is it illegal to bring black coral back to the states, and where is the best deal to buy alcohol. on the ship or in port.

thankyou

dnitz1:

is it illegal to bring black coral back to the states

Better not be.

dnitz1:

where is the best deal to buy alcohol. on the ship or in port.

At your local package store, frankly.

Unless it's an imbibable you simply cannot find here in the US [like Xtabentun], what's going to happen is that you'll run up to your Customs limit in short order [and you are following import rules...]. Those you buy in excess of the allowance are assessed a "duty" that more-less equals the difference in what you'd pay abroad versus the package store down the street.

And then you still have to cart it around and put up with FAA rules and their inspections and the risk of it breaking...

Four bottles of Jamaican rum from your local package store are [say] $10 each, including tax.  $40 total and you have to carry the bag from the store to the car, and then from the car into your house.

Four bottles of the same Jamaican rum from Jamaica are [say] $8.50 each, and you have to cart them around Jamaica until you get back to the boat where they take them from you.  $34 so far.  The last night they give them back, and you fill out your customs form, claiming the two extra bottles [you're allowed two "free"].  The Customs weenie will charge you [say] $1.75 per bottle for the two extra -- another $3.50, for a total of $37.50 on $40 of rum.  Then you carry them for an hour while you're getting off the boat.  And even if you were smart and packed them in your checked luggage so you don't need to feverishly repack at the airport, United is still going to tell you that you've exceeded the weight limit on your checked luggage and add another $20 to your check-in fee.

If you're driving away from port? that's the only time it might be worth the effort of lugging them around.

If you can find it at home, you might just as well buy it there.

I did not know there was a limit. Is that per port or total purchases? I was really looking at getting some Jack Daniels, Kalua, Ameretto, and some Dark Rum. We are not flying so we don't have to worry about that. So what would be the limit per person on liquor purchases and do they still charge the extra if you don't go over that limit?

Thanks for the help!! This is our first cruise.

It is per person.  ...and per itinerary.

Don't quote me on the details here, but each person is allowed to bring back one liter [they lie; it is one 750ML bottle] of alcohol "duty free".  This limit is upped to two bottles if the cruise itinerary stops at certain US "foreign" ports -- like St Tom and Puerto Rico.

If there are two of you in the party, the each person's "one bottle" added together makes two bottles [or two plus two equals four, if you stopped at St Tom], and anything in excess of that "duty free" allowance of two bottles [or four, etc] is charged US taxes by the guy in the Customs uniform for the privilege of going abroad to buy it.

It is that Customs charge which erases the [small] benefit of buying booze outside the country.  You are essentially importing liquor without a license.  The idea is that one bottle per person is "personal use", but more than that is not ... hence, you'll pay for the privilege of bringing it into the country.

Since you're driving, if you wanna lug it around then knock yourself out.

But if you're strictly concerned about the deal of it all, for the small amount you'll save it's not really worth it.  Especially the things that are made in the US -- like JD.  You go to Bahamas to buy something that was made in Tennessee?  Buy something that was made in Bahamas.

It sound like more hassle than it's worth. I appreciate the advice.

 Thanks, Deb

Well, actually it's 5 liters/person as long as 1 liter of the afformentioned alcohol is a product of the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Go to FAQ on the Carnival Site at this link

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/Duty_Free_Allowance.aspx

And it will tell you all about it.  it makes it really worth while in my opinion.

Hope this helps.

David 

They SAY that you'll have to pay taxes on everything over the limit, but we've bought WAY more on several cruises and declared it like we should.  Each time, the customs agent just thanked me for being honest and sent me on my way - didn't charge me a thing!

Black coral is legal to bring back. Bernard Passman has stores in Vegas, LA, Juneau (Alaska), St, Thomas, and several in the Caribbean. I've bought two pendants and a bracelet and had no problems bringing it out of the US to Canada

You do want to be careful about the quality of black coral. Richards black coral is good and Bernard Passman is also a good dealer. You have be aware that not all black coral sellers are worthy. The quality will speak for itself and a written guarantee is essential.

Alcohol-I'm Canadian so I am only allowed back 1.5L, but then again I am not a big alcohol consumer, so the bottle I bought Sept 07 at the Bacardi factory is still 75% full, 14 months later and the bottle of Pyrat rum from St. Thomas will NOT be opened, EVER!!!

Custom allowance vary depending on what stops your ship makes...  Those doing an Eastern cruise are allowed more than those doing a Western...so you'll need to check what the allowances are for your cruise.   Also keep in mind it's PER PERSON...not per room.    And IMO...the value of what you can get alcohol wise...also depends on what ports you go to....some ports will have some great deals on certian types of alcohol...while another port may have better deals on another kind.  AND...depending on where you live...the 'deals' you can find in the ports may be just so so..or GREAT.  I think alot would depend on liquor taxes and such in your state.  The state I live in has some HIGH taxes on liquor...so that $10 bottle of rum someone else may be able to buy in their hometown...would cost me $15+...so to find it for only $8.50...is darn GOOD!!  Even the deals you can find on the ship for bottles is WAY better than I could find here at home. 

If you don't mind the trouble,you can do what I have done on 7 cruises.Bring a duffle bag,with EMPTY liter sized plastic bottles,buy your favorite liquor,and pour it into the plastic bottles.I do this in bathrooms.The plastic bottles pass right through the crews detection.And with the economy the way it is,they don't seem to care.In Sept,I poured my liquor into plastic bottles,packed into my duffle bag,got through,and then as I was holding the elevator door open for my son,and my buddy,they walked in with a bottle of Tanquerey,and Crown Royal,in plain view,and the crew didn't say anything.Go figure,lol.

Luv 2 Float:

They SAY that you'll have to pay taxes on everything over the limit, but we've bought WAY more on several cruises and declared it like we should.  Each time, the customs agent just thanked me for being honest and sent me on my way - didn't charge me a thing!

What you're doing is the correct proceedure. Carnival really doesn't care what you are abring back. It's only customs and they usually aren't concerned unless you have illegal stuff, drugs etc. So just keep going through customs as usual. Skip the meeting unless you have nothing else to do.

Don K:

What you're doing is the correct proceedure. Carnival really doesn't care what you are abring back. It's only customs and they usually aren't concerned unless you have illegal stuff, drugs etc. So just keep going through customs as usual. Skip the meeting unless you have nothing else to do.

Once you know how to fill out the Customs Declaration form, the Debarkation Briefing is a snooze.

Here is our experience from our cruise we just got home from today.... my boyfriend and I brought home 10 bottles of various liters of liquor total. The cruise ship has some great deals. I just got off the Destiny and they had 2 bottles of any Absolut for $21.95. Or 4 bottles of any Bacardi (even the flavors) for $37.95 (or 3 for $29.95). Grand Turk had Absolut for a better deal 2 for $20 so I took a picture of the sign and brought it to the shops onboard and they credited my sail and sign account $1.95 since Carnival has a best price guarantee if you find the same size bottles in port for a cheaper price then they will match that price... BUT you must take a picture for proof or they will not honor it. When we went to the Bahamas we found a liter of Crown Royal for $17.65 and the Carnival Price was $19.99 so when we got back onboard I showed the manager in the Carnival Shops my picture and they let me purchase the liquor onboard at the cheaper price. So you dont necessarily have to have already purchased through Carnival for them to honor their guarantee, you can shop around at the ports for the best price, then purchase onboard at the lowest price possible!! Make sure you take a picture of the advertised price sign and the amount of liquor contained in the bottle (for instance $11 Stoli Vodka, 1 litre). When we got back to Miami today I went to a customs agent and told him I am traveling with my boyfriend, we have 10 litres of liquor and very few souveniers (spent less than $200 total for all our shopping). He said since we did not exceed the $800 limit then we do not owe any duty or tax even though we were WAY over the limit on alotted alcohol. 

Hope that helps!