Oceana Malta tax

[Robbieglz]

Found this at bottom of email about upcoming fly cruise from Malta:

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CRUISE

For the duration of your cruise, we are required to add 18% Maltese VAT to items purchased in the shops, photo gallery and Oasis Spa (treatments and services are excluded). Throughout your cruise, purchases of duty free liquor and tobacco will also be unavailable. There will be no Maltese VAT added to any other products or services found on board. Prices displayed on items in the shops, photo gallery and Oasis Spa are exclusive of VAT so this element will be added at the time of purchase and detailed separately on your receipt.

 

 

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[Tom Baker]

I assume that the cruise doesn't visit any non EU ports, hence having to pay the prevailing tax. I would have thought that this would also apply to alcohol served on board. Seems the Maltese are missing a trick.

 

Similar thing happens in Spain and Italy on various products and services when ships don't visit non EU countries, though to be honest most lines don't even bother mentioning it and just include it in the costs.

[kruzseeka]

This suddenly became an issue just after the start of the 2017 season of sailings from Malta. We were on the first trip and from what we were told on board it seemed as though this change to the law was very recent and came as quite a surprise to P&O. It was brought up last year in this thread (post #5) in conjunction with issues surrounding Malta Airport.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2485136&highlight=Malta+tax

 

Sadly it looks as though the situation hasn't changed.

[Wiltonian]

Almost all Celebrity Med cruises visit one non-EU country; surprised P&O don't do likewise!

 

Stuart

[Denarius]

On Med cruises from/to Southampton P&O usually visit Gibraltar, which does the trick.

[jocap]

Almost all Celebrity Med cruises visit one non-EU country; surprised P&O don't do likewise!

 

Stuart

They're getting fewer because of political reasons... before all the troubles, on an Eastern Med cruise you could call into Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia for the day; the cruises from Malta don't have that luxury any longer- even Croatia has joined the EU now, so there's another port gone. We're going from the UK to Malta this month, and can call at Gib, but it's too far from Malta for any of those cruises.

Where does X call?

[Robbieglz]

If this was an issue last year I wonder why P and O failed to notify me until 4 weeks before departure? It’s not going to be of any real concern to us, more a question of why communication is poor.

 

 

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[Tom Baker]

If this was an issue last year I wonder why P and O failed to notify me until 4 weeks before departure? It’s not going to be of any real concern to us, more a question of why communication is poor.

 

 

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Welcome to P&O!

 

Their ongoing policy is "We don't inform you of any changes, amendments or price increases until AFTER you've paid your final balance"

[Presto2]

If this is the same cruise we are on we should have been going to Ephesus originally but now Rhodes. To be honest we were happy with the swap.

 

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