Buying cigarettes in Caribbean

[ziggyuk]

I'm away shortly on the Jade, while away my neighbours look after things for me and I want to buy them a couple of cartons of cigarettes as a thank-you.

My Itinerary is:

 

MIAMI
SAN JUAN
ST.THOMAS
SAINT KITTS
BARBADOS
ST.LUCIA
ST. MAARTEN

 

Can anyone recommend the best location for price and ease to buy the cigarettes.

She smokes Benson & Hedges light but would be OK with Marlboro light.

Many thanks.

Edited February 21, 2019 by ziggyuk

[markf]

we  find  st martin, dutch  side  the best price, they  don't  advertise , so  you have to hunt  for it on the main street,

[FranknBeans]

Tobacco could be different than USA in some ports. Your best bet is to  buy at duty free on board.Then if you see cheaper price for same at a port then take a pic and on board will match it. Same for booze.

[BirdTravels]

Ok as long as you declarE them when entering the United States. 

[NYcruzzer]

1 hour ago, markf said:

we  find  st martin, dutch  side  the best price, they  don't  advertise , so  you have to hunt  for it on the main street,

 If I remember correctly  American brands such as Marlboro indicated on the carton that they were NOT made in America with American tobacco.

[df5250]

We found St Thomas to have some of the best prices.  Our ship didn't have the Marlboro brands our last cruise at all... it was very odd.  We also found shops prohibiting photo's of prices, so it is getting harder to take back to the ship for the cruise line to match the price.  Also, check to see that they are made in the US because there are counterfeit US brands in the Caribbean.

[fourofakind]

St. Kitts hands down. I paid $18.00 a carton at a store right in the port area and I don't even smoke lol. I decided to bring a few cartons home for my friends since cartons in NY are like $100.00 each. Huge selection of name brands cigs which my friends all said were good but a little on the light side, so a Marlboro light was more like an ultra light. Maybe the regular Marlboro would be like a Marlboro light one here so just keep in mind strength may be different.

 

A few of the workers on the boat were getting off also to buy cigs since they were cheaper than what NCL charges them.

[ziggyuk]

21 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Ok as long as you declarE them when entering the United States. 

I only want to bring 2 cartons in (400 two of us 200 each) I think you can bring 200 into the US like the UK, hope I'm right.

 

I had them confiscated in Singapore, never knew they changed it to only one open packet since my last visit!

[ziggyuk]

Thank you all,

St Thomas or St Kitts hmmm that makes it tough if I choose wrong but $18 a carton is very low.

 

Glad I don't smoke now, apparently they are £10 ($13.05) a pack now in the UK!

Edited February 22, 2019 by ziggyuk

[markf]

NYC price  for  a pack of cigarettes  is  over  $15

[OCruisers]

No matter where you buy cigaretters at your Caribbean port stops, they'll be WAY less expensive than what your friends who smoke would pay at home.  

[mking8288]

We don't smoke nor endorse it, except as gifts for someone that can't or won't kick the addiction.  Check with UK duty-free exemptions but for those returning to the US, cigarette purchased at St. Thomas, USVI get special exemptions, 5 cartoons (five) per person and 5 liters of liquor (1 of which must be made locally on USVI) - be sure to keep & be prepared to show those receipts upon return to the U.S.  A higher duty-free U.S. exemption is allowed. 

 

Havensight Shopping Mall, less than a 5 minutes walk from the ships/piers has shops with posted prices for cartoons & liters of alcohol, etc.  (USD) and they're cheaper than those onboard ship's duty-free "store".  

https://visitstthomas.com/shopping_duty_free.html

[mommyto2girls]

St Thomas at  A.H Riis They have  American made and the best prices.. all the other islands are European blend and very strong. San Juan the duty free shop at the pier if you dock in Old San Juan. 

[df5250]

Last year Marb lights in St Thomas were around $35 per carton, which is still way cheaper than here in the Boston area. The year before they were around $25 a carton, and $35 on the ship, so the prices are going up each year.

[mommyto2girls]

7 hours ago, df5250 said:

Last year Marb lights in St Thomas were around $35 per carton, which is still way cheaper than here in the Boston area. The year before they were around $25 a carton, and $35 on the ship, so the prices are going up each year.

But there the on,6 place the cigarettes are American made not European or Central America 

[markf]

I am certain that St Martin is  cheaper than the duty free on board--I  also believe  it may be  cheaper  than St  Thomas

[ziggyuk]

Thanks all, this does give me a better idea where to look and where not to bother with.

Thanks for the help.

I think I will check St Thomas, aim to buy in St Kitts, and keep St Martin as my fall back as it's the last stop.

If I can get 2 cartons at $20 each, I will be very happy.

 

[fourofakind]

On ‎2‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 11:56 AM, ziggyuk said:

Thanks all, this does give me a better idea where to look and where not to bother with.

Thanks for the help.

I think I will check St Thomas, aim to buy in St Kitts, and keep St Martin as my fall back as it's the last stop.

If I can get 2 cartons at $20 each, I will be very happy.

 

 

I think that's a good plan. I know some people are cautioning against the blends that are not American made but my experience from St. Kitts was good. They definitely weren't American blend but it clearly stated on the packaging the name brand and where they were made, I think it was European but I cant recall since it was almost a year ago.

 

I forgot to mention in my first post that although my friends said they were slightly lighter they also said that they burned better and tasted better. Wondering if the American blend maybe has some added chemical that the others don't have. Don't know but I thought it was interesting. I will definitely purchase more next time as they were well liked.

 

Let us know how it works out for you and enjoy your cruise!

[kfnesq]

Having just come back from St. Maarten with smokers, I can confirm that a) the Dutch side seemed to have very good prices, and b) you can bring in ONE carton per person into the US.  The couple we were with brought two EACH and had to pay $20 tax, which apparently still made the cartons much cheaper purchasing in the states. 

[kitty-sail]

On 2/22/2019 at 11:11 AM, fourofakind said:

St. Kitts hands down. I paid $18.00 a carton at a store right in the port area and I don't even smoke lol. I decided to bring a few cartons home for my friends since cartons in NY are like $100.00 each. Huge selection of name brands cigs which my friends all said were good but a little on the light side, so a Marlboro light was more like an ultra light. Maybe the regular Marlboro would be like a Marlboro light one here so just keep in mind strength may be different.

 

A few of the workers on the boat were getting off also to buy cigs since they were cheaper than what NCL charges them.

Do you happen to remember the name of the store or a more precise location. Will be in St Kitts next month and appreciate reply.

[fourofakind]

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 8:36 PM, kitty-sail said:

Do you happen to remember the name of the store or a more precise location. Will be in St Kitts next month and appreciate reply.

 

Don't remember the name of the store but you have to walk past it as you get into the port. Once you go through the yellow arch that welcomes you to St. Kitts the store is a few steps away on your right hand side.

[ziggyuk]

Just to feed back on this, I especially wanted Benson & Hedges Silver as that is my neighbours brand.

 

I did not check prices in San Juan or St Thomas.

I bought in St Kitts at $24 a carton in the duty free right on the dock (they also had Malbourgh at $22).

Barbados, St Lucia and St Maarren were all $38 a carton in the duty free at port. I did see a shop in the french side of St Martain advertising Malbourgh for $24 on a sign.

Although I did not check San Juan or St Thomas, I made the right choice from the remaing islands.

 

Thanks for the advice and I hope this helps others.

[kitty-sail]

1 hour ago, ziggyuk said:

Just to feed back on this, I especially wanted Benson & Hedges Silver as that is my neighbours brand.

 

I did not check prices in San Juan or St Thomas.

I bought in St Kitts at $24 a carton in the duty free right on the dock (they also had Malbourgh at $22).

Barbados, St Lucia and St Maarren were all $38 a carton in the duty free at port. I did see a shop in the french side of St Martain advertising Malbourgh for $24 on a sign.

Although I did not check San Juan or St Thomas, I made the right choice from the remaing islands.

 

Thanks for the advice and I hope this helps others.

thanks a bunch for your info.

[zqvol]

Be aware of your custom allowance when bringing cigarettes back into the US. It is 200 cigarettes for each person over 18.

[dcruiser50]

I believe if you check cigarettes purchased in st Thomas do not require you to declare them, since it is a US territory