My friend who is cruising with me is a smoker and wants to know if she can purchase cigarettes onboard to smoke while cruising or if they are held until she gets off the ship. Somebody told her that it would be held and she wanted me to check with you wise members to see if she should just pack cigarettes. My suggestion was....quit smoking
Posts: 31 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: September 27, 2007
Quitting is the best thing to do, but she will be able to buy individual packs at the bars - at high prices - and they only stock a few brands from what I've seen. My understanding is that the duty-free cartons of cigarettes cannot be taken with the passenger at time of purchase, and are held until the last day - just like liquor purchases.
Thanks for the quick responses. Dave, I had to chuckle when you said they're expensive in the bars. We're from New Jersey where they're over $6.00 a pack.
Posts: 31 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: September 27, 2007
We don't smoke but we always bring a couple of cartons home for one son who does. Yes, they hold the cartons until the last night just like alcohol purchases. You can only buy them by the pack at the bars. Next to quitting, my advice would be to bring your own; as Dave said, they only carry a few brands.
Posts: 3378 | Location: Costa Mesa, California | Registered: November 16, 2006
We were just on the Radiance in January and heard how cheap smokes were, so we only brought enough to get us from Chicago to the ship. They have cartons in the shopping area, a limited selection (hubby smokes Marlboro 100's and they didn't have those..), the Cartons were $22.95 and we took them with us and smoked them on the ship (on our ship, smoking only permitted Starboard side or on private balconys - which we had thankfully). A BETTER suggestion, and I'm not sure where your ship is going BUT the best prices we found for cigs was in St. Maarten...$12.95 for a carton. We also bought in St. Thomas and they were $17.95 a carton and they had a much bigger selection and RC said nothing when they were brought back on the ship.
All I can say is I hope no one buys cartons of cigarettes so then can go on their private balcony and smoke them up on my next cruise. I have a private balcony on the starboard side, and it's a 14 night cruise. I hate the thought of not being able to enjoy by balcony while all the SMOKERS are enjoying their cigarettes on their balconies. Maybe I'll luck out and not have the wind blowing the stench of cigarette smoke past my balcony. But, smokers have their rights. Sonny
Most cruise lines will hold your cigarettes until the last night. There are some exceptions. You can purchase them in the islands and bring them on board to consume in your room/smoking areas. I'm trying to quit, but haven't yet. Our last cruise on Costa, I brought enough to last until our first port day. Costa let me purchase them and bring them back to my cabin. Princess won't.
