Can I Have My Duty Free Liquor Before Disembarking?

[Hawaiian]

We will be traveling on the Solstice from Ensenada to Honolulu in September. One of our port stops is Kona, Hawaii and we have friends living there that will pick us up and take us to their ranch in Waimea to go horseback riding. I would like to bring them a premium bottle of Tequila from Mexico as they really enjoy Tequila. I realize that upon boarding the Solstice in Ensenada, the bottle will be taken from me, but would it be possible for me to retrieve the Tequila from the Celebrity ship staff in Kona, so that I could give it to my friends as a gift when we arrive there? Has anyone done something like this before? Kona is not the final stop, we will then continue to Lahaina later that evening. Thanks for any advice!

[kitty9]

All you can do is ask.

[cirpi]

We will be traveling on the Solstice from Ensenada to Honolulu in September. One of our port stops is Kona, Hawaii and we have friends living there that will pick us up and take us to their ranch in Waimea to go horseback riding. I would like to bring them a premium bottle of Tequila from Mexico as they really enjoy Tequila. I realize that upon boarding the Solstice in Ensenada, the bottle will be taken from me, but would it be possible for me to retrieve the Tequila from the Celebrity ship staff in Kona, so that I could give it to my friends as a gift when we arrive there? Has anyone done something like this before? Kona is not the final stop, we will then continue to Lahaina later that evening. Thanks for any advice!

 

Kitty is correct. Just ask. We we brought a friend in Victoria a bottle of scotch we had purchased on the Century. We asked again on our Solstice coastal last spring and were denied.

[Hawaiian]

All you can do is ask.

 

Ask who? Celebrity customer service? If my previous encounters with their phone call center representatives is any indication of what their response might be, I might as well just toss a coin! I would rather know the answer to this question before I board the ship as it would defeat the purpose of me going out of my way to buy a bottle of good Tequila for my friends if I couldn't give it to them in Kona. I don't want to take it home when I arrive in Honolulu. I don't like Tequila!

[WestLakeGirl]

Most likely that will be a shipboard decision. You probably cannot get pre-cruise clearance for this exception to their policy

[Hapytocruise]

Perhaps if you purchased on board and explained at point of purchase they would let you take it off ship with the understanding you would not be returning with it. It's then $$$ in their pocket. They likely carry a premium brand.

[Algebralovr]

Before you make plans to purchase in Ensenada, I suggest you be certain you will be able to get to a store there. We did the Ensenada to Seattle run this last May, and by the time we actually made it from San Diego to the ship, the last thing I wanted to do was go into Ensenada. The sign when we boarded said that all-aboard was 4:30ish, and the muster drill was held shortly after that. We were exhausted enough from the trip to the ship, however, that we decided we didn't care. We had gotten into line for check-in in San Diego by 11:30, and didn't reach the ship until the muster drill was over about 6pm.

 

Otherwise, find someone who plans to buy a bunch of bottles of liquor and go shopping with them. Let them go through security first. Security will likely be all over them to make sure the bottles are checked in, and may ignore you altogether. I've seen it happen - particularly when I was the one with 6 or more bottles. Security made sure to ask me to step aside. I felt like they were expecting me to argue, but for me it just meant I didn't have to store my purchases until the last night :D. Quite a few people slipped by security with one bottle while I had them distracted.

[dkjretired]

You might be able to buy it on board at the regular as opposed to duty free price.

[cruisestitch]

Since "duty free" means that the ship did not pay duty when the liquor was purchased, I don't think there is a non-duty-free price available.

 

Liquor purchased in Ensenada is not duty-free, as I recall. I don't believe that there is a duty-free shop in the terminal there. You have to go to a local store and purchase it, which would not be duty-free.

 

But the suggestion to try to arrange to purchase a bottle at the liquor store on board might work. You could see if they will deliver it to the gangway area at a pre-determined time, for you to pick up there and take off the ship with you. I don't know if that would work, but it might.