Duty free available question

[cruisermsoon]

I wouldn't expect duty free liquor to be sold in the on board duty free shops during a domestic cruise, however what about cruises that go "offshore" to places like Willis Island?

Anybody had experience with this situation?

 

[Aus Traveller]

12 minutes ago, cruisermsoon said:

I wouldn't expect duty free liquor to be sold in the on board duty free shops during a domestic cruise, however what about cruises that go "offshore" to places like Willis Island?

Anybody had experience with this situation?

 

Cruises that go past Willis Island are classified as 'international' for the purposes of duty free, because the ship goes into international waters. This allows the ship to sell duty free alcohol although the prices aren't that great unless the ship is going to Port Vila where the prices are very good.

[Cbtours]

13 minutes ago, cruisermsoon said:

I wouldn't expect duty free liquor to be sold in the on board duty free shops during a domestic cruise, however what about cruises that go "offshore" to places like Willis Island?

Anybody had experience with this situation?

 

This next cruise from 26 June goes round Willis island so someone will be able to tell you next week!!!

[arxcards]

9 minutes ago, cruisermsoon said:

I wouldn't expect duty free liquor to be sold in the on board duty free shops during a domestic cruise, however what about cruises that go "offshore" to places like Willis Island?

Anybody had experience with this situation?

 

Yes,

Cruises that go out past Willis Island have duty free liquor and cigs. They even have a TRS claim desk in the terminal during embarkation - or least they usually do, but no sure how staffing affects that at present.

 

One caveat though. With no competition in port, such as cruises visiting Vanuatu, the pricing of the duty free isn't a whole lot cheaper than a Dan Murphy special, although they may have some two year old stock they want to move.

[MicCanberra]

We haven't  bought duty free alcohol aboard a ship for a long time but some other things maybe worth it, I am told (niece and friends) that some lines of make-up are priced nicely for savings.

[NSWP]

OK my friends, not sure if I have told this story before, bit long winded....Anyway, back in March 2004, We did Star Princess, Sydney to Darwin, then a week in Darwin then Ghan/Indian Pacific back to Sydney. It was the inaugral visit of Star Princess to this region, she was quite new then. So away we go and on the way they opened up the duty free shopping, we were not near Willis Island to my knowledge.  Everybody was buying all the good stuff, booze, ciggies, perfume etc.  So we stopped at Airlie Beach and on the tender I sat next to a bloke who said he was a Customs Officer (on holiday), he asked me if I had bought duty free on the ship, I replied I had, whisky.  He then replied that the ship should not have opened their duty free for pax just doing Sydney to Darwin as the ship was in Australian waters and that he was going to inform Customs HQ of the fact. The ship held our duty free  instore.

 

So, thought nothing more of it. When we arrived in Darwin, before any pax disembarked, a message came over the ship's p.a. system for all those pax who boarded in Sydney or Brisbane and who were disembarking in Darwin, to report straight away to the Princess Theatre. At this stage none of us had received our duty free goodies. So off to the theatre we go, there up on the stage were 2 senior Customs Officers who proceeded to tell us sternly we should not have been permitted to purchase the duty free goods as it was a domestic, coastal cruise for some of us. But on this occasion we would be permitted to have our purchases as it was the ship's error and they would be fined accordingly. So then the curtains opened and there were ship's staff with our goodies, calling our names and out being handed out goods.

 

So, end of story, I don't think Princess Cruises made the same mistake again.  These days they go around Willis Island up north which is considered international waters, but back in 2004, nobody knew.  So there is your morning story from Uncle Les.  

[arxcards]

9 minutes ago, NSWP said:

OK my friends, not sure if I have told this story before, bit long winded....Anyway, back in March 2004, We did Star Princess, Sydney to Darwin, then a week in Darwin then Ghan/Indian Pacific back to Sydney. It was the inaugral visit of Star Princess to this region, she was quite new then. So away we go and on the way they opened up the duty free shopping, we were not near Willis Island to my knowledge.  Everybody was buying all the good stuff, booze, ciggies, perfume etc.  So we stopped at Airlie Beach and on the tender I sat next to a bloke who said he was a Customs Officer (on holiday), he asked me if I had bought duty free on the ship, I replied I had, whisky.  He then replied that the ship should not have opened their duty free for pax just doing Sydney to Darwin as the ship was in Australian waters and that he was going to inform Customs HQ of the fact. The ship held our duty free  instore.

 

So, thought nothing more of it. When we arrived in Darwin, before any pax disembarked, a message came over the ship's p.a. system for all those pax who boarded in Sydney or Brisbane and who were disembarking in Darwin, to report straight away to the Princess Theatre. At this stage none of us had received our duty free goodies. So off to the theatre we go, there up on the stage were 2 senior Customs Officers who proceeded to tell us sternly we should not have been permitted to purchase the duty free goods as it was a domestic, coastal cruise for some of us. But on this occasion we would be permitted to have our purchases as it was the ship's error and they would be fined accordingly. So then the curtains opened and there were ship's staff with our goodies, calling our names and out being handed out goods.

 

So, end of story, I don't think Princess Cruises made the same mistake again.  These days they go around Willis Island up north which is considered international waters, but back in 2004, nobody knew.  So there is your morning story from Uncle Les.  

I think they learned. I did a 2 nighter from Melbourne to Sydney a few years ago, but was part of a Melbourne to Hong Kong cruise. Signs were up on the first night, and they wouldn't let me buy any duty free.

 

Later than yours Les, Royal was doing their own thing. During two domestic cruises in 2009 (7 nighter to Tassie & a 1 night RFDS charity cruise), they were happy to sell duty free. There were also no arrival cards, so didn't have to declare we were within the usual duty free allowance. Someone must have spilled the beans, as they stopped them from doing it the following year.

[MMDown Under]

29 minutes ago, NSWP said:

OK my friends, not sure if I have told this story before, bit long winded....Anyway, back in March 2004, We did Star Princess, Sydney to Darwin, then a week in Darwin then Ghan/Indian Pacific back to Sydney. It was the inaugral visit of Star Princess to this region, she was quite new then. So away we go and on the way they opened up the duty free shopping, we were not near Willis Island to my knowledge.  Everybody was buying all the good stuff, booze, ciggies, perfume etc.  So we stopped at Airlie Beach and on the tender I sat next to a bloke who said he was a Customs Officer (on holiday), he asked me if I had bought duty free on the ship, I replied I had, whisky.  He then replied that the ship should not have opened their duty free for pax just doing Sydney to Darwin as the ship was in Australian waters and that he was going to inform Customs HQ of the fact. The ship held our duty free  instore.

 

So, thought nothing more of it. When we arrived in Darwin, before any pax disembarked, a message came over the ship's p.a. system for all those pax who boarded in Sydney or Brisbane and who were disembarking in Darwin, to report straight away to the Princess Theatre. At this stage none of us had received our duty free goodies. So off to the theatre we go, there up on the stage were 2 senior Customs Officers who proceeded to tell us sternly we should not have been permitted to purchase the duty free goods as it was a domestic, coastal cruise for some of us. But on this occasion we would be permitted to have our purchases as it was the ship's error and they would be fined accordingly. So then the curtains opened and there were ship's staff with our goodies, calling our names and out being handed out goods.

 

So, end of story, I don't think Princess Cruises made the same mistake again.  These days they go around Willis Island up north which is considered international waters, but back in 2004, nobody knew.  So there is your morning story from Uncle Les.  

On my long cruise from Sydney to Perth, they didn't open duty free nor start any activities.  After my first part world cruises to London, it turned me off cruising for thirty years.  

 

My story is about duty free also.  In London wind caused two planes on the tarmac to crash in to each other.  Their international flights were cancelled.  All passengers had to return their duty free purchases to the duty free shop - what a nightmare1  

[MicCanberra]

We have bought duty free on a Sydney to Brisbane cruise, didn't think it would be allowed but it was.

[NSWP]

42 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

We have bought duty free on a Sydney to Brisbane cruise, didn't think it would be allowed but it was.

Oooh, Aaah, when was that Mic? 1922?   Good job there were no off duty Customs Officers on board, lol. They might have spilled the beans, lol.

Edited June 27, 2022 by NSWP

[MicCanberra]

19 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Oooh, Aaah, when was that Mic? 1922?   Good job there were no off duty Customs Officers on board, lol. They might have spilled the beans, lol.

2017 twice.

[NSWP]

24 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

2017 twice.

Perhaps the cruise line paid the duty.  When you compare the Dan Murphy's prices on 'special' and the Airport duty free prices, to be honest there is not a lot of difference on booze prices, given you have to log the grog around too, whereas at Uncle Dan's in the trolley in the car.

Edited June 27, 2022 by NSWP

[cheznandy]

3 hours ago, arxcards said:

I think they learned. I did a 2 nighter from Melbourne to Sydney a few years ago, but was part of a Melbourne to Hong Kong cruise. Signs were up on the first night, and they wouldn't let me buy any duty free.

 

Later than yours Les, Royal was doing their own thing. During two domestic cruises in 2009 (7 nighter to Tassie & a 1 night RFDS charity cruise), they were happy to sell duty free. There were also no arrival cards, so didn't have to declare we were within the usual duty free allowance. Someone must have spilled the beans, as they stopped them from doing it the following year.

I remember the Rhapsody RFDS cruise, when we heard the gossip that they were selling duty free we were straight down there😇.......as it was domestic walked off with about 8 bottles of spirits, yep they stopped that quick. 

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

Perhaps the cruise line paid the duty.  When you compare the Dan Murphy's prices on 'special' and the Airport duty free prices, to be honest there is not a lot of difference on booze prices, given you have to log the grog around too, whereas at Uncle Dan's in the trolley in the car.

True, but then not all duty free is alcohol and/or sold at Dan Murphy's 

[MicCanberra]

When cruising overseas, we have bought the duty free alcohol for cruise friends that were doing B2Bs and have also been the recipient  of such a favour.

[arxcards]

15 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

True, but then not all duty free is alcohol and/or sold at Dan Murphy's 

Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream. Yummo.

Usually a nice bonus early in the season with left over Alaska stock.

[NSWP]

18 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

When cruising overseas, we have bought the duty free alcohol for cruise friends that were doing B2Bs and have also been the recipient  of such a favour.

When were on Arcadia in 2012, Sydney to Southampton, we could buy duty free daily from the shop…like £10  yes 10 quid which is AU$20 for a 1125ml bottle of scotch. My liver was stuffed by the time we reached Gibraltar, lol.

Edited June 27, 2022 by NSWP

[NSWP]

20 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

True, but then not all duty free is alcohol and/or sold at Dan Murphy's 

But 🍷🍺🥃🍹🍾is a priority !