Alaskan excursions - if food is not included, what snacks can we bring from the ship?

[KelseyLaPerle]

Two of our excursions include a meal or snacks, but one does not. What kinds of things are available to take for snacks? I assume there are snack foods for sale in the shops, but could we order something from room service, etc. to take with us?
Thanks!
First time cruisers

 

[Aby]

You are not allowed to bring any fresh food off the ship in Alaska - so unfortunately no to room service packing you a nice picnic You can bring pre-packaged foods like granola bars, packaged cookies/crackers, etc but nothing that isn't factory sealed. Some people bring these items from home and throw these in their bag before disembarking in port to avoid having to buy the expensive pre-packaged stuff available on the ship. This is a rule I would definitely avoid breaking (although many people confess they do this and get away with it) as it is not the ships rule, but is US law.

Enjoy your first cruise! You're going to love it!

Aby

 

[Mokat76]

Here's a slightly different suggestion, and not knowing the itinerary I apologize if it doesn't work due to location or timing. Tourism in AK is a seasonal economy. Consider buying your snacks from a local vendor. Even if you can bring them from home or from the ship cheaper, this often is the largest part of the business' annual income. Help 'em out. They'll appreciate it.

 

[KelseyLaPerle]

Here's a slightly different suggestion, and not knowing the itinerary I apologize if it doesn't work due to location or timing. Tourism in AK is a seasonal economy. Consider buying your snacks from a local vendor. Even if you can bring them from home or from the ship cheaper, this often is the largest part of the business' annual income. Help 'em out. They'll appreciate it.

I love this idea, and feel bad for not thinking of it on my own. Our excursions leave early - around 7:15 am - I hope the locals are ready for us at that time!

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[lady9]

You can order room service an hour before your excursion to have some breakfast before you leave. The buffet may also be open to grab something quick. Then you should be set until lunch. We ate at a local restaurant in Ketchikan (DH had king crab legs) and loved it!. I second the suggestion about eating locally whether it is a snack or a meal.

 

[Slappy32]

I would say it's a don't ask, don't tell situation. We took fruit, snacks and bottled water on our on our own excursion to St. John in our backpack. No big deal. There was no searching as you got off the boat.

 

[cris0809]

I would say it's a don't ask, don't tell situation. We took fruit, snacks and bottled water on our on our own excursion to St. John in our backpack. No big deal. There was no searching as you got off the boat.

Maybe some people are comfortable doing this but with many, many ports taking perishable items off the ship is ground for hefty fines if they catch you. I don't think an apple is worth $25,000.

Just follow the rules! They'll be posted.

 

[ScottFamily2005]

Lots of people smuggled snacks off the ship in Juneau last week. I saw them chowing down on the bus. They warn you that you can e searched, but I did not see this occur (not saying it won't happen or advocating smuggling, just sharing what I observed). Some excursions in that port start REALLY early. We were pleased that food was available for sale on our whale watching boat.

I had a GREAT meal at a local restaurant in Ketchikan, and you get off the ship right in town. We also bought some yummy fresh made caramel corn in Skagway.

 

[jdb in AZ]

The Alaskan port towns specialize in home made fudge, and different flavors of caramel corn.

My favorite place to eat (so far) has been Tracy's crab shack right by the pier in Juneau. It's pricey(!) but most things in Alaska are expen$ive. Bar Harbor, Maine, has lobster for a really good price (comparatively speaking) so we hoped Alaskan king crab would also be inexpensive because they don't have to pay to ship it to the lower 48, but nope, the crab in Alaska even pricier than here in land-locked Arizona. But we still did our best to help out the Alaskan tourism.

FWIW -- we tried the cashew turtles -- caramels dipped in white chocolate (found in more than one fudge shop in the ports) and it motivated me to try making it in a few months for the holidaze. So that can't be all bad, since it got my creative juices flowing (along with the saliva) right? And vacation calories don't count. Hey, I can rationalize 'most anything.