Duty free prices available if not cruising to another country?

[localknowledge]

Hi, doing very short cruise [one nighter] this December out of Sydney on Solstice. The cruise leaves Sydney harbour and does some circle-work out in the ocean for one night before returning to dock next to the harbour bridge.

 

Will duty free prices from the onboard shops be available for cruises that 'goto nowhere' or do you need to dock into another country. Understand this could be an obvious question to some :p but not being an experienced cruiser I have no idea.

 

Also we are travelling in an A1 cabin... have seen mixed reports on this forum about whether we will receive a bottle of complimentary sparkling. Hopefully it is there when we arrive.

 

Thanks in advance

[uktog]

I think each country has its own rules on this one, certainly just back from a short 2 night trip in Europe and as we did not go outside the Eurozone, the onboard shops were subject to a 19% tax

[pkw]

Hi, doing very short cruise [one nighter] this December out of Sydney on Solstice. The cruise leaves Sydney harbour and does some circle-work out in the ocean for one night before returning to dock next to the harbour bridge.

 

Will duty free prices from the onboard shops be available for cruises that 'goto nowhere' or do you need to dock into another country. Understand this could be an obvious question to some :p but not being an experienced cruiser I have no idea.

 

Also we are travelling in an A1 cabin... have seen mixed reports on this forum about whether we will receive a bottle of complimentary sparkling. Hopefully it is there when we arrive.

 

Thanks in advance

 

We recently did a cruise Fremantle to Sydney however no duty free was available to us as we didn't go to another country so I presume it would be the same for you.

[zoncom]

Legally, have to be in International waters. I seem to remember 12 miles out. Of course its up to ship whether they open shops.

[cruisestitch]

My understanding of how duty free works is this: it does not refer to whether or not you, the passenger, has to pay duty. Using the US as an example, we can bring in so many bottles of liquor without paying duty. Above that limit duty fees may be charged.

 

The term "duty free store" refers to the fact that the store's operator did not pay duty on their inventory, and thus the prices are lower than a store where this amount would be added to your purchase price. But whether we would buy the liquor or perfume or whatever from a duty free store or a regular store, the fee might be imposed if we go over our limit.

 

How it works for Australia I can't say.

 

If on a particular voyage the on board shop was closed it may indeed be that the ship never entered international waters (would assume that the casino would also be closed in that case)

 

The tax of 19% is a different issue. This is not duty, as it is applied to all items purchased, whether dutiable or not, such as t-shirts or postcards or Bar beverages. This sometimes gets applied when cruises leave from Spain, which is why you'll see advice about not buying beverage packages immediately on boarding, but instead waiting until the ship is underway.

 

If my understanding is incorrect, I'm sure someone will chime in.

[pkw]

The duty free shop was open on the ship we were on as it was a world cruise so others were going to a different country and could still buy it but we were told numerous times we couldn't buy any of the duty free as we were only cruising in Australia. They were checking our sea pass as it ad the to and from ports on it.

 

To confirm I would phone the cruise line and ask the question to them for further clarity.

[wander]

Cruisestitch has a good answer. Only the ship does not pay duty so theoretically they can sell for less. However you may be liable for the duty when you return to the US and go through customs. Yes each person can bring back a certain amount of purchases without paying any duty, but you are liable for paying duty on any money spent over the allowance.

 

This confuses many passengers.

[cruisestitch]

Further research has revealed this: Australia doesn't have the same cabotage laws as the US (the infamous PVSA). So it is not a problem to transport passengers from one Australian port to another, whereas that is illegal in the US.

 

But it appears that the passengers going between two Australian ports can't take advantage of the on-board duty free shops, and that makes some sense.

 

Just as the duty-free liquor stores in airports are for outgoing passengers only, not inbound passengers, the items purchased must be leaving the country in order to be part of the duty-free scheme. Otherwise every international passenger arriving back to their home airport would just stop at the duty-free liquor store and stock up on their way back to their house, thereby circumventing the duties and taxes that create the higher prices their local stores must charge.

 

Here, it seems that passengers embarking at one Australian port and disembarking at another haven't ever really left their county, so can't qualify for duty-free purchases.

[Aus Traveller]

Hi, doing very short cruise [one nighter] this December out of Sydney on Solstice. The cruise leaves Sydney harbour and does some circle-work out in the ocean for one night before returning to dock next to the harbour bridge.

 

Will duty free prices from the onboard shops be available for cruises that 'goto nowhere' or do you need to dock into another country. Understand this could be an obvious question to some :p but not being an experienced cruiser I have no idea.

 

Also we are travelling in an A1 cabin... have seen mixed reports on this forum about whether we will receive a bottle of complimentary sparkling. Hopefully it is there when we arrive.

 

Thanks in advance

I am pretty sure the duty free shop will not be open on this cruise. On Queensland coastal cruises duty free is available only because the route goes outside Australian waters by sailing around Willis Island. There is no duty free on cruises (for instance) between Sydney and Melbourne.

[mummsie]

Hi, doing very short cruise [one nighter] this December out of Sydney on Solstice. The cruise leaves Sydney harbour and does some circle-work out in the ocean for one night before returning to dock next to the harbour bridge.

 

Will duty free prices from the onboard shops be available for cruises that 'goto nowhere' or do you need to dock into another country. Understand this could be an obvious question to some :p but not being an experienced cruiser I have no idea.

 

Also we are travelling in an A1 cabin... have seen mixed reports on this forum about whether we will receive a bottle of complimentary sparkling. Hopefully it is there when we arrive.

 

Thanks in advance

 

We did one of these a couple of years ago on P&O Australia. The shops did not open at all so I think the answer is no. mummsie

[6andy6]

 

Just as the duty-free liquor stores in airports are for outgoing passengers only, not inbound passengers, the items purchased must be leaving the country in order to be part of the duty-free scheme. Otherwise every international passenger arriving back to their home airport would just stop at the duty-free liquor store and stock up on their way back to their house, thereby circumventing the duties and taxes that create the higher prices their local stores must charge..

 

ahem.

 

Actually Australian and UK (or the UK did) has incoming duty free shops in our International terminals (before Customs and Immigration) where you can buy duty free liquor (and other items) so you don't have o carry it out of the country.

[Aus Traveller]

ahem.

 

Actually Australian and UK (or the UK did) has incoming duty free shops in our International terminals (before Customs and Immigration) where you can buy duty free liquor (and other items) so you don't have o carry it out of the country.

International airports in Australia and many other countries do have duty free shops for incoming passengers but there are no such shops in Australian cruise terminals.

[6andy6]

International airports in Australia and many other countries do have duty free shops for incoming passengers but there are no such shops in Australian cruise terminals.

 

I know that...Cruisestich specifically said 'airports' dadaaaa. Read the comment I quoted.....International Terminals is generally meant to mean international airport terminals as most cruise terminals are not usually separated into ' international' and 'domestic'.

[cruisestitch]

OK -- sorry to have made the situation less clear.

 

But I do have a couple of questions, since my research has not pulled up answers specific to Australia --

 

Are liquor/perfume/cigarettes dutiable items in Australia?

 

To purchase these at the duty free stores in airports, do you have to show a boarding pass to prove that you are leaving the country with the items?

 

If you are an arriving passenger and you purchase these items to bring into Australia with you, are they priced differently than if you would be taking them out of the country?

 

Are there limits on the quantities you are allowed to buy if you are an incoming passenger?

 

Thanks!

[pkw]

OK -- sorry to have made the situation less clear.

 

But I do have a couple of questions, since my research has not pulled up answers specific to Australia --

 

Are liquor/perfume/cigarettes dutiable items in Australia?

 

To purchase these at the duty free stores in airports, do you have to show a boarding pass to prove that you are leaving the country with the items?

 

If you are an arriving passenger and you purchase these items to bring into Australia with you, are they priced differently than if you would be taking them out of the country?

 

Are there limits on the quantities you are allowed to buy if you are an incoming passenger?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi cruisestictch

 

Yes the items you have listed do ave duty on them in Australia.

 

To purchase them you have to have a boarding pass and can only collect them once you have passed through customs. Items such as electrical, cameras etc can be purchased up to 30 days prior to travelling & you can claim back the gst on them also after you pass through customs -you do have to take these purchases out of the country with you.

 

As an arriving passenger (at an airport) you can still purchase your listed items duty free before you pass through customs on the way into Australia so yes they are the same price as they would have been on the way out (cheaper than regular shops).

 

There are limits on alcohol 2.25ltres per person last time we came back to Oz but is worth checking close to your time of travelling as this can change. I am not a smoker so can't answer the cigarette question sorry.

 

Hope this clears up some of your question.

 

Regards

 

Paula

[pkw]

Sorry one thing I didnt mention as it is probably obvious but if your ship is coming into Oz from an international destination you can purchase your duty free on the ship & bring it back into australia.

 

Paula

[6andy6]

OK -- sorry to have made the situation less clear.

 

But I do have a couple of questions, since my research has not pulled up answers specific to Australia --

 

Are liquor/perfume/cigarettes dutiable items in Australia?

 

Are there limits on the quantities you are allowed to buy if you are an incoming passenger?

 

Thanks!

 

Might be to late but to make you aware (and anyone else reading this) of changes to legislation governing duty free cigerettes being bright into the county.

 

Allowances have been slashed as of the 1st September 2012. The old allowance was you could bring in 250 cigerettes per adult ( over 18). Due to the government either trying to outlaw smoking...or raise money...or both....this is now 50 cigerettes per adult. Anything over will attract duty....

 

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4352.asp

[localknowledge]

Thanks all for your informative posts, looks like the shops will not be open. Not to worry will await the 14night Cruise early next year in Sth America on Infinity. All the best