? - how much alcohol are you allowed to buy?

[thoneycu]

I know this has been answered and I tried the search forum but nothing.

We want to buy rum in Grand Cayman. Is it one bottle per adult? for every port? are you allowed to buy this amount in every port? Do they take it from you as soon as you board and then give it back at the end?

One more question- are you limited to the amount of alcohol you can buy on the ship and the amount you want to disembark with?

Sorry if this has been answered already :)

[GORDONCHICK]

Are you cruising out of Texas? If so, your limits will be different because you live in Texas. I want to say the limit is like 1 liter pp versus 2 liters pp for a non-Texas resident. Please check with someone who would know for sure.

[BruceMuzz]

If you are legally old enough to purchase and consume alcohol in the places you plan to visit - and the places you plan to take the alcohol to - there is no limit to the number of bottles, can, barrels, or cases you might want to buy. Remember that many cruise lines will confiscate all those purchases at the gangway and then return them to you near the end of the cruise.

 

But then you face 3 logistical challenges.

1. How do you transport them home?

2. How many bottles, cans, barrels, or cases will the government of the country where you plan to disembark allow you to import without paying additional duty?

3. How many bottles, cans, barrels, or cases will your government allow you to import to your home country without paying extra duty?

 

Normally the answer to points 2 and 3 is one or two liters. If you go over this duty-free limit, then you need to have a sometimes time-consuming conversation with the Customs Officers to determine how much duty you owe them on the additional bottles. As a guideline, they generally charge you around 10 - 15 % of the value of your purchases. All too often, this additional Duty wipes out any savings you might have realized by purchasing the bottles abroad. At that point you are stuck with the aggravation of transporting these heavy and fragile packages back home. Remember that North American flights are not allowing you to take any liquids onboard the airplanes. Alcohol over 120 proof is generally not allowed on airplanes at all. Trusting fragile bottles to the baggage handlers is dodgy at best.

[dforeigner]

for those cruising to/from Texas:

http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/help/poe.htm