Purchasing Duty Free Cigarettes

[CGrey93]

Hello,

For my fellow smokers with recent experiences, I have a few questions about purchasing Duty Free cigarettes on board the ship.

 

1. US customs has information stating that the maximum number of cigarettes is 200 per person. When I read the information available on US customs website, I'm unclear if you can declare more than the 200 and pay the duty for the overage, or if they will simply confiscate anything over 200.

 

2. We'll be on Carnival Spirit. I know they hold alcohol until the end of the cruise, but are you allowed to take cigarettes at the time of purchase?

 

3. What was the onboard price of cigarettes (Newport), when you were last onboard and when was that?

 

4. Is it cheaper, more expensive, or about the same to purchase from Carnival or in one of the duty free shops in the Caribbean? 

 

For anyone who wants to offer ideas for "ways to get around customs", I appreciate you wanting to be helpful, but I am a rule-follower to the extreme. The guilt and stress would kill me if I even tried to bend the rules. I want to make sure I'm completely following all US customs rules and regulations 100%

 

Thank you so much for any assistance you can provide.

 

[kalmich]

My recent experience was you are supposed to only get one carton per person but no one checks.  (I'm also a rule follower so I only bought one.)  They give them to you upon purchase.  I paid $48 for a carton of Benson & Hedges; I'm sure Newports are the same or less.  I wasn't in the Caribbean so I don't know if the shops on shore carry them.

 

My trip was to Mexico and they didn't even have us do the customs forms.

[CGrey93]

19 minutes ago, kalmich said:

My recent experience was you are supposed to only get one carton per person but no one checks.  (I'm also a rule follower so I only bought one.)  They give them to you upon purchase.  I paid $48 for a carton of Benson & Hedges; I'm sure Newports are the same or less.  I wasn't in the Caribbean so I don't know if the shops on shore carry them.

 

My trip was to Mexico and they didn't even have us do the customs forms.

Thank you. That's quite helpful.

 

The Customs site says that if you can verify American Goods Returning (AGR), they would not count towards your allowance of 200 per person. Hubby and I both smoke, so we're packing 1 carton each to take with us (more than we really need) and taping the receipt to the carton. We'd only be buying 3 cartons anyway, so if we are allowed to take them with us after purchase, we could share the 3rd carton and use it before ever leaving the ship. Then, we'd just have the one carton each we're allowed and whatever was left of what we brought with us, which we'd have receipts for and they would all have the American Tax Stamps on them to verify.

 

I'm sure they probably won't check, but I want to do things the right way, and it would drive me nuts to make a customs mistake, even accidentally.

 

I know, I sound like a bit of a lunatic, but any worries I can eliminate before we travel make the trip so much nicer.

 

Again, thank you.

[mondello]

They no longer require the Customs Declaration form. You walk right past Customs using the facial recognition of you have a passport; those using birth certificates still have to wait in line. Buying 3 cartons is definitely no problem; even when they had the declaration form, they’d wave you right past because they don’t wanna do the paperwork for extra booze or cigarettes.  
 

Galveston requests voluntary compliance with payment on booze for state tax. Most probably walk on past because they don’t stop and search people.

[Purvis1231]

8 hours ago, CGrey93 said:

Hello,

For my fellow smokers with recent experiences, I have a few questions about purchasing Duty Free cigarettes on board the ship.

 

1. US customs has information stating that the maximum number of cigarettes is 200 per person. When I read the information available on US customs website, I'm unclear if you can declare more than the 200 and pay the duty for the overage, or if they will simply confiscate anything over 200.

 

2. We'll be on Carnival Spirit. I know they hold alcohol until the end of the cruise, but are you allowed to take cigarettes at the time of purchase?

 

3. What was the onboard price of cigarettes (Newport), when you were last onboard and when was that?

 

4. Is it cheaper, more expensive, or about the same to purchase from Carnival or in one of the duty free shops in the Caribbean? 

 

For anyone who wants to offer ideas for "ways to get around customs", I appreciate you wanting to be helpful, but I am a rule-follower to the extreme. The guilt and stress would kill me if I even tried to bend the rules. I want to make sure I'm completely following all US customs rules and regulations 100%

 

Thank you so much for any assistance you can provide.

 

Why would you want to get around customs? Lying to a federal official is a crime- just pay the few bucks and go on without risking more trouble. 

[havanadaydreaming]

the Mrs consistently buys 4-5 cartons of cigs on cruises.   MOST of the  time we find the best deals in port shops.   sometimes prices vary, significantly, from shop to shop in same complex.  

 

 

[sammee]

1 hour ago, Purvis1231 said:

Why would you want to get around customs? Lying to a federal official is a crime- just pay the few bucks and go on without risking more trouble. 

He isn't read it again, he's thanking those offering that kind of help but declining it.

[sammee]

I buy them for my cat sitter. I keep seeing the buy 3 get 1 free deals, but haven't found a clear answer what the cost would be if you declared them.

[mz-s]

You used to have to meet with a customs official and show your passport/id etc and answer "anything to declare?" before leaving the terminal. No more. You just walk out. So I'm not sure how you'd pay the extra duty even if you wanted to? Mail a check to CBP once you get home maybe.

[ldubs]

Last cruise they were selling 4 cartons of some Marlboro brand for the price of 3.  About $150. We had one smoker in our group.  He made out pretty well I guess.   

[Purvis1231]

3 hours ago, sammee said:

He isn't read it again, he's thanking those offering that kind of help but declining it.

I read that Grey wasn't planning on cheating so I should have said anyone instead of you.  On my last trip there were custom agents in the port to pay the fees. The fees vary since the states have to get in on the action too. In Galveston it was $1.50 per pack over the limit. 

[Elaine5715]

You are supposed to get a customs form from Guest Services if you have something to declare.  Carnival not delivering the forms to your stateroom does not absolve you from declaring items

[chengkp75]

16 hours ago, CGrey93 said:

Hubby and I both smoke, so we're packing 1 carton each to take with us (more than we really need) and taping the receipt to the carton.

No need for this.  If the packet has a state tax stamp on it, that verifies that the packet was purchased in the US.  You will notice that duty free cigarettes have no tax stamp on them.