Deals/Bargains on Cruise Ship shops

Hi All,

Leaving for my first cruise on Sunday, boarding Celebrity Equinox. Just wondering what we should buy (souvenirs, jewelries...) in the stores on the ship vs. waiting to go to ports?

Thanks!

They often have "sidewalk" sales in front of the gift shops. You can buy jewellery, purses, watches, T shirts etc. It's fun to stand back and watch people grabbing things.

Enjoy your cruise. You have chosen a lovely ship.

Hi All,

 

Leaving for my first cruise on Sunday, boarding Celebrity Equinox. Just wondering what we should buy (souvenirs, jewelries...) in the stores on the ship vs. waiting to go to ports?

 

Thanks!

For many items, like jewelry, it might be best to shop at home. That doesn't mean you can't get a deal. Bought my DW a Bulgari B Zero watch on board for much, much less than any price on Internet. Kirk wanted $1000 more. It was a soon to be discontinued design that Shops on board sold at clearance while others did not. However, the "bargains are relativity few and far between. I always check for what the items are selling for on Internet. By the way, check "art" prices before you bid for a Park West auction. You might be surprised at the difference in price for the same piece of art.

They often have "sidewalk" sales in front of the gift shops. You can buy jewellery, purses, watches, T shirts etc. It's fun to stand back and watch people grabbing things.

 

Enjoy your cruise. You have chosen a lovely ship.

And I thought I was one of few who stands back and laughs at those grabbing at the "junk" when the ship has "sales!!"

Actually, you'll do much better, usually, buying gifts etc at the ports of call and you can often barter for a lower price, depending where you are docked.

They often have "sidewalk" sales in front of the gift shops. You can buy jewellery, purses, watches, T shirts etc. It's fun to stand back and watch people grabbing things.

 

Enjoy your cruise. You have chosen a lovely ship.

Thanks! Getting super excited as I'm typing this!

For many items, like jewelry, it might be best to shop at home. That doesn't mean you can't get a deal. Bought my DW a Bulgari B Zero watch on board for much, much less than any price on Internet. Kirk wanted $1000 more. It was a soon to be discontinued design that Shops on board sold at clearance while others did not. However, the "bargains are relativity few and far between. I always check for what the items are selling for on Internet. By the way, check "art" prices before you bid for a Park West auction. You might be surprised at the difference in price for the same piece of art.

Thanks!

And I thought I was one of few who stands back and laughs at those grabbing at the "junk" when the ship has "sales!!"

Actually, you'll do much better, usually, buying gifts etc at the ports of call and you can often barter for a lower price, depending where you are docked.

Don't be afraid to ask for a better price on board. Depending on item they can usually give an additional 10% off. I've had some who needed to make a sale actually ask me what I wanted to pay.

It really pays to know your prices. A watch may seem identical to one at home but there may be some differences. A less expensive watch band, same face but no date, etc. Compare apples to apples. As for cologne, a box may look like a 3.4 oz. sized box but inside there is 1.7 oz. It is labelled correctly but the size of box can be deceiving.

The only real savings for the most part are the sales tax you would pay at home. DW had misplaced her vintage Rolex and I found a replacement on Ebay for under $1,000. The vintage Rolexs on the ship start about about $5K. The stuff on the sidewalk sale is pretty much junk, very low end but you may find something you like. We too enjoy walking by and watching the frenzie. A few trips ago I did buy a Citizen Eco Drive watch. I bought it because I liked it and we had OBC to use so I did not worry too much about the price. Once I got home I found the same watch for about the same price in stores.

And don't forget the art auctions! Those are always a bargain.:p

(Just to be clear, that was a joke. Don't buy anything at the art auction.)

Actually, liquor isn't unreasonably priced if you're willing to lug it home to save a few bucks. Though you might get it slightly cheaper at one of your ports of call. They won't give it to you until you're getting off the ship though, so don't think of buying it for use during the cruise.

My DW have found good prices on ship's sales like on fashion jewelry. But she finds better choices and price on souvenir items in port than on ship.

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I like the port souvenirs much better. Greater variety and cheaper.

And in case you have OBC...

On the last sea day before arriving in Miami on the Equinox last month, we were in the liquor store because we still had OBC to use. Everything was 10% off. There were a bunch of people complaining that they had purchased bottles or cigarettes and had not been told there would be a sale during the cruise even though they had asked. The employee tried to convince them that the Captain had just ordered the "special 10% off sale" that morning and that they hadn't known beforehand. I felt really bad for him and couldn't stop laughing. Some people went back to get their receipts to return cigarettes or bottles that they'd purchased earlier on the cruise.

If you're going to buy t-shirts on the ship, the best sales and selections seemed to be earlier in the cruise. And watch out for the 2 for $20 specials. If you only wanted one, they were charging $16.95.

We love the Equinox. Have fun!

I like the port souvenirs much better. Greater variety and cheaper.

 

 

If you're going to buy t-shirts on the ship, the best sales and selections seemed to be earlier in the cruise. And watch out for the 2 for $20 specials. If you only wanted one, they were charging $16.95.

 

We love the Equinox. Have fun!

The best buy on destination t-shirts is right before a re positioning cruise when they need to get rid of the old shirts. They usually go for under $5 a shirt.

Hi All,

 

Leaving for my first cruise on Sunday, boarding Celebrity Equinox. Just wondering what we should buy (souvenirs, jewelries...) in the stores on the ship vs. waiting to go to ports?

 

Thanks!

You should ask yourself why buy any "souvenirs" ?

Good comics are funny because we can relate to what they say and we laugh because it is the truth. One of the comics a few years back talked about buying a souvenir that was a bargain because he was able to talk the person down form $50 to $10. A month later he couldn't sell it a garage sale for 50 cents. 🤔😱

I know we all get into the excitement of buying something and it is fun but as we get older we also get wiser and don't need anymore junk to remind us of a vacation, or a special occasion and I certainly don't want something from someone else as a souvenir of their vacation unless it is a Patek 5164A. 🤑

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

The only thing i may buy on the ship is a LOGO item, because you can't buy it on shore, but anything else I buy at port.

To the OP, welcome to Cruise Critic and I hope you enjoy your first cruise! (you picked an excellent ship by the way)

IMHO the best place to shop is in port. Most of what is onboard is either very expensive (and no less expensive than the stores back home in most cases) or cheap junk you will likely not care about a few months later. The only time we buy onboard anymore is when we have too much OBC to spend (a happy dilemma for sure!), or if I am sailing a ship I have not sailed before and want a coffee mug or t-shirt or the like (and there are few selections for those).

As for cologne, a box may look like a 3.4 oz. sized box but inside there is 1.7 oz. It is labelled correctly but the size of box can be deceiving.

I have compared colognes / perfumes on-board compared to duty free shops at the port, and often pricing is the same or better. If you're looking for something in particular, it's worth checking the prices on-board before you go to port...so you know ahead of time :)

And don't forget the art auctions! Those are always a bargain.:p

(Just to be clear, that was a joke. Don't buy anything at the art auction.)

Why? Pricing often seems reasonable, and you can't beat their framing costs.....no?

There can't be any good deals left. On our cruise a couple weeks back all the "deals" were lowest price, this day only. LOL.

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Apple products on board should be decent since you don't pay taxes and Apple controls prices.

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These days the reality is that you will usually find better deals (on similar items) by simply looking on the internet. As to buying things on various islands, you might want to consider what recourse you have if something goes wrong or breaks. Very few Caribbean stores have stores in the USA :). Years ago we used to find many bargains in the Caribbean...but in the past few years most of the bargains are not really bargains. DW will still purchase local crafts....but for anything of value it is now purchased online or near home.

As to cruise ship shops, about the only thing we would ever purchase would be some kind of trinket (of little value). These shops have to make enough profit to pay their employees, a large cut to the cruise line, and their own company. "Duty Free" really has very little to do with pricing of most items, although we sometimes do see a decent price on high end booze. The Apple Store (onboard) sometimes has decent prices (for Apple items) when compared to pricing in parts of Europe. But we have seldom noticed Apple prices that were any better then what we can get at home.....with the exception of not paying state sales tax (we purchase our iPhones in Delaware where there are no state sales taxes).

Hank

You should ask yourself why buy any "souvenirs" ?

 

 

Good comics are funny because we can relate to what they say and we laugh because it is the truth. One of the comics a few years back talked about buying a souvenir that was a bargain because he was able to talk the person down form $50 to $10. A month later he couldn't sell it a garage sale for 50 cents. 🤔😱

 

 

I know we all get into the excitement of buying something and it is fun but as we get older we also get wiser and don't need anymore junk to remind us of a vacation, or a special occasion and I certainly don't want something from someone else as a souvenir of their vacation unless it is a Patek 5164A. 🤑

 

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

It is too late to edit but

I forgot to add that after you got home you found that you could buy the same item for $5 .

happy cruisng. 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

The items available on those sale days are garbage. I see the same items on every cruise. The items at the Apple store aren't the latest and greatest. You can do better off the ship. For that matter,you can do better online.

I always buy my Clinique make-up on board. Much cheaper than UK prices.

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Actually, liquor isn't unreasonably priced if you're willing to lug it home to save a few bucks. Though you might get it slightly cheaper at one of your ports of call. They won't give it to you until you're getting off the ship though, so don't think of buying it for use during the cruise.

You're half wrong. St. Maarten is much less expensive for liquor than the ship. Celebrity was 2/$310 of JW Blue. My regular liquor store on shore was $99/bottle. However the key is to be able to PROVE to Celebrity's satisfaction for a price match (which I learned how to do). I was able to buy three bottles of JW Blue on my last cruise with the guarantee price match for $99/bottle using Non refundable OBC. That made it essentially free for me. My local Costco store sells the same bottle for $198 and doesn't accept OBC. :D.

You're half wrong. St. Maarten is much less expensive for liquor than the ship. Celebrity was 2/$310 of JW Blue. My regular liquor store on shore was $99/bottle. However the key is to be able to PROVE to Celebrity's satisfaction for a price match (which I learned how to do). I was able to buy three bottles of JW Blue on my last cruise with the guarantee price match for $99/bottle using Non refundable OBC. That made it essentially free for me. My local Costco store sells the same bottle for $198 and doesn't accept OBC. :D.

Okay Steve, so now tell us how to do that. That's a great price for Blue and using the OBC in this way is brilliant. That's what we did too but paid the $310 minus the 10% off sale. Only because we had a lot of OBC left, though.

Of course, the Scotch drinkers we had over for dinner the week after we got home were happy. ;)