Perfume prices on ship?

[BballinQT24]

Has anyone ever bought perfume from the shops onboard? Do you know how the prices compare to on land?

[Wild Bill]

We use to buy my husbands cologne on the ships, when they carried it, and considering no tax, it made it a better deal. It was also a little cheaper.

You might want to check the ships price, and then wait to buy it until you check some of the duty free shops in port.

[karatemom2]

I usually buy a bottle or two of my favorites each time we cruise and the prices are comparable to department store prices, perhaps a few dollars less, but there is no tax so definitely a savings in buying them onboard.

[beshears]

If I want to check out perfume prices, I normally bring the "price" that I normally pay at home with me. Then I either check the ships prices, or when I see a shop that carries perfume at the port, I look at their price compared to my USA price, noting that there is NO tax here.

[warnerchilcott]

I bought my favorite cologne on the the Carribean Princess and then found the same cologne in a larger size for less at Sams when I got home. "buyers beware" !

[Ashland]

I have found the prices on the ship to be more than what I have found at my "Outlet" perfume stores..Also I once got a better deal on my Chanel at a port stop in Alaska than what was priced onboard....Know your prices !!

[RickEk]

We always buy my favorite cologne on board (Bvlgari). We check the prices at Macy's and the ship's prices are always lower (and not paying our 8.75% state sales tax is definitely an added bonus!). There are some websites that sell it cheaper, but they're usually "tester" units with the caps missing.

 

And don't forget... if you're Elite, you get an extra 10% off! And there's usually a coupon for 10% or 15% off if you buy in quantity or by a certain time (first two days?). Works for us!

[Wormy53]

I used to buy a new fragrance every sailing since I didn't have to pay tax. The price was not too different than stores. However - since a few years ago Costco has been offering designer fragrances for $49.50 starting in October through the holidays. I stock up there now!:D It's a good deal!

[4cats4me]

We always find a much better deal on the ship for Chanel perfume than here in California. For example, I bought Allure on board a couple years ago for $48 and here it was $75 at Macy's for the same size.

Also, curiously enough, the one from Macy's is a lighter color and the one bought on board is a slightly deeper color, but it's the exact same scent, so I looked on the bottom of the bottle and the one bought on board is Made in France and the one bought at Macy's is not made in France but in the US.

 

I was told many years ago that the perfumes one buys outside of the US are much more potent than the ones that we are allowed to purchase here at home, so the scent lasts longer.

[true45]

I bought a new Chanel men's fragrance on shore & was charged a currency conversion fee by my credit card company -- just be on the lookout.

[paul929207]

If there is a brand you like, check the prices at home before you leave for the cruise. You can then compare the price on the ship to what you could pay at home.

[PatriciaF]

If there is a brand you like, check the prices at home before you leave for the cruise. You can then compare the price on the ship to what you could pay at home.

 

This is good advice for anything you plan to buy on ship or on shore--cosmetics, jewelry, perfume, linens. If it is a major purchase, know the price at home before you travel.

[KruzPrincess]

I use Clinique products as well as Clinique fragrances. I can't find these at discount stores near me. I find that I usually can save a few dollars on the ship and especially when I get my 10% discount. They don't have all the cosmetics I use and I usually buy those at home during bonus days, but they do have unique little travel sets that I don't find in my stores. I usually find something I want. OTOH, beware of convenience items. I forgot to bring nail polish and paid $13 for a bottle of OPI nail polish on the Celebrity Equinox. Way overpriced. LOL. But, I wanted it!

[Kamloops50]

Has anyone ever bought perfume from the shops onboard? Do you know how the prices compare to on land?

My DW buys perfume regularly on the ships . It's definately cheaper then back home or in the duty free at the airports.

[Whimsy]

I have found Ebay to be one of the best places to buy perfume, especially after Christmas. Unwanted gifts I guess.

[Ginnyfyr]

If you're thinking of buying perfume/cologne on board, definitely check your prices at home so you have something to compare to. On our last Princess cruise (May of this year) I bought a huge bottle of CK Euphoria for $67. I'd seen it at duty free in the airport on the way to San Juan for $87 and priced it (when we got home) at $110, so I got a good deal. I've found good deals on perfume in St. Thomas too, at the Havensight shopping area. Last year I bought a gift set of Burberry perfume (big bottle) that came with scented shower gel and body lotion for $75...the same thing at home would have easily been $100 or more. It pays to check your prices before you sail!

[saltypeer]

Interesting topic.....something i did for the 1st time on our last cruise was:

 

I like to do a bit of haggling when we go to the shops on the various Caribbean Islands. Last cruise, my partners brother had asked if we could get any 'Hugo Boss' for him whilst we were on holiday. After keeping an eye open on the islands we finally found a shop that had some at a reasonable price (think it was on St Lucia). Problem was, they only had 1 bottle of the particular type of Hugo Boss left. Bargain time, me thinks. I negotiated a good price (in comparison to what we would pay in the UK) and bought the bottle, received a written receipt and headed back to the ship.

 

On our last day, Sally was doing our packing and I had a walk into the shipboard shop to see if there were any bargains. After chatting to the shop employee i was told that they would match any price found on the islands if you could provide proof. 'Ding Dong' the bell in my head went off.

 

Hugo Boss onboard was priced higher than what i had paid. So i raced back to the cabin, Sally found the written receipt, then i headed back to the perfume shop and bought a further 4 bottles at the reduced rate. The employee wrote down the details of my receipt on a large A4 sized pad for their records and everybody went home happy.

 

Don't forget to drive a hard bargain, get proof of purchase price, when island hopping, then ask onboard if you need more.

 

Happy Bargain Hunting

 

Pete.