Sales tax in US ports

[Hlitner]

A few years ago we boarded a Celebrity ship, at Port Everglades, for a few weeks in the Caribbean.  We had the basic (at the time) beverage package which we intended to upgrade to a Premium package.  As soon as we boarded the ship we saw an "old friend" bar tender who was staffing a table selling beverage packages.  We stopped to say hello, and I told him we were going to upgrade our package and would be happy to give the sale to him.  But I mentioned that we would wait until in International Waters since we did not want to pay Florida Sales Tax (it might have been 6% at the time).  He said, "no problem" and he wrote it up on a manual receipt and assured us it would not be turned-in or processed until that evening :).   The point is if you are making a larger purchase (like a drink package) it is best to wait until in International Waters unless you have assurances that it will not be processed until that time.  The same thing can happen in Europe (sometimes you cannot avoid VAT depending on your itinerary) so there is much to say for booking packages before you ever get on the ship.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

On 11/18/2021 at 6:47 PM, Pyrate13 said:

Not sure as to your question but... there is no port in Orlando. The Atlantic is a good 50 miles or so East from Orlando. Never understood why cruise lines say they stop in Orlando.

Of course  ---   all of their promotional stuff is absolutely truthful.

[navybankerteacher]

4 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I think most figure it out fairly quickly.  I can never remember exactly where Civitavecchia is except of course it is generally west of Rome (can't spell it half the time either).       

 

How about major cruise destination cities on the ocean that have distant cruise ports?  I can think of one major one right away -- Venice.  

Or Bayonne, or Brooklyn  - for New York.

[ontheweb]

9 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Or Bayonne, or Brooklyn  - for New York.

Brooklyn is actually part of New York City. 🤦‍♂️

[Philob]

12 hours ago, 6rugrats said:

Seems pretty drastic to arrest someone.

It's called bootlegging. Them revenuers want their money! 😎

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Brooklyn is actually part of New York City. 🤦‍♂️

Of course it is one of the boroughs of the city, just like the Bronx — but when people talk about visiting New York City they are essentially thinking of New York County (Manhattan) and not Richmond or Kings County.

 

 

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course it is one of the boroughs of the city, just like the Bronx — but when people talk about visiting New York City they are essentially thinking of New York County (Manhattan) and not Richmond or Kings County.

 

 

But this is not nearly the same situation as Florence, Rome, Athens, London, or Paris.

 

Even if only Manhattan is what you intend to see it is merely a cab, bus, or subway ride away.

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

But this is not nearly the same situation as Florence, Rome, Athens, London, or Paris.

 

Even if only Manhattan is what you intend to see it is merely a cab, bus, or subway ride away.

 

It is not the same at all.   Your examples are inland cruise ship destinations with remote ports.  NBT and I were talking about cruise destinations that while located on navigable waters have remote cruise ports.  

[ontheweb]

54 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

It is not the same at all.   Your examples are inland cruise ship destinations with remote ports.  NBT and I were talking about cruise destinations that while located on navigable waters have remote cruise ports.  

I know London is listed as a departure port, sometimes as London (Dover) which we have done and sometimes as London (Southampton) which we had cancelled by Covid and now have booked for next summer.

[Pyrate13]

On 11/17/2022 at 4:58 PM, ldubs said:

 

I'm pretty sure the OP knows this.   As already said, it is just commonly done.  Not something to get too worked up about, IMO.  

Don't count on it. I've seen plenty of interviews where young folk couldn't even locate the US on a world map. And, whose worked up? Just stating a fact.

Edited November 18, 2022 by Pyrate13

[navybankerteacher]

7 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

It is not the same at all.   Your examples are inland cruise ship destinations with remote ports.  NBT and I were talking about cruise destinations that while located on navigable waters have remote cruise ports.  

Manhattan fills the bill - it is a cruise ship destination located on navigable waters (the North River), which has remote cruise ports:  Brooklyn and Bayonne.  I have always wondered why the numerous piers on the west side of Manhattan have been allowed to rot and crumble into the river, while facilities in (relatively) remote Bayonne and Brooklyn are pushed.

[sandiego1]

12 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course it is one of the boroughs of the city, just like the Bronx — but when people talk about visiting New York City they are essentially thinking of New York County (Manhattan) and not Richmond or Kings County.

 

 

New York City is comprised of 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens.

[ldubs]

8 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I know London is listed as a departure port, sometimes as London (Dover) which we have done and sometimes as London (Southampton) which we had cancelled by Covid and now have booked for next summer.

 

I've been out of Southampton quite a few times.  Haven't made it to Dover -- yet.   

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, Pyrate13 said:

Don't count on it. I've seen plenty of interviews where young folk couldn't even locate the US on a world map. And, whose worked up? Just stating a fact.

Sorry, didn't mean you.  I think the average person will figure it out without too much trouble.   Hopefully the OP, even if a young person, will be able to locate the US on a map.  

Edited November 19, 2022 by ldubs

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Manhattan fills the bill - it is a cruise ship destination located on navigable waters (the North River), which has remote cruise ports:  Brooklyn and Bayonne.  I have always wondered why the numerous piers on the west side of Manhattan have been allowed to rot and crumble into the river, while facilities in (relatively) remote Bayonne and Brooklyn are pushed.

 

Isn't there a cruise port across the river in New Jersey also?  Seems we went through there at least once.   

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I've been out of Southampton quite a few times.  Haven't made it to Dover -- yet.   

One of the nice things about Dover was our trip back to Heathrow. We took a Princess excursion that had us explore Dover and then go to Canterbury. On our cancelled Norwegian fjords cruise out of Southampton, we were going to also take the Princess excursion back to Heathrow. This one went to Stonehenge, and DW said she was looking forward to this even more than the cruise itself.

[chengkp75]

8 hours ago, sandiego1 said:

New York City is comprised of 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens.

And, each one of those 5 boroughs is a separate county.  Manhattan (New York County), the Bronx (Bronx County), Brooklyn (Kings County), Queens (Queens County) and Staten Island (Richmond County).

[navybankerteacher]

9 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Isn't there a cruise port across the river in New Jersey also?  Seems we went through there at least once.   

 

9 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Isn't there a cruise port across the river in New Jersey also?  Seems we went through there at least once.   

Yes - that is what I referred to as “(relatively) remote Bayonne”.   

[Hlitner]

11 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Manhattan fills the bill - it is a cruise ship destination located on navigable waters (the North River), which has remote cruise ports:  Brooklyn and Bayonne.  I have always wondered why the numerous piers on the west side of Manhattan have been allowed to rot and crumble into the river, while facilities in (relatively) remote Bayonne and Brooklyn are pushed.

I don't think that is much of a mystery.  Those piers, that are located up and down the Hudson and East Rivers are owned by different entities ranging from private companies to the Port Authority.  So while the Port Authority of NY/NJ owns the Red Hook facility (and nearby container terminal) as well as the Manhattan Cruise Terminal (12th Ave, Manhattan) and facility at Cape Liberty (Bayonne) there are other decaying piers owned by developers, various companies (some bankrupt), etc.  Eventually, some of these crumbling structures do get developed (you can see some good examples in south Manhattan while others rot for decades while various interests try to get through the NYC bureaucracy to get the necessary permits to develop the sites.  Sometimes everyone does get their act together and you do get good results such as South Street Seaport and the area around parts of Hoboken, NJ which went from rotting to expensive developments.  The history of the port at Bayonne is fascinating.  At one point it was owned by the US War Department and fell into disrepair.  The Port Authority if NY/NJ managed to get ownership away from the Federal Government and developed the facility with the financial help of RCI. 

 

The Port Authority is a very political organization, but somehow, they do get some things done.  Over the years we have watched as they gradually improved the three cruise ports (Manhattan, Brooklyn and Bayonne).  On the other hand, nothing gets done in any of those ports unless it has the stamp of approval of the various labor unions (such as the International Longshoremen's Association).  And I doubt if anyone can change a lightbulb in any of those areas unless it is done by a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.  A new bulb probably costs a few dollars, but the cost of getting it replaced is probably measured in the hundreds of dollars.  DW and I once sat on our luggage, just outside the door into the Manhattan cruise terminal, because HAL had only hired a single "gang" of Longshoremen to handle the luggage.  We happened to arrive during their lunch hour and they told us, in very strong language, that we had to wait until 1pm (after their lunch hour) before we could drop our luggage.  It was an amusing moment shared by a few passengers embarking on the Prinsendam.

 

Hank

 

 

 

 

[ldubs]

34 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I don't think that is much of a mystery.  Those piers, that are located up and down the Hudson and East Rivers are owned by different entities ranging from private companies to the Port Authority.  So while the Port Authority of NY/NJ owns the Red Hook facility (and nearby container terminal) as well as the Manhattan Cruise Terminal (12th Ave, Manhattan) and facility at Cape Liberty (Bayonne) there are other decaying piers owned by developers, various companies (some bankrupt), etc.  Eventually, some of these crumbling structures do get developed (you can see some good examples in south Manhattan while others rot for decades while various interests try to get through the NYC bureaucracy to get the necessary permits to develop the sites.  Sometimes everyone does get their act together and you do get good results such as South Street Seaport and the area around parts of Hoboken, NJ which went from rotting to expensive developments.  The history of the port at Bayonne is fascinating.  At one point it was owned by the US War Department and fell into disrepair.  The Port Authority if NY/NJ managed to get ownership away from the Federal Government and developed the facility with the financial help of RCI. 

 

The Port Authority is a very political organization, but somehow, they do get some things done.  Over the years we have watched as they gradually improved the three cruise ports (Manhattan, Brooklyn and Bayonne).  On the other hand, nothing gets done in any of those ports unless it has the stamp of approval of the various labor unions (such as the International Longshoremen's Association).  And I doubt if anyone can change a lightbulb in any of those areas unless it is done by a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.  A new bulb probably costs a few dollars, but the cost of getting it replaced is probably measured in the hundreds of dollars.  DW and I once sat on our luggage, just outside the door into the Manhattan cruise terminal, because HAL had only hired a single "gang" of Longshoremen to handle the luggage.  We happened to arrive during their lunch hour and they told us, in very strong language, that we had to wait until 1pm (after their lunch hour) before we could drop our luggage.  It was an amusing moment shared by a few passengers embarking on the Prinsendam.

 

Hank

 

 

Gosh, it has been a while since I've been there but what you say about Hoboken and South Street Seaport is dead bang on.   

[sandiego1]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

And, each one of those 5 boroughs is a separate county.  Manhattan (New York County), the Bronx (Bronx County), Brooklyn (Kings County), Queens (Queens County) and Staten Island (Richmond County).

Not really relevant. All 5 boroughs are part on NYC. The same sales tax is charged in all 5 boroughs. Docking in any of those locations would qualify as being IN NYC.

 

I grew up in NYC and visit friends and family regularly in several boroughs 😀
 

Bayonne definitely doesn’t qualify as NYC. It’s in a completely different state!  It’s a bit of a schlep to get into Manhattan from there.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, sandiego1 said:

Not really relevant. All 5 boroughs are part on NYC. The same sales tax is charged in all 5 boroughs. Docking in any of those locations would qualify as being IN NYC.

 

I grew up in NYC and visit friends and family regularly in several boroughs 😀
 

Bayonne definitely doesn’t qualify as NYC. It’s in a completely different state!  It’s a bit of a schlep to get into Manhattan from there.

Right, absolutely dead on. NY City is more than Manhattan. And New Jersey is not New York City. I do not know why there is any confusion about that.

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Right, absolutely dead on. NY City is more than Manhattan. And New Jersey is not New York City. I do not know why there is any confusion about that.

 

No confusion about Bayonne NJ.  It was only mentioned as a port remote from NYC.  

The whole thing about the NYC boroughs and different counties is confusing to me, but I don't go there very often.