Hi Menchie and welcome aboard planDisney!
As a fellow Filipino and former sailor who spent a good chunk of my life living in the waters around
Australia and New Zealand, I remember how important it was to bring
pasalubong with you to family members back home, especially right in time for the holidays! This is the time of year when so many Filipino seafarers load up their luggage with treats and trinkets, or even massive
balikbayan boxes - so I instantly understood why you’d have so much chocolate with you. Since it looks like you'll be setting sail on the
4-Night Disney Magic at Sea Cruise from Auckland ending in Sydney, here are a few things you'll want to keep in mind:
- It's important to be up-to-date with Australian Customs and quarantine since you'll be debarking in Sydney, where it's always a good idea to declare anything coming into the country to the Australian Border Force officers. I've personally brought chocolate from New Zealand to Australia for my own personal consumption before (along with many other fellow guests who had fallen in love with confectionery such as Whittakers on their adventures in Aotearoa), but it's a good idea to contact them sooner than later by phone so that you can get a better idea of what to expect.
Since we can't quite know what kind of chocolate it is, or how it will all be packaged, there not too much more insight that I can provide for you here, so even asking the New Zealand Customs Service will be helpful. Something I've learned travelling professionally around the world and especially by sea, is that certain policies can be subject to change without prior notice and can sometimes be at the discretion of the folks enforcing these as you enter and exit different countries. (Being from Auckland, you likely already know how stringent biosecurity laws can be!) I do hope that all of your chocolate can make it safely to the Philippines to bring a little sweet treat for many over the holidays!
Maligayang Pasko!
Prince