Buying gold on board

I wouldn't spend my "free" money on that "gold"....

I have found some very nice pieces. I tend to stay clear of the diamonds as their quality is questionable unless you really know how to check to 4 C's yourself. Also be sure to ask if the piece has natural stones or lab stimulated stones, get that in writing too. Stay clear of the "watch sales" that they list in the dailies it is worse than black Friday shopping.

Your $500 won't go far in the jewelry shops. We had a similar situation recently on a Celebrity ship. We ended up buying a piece of jewelry and adding another $500 to our $500 OBC. And that was a tiny piece of gold. And, btw, you do have to declare such purchases on the Customs form. We didn't think we had to do so and were called to the naughty room. Lesson learned!

In case you didn't know, CruiseNext certificates don't lock you in to a particular cruise. They're good for 4 years on any NCL cruise. Also, there appears to be an active market on ebay for these at prices above what you'd pay for them, and they are transferable.

Maybe it's better to buy a watch?

I don't know if they have watches around that price but if they do, maybe a watch is better than something in gold. It's also easy to check prices for watches to see if it's worth buying it on the ship.

I saw that someone already suggested to buy a watch so I second that.

Thanks and I'm glad you were able to use yours in the casino. However, as we don't want to blow $600 in the casino even if they let us, my question still stands.

 

Has anyone been able to buy real gold at anything like a reasonable price on board?

My husband bought me a white gold emerald ring for my 20th anniversary on the Gem. We thought the price was reasonable and the ring is gorgeous.

Thanks and I'm glad you were able to use yours in the casino. However, as we don't want to blow $600 in the casino even if they let us, my question still stands.

 

Has anyone been able to buy real gold at anything like a reasonable price on board?

Yes. I have bought jewelry on the ships. They do guarantee their product. What a great way to find a nice piece and have it paid for, or have a good part of it paid for!

We're booked for September on the Dawn to Bermuda. We have a ridiculous amount of OBC, all of it nonrefundable... $600. We can't use it in the casino, and we already have "free" drinks and 3 specialty dinners, so we're thinking of spending a good bit of it on a piece or two of gold jewelry, maybe earrings and/or a bracelet.

 

We already know the basics, like the gold by the inch isn't gold and all the prices will be terribly inflated. But we hope we can still buy something this way. After all, it isn't real money, and it will go away if we don't use it.

 

So has anyone had any experience buying a piece of gold jewelry that really WAS gold and not paying much more than a normal price for it? If so, please share.

Jewelry on the ship is competitively priced. It is not like buying in the islands. If you find a piece in a shop on board you can be confident in your purchase.

Your duty free limits on return are $800 per person, and the family's limits can be combined. $600 will not cause any duty or customs issues.

That person does know what they are talking about. The shops on board turn to NCL who turns in a list to customs of expensive jewelry purchased and the name of the passenger purchasing it. If the passenger does not declare it, there can be a hefty fine if the value is over the amount allowed without paying duty. "Duty free" means the shop did not have to pay duty, but passengers must pay on items over a certain amount.

Neither this poster or the one that she quotes knows what they are talking about. Large purchases are reported to US Customs, however the issue is what is a large purchase. The $600 that the OP is talking about is not a large purchase, in fact it is not even a medium size purchase, it is a small purchase.

US citizens are entitled to an $800 exemption per person on return from overseas. A family may combine their amounts. The amount that OP is talking about doesn't even go over the limit for a single person much less a family. Additionally CBP is changing the way customs is done, and in most ports you don't even declare anything, unless you owe a duty. It is done on the honor system.

I have bought Alex and Ani bracelets onboard,as gifts. Prices were reasonable.

The suggestion of a watch is a great idea, too.