iPad prices on board

[Suzy Smith]

We bought an iPad on our last cruise. US prices with no tax, so a really good deal for Brits. It was set up for us in the iLounge with some apps loaded and a quick tutorial on how to do the basics. If you buy on the ship, the staff in the iLounge are on hand to help if you have any problems when you first start to use it and we also attended a couple of classes on board. Our cruise was within the EU, so there were no worries about duty-free allowance. If you are returning to the UK from outside the EU, you have a £390 allowance, so that would be OK, but if you have to clear US Customs before you fly back to the UK, it seems you might have to pay tax there, but even with US tax added, it will probably still be cheaper than buying at home. I would suggest buying on board, but declaring your purchase to US Customs.

[Ralfkrippner]

If the next version comes out this November do you think that the onboard shop will have it available soon afterwards?

[AlbertaCruisers]

We bought an iPad on our last cruise. US prices with no tax, so a really good deal for Brits. It was set up for us in the iLounge with some apps loaded and a quick tutorial on how to do the basics. If you buy on the ship, the staff in the iLounge are on hand to help if you have any problems when you first start to use it and we also attended a couple of classes on board. Our cruise was within the EU, so there were no worries about duty-free allowance. If you are returning to the UK from outside the EU, you have a £390 allowance, so that would be OK, but if you have to clear US Customs before you fly back to the UK, it seems you might have to pay tax there, but even with US tax added, it will probably still be cheaper than buying at home. I would suggest buying on board, but declaring your purchase to US Customs.

 

As an FYI, if you are not from the US, you should not have to pay US customs. I.e. we are from Canada. When we get off the ship and go through US customs, all they care about is if we are leaving anything in the US and how long we are staying in the US. It is when we get back to Canada and do Canadian customs that we have to declare our purchases and pay duty if we are over the allowance.

[Suzy Smith]

If the next version comes out this November do you think that the onboard shop will have it available soon afterwards?

I don't know how long after release they are likely to be available on the ship and can only suggest that you check once you are on board. We emailed the spec of the iPad they were offering to a family member who is more clued up about computers than we are, and he confirmed it was the latest version and suggested that we went for the 64gb as the price was so good. We are glad we took his advice.

 

As an FYI, if you are not from the US, you should not have to pay US customs. I.e. we are from Canada. When we get off the ship and go through US customs, all they care about is if we are leaving anything in the US and how long we are staying in the US. It is when we get back to Canada and do Canadian customs that we have to declare our purchases and pay duty if we are over the allowance.

Thanks for the clarification. We have purchased items in the Caribbean without any problem with US Customs, but I wasn't sure how the system works when the cruise line actually provides Customs with a list of names of pax who have made purchases on the ship.