Cuban cigars on Allure Western itinerary?

[SpeedGeek]

This is not different than any other luxury item. Knock offs are plentiful in watches, drugs, clothing, and yes cigars. Go to a reputable dealer, and you'll get the legitimate goods. Don't, and you take your chances.

 

True indeed.

[SpeedGeek]

Im not a afcionado by any means but I do enjoy a good cigar or two while on a cruise and Im gonna go ahead and ASSUME that if I buy a "cuban cigar" from LCDH or Havana Club its legit?

 

I bought this stick from the Havana Club which is inside the Forum Shops at Cozumel. It was rather pricy but good. The port shopping guy on the ship assured me that anything bought in these stores was "legit" :o

 

Cohibas, by and large (with a few exceptions), maintain a 3 white dot row above the Cohiba name. Seeing such a mistake isn't definitive, but does raise some suspicion (not a lot when combined with everything else). That's the only thing that stands out to me from your picture, but one thing I'll also add is I would trust the word of the port shopping guy on ship as far as I can throw him. :D

 

Here's an old article on determining counterfeits (some of the info may be outdated): http://web.archive.org/web/20060116044600/http://www.cigarnexus.com/counsel/counterfeit/

 

It's usually obvious when you find "Cubans" in small shops or the people selling them in the street/on the beach, but an established store isn't going to carry those. You're going to have to get as much information in the little amount of time you have, and make the best decision you can. If I were in that position, I'd just bypass the trouble and stop at the LCdH. Prices shouldn't be that much different.

[Cigar King]

Just to add a bit to what is said above the cigar in the picture does appear to have a triple cap, and that's a very good sign.