Does Vancouver Hava a Tax on Alcohol Purchased Onboard While Ship is in Port?

[jimdee3636]

It's been a while since I've sailed out of Vancouver, but I'll be doing it later this year (on HAL). I'm wondering if the city of Vancouver (and/or the province of B.C.) has a tax on alcohol purchased onboard while the ship is docked there or sailing in local waters. A couple of cities/ counties in California have taxes like that, and they even apply to alcoholic drinks purchased under a prepaid beverage plan. They take a bit of the fun out of boarding the ship and having wine with lunch or a cocktail at the sailaway party.

 

Any information would be appreciated.

 

Jim

[inar]

No as long as the itinerary involves going to a foreign port. 

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, jimdee3636 said:

It's been a while since I've sailed out of Vancouver, but I'll be doing it later this year (on HAL). I'm wondering if the city of Vancouver (and/or the province of B.C.) has a tax on alcohol purchased onboard while the ship is docked there or sailing in local waters. A couple of cities/ counties in California have taxes like that, and they even apply to alcoholic drinks purchased under a prepaid beverage plan. They take a bit of the fun out of boarding the ship and having wine with lunch or a cocktail at the sailaway party.

 

Any information would be appreciated.

 

Jim

When these things have come up, HAL usually eats the tax liability. 

 

Curious where you have been taxed in this situation in California. Have sailed out of San Diego and SF, and haven't been taxed. Or HAL ate the tax liability. 

 

I think Galveston Texas was the only US port I have heard this happening at.

[jimdee3636]

@CruiserBruce

It was in San Pedro, on a Norwegian ship. And I think on that same NCL Pacific Coastal cruise it also happened when we were docked in San Francisco. As for HAL, I can't say for sure but I vaguely remember being charged the "alcohol tax" in San Diego at least once.

 

I hope you're right, in any case, that HAL now eats the tax liability.

 

Jim

[Philob]

I would be surprised if California did not tax it.

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, jimdee3636 said:

@CruiserBruce

It was in San Pedro, on a Norwegian ship. And I think on that same NCL Pacific Coastal cruise it also happened when we were docked in San Francisco. As for HAL, I can't say for sure but I vaguely remember being charged the "alcohol tax" in San Diego at least once.

 

I hope you're right, in any case, that HAL now eats the tax liability.

 

Jim

A-ha...NCL strikes again. There are many threads around Cruise Critic about NCL passing along taxes for drinks from ports. Some ports they just don't open the bars so they don't have to deal with the taxes.

 

I think most cruise lines just eat the taxes.

 

And, so you know, some Canadian provinces only allow one bar per deck on cruise ships to be open when in port. I am not aware it applies to Vancouver, but it certainly applies to the Atlantic provinces.