Gents,

I've already posted about picking up CCs on our Western Caribbean cruise (Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Isla Roatan, Belize) but as I continue reading about things on the internet I see people getting sweet deals on alcohol. I'm a rum fan, any recommendations on what to buy and where? How about Cuban rum? Can I find it, or get it back into the country?

I'm open to anything though, except maybe Tequila. Too many bad experiences.

Anyway, boarding the boat in 5 days.

Sam
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Cuban rum is nothing special. Outside of cigars, Cuba has some nice coffee beans. Cubita (sp) in a shiny black bag is really nice unique.

I think you'll be disappointed on your cigar search on the cruise. May I suggest that you bring enough cigars to smoke?
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concur on the cigars... Bring your own because a) you can't trust too many places along the carribean to buy legit ones and b) the cruise will have overpriced cigars with a limited selection
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Keep in mind that cruises frown upon bringing alcohol on the ship. I know at least Royal Carribean considers the discovery of alcohol in your room as grounds to kick you off the ship at the next port of call. I don't know if they'd actually do it, but the threat is there. They make a lot of money off the booze they sell on the boat - they don't want you drinking your own. Maybe they have some way to store the stuff you buy until the cruise is over. Just something to be aware of.
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I highly doubt they would kick you off the ship (from my experience on a cruise ship). They would probably take your alcohol. The cruise ship is responsible for you and to leave you behind for having alcohol in the room seems extreme. I went on a cruise to Bermuda last summer and we put booze in water bottles and mouth wash bottles (the whitening ones that you can't see through) and had no issues getting it onboard or storing it in the room and we saved a ton of money since beers were $6 for domestic and $7 for import beers and mixed drinks were $7. I was on the Norwegian Spirit for what it's worth.
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Cruise ships don't let you bring alcohol because it would kill their profit structure. That said you can bring it but it won't be allowed past security. They will tag and store it then release it to you after cleared with US Customs. They will declare the amount you bought for you so if you go apeshit on the purchasing you will likely be charged some IRT.
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It would certainly be extreme - I'm sure they reserve the right to do so, however. I didn't mean to imply that they would go searching through the room for it - I'm sure if its well-concealed, it won't be discovered.

This makes sense.
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Carnival typically has super cheap prices in the on boat store... It is the same stuff you buy here at prices that will make you look twice. The rule I think is two bottles per person before taxes start accumulating once you are getting off the boat, though I have yet to meet the agent who is concerned about taxing your massive pile of alcohol. On our honeymoon two years ago I purchased 8 bottles of various rums and some crown[ I think the bill for bottles averaged out to $10 a liter and most bottles are liters] plus two bottles of tequila from Cozumel all claimed and the checker looked at my slip signed and let me off.
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Also of note the bottles you purchase on board are held until the last night before you are back in the home port... So you will drink their booze instead of yours :-)
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Whatever booze u choose to purchase, remember u can get it in bottles larger than 1.75 litters. I bought a 2 litter bottle of Jack in Nassau and the empty bottle looks awesome on my mantel :-)

Secondly, as far as sneaking alcohol on, I went on a spring break cruise last year and used Rum Runner flasks from the link below. I had no problem wrapping the flasks in my clothes and saved A TON of money!

http://www.rumrunnerflasks.com/


:-)
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Out of all the Duty Free's and tourist destinations I have travelled around the world, I have yet to find booze less expensive than MA and NH as a general rule. Even Logan's Duty free is nowhere as good as just going to NH State Liquor Store...
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This will be a great investment for the next cruise last time the wife drank up a $600 dollar bill before I could turn around. They get you with that damn card oh just swipe it and we will sort out the bodies later :-):-)
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The beauty of growing up on the MA/NH line. :-)
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I think every cruise line has different procedures as far as how thoroughly they check for alcohol. Ive had some friends that have bought one of the enormous listerine bottles and then drilled out the bottom (to keep the seal on top) filled it with vodka + blue dye and then seal the bottom with wax and voilą you have brought nearly undetectable alcohol.

Also the only way to get legit CCs anywhere in the world is to look for the Habanos sign in the window. Im sure Im preaching to the choir but Habanos is the only legal exporter of CCs and any store that gets them must display the sign.

Image
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There are tons of places that have that sticker that peddle fakes.
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dont ruin this for me lol :-)
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If you want to buy Habanos on your cruise it is quite simple. State the ports you going to and ask here for Habanos dealers. Some destinations may have a LCDH.

You will be disappointed if you have ever been to a major store that sells Habanos like in Europe or SE Asia. Canada has a couple of good stores, Mexico has 4-5, maybe one or two the Carribean, and that's it for all of North America (except for Cuba) for "nice" Habanos stores - 12 at most. Perhaps not news you want, but the reality.
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one other point to note....the import of cuban rum into US is subject to same law as cigars...i.e. they will seize it
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I like Havana Club 7 yr Rum. It's not outstanding, but it's worth trying once. While in Belize, look for 'One Barrel'. It's dirt cheap here, so don't pay a lot for it, but it's hard to find (at least for me), has an interesting taste. When you're in the Caymans, look for Seven Fathoms. It's a small distillery that ages their rum in barrels on the ocean floor. Every batch is different due to the size of the operation, good news is they seem to be improving. That rum is only available on Grand Cayman, also worth trying if you're in the area. Don't forget to grab a Tortuga rum cake while you're there!
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Well thanks for all the pointers guys. I've done some reading on cruisecritic and other sites. Does checked luggage actually get searched or x-rayed? I just can't handle paying 30 dollars for an 8 dollar bottle of wine (and I'm sure there are plenty more alcohol injustices on the boat), I have to find a way to get it on there for free.
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