Dutyfree spirits on Princess?

[CarolineAtSea]

Is there a dutyfree bottleshop on Princess cruises? 

[Aus Traveller]

Yes, but the prices are not particularly good. If you are going on a cruise to the islands, there are great prices in Port Vila.

[CarolineAtSea]

12 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Yes, but the prices are not particularly good. If you are going on a cruise to the islands, there are great prices in Port Vila.

Thanks. We are heading to New Zealand. We have never travelled overseas before and are not familiar with how dutyfree works. Can we just go into any bottleshop onshore and get dutyfree prices or do we have to be at an airport?

[Aus Traveller]

11 hours ago, CarolineAtSea said:

Thanks. We are heading to New Zealand. We have never travelled overseas before and are not familiar with how dutyfree works. Can we just go into any bottleshop onshore and get dutyfree prices or do we have to be at an airport?

You can't get duty free spirits at bottleshops, only at duty free stores. I assume because you mention Princess, that you will be cruising on a Princess ship, but you didn't mention whether you are flying to NZ to board the ship or cruising from Australia to NZ. 

 

If you are flying, do not buy at the Brisbane or Auckland airports, because the alcohol would be confiscated when you board the ship. If the cruise is from Australia, then around the various NZ ports and returning to Australia, then probably the best place to buy the alcohol would be on board the ship. Alternatively, you can buy ashore in NZ (Galleria in Auckland isn't too bad). In both instances, the ship will keep the alcohol until just before you disembark.

 

If your cruise ends in NZ and you will be flying back to Australia, DO NOT BUY ALCOHOL ON THE SHIP. (Sorry to put this in caps, but it is critically important.) Passengers are NOT permitted to take alcohol through security to board an international flight. The alcohol would be confiscated at Auckland airport. I have seen this happen. If your cruise ends in NZ, you can buy alcohol in the Auckland airport (after you go through security) or on arrival in Brisbane. The latter is simpler.

 

Have a fantastic cruise. BTW, when is it?

[Iainmac]

Aus Traveller has pretty much covered it.  There is not much duty on spirits and what saving there is added to the profit made by the so called duty free outlet.  If you are sailing Auckland back to Oz then depending on sales aboard the ship there will sometimes be a 'special' like buy two at a lower price during the last few days.  If flying back see what promotions are available at your arrival airport.  I find it is not worth lugging heavy bottles around just to save a couple of dollars.  Here in NZ I've often found that the big liquor outlets have cheaper prices than our airports.  Check your local prices before you leave and decide if it is worth the hassle of carting booze around.

Iain

[CarolineAtSea]

2 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

You can't get duty free spirits at bottleshops, only at duty free stores. I assume because you mention Princess, that you will be cruising on a Princess ship, but you didn't mention whether you are flying to NZ to board the ship or cruising from Australia to NZ. 

 

If you are flying, do not buy at the Brisbane or Auckland airports, because the alcohol would be confiscated when you board the ship. If the cruise is from Australia, then around the various NZ ports and returning to Australia, then probably the best place to buy the alcohol would be on board the ship. Alternatively, you can buy ashore in NZ (Galleria in Auckland isn't too bad). In both instances, the ship will keep the alcohol until just before you disembark.

 

If your cruise ends in NZ and you will be flying back to Australia, DO NOT BUY ALCOHOL ON THE SHIP. (Sorry to put this in caps, but it is critically important.) Passengers are NOT permitted to take alcohol through security to board an international flight. The alcohol would be confiscated at Auckland airport. I have seen this happen. If your cruise ends in NZ, you can buy alcohol in the Auckland airport (after you go through security) or on arrival in Brisbane. The latter is simpler.

 

Have a fantastic cruise. BTW, when is it?

Wow thanks, that is very comprehensive information, perfect. We are leaving from Melbourne in March (if we haven't all turned into zombies by then) on the cruise, so your suggestion of buying at Auckland sounds like the best option. My husband has googled Galleria and they have what he wants. 

[CarolineAtSea]

1 hour ago, Iainmac said:

Aus Traveller has pretty much covered it.  There is not much duty on spirits and what saving there is added to the profit made by the so called duty free outlet.  If you are sailing Auckland back to Oz then depending on sales aboard the ship there will sometimes be a 'special' like buy two at a lower price during the last few days.  If flying back see what promotions are available at your arrival airport.  I find it is not worth lugging heavy bottles around just to save a couple of dollars.  Here in NZ I've often found that the big liquor outlets have cheaper prices than our airports.  Check your local prices before you leave and decide if it is worth the hassle of carting booze around.

Iain

Thanks. My husband has checked prices here and it is quite expensive compared to Galleria's prices. So I guess he figures the saving is worth it. I'll stick to dutyfree jewellery, it will be easier to carry! 🙂

[getting older slowly]

From what I have seen on our NZ cruises, honestly not worth the bother.... go to Dan Murphy's instead..

 

Also the range in limited , they only had one which I actually drink... and it was cheaper at Dan's.

 

Cheers Don 

[Porky55]

On the other hand, sometimes on the ships, they do have a “fire sale” on alcohol. We had 2 on Sea Princess during our 11 day cruise to PNG - but it was before Christmas.

Just do some research, know your prices then decide whether the ‘sale’ price is a good one, for you both personally. 
Enjoy your cruise 🌹

[OzKiwiJJ]

Also you can pack bottles in your checked luggage when flying. Take some bubble wrap and a good supply of large ziplock bags. Wrap the bottle in a layer of bubble wrap, seal it in a ziplock bag, invert it and seal it a second ziplock bag. Pack between layers of clothing in suitcase. We've brought alcohol home from overseas trips many times like this without any problems. 

[CarolineAtSea]

1 hour ago, getting older slowly said:

From what I have seen on our NZ cruises, honestly not worth the bother.... go to Dan Murphy's instead..

 

Also the range in limited , they only had one which I actually drink... and it was cheaper at Dan's.

 

Cheers Don 

 

1 hour ago, getting older slowly said:

From what I have seen on our NZ cruises, honestly not worth the bother.... go to Dan Murphy's instead..

 

Also the range in limited , they only had one which I actually drink... and it was cheaper at Dan's.

 

Cheers Don 

My husband is looking for a top shelf bourbon which is called Wild Turkey Rare Breed. It is around $99 at Dan Murphy's and he has seen it for between $61 to $70 NZ dutyfree. He figures that if it is available and he buys a couple of bottles he could save almost $80.

[CarolineAtSea]

19 minutes ago, Porky55 said:

On the other hand, sometimes on the ships, they do have a “fire sale” on alcohol. We had 2 on Sea Princess during our 11 day cruise to PNG - but it was before Christmas.

Just do some research, know your prices then decide whether the ‘sale’ price is a good one, for you both personally. 
Enjoy your cruise 🌹

Thanks for the tip. 

[CarolineAtSea]

9 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Also you can pack bottles in your checked luggage when flying. Take some bubble wrap and a good supply of large ziplock bags. Wrap the bottle in a layer of bubble wrap, seal it in a ziplock bag, invert it and seal it a second ziplock bag. Pack between layers of clothing in suitcase. We've brought alcohol home from overseas trips many times like this without any problems. 

Thanks. Hadn't thought to take bubble wrap. Will pack some and use in carry-on luggage. Don't trust the airlines with the checked luggage. Although we are not flying to NZ we have a flight home from Melbourne.

[Aus Traveller]

35 minutes ago, CarolineAtSea said:

Thanks. Hadn't thought to take bubble wrap. Will pack some and use in carry-on luggage. Don't trust the airlines with the checked luggage. Although we are not flying to NZ we have a flight home from Melbourne.

Is your flight home from NZ to Melbourne (therefore international with the restrictions), or are you flying home on a domestic flight after the cruise? If the flight is domestic, you can carry the alcohol in your hand luggage.

[MicCanberra]

17 hours ago, CarolineAtSea said:

Is there a dutyfree bottleshop on Princess cruises? 

Yes, but depending on the cruise, domestic vs International, it may not be open for business. I have (like the others here) found that the prices are generally not great but sometimes there may be a particular spirit that is a good bargain. For that bourbon your Hubby is after, I would not think that you will find it in a ship's bottle shop ( I haven't seen it anyway).

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

Yes, but depending on the cruise, domestic vs International, it may not be open for business. I have (like the others here) found that the prices are generally not great but sometimes there may be a particular spirit that is a good bargain. For that bourbon your Hubby is after, I would not think that you will find it in a ship's bottle shop ( I haven't seen it anyway).

I agree with your last comment. From what I have seen, the ships carry a very limited range of alcohol. Understandable.

 

The OP is going on a cruise to NZ so there would be duty free sales on board.

[MicCanberra]

1 minute ago, Aus Traveller said:

I agree with your last comment. From what I have seen, the ships carry a very limited range of alcohol. Understandable.

 

The OP is going on a cruise to NZ so there would be duty free sales on board.

No worries, I know I have seen just the White label and the Honey bourbon for Wild Turkey.

[CarolineAtSea]

6 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Is your flight home from NZ to Melbourne (therefore international with the restrictions), or are you flying home on a domestic flight after the cruise? If the flight is domestic, you can carry the alcohol in your hand luggage.

It's a domestic flight. The cruise brings us back to Melbourne then we board a plane to go home.