Watches?

[Daisyduke70]

Hi - we are sailing on the Epic in May but am currently in the market for a new watch, a self-winding ladies watch - probably a Tag, Brietling or the like. Now.....has anyone bought a watch from the jewellry shop on NCL and got a good deal? Considering that I am in the UK and prices here for these type of watches are a quite a bit higher than in the US.

 

Thanks!

[bguppies]

Hi - we are sailing on the Epic in May but am currently in the market for a new watch, a self-winding ladies watch - probably a Tag, Brietling or the like. Now.....has anyone bought a watch from the jewellry shop on NCL and got a good deal? Considering that I am in the UK and prices here for these type of watches are a quite a bit higher than in the US.

 

Thanks!

 

What is a watch? ;) (as I type this on my typewriter.)

[TrumpyNor]

My husband have bought several watches at a good price on various NCL cruises, they usually have quite a number of trademark watches on sale plus the regular prices are usually lower than the ashore prices for the same watch. PLUS that it is US prices, that usually are lower than the regular European prices. The last bargain my husband did was on the Epic last August when he bought a very nice Invicta watch with 70% discount. He paid $269 for a watch that usually cost $899 on board and is even more expensive ashore, and he was very happy.

 

I am actually in the need of a new watch myself, but have decided to wait until our NCL cruise in June hoping to get a better deal than I would get at home (I live in Norway, not exactly a "cheap" country).

 

If I were you I would wait until the cruise to purchase a new watch - just in case...

Edited April 1, 2014 by TrumpyNOR

[sixesandeights]

Hi - we are sailing on the Epic in May but am currently in the market for a new watch, a self-winding ladies watch - probably a Tag, Brietling or the like. Now.....has anyone bought a watch from the jewellry shop on NCL and got a good deal? Considering that I am in the UK and prices here for these type of watches are a quite a bit higher than in the US.

 

Thanks!

 

I am a rabid watch collector. The deals on NCL were not anywhere near as good as on other lines. In fact the selection and pricing on the Epic overall was mediocre.

 

You will probably have better luck at the watch shops (the legitimate ones) on the islands. I would recommend checking out the NCL shop and picking a watch and getting the price on the first day or so. They never had a sale during the week on any of the watches, so the price they tell you will be there all week. Then check the islands. If you find a better deal then go for it, if not at least you have a backup plan.

 

Good luck!!

 

6&8

[mafig]

My husband got a very good deal on a Breitling at Carat in St. Maartin. However, this was almost ten years ago.

[nets33]

I was interested in a new watch and looked at watches on ship and in port. Found the same watch I had seen on the ship and was offered the exact same price in port. Ended up going with a slightly different model in St. Maarten as the shop had much better selection that the ship did.

 

Most important is to do your research on what you want in a watch and what type of pricing you should expect to receive.

[KeithJenner]

Just as a quick point, suggestions about where to get watches from in the Caribbean, whilst being useful to some, aren't going to help too much here as the OP will be in the Med. :)

[Fishbait17]

I have been in the market to replace/supplement my 15 year old Tag for a while and ran some prices on our last sailing on the Breakaway. I found I could do better by shopping online. Of course, these were US prices online, don't know what you can do in the UK.. Best bet, do some online shopping before your cruise, noting prices on several model numbers, and see how they compare before you decide (it might be hard to match model for model, so get a lot of various prices first)

 

Robin

Edited April 1, 2014 by Fishbait17

[agabbymama]

Check the prices at home for what you want. Then once on-board check out the same watches. Nothing saying you have to buy it on-board, but I did have $100 OBC left the last night of the cruise, that was non-refundable. So I went back to the watch shop and bought a new Guess watch that had caught my eye. I only saved the tax, but it is a lovely watch.

 

Only you can decide what you are willing to pay for.

[swilliams1660]

We priced a ladies Invicta watch recently on the Breakaway, but bought the same watch when we got home on Amazon for much less.

[Cubechick]

What is a watch? ;) (as I type this on my typewriter.)

 

A watch is for those of us who don't want to whip out a phone just to check the time. ;)

[graphicguy]

Not just NCL, but any of the cruise lines are pretty close in price on watches. Prices aren't bad, particularly if you consider there's no taxes charged (not sure about VAT in the Med). The Caribbean jewelry stores seemed to be about the same price wise, but you have to know your prices and you have to "work" them a bit to get similar prices as on the cruise ships. The other downside with buying from the stores in the Caribbean is, while you might believe you have a genuine Breitling, Tag, Concord, etc, you really have to know your stuff as some of the knockoffs out there are really good (speaking from experience).

 

I've bought watches on NCL and RCCL when I came across a decent deal. Those shops push Tags HARD. There must be a nice commission on those.

 

Again, if you know the prices back home, and you find something on the ship that seems like a good deal based on that, at least you have a little protection regarding the ship's jewelry stores (albeit, more convoluted in communicating with those ships' stores vs your local jewelry stores).

 

What I do like about the watches on the ship are for some of the mid brands like Citizen, Seiko, Bulova, Invicta, etc. You can find some nice deals on those and not spend a lot of money.

 

I bought what's turned out to be one of my favorite every day watches on my last cruise. It was an Invicta, japanese automatic movement, that keeps better time than my swiss automatic Ebel. And, it's built well, but was under $100.

 

I think they generally run sales on Tags for 15% off. Check your local jewelers and see if they will do the same.

[sdmike]

Like others said, do your homework on models and prices before you go. That's the only way to know.

 

I fell in love with a Tisot chrono when I was on the Epic and thought "I'll just get it cheaper when I get home". Well, after much looking I finally found the watch for just around the same price on-line. I also had to pay shipping, plus there's some question about whether or not the online seller was an "authorized" seller, although I know the watch is authentic. Had I gotten the watch on board I would have saved myself a bunch of effort and probably some money.

 

Just so you know, a couple of watch brands go on sale on these ships, like Citizen, but it really just gets the prices down to market price from "retail" prices. I think the Citizen watches were 60% off all week, and they had the Ecodrive watch I bought a few years earlier on St. Maartin for basically the same price. Other brands might have slight discounts...I think Fossil was 15% off...maybe Tissot too, but i don't remember any of the expensive brands being discounted off the regular cruise price.

 

Bottom line, do your homework on models and what you could get them for at home. Then price them on the ship. If a good deal on something you like, get it. You'll avoid sales tax/duty and any shipping costs. However, you'll have to deal with whatever custom fees you might have in the UK (not sure how this works) if you declare it. You might find a better deal in port, but I always wonder if everything is those stores is authentic. Also, the ship has limited stock and if you see something you like, it might not be around by the end of the trip.

 

Good luck and happy shopping

[Cropelf]

I agree. Do your research and homework before you go. Then be prepared if you see a bargain. Always best to not be in a hurry. Be sure to understand your country's custom and duty laws before you go. I wouldn't trust what the people in the store say. They aren't going to be there when you try to clear customs when you get off the ship or get home!

[Daisyduke70]

Thanks to you all, but yes, we will be in the Med, not the Carribean :( so some answers, whilst appreciated, are not going to help. But I will be sure to price as much as I can and see if I can bag a bargain on board....DH paying for it....so will get him to work!

 

Thanks to you all again, some interesting info.

[gelo7]

I am a rabid watch collector. The deals on NCL were not anywhere near as good as on other lines. In fact the selection and pricing on the Epic overall was mediocre.

 

You will probably have better luck at the watch shops (the legitimate ones) on the islands. I would recommend checking out the NCL shop and picking a watch and getting the price on the first day or so. They never had a sale during the week on any of the watches, so the price they tell you will be there all week. Then check the islands. If you find a better deal then go for it, if not at least you have a backup plan.

 

Good luck!!

 

6&8

I concur....

[gizfish]

The "deals" one gets on board any of the popular cruise lines for jewelry and watches are really not so great. You would do better at eBay.

[don't-use-real-name]

The "deals" one gets on board any of the popular cruise lines for jewelry and watches are really not so great. You would do better at eBay.

 

ECHO THAT !!!!!

Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph watch retail $600 on ship $450 ebay $350 !

[Seanote]

ECHO THAT !!!!!

Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph watch retail $600 on ship $450 ebay $350 !

 

While I don't disagree that better pricing may be found on eBay, it should be noted that these are often unregulated grey-market sellers. These sales come with risk. Most big brand names--Seiko, Citizens, etc. have a minimum sales price for their authorized resellers. Any watch sold by an unauthorized reseller voids the warranty. Also, there is limited protection from an eBay sale where there have reports of counterfeits, defective or "used" condition product, often with little recourse.

 

While you may find a watch sold at the minimum price on a ship, you can often find a minimum price authorized reseller on Amazon where returns wouldn't be a problem.

[sdmike]

I'd never buy expensive jewelry, including watches, on eBay. While there are plenty of legit sellers and products, there are plenty that are not. I'm not risking my $500 there.

[graphicguy]

I'd never buy expensive jewelry, including watches, on eBay. While there are plenty of legit sellers and products, there are plenty that are not. I'm not risking my $500 there.

 

Agree with this.