Duty Free Liquor

[seattlecruiser]

Does anyone have any experience in bringing back duty free liquor purchased on board ship? We will be arriving back in Vancouver and then driving to Seattle. I recall that both Canada and the US has a limit on how much you can bring in. We would like to "stock-up" at the great duty free prices but am wondering if this will be allowed or if additional taxes will need to be paid to both Canadian and US customs. I know that when we arrived in Seattle from Alaska last year on the Sapphire Princess we had to declare anything over 1 liter per person and were charged a tax of $2.85 per bottle.

 

By the way, when we did this last year and asked the Duty Free shop what the tax would be they thought it would be about a $1 per bottle...so don't take their word on the potential cost. When arriving in Seattle, anyone with anything to declare meets with a US customs officer on the ship before disembarkment and the fee is levied and paid at that time.

 

Thanks.

[Serious Cruisers]

Rules and duty depend on your country of citizeship. Our Canadian Customs Officer do not care how much liquor you take home. You must deal with US customs (if you are a US citizen) when crossing into WA!!! They will care.

[ladysail2]

Phone your local Customs and Excise Office. Or better yet, if you can obtain the phone number of the actual Customs office at the border...they could tell you the rules of importing excess liquor beyond the 'duty free' limitations.

 

Perhaps on your U.S. Customs website, there may be information for what you want.

Canadians are allowed one litre duty free after a 48 hour visit outside Canada. All liquor above the 1 litre limit is taxed very highly depending on alcohol % of the bottle(s).

 

Your advice is excellent....do not believe the duty free shop's personnel. They are there to sell, not to discourage selling, the items.

[wolfie11]

By the way, "hootch" is very expensive in Alaska due to the taxes. I am always amazed at how cheap the duty free prices are on the ship. If you have an Alaska Amber beer in port, expect to pay about $5 - $5.50 a pint for draft, less for the bottled stuff.

[laughing husky]

Boy, thats the truth.......

[tedjazz]

It seems like the last time I was in Juneau we went to the Alaska Brewery out at Lemon Creek and a case of Amber Ale bottles was fairly reasonable. Amazingly enough they let us take it back to our room when we reboarded the ship. Do you know if the prices at the brewery are still reasonable? Thanks.