Where Is Best Place to Buy Alcohol

[meanmom08]

I will be going to St Thomas, St Lucia, Antiqua and St Maarten in Jan. I want to buy rum and tequila during the cruise to take back home. Is there much difference in the price of alcohol in the ship's liquor store and the stores on the islands?

[Ocean Dancer]

I will be going to St Thomas, St Lucia, Antiqua and St Maarten in Jan. I want to buy rum and tequila during the cruise to take back home. Is there much difference in the price of alcohol in the ship's liquor store and the stores on the islands?

 

The ship may match the Islands price, just ask.:)

[markeb]

You may do "OK" on rum in St Thomas, and your import allowances go up by buying in the USVI. Depends on what you're looking for.

 

What tequila are you looking for? It's likely that unless you live in a monopoly state (such as Virginia :mad:) you'll do just as well at home as on the ship. If you were cruising to Mexico, and knew what you were doing, you might get a OK price on something hard to buy at home.

[Amtrac]

The ship may match the Islands price, just ask.:)

 

 

 

The only way to guarantee a lower land price is take a pic with your smartphone to show. But be careful most stores don't like you taking pictures[emoji12][emoji12]

 

 

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[Ocean Dancer]

The only way to guarantee a lower land price is take a pic with your smartphone to show. But be careful most stores don't like you taking pictures[emoji12][emoji12]

 

 

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The liquor stores are usually so crowded close to the ship, just be discreet, and or touristy.

 

If you find something unique, AJRise Misspelled, in St. Thomas will deliver your purchases to the ship for you for a small fee. They are very reliable.

Edited December 19, 2016 by Ocean Dancer

[Amtrac]

The liquor stores are usually so crowded close to the ship, just be discreet, and or touristy.

 

 

 

I have found St Martin the place with the lowest Liquor price. Just look around. And ask for a deal once you get to know the various prices..

 

 

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[Ocean Dancer]

I have found St Martin the place with the lowest Liquor price. Just look around. And ask for a deal once you get to know the various prices..

 

 

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St Maartin is good too, don't forget your Guavaberry!;)

[M&JfromSDL]

Be on the lookout for sales towards the end of the cruise. Last year, they had end-of-run Bombay Sapphire gift boxes on sale for $19.95. All it consisted of was a standard bottle in a gift box with a horrible looking scarf. A comparable bottle here in Virginia is north of $30. I bought the 3 boxes on display thinking that was all they had. The last night of the cruise they had more out and I bought every single one they had left.

 

Good thing I flew home on Southwest! ;-)

[CruiseLovininIL]

We went last January and got great deals on all of our liquor

 

 

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[meanmom08]

Be on the lookout for sales towards the end of the cruise. Last year, they had end-of-run Bombay Sapphire gift boxes on sale for $19.95. All it consisted of was a standard bottle in a gift box with a horrible looking scarf. A comparable bottle here in Virginia is north of $30. I bought the 3 boxes on display thinking that was all they had. The last night of the cruise they had more out and I bought every single one they had left.

 

Good thing I flew home on Southwest! ;-)

 

 

I was on the Grandeur in March and figured I'd pick up a couple of bottles on the ship the last night. Wrong! They sold out of most everything. That's a good price you got on the Bombay. You're correct about the price here in Virginia as I checked the price in Richmond before I left on the cruise and it was at least $32, but I think it was $36 because I remember thinking it was almost half price.

[meanmom08]

We went last January and got great deals on all of our liquor

 

 

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Where did you get the great prices? On the ship or on one of the islands?

[pedirn]

For us the best prices are at home. If you live near a Total Wines check the prices before you sail. Not worth lugging home to save fifty cents. I would look for things not available in the US like Sheridan

[Magnetchief]

For us the best prices are at home. If you live near a Total Wines check the prices before you sail. Not worth lugging home to save fifty cents. I would look for things not available in the US like Sheridan

 

 

 

I agree.

I purchased a really nice bottle of rum in one port.

 

Only to find it in my local ABC liquor for $10 a bottle less.

 

 

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[papaflamingo]

The ship has always matched prices if you can show them some proof like a cell phone pic as someone said. I've always liked AH Riise in St. Thomas. But seems their prices are a bit higher now. But they do deliver to ship. Very convenient for large orders. Check the prices at your home, then look on board. As some have said they do run out occasionally toward the end of the cruise. Problem really is if you go to St. Thomas and price the liquor, then go to St. Maartin, it may not be cheaper but now you're committed. I have found that the ship price is fairly close or even cheaper than on the islands. So if you check early on, then look at one of the islands, you can get a feel for how cheap the island is. But stores like AH Riise have a huge selection, so definitely look there in St. Thomas.

[boscobeans]

To those who say buying back at home is just as cheap...That is wrong for many liquor purchases.

 

In fact some sales on the ships and in places like St. Maarten are almost if not HALF that charged in several discount liquor stores here in New York. There are also several high priced liquors that cannot be purchased here that are available on the islands.

 

Know your prices at home if you are thinking of bringing any liquors home. I do and when not flying I take advantage of the lower prices and always buy the limit plus some..

 

bosco

[leisuretraveler223]

Buying on the ship or in the islands will save you money on most major brands. The question is will the savings be worth the effort? That's up to each individual to decide.

 

You are not likely to find any real "gems" that you can't get at home. A lot of overrated gimmicky marketing items maybe. But the really great stuff pretty much already makes it to The U.S. because that's the most profitable market.

 

This is ESPECIALLY true for tequila. Most of the "unique" and "rare brands" you finds, especially in ports, are crap.

[George C]

We normally buy a bottle or 2 on the ship, I know my prices , shop at total wine often, not every thing is a bargain, but remember on ship there is no tax and bottles are liters not 5th, got good price on Johnny Walker Gold and also Platinum which is 18 year old scotch

[setsail]

For us, the best place is our local abc/ package store

[poncho1973]

The ABSOLUTE BEST way to get good prices on liquor is to know exactly what you buy and how much you pay at home.

 

If you don't know how much you pay at home, you shouldn't even bother.

 

 

My dad loves Crown Royal. Regular CR (750ml) is 50 cents a bottle cheaper on the ship compared to his store. 50 cents a bottle and about $1.25 in tax. But then he has to carry it around and take it through customs and drag it home. PLUS he has to buy TWO bottles to get that price. That $1.75 a bottle is not worth it to him.

 

However, on the flavored ones, Maple/Apple/Black/etc. he saves about $6 a bottle. These are much more favorable to him. Again he has to buy two, but he's $12 or so ahead now.

 

If he buys the XO he saves about $10-12 a bottle and the XR, he saves about $25-30 a bottle. But he doesn't buy a lot of those.

 

 

 

 

I should probably say that I buy/don't buy in his absence, as he has only cruised once.

[dh464]

We always buy crown royal yes the price is just a few dollars cheaper when you buy 2 or more bottles.but you get a 1 litter bottle vs 750ml. That's a few dollars plus 1/4% more per bottle.

 

 

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[Ocean Dancer]

If you like Bailey's, Jamaican Rum Crème is a must and can be found in St Maartin.

[TravelerThom]

To those who say buying back at home is just as cheap...That is wrong for many liquor purchases.

 

In fact some sales on the ships and in places like St. Maarten are almost if not HALF that charged in several discount liquor stores here in New York...

The operative words are "New York" - I can almost always beat prices posted in Caribbean airport duty-free shops buying in Florida because those duty-free shops merely aim to undercut NY, which has some of the highest prices in the US. I can beat many Florida prices in Sint Maarten, but generally not by enough to make it worthwhile to carry.

[meanmom08]

Thanks for your responses. I got my questions answered and great suggestions.

[TravelerThom]

Be on the lookout for sales towards the end of the cruise. Last year, they had end-of-run Bombay Sapphire gift boxes on sale for $19.95. All it consisted of was a standard bottle in a gift box with a horrible looking scarf. A comparable bottle here in Virginia is north of $30. I bought the 3 boxes on display thinking that was all they had. The last night of the cruise they had more out and I bought every single one they had left.

I am not the import police, but just so nobody gets mislead, only one (1) liter per person (21 and older) of liquor purchased onboard is eligible for you to bring into the US without paying both CBP import duty and IRS tax (plus one additional liter per person if it was produced in an eligible Caribbean Basin country). "Duty Free shops" means that the shops have not paid duty, it does NOT mean you are not subject to duty. In practice the costs to collect duty at the port of entry means that it is rare to be charged for an extra liter or two (the Customs agent has to authority to waive minor charges). Purchases made in US insular possessions (eg US Virgin Islands) have special rules. Most of those bottles of Bombay Sapphire could have been (and should have been) charged duty (but may well have still been a good buy, as duty on liquor for personal consumption is pretty low). IMO it is not a good idea to mislead US Customs (I am NOT saying that M&JfromSDL did so); they are pretty lenient on passing minor declared overages without charge, but if they find anything undeclared they start playing hardball. Note that the ship provides Customs with lists of some shipboard purchases (I'm pretty sure any item over $800; I'm not sure about liquor overages).