Tax in Florida Port

[george35]

When you order a drink in the ports of FLA. do you have to pay a tax on your drinks even if you have a drink pkg. like classic or above???

 

george35

[sidari]

No, it is already taken into account.

[waterbabyfish]

But with the drinks on us promotion you do have to pay the added tax.

 

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[SirWolf]

But with the drinks on us promotion you do have to pay the added tax.

The 15% on "Drinks on us" promotion is service charge, not sales tax.

The sales tax in Miami is 7% (6% FL sales tax + 1% Miami-Dade County sales tax) but is not added to drinks.

[waterbabyfish]

I have been told they do on msc. Ncl charges the local tax on drinks while still in port!

 

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[deliver42]

I believe NCL is the only one that does. I've been on MSC, RCCI, Carnival, and princess, and never paid the sales tax. I guess they figure it's the cost of doing business without charging the passengers. NCL has a different business model to work with.

[JaxsMama]

Carnival charges sales tax in port before sail away. Maybe 20 or 30 cents per cocktail.

 

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[mickey89]

I believe NCL is the only one that does. I've been on MSC, RCCI, Carnival, and princess, and never paid the sales tax. I guess they figure it's the cost of doing business without charging the passengers. NCL has a different business model to work with.

HAL definitely charge Florida State tax on purchases whilst in Fort Lauderdale. We were caught on a recent B2B cruise on turnaround day.

The worst is when on a Med cruise you pay VAT -10%-21% on top of everything throughout the cruise if you don’t have a non EU port on your itinerary.

[Beamafar]

HAL definitely charge Florida State tax on purchases whilst in Fort Lauderdale. We were caught on a recent B2B cruise on turnaround day.

The worst is when on a Med cruise you pay VAT -10%-21% on top of everything throughout the cruise if you don’t have a non EU port on your itinerary.

 

I've done a few Med cruises visiting only EU ports and have never paid VAT on anything. As you've indicated, there are different VAT rates applied in different EU countries - it would be impossible for the prices to change daily in the onboard shops (which is what would have to happen if they were to charge the relevant VAT for the country that they were porting in).

[LakeWobegon]

Carnival did on the Vista sailing a few weeks back but they gave us a credit to compensate for it. Regardless, it was like 50 cents a drink max on my $17 Grey Goose VX tonics I ordered as part of the Cheers package. So I'd bet you'd be out a few dollar max if you lived it up before the ship set sail.

[tallnthensome]

I'm surprised how many people ask this question on all the cruiseline boards with concern ..... It's like a few cents or even a couple dollars is going to break them yet they can afford to get a cruise ship for thousands of dollars.

[abe3]

Oh it will break them. They will stand in the customer service line hours to dispute a 50 cent tax on a drink.

 

 

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[LakeWobegon]

Well when you guys say it like that it sounds silly. lol. Not to hijack, but noting that, on Vista, I purchased the Faster to the Fun which got me into the Priority Guest Services line along with their Platinum and Diamond members. I realized on the last night that I had forgot to switch my credit card over from the one I booked with. Long story, short, I wanted to switch to my FlexPerks card to earn points. Anywhoo, I would say there were 50+ people in the regular line. One couple in front of me in the Priority line. They spent 15 minutes complaining non-stop about everything but kept noting how much they usually loved Carnival. They didn't anything free or discounted which made my night as I'm sure they were angling for that. People in the long line were laughing at my Priority status as I waited and their line kept moving. Anyway, I asked why so many people there on that last night and all day long and someone told me lots of people likely removing their autotips. WTH? Maybe I'm a fool and getting hoodwinked on the autotips but I dont think so.

[Hlitner]

So the rules have changed in the past few years. At one time, the cruise ships did not charge sales tax when in port. But now, they are required to add sales tax to any transaction while in Florida (and many other ports) waters. If they fail to do so, and do not pay it out of the cruise ship revenue, then they are violating FL law. We have had some experiences on other lines where they will "defer" certain charges until after a ship is well out to sea. That has happened to us when purchasing larger items such as drink packages...while still in port....on some lines. In fact, on a recent cruise a staffer tried to get us to upgrade a drink package (this was not on MSC) and I specifically asked about FL sales tax. He wrote up the package on a manual receipt and said it would not be processed until later that evening (but it was effective immediately).

 

Hank

[jody75]

I've done a few Med cruises visiting only EU ports and have never paid VAT on anything. As you've indicated, there are different VAT rates applied in different EU countries - it would be impossible for the prices to change daily in the onboard shops (which is what would have to happen if they were to charge the relevant VAT for the country that they were porting in).

Why are MSC any different to all other cruise lines - VAT is a legal requirement to be charged on all Intra EU cruises no matter which cruise line - meaning an itinerary without a non EU port. MSC don't publish their rules in this regard but others do. VAT_ob

[Beamafar]

So, which VAT rate should they charge on, say, a west Med cruise - French, Spanish, Italian?

[perakcruiser]

Why are MSC any different to all other cruise lines - VAT is a legal requirement to be charged on all Intra EU cruises no matter which cruise line - meaning an itinerary without a non EU port. MSC don't publish their rules in this regard but others do. VAT_ob

 

I guess they could not charge many guests, it is not allowed to add any kind of tax to the written price in most countries of Europe!

[SirWolf]

Why are MSC any different to all other cruise lines - VAT is a legal requirement to be charged on all Intra EU cruises no matter which cruise line - meaning an itinerary without a non EU port. MSC don't publish their rules in this regard but others do. VAT_ob

The publishing in the link provided in your answer refers to VAT & TAX on goods purchased in shops and boutiques on the ship. Drinks are not mentioned.

[CantSwim63]

The publishing in the link provided in your answer refers to VAT & TAX on goods purchased in shops and boutiques on the ship. Drinks are not mentioned.

 

Here is a link for a cruise critic article "What Is a VAT Tax and Where Will You Find It on a Cruise?" that was updated in early 2018. It appears to answer many of the questions in this thread, and "correct" (did not fact check so as with all online articles consider the source) or clarify several statements made in this trhead.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=3242

[jody75]

So, which VAT rate should they charge on, say, a west Med cruise - French, Spanish, Italian?

The applicable VAT rate is the originating port. In your example it would be French VAT that would be applicable during the full cruise. It is only exempt if the itinerary includes Gibraltar, Kotor, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Israel or one of the Channel Islands.

[SirWolf]

The applicable VAT rate is the originating port. In your example it would be French VAT that would be applicable during the full cruise. It is only exempt if the itinerary includes Gibraltar, Kotor, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Israel or one of the Channel Islands.

Are you talking about goods , drinks or both ? People embarking in different ports (countries) have to pay different VAT accordingly to the origination port ? This is getting confusing... :confused:

[mickey89]

We booked a Celebrity cruise which departed from Barcelona which didn’t have a non-EU port on the itinerary and were hit with VAT on everything we spent onboard. Drinks and specialty dining had 10% added whilst shop purchases had 21% added.

 

We didn’t know about the extra charge until we checked-in where we were given a Celebrity explanation leaflet. Rather annoyed that Celebrity didn’t and still don’t inform their passengers prior to embarkation.

[SirWolf]

We booked a Celebrity cruise which departed from Barcelona which didn’t have a non-EU port on the itinerary and were hit with VAT on everything we spent onboard. Drinks and specialty dining had 10% added whilst shop purchases had 21% added.

 

We didn’t know about the extra charge until we checked-in where we were given a Celebrity explanation leaflet. Rather annoyed that Celebrity didn’t and still don’t inform their passengers prior to embarkation.

I have more and more questions...

Are the 10% VAT on drinks in addition to the 15% service charge ?

Are the 10% VAT added with pre-paid drink package and All-Inclusive Yacht Club ?

Thank you for providing helpful details. I sail in one week on MSC Seaview out of Genoa.

[Beamafar]

SirWolf ... there are no taxes added to drinks prices on Med cruises on MSC ships - whether they visit non-EU ports, or not! VAT (Value ADDED Tax), by its very nature, is INCLUDED in prices quoted in Europe - not added on afterward (like sales tax is in the US). Drinks prices on MSC ships in Europe are the same - regardless of itinerary.

[SirWolf]

Bea, thank you for easing my doubts. Countdown is on for my first cruise in MSC Seaview... :)