Onboard shopping gratuities/ charges

[Ramsgate23]

Searched forum and X site and can’t find an answer to this question. If I purchase from an onboard shop is there any additional gratuities/ charges added like there is with bar/spa purchases? 
 

thanks

[cruisestitch]

From the shops, no.

 

However when you buy products from the spa, be careful because they may try to add a gratuity there.

 

Spa services always have a gratuity added, but the shampoo, cream, etc. should not.

[Ramsgate23]

20 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

From the shops, no.

 

However when you buy products from the spa, be careful because they may try to add a gratuity there.

 

Spa services always have a gratuity added, but the shampoo, cream, etc. should not.

Thank you. 

[kearney]

I have to point out that if you purchase a high ticket item... eg jewelry or a watch. The cruise line will send that information on to customs. Not sure how they do this now, but on Edge inaugural cruise... as we left the ship we were met by a member of the crew who took our sea passes and passports and took us down to customs so that we could pay any required duty. In this particular instance..we did not get our sea passes back.  Hopefully they don't hold onto them anymore.

[mahasamatman]

2 hours ago, kearney said:

I have to point out that if you purchase a high ticket item... eg jewelry or a watch. The cruise line will send that information on to customs.

 

YMMV. We've never had the cruise line forward any information to customs.

[miched]

22 minutes ago, mahasamatman said:

 

YMMV. We've never had the cruise line forward any information to customs.

How much have you spent?   $10 tee shirts than no.  But if over the duty free limit then YES.  The purchases will be reported to the authorities.  
 

I bought a Patek watch on an Island.   I declared it as I didn’t want it confiscated and also paying the penalty besides.   While paying the duty there were many others in the area.  They were being drilled by the custom agents because they didn’t declare the stuff bought on board that was over the limit.  The agent we were with said it happens all of the time and they get caught.   He was also interested in the watch we bought and called  the other agents over as he couldn’t believe that a watch would cost that much and wanted them to see it.  It was worth paying the duty as it was discounted and also very rare to find one.   
 

As the verse in the Bible says “Pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅
 

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by miched

[mahasamatman]

2 hours ago, miched said:

How much have you spent?

 

Never over the duty free limit, but close to it, including "goods to follow".

[Edinburghgirl1]

If cruising in Europe they add VAT ( value addd tax) but if you live out with the EU you can claim it back at the airport. 

[cruisestitch]

Some stores give you the form you need to claim back the VAT. Celebrity  ships do not.

[kearney]

15 hours ago, miched said:

How much have you spent?   $10 tee shirts than no.  But if over the duty free limit then YES.  The purchases will be reported to the authorities.  
 

I bought a Patek watch on an Island.   I declared it as I didn’t want it confiscated and also paying the penalty besides.   While paying the duty there were many others in the area.  They were being drilled by the custom agents because they didn’t declare the stuff bought on board that was over the limit.  The agent we were with said it happens all of the time and they get caught.   He was also interested in the watch we bought and called  the other agents over as he couldn’t believe that a watch would cost that much and wanted them to see it.  It was worth paying the duty as it was discounted and also very rare to find one.   
 

As the verse in the Bible says “Pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅
 

 

My issue was losing the sea passes.... I expected to pay duty. As it happened ...it was the first day of the government shut down and the agent was more concerned with getting passengers processed.. But I did want to keep the sea pass from the inaugural sailing

 

[drakes2]

17 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

 

YMMV. We've never had the cruise line forward any information to customs.

I wonder if this applies to Canadian customs? I was tempted to purchase an expensive Louis Vuitton bag for $2400 but thought better of it. 

[cruisestitch]

Celebrity doesn’t have any itineraries that disembark in Canada, so no.  

[GottaKnowWhen]

12 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Celebrity doesn’t have any itineraries that disembark in Canada, so no.  

Unless you think of Vancouver B.C. as part of Canada. Yes I know, they are way off out there on the western edge, but still, many Canadians I am sure still think Vancouver is in Canada.

[cruisestitch]

20 minutes ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

Unless you think of Vancouver B.C. as part of Canada. Yes I know, they are way off out there on the western edge, but still, many Canadians I am sure still think Vancouver is in Canada.

Whoops I posted before I thought.  Mea culpa

[SueMo]

My son bought two watches in the shops on the Edge in 2020 and the amount went over the customs limit.  It used to be that they would distribute the customs forms before debarkation but they haven’t done that in a while so nobody had filled them out.  As they scanned his sea pass in Fort Lauderdale a beeper went off and they escorted him to customs where he was asked to fill out a form, which he filled out honestly.  He wasn’t “grilled”.  The customs agent had a problem figuring out the amount due, so my son did it in his head (3% of amount over the limit isn’t that hard to figure out) and told them he owed $42.  They told him it had to be paid in cash or promissory note, so he gave them $60, and of course, they didn’t have change.  He had to wait about 45 minutes while the agent went onboard the ship to get change.  Meanwhile, the line of passengers who needed to declare grew and grew behind him.  (Luckily he was one of the first off the ship so he was able to make his flight, but I wonder about those behind him!). Lesson learned…don’t go over the customs limit in the shops on a cruise!

[Essiesmom]

Just a reminder to anyone who buys an expensive item onboard from EFFY.  EFFY is a US company, the stuff is made in NYC, so no duty owed.  EM