Are the ships still selling liquor and cigarettes in the shops?

[eileen11]

Are the ships till selling booze and cigarettes in the shops at a discounted rate?

Eileen

[mondello]

14 minutes ago, eileen11 said:

Are the ships till selling booze and cigarettes in the shops at a discounted rate?

Eileen

The booze is a definite yes in the onboard duty-free shops. Haven't seen anyone mention cigarette lately. I'd be curious what they go for now even though I quit 15 years ago.

[tallnthensome]

Yes to both 

[Djptcp]

On the Magic in August the cigarette brand choice was extremely limited (Winston, Marlboro, Parliament) and didn't include the Benson Hedges I used to get on Carnival 😞 I didn't buy any cartons. DH thought the liquor selection wasn't what it used to be either.

[abby1257]

6 hours ago, mondello said:

The booze is a definite yes in the onboard duty-free shops. Haven't seen anyone mention cigarette lately. I'd be curious what they go for now even though I quit 15 years ago.

Not sure ....but I will tell you, if you live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, you will pay approximately between $15-17 a pack

[mondello]

4 hours ago, abby1257 said:

Not sure ....but I will tell you, if you live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, you will pay approximately between $15-17 a pack

I'd guess with a national health plan, they want to discourage people from smoking. The tax rate always varied a lot between states here. Tobacco producing states being the lowest taxed, it used to be great to drive across the river from Cincinnati and buy cheaper in Kentucky.

[BlerkOne]

26 minutes ago, mondello said:

I'd guess with a national health plan, they want to discourage people from smoking. The tax rate always varied a lot between states here. Tobacco producing states being the lowest taxed, it used to be great to drive across the river from Cincinnati and buy cheaper in Kentucky.

They don't think much of drinking, either.

[BlerkOne]

7 hours ago, Djptcp said:

On the Magic in August the cigarette brand choice was extremely limited (Winston, Marlboro, Parliament) and didn't include the Benson Hedges I used to get on Carnival 😞 I didn't buy any cartons. DH thought the liquor selection wasn't what it used to be either.

The pandemic has resulted in lots of supply chain issues including shortages.

[Computer Nerd]

7 hours ago, abby1257 said:

Not sure ....but I will tell you, if you live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, you will pay approximately between $15-17 a pack

But you have "free" healthcare. 🙄

[abby1257]

14 hours ago, Computer Nerd said:

But you have "free" healthcare. 🙄

People seem to think we have "FREE" HEALTH CARE....it's NOT FREE....we pay a lot higher taxes than you guys....a LOT HIGHER.....and I'm not just talking income tax....most of the things you purchase in the store you pay 13% tax on......we DON'T get to write our mortgage interest offf???????

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by abby1257

[beanie315]

On 9/6/2021 at 9:02 AM, Djptcp said:

On the Magic in August the cigarette brand choice was extremely limited (Winston, Marlboro, Parliament) and didn't include the Benson Hedges I used to get on Carnival 😞 I didn't buy any cartons. DH thought the liquor selection wasn't what it used to be either.

Did they have menthol that you remember ?

 

[arkaine23]

They will also price match if you find better deals in ports and take photo evidence.  Cozumel prices were $13 less for a liter of johnny white walker and $4.60 less for liters of jack daniels when I was there last week for example, which had carnival refund me the $22.20 difference for the items I bought.

Edited September 7, 2021 by arkaine23

[TBBucman]

On Mardi Gras last week. L&M menthol were $23 a carton. 

[Barsnikel]

Do not assume that Duty Free is necessarily a great price.  Duty free prices may or may not be such a great deal. I live in a large city (Dallas) and I can get better prices from discount liquor stores. You may be able to do the same, or perhaps not. As in everything else, be an informed consumer and know when you see a good deal and when you don’t. Also, when price comparing, be aware that duty free bottles are usually not the same size as those in the US. Make an apples-to-apples “per ounce” (or liter) comparison.

[Moviela]

The term duty free is often confused with discount from the regular price. I know what the lowest wholesale prices are for liquor, and the prices offered on the ship are at least double, a 100% ROI. There are federal taxes on producers that are part of the wholesale price, and everybody pays that. There are import and state taxes that are excused when you bring back 1L of spirits. There are sellers that do offer liquor for less with all taxes paid, and you don't need to schlep it on your vacation.

[Joe817]

25 minutes ago, Barsnikel said:

Do not assume that Duty Free is necessarily a great price.  Duty free prices may or may not be such a great deal. I live in a large city (Dallas) and I can get better prices from discount liquor stores. You may be able to do the same, or perhaps not. As in everything else, be an informed consumer and know when you see a good deal and when you don’t. Also, when price comparing, be aware that duty free bottles are usually not the same size as those in the US. Make an apples-to-apples “per ounce” (or liter) comparison.

 

You make a good point. I gave in and bought a 1 Ltr bottle of Johnny Walker Black in the Fun Shops on our Vista cruise week before last. It was on "Sale" for the price of $39.00. Which sounded like a great deal at the time. When we debarked in Galveston, we had to declare it to the TABC(Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission). The tax I had to pay for a 1 Ltr bottle was $3.75. No problem! Still a great deal.

 

When we got back to Arlington, I went on line(Spec's) to check out the "real world" price of what I bought on the ship. Come to find out, that same 1 Ltr bottle of Johnny Walker Black was listed on Spec's website for $46.18 + 8.125%(state sales tax, or $3.75), or an all in price for $49.93. So I saved a grand total of $10.93 when bought on ship. So I saved that much. Not a bad deal. But considering I put it on my S&S card, it turned into a FREE deal, as we had racked up $855.77 in OBC. So I guess I did pretty well. I'll take that deal any day! 

[14nascarfan]

Hi Beanie, We are from Nj too. Hope to meet ya!

[Computer Nerd]

10 hours ago, abby1257 said:

People seem to think we have "FREE" HEALTH CARE....it's NOT FREE....we pay a lot higher taxes than you guys....a LOT HIGHER.....and I'm not just talking income tax....most of the things you purchase in the store you pay 13% tax on......we DON'T get to write our mortgage interest offf???????

 

Trust me, I know your health care isn't free. That being said, many of your fellow Canadians keep going on and on about how your heath care is free which is why it's so much better than the American health care system.

 

I don't get to write mortgage interest off either........but maybe that's because I paid cash for my house. 😉

 

[Computer Nerd]

8 hours ago, TBBucman said:

On Mardi Gras last week. L&M menthol were $23 a carton. 

Did you notice if they are carrying Pall Mall now?

[TBBucman]

Did not notice. Lots of Marlboros.

[SNJCruisers]

16 hours ago, abby1257 said:

People seem to think we have "FREE" HEALTH CARE....it's NOT FREE....we pay a lot higher taxes than you guys....a LOT HIGHER.....and I'm not just talking income tax....most of the things you purchase in the store you pay 13% tax on......we DON'T get to write our mortgage interest offf???????

 

If you don't like it, move to the lower 48.