Hi, everyone.
Do you know if we need to fill out a form to bring meat into the BVI's? We were thinking about bringing a cooler with frozen meat (hot dogs, hamburgers, shredded pork for sandwiches). Will we have any troubles?

On this same line, are there grocery items you bring along? We're planning on eating lunches on the boat and all dinners out.

Thanks so much for your help.

We brought meat - I listed it on the customs form - that's all. No issues.. We don't bring many grocery items - we do bring some plastic bags though and coffee.. maybe a few other small and light items.

The meat import form is for commercial quantities and sometimes when there is a ccurrent scare. Bringing hot dogs and hamburgers is not worth the cost or effort. Unique and prepaired dishes maybe. We are down to bringing only things that have a very high price diferential like shrimp.

I bring all our meat; steaks, lunchmeat, hamburger, etc. I also bring a big block of cheese. Not a hassle at all if you want to do it.

Some may agree with you..but we have fine meats for sale in the BVI's..in fact Riteway has a better selection of sausages than some US markets..

I realize that this is always a point of contention with people. To each his own. Do what you want to and are willing to do.

We never bring meats but we always bring some groceries with us and divide them among the group to pack. Salami, instant potatoes, instant rice/pasta, seasoning/spices, granola bars, jerky, etc.. Crackers/chips in the tube like pringles actually travel quite nicely and we have never had problems with them.

In July we spoke with Aragorn when he swung by our boat in Marina Cay. He has great products and when he saw the wholefoods sausage we were grilling he said they were hoping to start prioviding sausage in the future...anyone know if Good Moon Farm is offering this yet?

everything you mentioned is readily available in the BVI markets

We brought meats for the first time last trip - only because we have 20+lbs of it in our freezer since we belong to a local farm and get 10lbs a month and always have excess. Worked out great, but I don't think we'll do it again as we typically don't have room for an extra bag.

Didn't know you could still get instant potato. Haven't heard of it since the Seventies! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

Pack lightly, provision there. Makes life easier for you!

Actually instant mashed potatoes are light years better than they were in the 70's. Actually not bad now, for a super quick side, especially the ones that all you have to do is add water..

If you you bring your own instant potatoes do you bring in your own water too?

I don't bring instant potatoes, no. Josh said he did. But if I did, would it affect your vacation at all? No, I think not. People make their own choices during their vacations. Respect other people's choices, as they do yours.

Twas a joke. It was an open question not directed to anybody in particular. One could argue that water is better and cheaper at home than the BVI's much the same as beef etc. Good grief.

Sorry, it didn't sound like a joke and people here often berate others for bringing in things.

Follow-up questions: You bring meat in frozen, I assume. What kind of cooler? Checked or carry-on? Ice seems like a bad idea, but dry ice? I understand there are some limitations on dry ice.

I agree that it doesn't make sense to bring in food items for which equivalents are readily available in the BVIs, but a favorite bottle of wine is a real treat as you watch for the green flash. And I didn't find anything like Hebert's Cajun Seasoned tenderloin filets in Rite-way week before last. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

We brought a soft sided cooler that we had - fairly small. Our meat is already frozen, so we just added an ice pack.

We are just used to what works best for us and thought I would share our experiences with the question that was asked.

Back many years ago before I joined our sailing group they used to take meat in a checked bag. I don't think I would trust doing so these days with all the delays and canceled flights.

Polar Bear coolers are awesome. We used our first one this past June and brought down a small quantity of marinated filets, swordfish, tuna, and bolognase. Stayed totally frozen with no ice for well over 12 hours plus.

Oh my, that Hebert's Cajun tenderloin sounded good.

We occasionally bring our Polar Bear 24 as carryon luggage with frozen items. We have vegetarian crew for our first week in January so we're bring some of their favorite foods and ingredients that are hard/impossible to find. No hardship, they're great cooks. The Polar Bear 24 is a great beach cooler.

Cheers, RickG

One thing my wife and I did last trip was to cook a pound of bacon the night before we left and then vacuum packed it nice and flat. It got put in the cooler with a few other things, marinated steaks, chicken breasts etc. It was great. We online ordered a bunch of other stuff too and had BLTs for lunch, bacon cheese burgers one night and bacon/egg/cheese sandwiches one morning. Since it was just my wife and I and we wouldn't use an eight pack of buns we ordered bagels. So technically they were bacon cheese bagel burgers! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> Then we had bagels/cream cheese for breakfast a couple mornings. We also had a little bacon left over and found that some crackers with cream cheese and crumbled bacon sprinkled on them was a great boat snack.

MMMM Bacon.... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Re: sausage. Yesterday I pulled out my Kitcenaid machine and there were the meat grinder and sausage stuffer! So where to get casings - called Riteway/RTW and Neal, the new butcher from Scotland, was incredibly helpful. He will sell me whatever I want. So it's now easy to make your own sausages in the BVI!

We bring steaks, very lean hamburger, and our own bacon, one of our crew is a butcher so we get great cuts.

For chicken, pork, and hot dogs, there is no reason to bring it with us, it is readily available and great quality.

We use a soft sided cooler with wheels and check it, has always stayed frozen all the way from the Pacific Northwest.

We use a soft sided cooler placed inside a large duffle bag full of dry goods We arrive at the airport around 5 am get the BVI by 5 on and our frozen meats have always been frozen or at least frozen enough to stay fine for up to the first four days our our cruise

Provisioning is so much simpler these days. I kinda miss the days when you were reluctant to make friends with a chicken for fear you might meet her again at diner.

We have brought a frozen tenderloin down, placed in a soft freezer bag (Sam's) in our regular luggage. It is still frozen solid when we arrive 12 hours later. Claim it on regular customs form, occasionally pay a small tax. We provision almost all our food locally, but the high quality and relatively low price of US beef make the (non) hassle worth it. Makes for an unforgettable meal on-board!

Funny you mention that as we visit the farm where our meat comes from, so we've done exactly that - visited with our future dinner <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

We use a rolling cooler like this http://www.target.com/p/igloo-maxcold-40...page.vertical_1

Checked as a piece of luggage, it has kept meat frozen for 3 days before we get on the boat.

We freeze everything on a cookie sheet so it lays very flat and stacks together in one block. The night before our flight we load the cooler and add 10#'s of dry ice. The next morning, we remove the dry ice (too much of a hassle to fly with dry ice). It will stay frozen for 3-4 days.

This cooler is great on the boat, we don't go through near as much ice.

The reason we bring food is for ease in the galley. At home I pre-cook bacon and sausage (no messing with grease), make taco meat, marinate chicken breast, inject a pork tenderloin and make homemade spag. sauce. Makes meals for 8 a lot easier.

To each his own.

After 25 years of sailing, the only things worth while bringing are small zip locs of spices--silly to buy a big jar and use only a few teaspoons. I live in the NYC area and can tell you that the Rite Way Pasea is as good an any sophisticated urban market--gluten free, organic, you name it. And alcohol--any type and great selection is Ticos cash and carry behind Rite Way (a misnomer they accept credit cards)and much cheaper than anything you would buy in the states Also, its a good time to experiment with some of the local ingredients that you may not use at home. I learned, early on, that thinly sliced yucca makes outstanding "potato chips"!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

100% agree and Like. I would rather spend my money helping the local economy of BVI. I always find something new to try by shopping local. Not for everyone but I think of it as a fun part of the trip.

Just got an AO cooler to use for a carry on and are bringing some meats- mostly things I know for sure the kids like, and a special New York strip roast for Christmas dinner. Still very excited to go into the grocery stores there to stock up on the local goodies- especially the bakery's! I will never forget this homemade coconut creme pie we got while in Eleuthera- the stuff dreams are made of!

so there is no issue with bringing a cooler of food as carry on on a plane?

No ice and no liquids...so you'll need to freeze whatever you wish to bring and the more time the better.

Would suggest vacuum sealing everything too.

Make sure the cooler is carry on size and you're good to go.

But not if your flying from Canada

On our last week ( last week) I carried on a 24 can size polar bear cooler with frozen shrimp, chicken and steaks on the bottom, cold cuts and cheese on top along with a frozen ice pack, keep everything frozen and cold until we got on the boat. Works great for us

We vacuum pack and freeze everything. We pack the cooler full of very cold food without any ice. It's always been good in a Polar Bear cooler for more than 24 hours.

OK, freezing cold cuts, now I heard it all

Sorry if it wasn't clear. We place frozen food wrapped in newspaper for additional insulation in the bottom, place a piece of styrofoam on top of the frozen meat and have room for cold cuts on top . They stay cold but don't freeze, it's a great system