled as Extract, so that may be why. We did just bring it on the ship and they saw it as we passed through security. Made some really good X-Mas cookies with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmar02 Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 19 minutes ago, DoomSlayer said: It is not labeled as Extract, so that may be why. We did just bring it on the ship and they saw it as we passed through security. Made some really good X-Mas cookies with it! I bet they were delicious! Each country has it's own labeling laws and requirements, but the alcohol is needed to carry the flavor from the vanilla pod into the liquid. I'm sure there was some in there. You can make your own with a few vanilla beans and vodka. I go through it too fast to try that though. It's a wonder we're not asked if we're bringing vanilla back when disembarking in Galveston. DoomSlayer, FireFishII and CrimsonCruiser 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockerDom31 Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 I have a thing for hot sauces. One time, I bought several hot sauces in St. Marteen and was flagged by security when my bag went through the scanner. I just showed them that it wasn’t alcohol and they sent me on my way. No biggie but it might save a few seconds if you let them know before putting your bag in the scanner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psycho and Barb Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 3 hours ago, CrimsonCruiser said: My mom buys vanilla extract from Curacao or Cozumel every time we go The price is so much cheaper than we can get anywhere in the states and Barb loves it for baking. CrimsonCruiser and VirtKitty 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Vanilla is actually extremely easy to make at home. All you need is vanilla beans and cheap vodka and about 6 months of patience. FireFishII and KJ777 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reigert2008 Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 We don't really buy much, but we are careful to not buy anything made from wood. On our first cruise, we bought a wood shark with a fancy Bahamas sticker on it, and when we were going through customs at the end of the trip, there was some conversation about it. While we did get to bring it home with is, it was an extra hassle that stressed us out for a few minutes, being it was our first trip out of the county. Things have changed since our first cruise just over 10 years ago, but figured I would put our experience out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted February 2, 2023 Report Share Posted February 2, 2023 Olive oil and herbs in sealed containers ok from Europe. Others addressed vanilla. We brought packaged chocolate from Cozumel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted February 2, 2023 Report Share Posted February 2, 2023 PS. Inflatable wine bags good to protect olive oil in suitcase -- your checked bag when you fly. SePa, bobroo and VirtKitty 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonCruiser Posted February 3, 2023 Report Share Posted February 3, 2023 On 2/1/2023 at 11:37 AM, melmar02 said: Interestingly, by law vanilla extract in the US must contain 35% alcohol. huh! I never knew that. Then i guess the difference is they use Rum instead of Vodka or whatever alcohol is used most often in the US. Either way it is DELICIOUS and adds a really good flavor to her baked stuff. When she ran out between cruises I literally said we need to book a cruise JUST to get more. On 2/1/2023 at 1:59 PM, Reigert2008 said: We don't really buy much, but we are careful to not buy anything made from wood. On our first cruise, we bought a wood shark with a fancy Bahamas sticker on it, and when we were going through customs at the end of the trip, there was some conversation about it. While we did get to bring it home with is, it was an extra hassle that stressed us out for a few minutes, being it was our first trip out of the county. Things have changed since our first cruise just over 10 years ago, but figured I would put our experience out there. Interesting. I got a carved wooden dolphin from Falmouth on our 2015 cruise and the only "issue" that popped up with it was going through TSA at the airport because the fins looked EXTRA pointy to the scanner. The look on the agents face when she saw it was a freaking dolphin was like "....i hate my job" lmao WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted February 3, 2023 Report Share Posted February 3, 2023 When we were in Falmouth last September, we found the perfect gift for my coworker who was watching our house and pets. It was a ceramic salt and pepper shaker set that was two pigs in a frisky position. It triggered the detector when we boarded the ship because it showed as rocks. We had to show what it was to the young security agent. She was not impressed but let it come onboard with us. CrimsonCruiser and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 3, 2023 Report Share Posted February 3, 2023 On 2/1/2023 at 10:37 AM, melmar02 said: Interestingly, by law vanilla extract in the US must contain 35% alcohol. That's just to legally market and sell something that you call "vanilla extract." It doesn't affect bringing something labeled as such from a different country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCVirgin22 Posted February 8, 2023 Report Share Posted February 8, 2023 Gee, my idea of a souvenir is quite different than what's being discussed here! I generally just buy local trinkets for friends, not go grocery shopping. lol The fewer bags I have to carry the better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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