Wine and Customs

[MSW117SL]

We are taking an Alaskan Cruise leaving out of Vancouver and I understand we can bring wine on board (subject to corkage fee of course).  How does customs in Vancouver work when trying to take wine bought in Canada onto the cruise ship leave for the US?  Is there a Duty Fee as well?  Just trying to figure out if it is worth the effort of carrying wine on board when leaving out of Vancouver. Thanks!

[cruising cockroach]

US customs doesn't really care as federal and state wine taxes are low.  Just declare it. 

 

Even with buying wine in Canada and paying corkage, it is much cheaper than buying on board for similar quality of wine.

 

No duty-free sales prior to boarding.

 

 

[CVU]

You are allowed 2 bottle of wine per cabin.   Carry it on board and not in your checked bag to the ship.   Wine is a lot more expensive in BC than in the US but you are using US$ if from the US.

[MSW117SL]

Thanks!!

[Jldevlin]

5 hours ago, CVU said:

You are allowed 2 bottle of wine per cabin.   Carry it on board and not in your checked bag to the ship.   Wine is a lot more expensive in BC than in the US but you are using US$ if from the US.

Not on every cruise line ...NCL charges 15 corkage for each bottle ...

[CVU]

8 hours ago, Jldevlin said:

Not on every cruise line ...NCL charges 15 corkage for each bottle ...

Sorry, I usually post on RCL.  Forgot this thread was for everyone and not a specific cruise line.

 

[Heidi13]

22 hours ago, CVU said:

You are allowed 2 bottle of wine per cabin.   Carry it on board and not in your checked bag to the ship.   Wine is a lot more expensive in BC than in the US but you are using US$ if from the US.

Many cruise lines have different policies.

 

Viking Ocean, which has a ship in Vancouver in 2019, has no restrictions on alcohol brought aboard. Don't even charge corkage fees, in the restaurants, to open bottles of wine brought aboard.

[MSW117SL]

Yes, each cruise line has different policies. But I am thinking the customs is the same for all. Sounds like the US doesn't charge a tax by bringing wine in for the cruise - correct?  Thanks for all your help. 

[cruising cockroach]

US customs may charge an excise tax but it'll be very low if they even bother.

 

The question is where will you be getting your wine from?  If outside from Canada, bringing any over the limit (1.5l per person) will be very costly, and no exemptions unless the customs person is kind (they can be buy only by a bottle a person or so).

[CVU]

this a BC liquor store by the Waterfront Station by Canada Place.

[MSW117SL]

We will be buying in Vancouver and carrying it through customs. Just wasn't sure if the Duty fees would cancel out any saving by bringing on board.  Thanks for all the feed back. 

[em-sk]

On 10/27/2018 at 5:30 PM, MSW117SL said:

We will be buying in Vancouver and carrying it through customs. Just wasn't sure if the Duty fees would cancel out any saving by bringing on board.  Thanks for all the feed back. 

 

You also have the option of buying wine in a duty free shop at the airport in the US.  You can only do this at the airport where you will board your flight into Canada.  If you are making a connection in Canada, you need to advise the duty free people of that and they will put it in a special bag with a seal that permitted you to take it through security again.

 

All said, I don't think the duty free shops are a that much different that street prices for for wine these days.

[lamchops]

On 10/23/2018 at 6:30 PM, MSW117SL said:

We are taking an Alaskan Cruise leaving out of Vancouver and I understand we can bring wine on board (subject to corkage fee of course).  How does customs in Vancouver work when trying to take wine bought in Canada onto the cruise ship leave for the US?  Is there a Duty Fee as well?  Just trying to figure out if it is worth the effort of carrying wine on board when leaving out of Vancouver. Thanks!

 

If you are a US citizen entering Canada with wine purchased in in the USA you are entitled to declare 2x 750ml bottles per person without paying duty. You can do whatever you want with that wine including taking it on a cruise ship.

 

If you buy the wine in Vancouver, you can buy as much as you want. If you plan to take that Vancouver purchased wine on the cruise you must follow the cruise lines allowances and restrictions.

 

USA wines are typically 35% more in Vancouver than stateside after the exchange conversion.

 

example: Avalon Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is $35.99cdn ($27us) in Vancouver and you can buy that at total wine for $17.99us ($24cdn) stateside 

 

If you bring wine, buy a good Napa or Californian.

If you buy wine in Vancouver, choose an VQA rated local Okanagan wine. The Italian or French import is also a closer comparable to USA pricing.

 

 I buy my allowance everytime I holiday stateside.

Edited November 27, 2018 by lamchops

[clskinsfan]

On 10/26/2018 at 9:18 PM, cruising cockroach said:

US customs may charge an excise tax but it'll be very low if they even bother.

 

The question is where will you be getting your wine from?  If outside from Canada, bringing any over the limit (1.5l per person) will be very costly, and no exemptions unless the customs person is kind (they can be buy only by a bottle a person or so).

 

This is what I was looking for. So If I am flying from Washington DC to Vancouver I will have to pay a fee to bring 2 bottles of wine into Canada correct?

[cruising cockroach]

No, the 1st 2 bottles of wine is duty free.

[Aesop081]

U.S. citizens crossing the border into Canada to visit are allowed to bring the following item quantities into Canada duty free: 1.5 liters of wine, or 1.14 liters (40 ounces) of liquor, or 24 cans or bottles of beer. 1 carton (200 cigarettes), up to 50 cigars, and 200g of loose tobacco.

 

 

After these amounts duty and fees will be applied.  

[BruceMuzz]

On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 8:07 AM, MSW117SL said:

Yes, each cruise line has different policies. But I am thinking the customs is the same for all. Sounds like the US doesn't charge a tax by bringing wine in for the cruise - correct?  Thanks for all your help. 

You are planning to carry wine from Canada onto a foreign flag ship (not American). American Customs officials have no jurisdiction over it. When the ship enters US waters, the wine is still on a foreign flag ship - technically it is not in the USA. The only time US Customs would possibly get involved would be if you tried to take the wine ashore in a US Port.

[MSW117SL]

Sorry if any of this is confusing. My hope is to buy wine in Vancouver to carry onto my cruise ship leaving Vancouver headed to Whittier Alaska. I know the cruise line rules on wine but wasn't sure how Canadian customes worked as far as me buying in Canada and taking onto a US bound cruise.  Would there be a tax?  No more than 4 to 6 bottles of wine. 

[martincath]

Buying in Vancouver you have already paid all Canadian customs duty, tax etc. In fact you've already paid a pretty penny compared to US jurisdictions! Boarding at Canada Place you literally will not even SEE anyone from Canadian immigration & customs (CBSA) unless you end up in entirely the wrong place - you only have to deal with Security and with US Customs & Immigration.

 

As Bruce noted, you are taking wine from Canada to 'also not the USA' when it is onboard the ship. I've taken wine on, both at and over the ship's per-person limit, and US CBP does not give a cr*p about it unless you say you want to take it OFF the ship (e.g. a US citizen taking a coastal cruise back home to LA who has stocked up caseloads on Okanagan wines while visiting us).

 

So if you plan to drink it onboard, the only thing that matters is ship policy - and you say you already know that part. If in doubt, declare - tell the US CBP agent that you have X bottles for wine for consumption on board the ship. I have no doubt they'll reaffirm what Bruce said, but if you want to play it safe (and judging by how many times you keep asking, you really, REALLy want to be sure about this!!!!!) there's no harm except a minute or two of wasted time double-checking with CBP.

 

So NO tax, NO duty, just whatever FEE is charged by the ship that you apparently are already aware of (actually now I think about it there is one 'hidden' fee but that is at point of purchase - prices on the shelf don't include Sales Taxes - 15% in BC on booze -  but again this has zero impact on your boarding experience!)

[boom_boom]

I've taken my 2 bottles allowed by Celebrity onboard a cruise headed to San Diego from Vancouver multiple times and never been asked by CPB and never volunteered the info. Of course, the wine was long gone before we got off the ship!