? For Very Experienced Cruisers

[fla jack]

We are on the Emerald Princess 09/26/15.

It's a back-2-back booked as one cruise.

Rome to Barcelona (7 days) & Barcelona

to FLL (14 days). We leave Barcelona &

call at 3 other Spanish ports. Will we be charged

the VAT tax for purchases made onboard

during those 3 days??

Thanks in advance

Jack

[SingerEsq]

If you are referring to purchases made in stores on board, they are always closed while in port. As to your beverages, etc., no. You will only be charged a VAT for purchases made while on shore.

Edited July 15, 2014 by SingerEsq

[Colo Cruiser]

As in the US there are some Med ports that do require the vessel to charge the tax on purchases (drinks etc).

[Pam in CA]

As in the US there are some Med ports that do require the vessel to charge the tax on purchases (drinks etc).

I believe that's just while the ship is in those ports and all of the shops are closed then. About the only things affected are drinks. In my experience, in those ports, both US and abroad, servers give you a handwritten receipt and the orders are entered into the computer after the ship sails. I don't know if this is general policy but that's what's happened to me.

[AE_Collector]

Paid tax on drinks while in port at Cartagena Spain last November. That was the only place with tax (onboard) and only port in Spain on the cruise.

 

Terry

Edited July 15, 2014 by AE_Collector

[SingerEsq]

Learn something new every day. I guess I have never noticed the VAT on drinks, but also do not recall being onboard that much while in port.

[NukeIT]

When I sailed on X out of BCN we made sure to pre-purchase our beverage packages as not to incur the tax if bought on the first day of sailing.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Eileen G]

I believe VAT tax is only added to ship board purchases when the itinerary doesn't leave the EU. So if a ship left Rome and sailed to Barcelona with a stop in Turkey there would be no VAT. So the first leg of your cruise would have VAT since you don't leave the EU. The second leg will leave the EU so no Vat will be added.

[Emma Chisit]

This thread from the Oceania board has much discussion about this same issue:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2058326

[-Lew-]

Hi Jack...

 

We'll be cruising together from Rome. Looks like a great itinerary!

 

You didn't ask, but I'll add that last year on the Royal TA, Princess arranged for EU tax agents to be available at our final EU port of call for VAT refunds. It was Madeira last year and I would expect the same in 2015.

 

See you onboard...

 

Lew

[Cruise Junky]

This thread from the Oceania board has much discussion about this same issue:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2058326

 

Thanks for that. We're doing a Spanish based cruise next year. We do hit Gibralter. I plan on upgrading my free drink package with Celebrity before we board to hopefully avoid the tax.

[AE_Collector]

I believe VAT tax is only added to ship board purchases when the itinerary doesn't leave the EU. So if a ship left Rome and sailed to Barcelona with a stop in Turkey there would be no VAT. So the first leg of your cruise would have VAT since you don't leave the EU. The second leg will leave the EU so no Vat will be added.

 

Our cruise that included tax on drinks while we were in port at Cartagena was a trans-Atlantic from Rome to Fort Lauderdale. It was on x.

 

Terry

[Balloon Man]

Thanks for that. We're doing a Spanish based cruise next year. We do hit Gibralter. I plan on upgrading my free drink package with Celebrity before we board to hopefully avoid the tax.

 

Gibraltar is British (much to the annoyance of Spanish politicians). Most European countries do not charge VAT on drinks served on board while in territorial waters. However I think Spain is one of the few exceptions.

[Cruise Junky]

Gibraltar is British (much to the annoyance of Spanish politicians). Most European countries do not charge VAT on drinks served on board while in territorial waters. However I think Spain is one of the few exceptions.

 

 

Yeah, I know. I think stopping in Gibraltar will prevent us paying the VAT the entire cruise. But we're in lots of Spanish ports

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[downsmead]

We have just come off the Regal sailing out of Barcelona. The drinks we bought whilst still docked at Barcelona and during the sail away attracted the extra tax (vat) of 10% on the price of the drink (eg $9.90 + 0.99 spanish vat + 1.49 gratuities). We also purchased 2 Unlimited Soda packages at the same time for which we were given a hand written receipt on which the spanish vat was not applied for which we were very thankful.