VAT charges on board celebrity edge

[Jesseslola]

Read a long time ago about VAT being charged while on board an European cruise. I cannot find it now.

 

Has anybody been charged VAT on board? If I would like to take advantage of a discounted specialty dinner or a drink package, will I have to pay 25% plus 20% tip? 

 

Please advise.. Thanks 

 

Edited August 11, 2019 by Jesseslola
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[cruisestitch]

It depends on your itinerary.  If you are on a cruise which only visits ports that are within in the EU, you may be affected,.  If even one of your ports is outside the EU, you would not be affected.  What are your ports?

[Jim_Iain]

Cruisestitch is 100% correct.   If you have ALL EC PORTS -  VAT will be charged at a rate either of the Flag Country of the Ship or the origin port.    On a cruise out of Rome (all EC ports) the VAT was 21%

 

Currently The EU countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

[Loracpin2]

7 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Cruisestitch is 100% correct.   If you have ALL EC PORTS -  VAT will be charged at a rate either of the Flag Country of the Ship or the origin port.    On a cruise out of Rome (all EC ports) the VAT was 21%

 

Currently The EU countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

We cruise round trip out of Rome next September but, in addition to Greece,  will be visiting Turkey and Israel. Can I assume these two will be VAT free?

[jelayne]

Good news, there isn’ t 20% gratuity added to the dining package.  

Unless you are waiting to book on the ship using TA OBC there is no reason not to purchase pre cruise.  The beverage package hasn’t been discounted onboard in our 24 Celebrity cruises.  As for the dining package they do sometimes sell out and are not always available on board.

[Wine-O]

2 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Good news, there isn’ t 20% gratuity added to the dining package.  

Unless you are waiting to book on the ship using TA OBC there is no reason not to purchase pre cruise.  The beverage package hasn’t been discounted onboard in our 24 Celebrity cruises.  As for the dining package they do sometimes sell out and are not always available on board.

My understand if you purchase anything on board a cruise that is all EU ports, you will be hit with the 21% VAT.

 

We were on a TA  out of Rome and had a port visit to Barcelona.   We were advised by the crew that in Spanish waters, we would be charged VAT on all purchased on board the ship.   🍷

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, Wine-O said:

My understand if you purchase anything on board a cruise that is all EU ports, you will be hit with the 21% VAT.

 

We were on a TA  out of Rome and had a port visit to Barcelona.   We were advised by the crew that in Spanish waters, we would be charged VAT on all purchased on board the ship.   🍷

I agree.  The OP was concerned that they would be charged VAT and 20% gratuity on a dining package.  There isn’t a gratuity added on the dining packages.

[Jesseslola]

Thank you jelayne, happy to know. 

 

Cruisestitch, our ports are Italy and Greece . The Amalfi route.

 

Jim_Iain, Thanks, I guess we are subject to the Vat. So meaning, 21% plus 20% (other than the specialty restaurants that jelayne mentioned. We were planning to buy some on board memories but I guess that is cancelled.

[Miaminice]

9 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

We cruise round trip out of Rome next September but, in addition to Greece,  will be visiting Turkey and Israel. Can I assume these two will be VAT free?

 

No VAT will be charged on the ENTIRE cruise since you are visiting a non EC port with your itinerary. 

 

As long as there is only one non EC port on the cruise, the whole cruise is „tax free“.

Edited August 11, 2019 by Miaminice

[Loracpin2]

7 hours ago, Miaminice said:

 

No VAT will be charged on the ENTIRE cruise since you are visiting a non EC port with your itinerary. 

 

As long as there is only one non EC port on the cruise, the whole cruise is „tax free“.

Great news. Thank you so much "MiamiNICE"

[Jesseslola]

Thank you much Miami NICE☺️

[mickey89]

Checking Celebrity Edge itinerary for 2019/20 in the Mediterranean all the cruises will be subject to VAT except for those that include KOTOR.  The Vat charged will vary between 10% -  22% depends on what’s purchased onboard - all drinks, drink pkg. upgrades and specialty restaurant charges will have extra 10% added whilst shop purchases will incur 22%.  Some of these vat charges can be reclaimed at the exit airport so keep your receipts. Celebrity will advise you what can be reclaimed, I think it has to have a minimum purchase value to qualify.

 

You can avoid all vat if you pre-purchase online before you board the ship

[mason525]

Doesn't Monaco count as non-EU?

[mickey89]

7 minutes ago, mason525 said:

Doesn't Monaco count as non-EU?

Celebrity Edge does not have Monaco as a port of call so is irrelevant but in answer to your question - Monaco is an integral part of the EU for Customs and VAT purposes.

Edited August 11, 2019 by mickey89

[mason525]

We are on Edge on Sept 20 & one port is Monaco.

Thanks

[cruisestitch]

You cannot claim for restaurants, drinks, spa, hairdresser. Only foritems which you are taking out of the European Union with you.   Things in jewelry and watches, perfumes, expensive clothing and shoes not for anything which was consumed on the ship 

[ghstudio]

Just a note for completeness: On cruises where VAT is charged, the on-board liquor store remains closed for the entire cruise.

[tjc73]

Wow! I have never been on a European cruise where VAT was charged on board. That’s crazy. Thank goodness I have a beverage package already and excursions booked already. I will save all of my purchases for when I am in port. 

[govanguy]

Cruises that do a roundtrip itinerary from a Spanish port must charge the tax. Ships making a port of call in Spain are supposed to charge the tax while they are in port or in Spanish waters.

 

 

Due to European VAT regulations Italian and Spanish IVA (VAT) tax is payable during your Mediterranean Fly Cruise. 

The Italian and Spanish IVA (VAT) will be due in different circumstances, please read on for details.

 

Due to European VAT regulations, Italian IVA (VAT) at a rate of 22% is payable during your Mediterranean Fly Cruise when sailing from Civitavecchia to Civitavecchia. This is due to the ship not calling at a port outside of the EU during this period.

 

Due to European VAT regulations, Spanish IVA (VAT) at a rate of 10% is payable during your Mediterranean Fly Cruise when located in Spanish territorial waters, (i.e. during the times when we are entering and exiting Spanish ports as well as the time we are alongside in Spanish ports).

Spanish IVA (VAT) of 10% will be payable on the following on board items: 

• Bars
• Restaurants – Select Dining Cover Charges
• Room Service Menus During the week where IVA will be charged you will be unable to purchase liquor and tobacco products to take home.

Italian IVA (VAT) of 22% will be payable on the following on board items:

• Goods purchased in the on board shops
• Photo gallery
• Products purchased in the spa (it does not apply, however, to treatments and services in the spa)
• During the week where IVA will be charged you will be unable to purchase liquor and tobacco products to take home.

[mickey89]

56 minutes ago, mason525 said:

We are on Edge on Sept 20 & one port is Monaco.

Thanks

Sorry I only checked 2020 cruises, didn’t realise Edge called in at Monaco assume it tenders ashore, normally Villefranche is the tender port nearest to Monaco.

Your Cruise will definitely incur VAT on your onboard purchases so plan ahead and pre purchase to avoid the charge.  Prices on good ashore in Europe always include taxes and is the price you pay unlike the US where it’s added to the displayed price.

[wendyam76]

Edge called at Monaco several times this season. We tendered. And actually we didn’t pay any VAT on drink upgrades or speciality dining on our Rome, Naples, Livorno, Monaco, Cannes and Barcelona cruise but we did pay 20% on shop purchases. We bought a cheap pen and luggage tag! 

Wendy

[NantahalaCruiser]

4 hours ago, tjc73 said:

Wow! I have never been on a European cruise where VAT was charged on board. That’s crazy. Thank goodness I have a beverage package already and excursions booked already. I will save all of my purchases for when I am in port. 

When you are in an EU port you will also be paying the VAT - automatically included in your purchase price!

[Jesseslola]

I will just close my eyes and pay. I have planned on taking my granddaughter to nice restaurants.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

We got off Edge 10/11. I purchased a Coach purse and was charged $55 tax onboard. At the airport I got a VAT refund of 35 eu minus 4 eu service charge.  This is the first time I've done this so I have a question. Should I have had the equivalent of $55 refunded in Euro (minus the service charge)? 

[Mark_T]

1 hour ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

We got off Edge 10/11. I purchased a Coach purse and was charged $55 tax onboard. At the airport I got a VAT refund of 35 eu minus 4 eu service charge.  This is the first time I've done this so I have a question. Should I have had the equivalent of $55 refunded in Euro (minus the service charge)? 

 

No, there are other fees in the process, these cover charges by the original retailer and their agent.

 

There is a good explanation of all this here: https://www.heathrow.com/file_source/Heathrow/Static/PDF/Airport_guide/vat-refund-leaflet_EN.pdf

 

I know this is the details for Heathrow, but it is a clear explanation of how it all works in general across the EU.