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Mo's Travel Tips

Shopping:
Duty-free Shopping. You are allowed a personal exemption of $800 worth of duty-free purchases intended for your personal or household use. This means you won't pay a tax - or duty - on these items when you return to the US.

Value-Added Tax (VAT). 20% in Italy and France!! (4% & 10% on basic products) 16% in Spain. On select itineraries we are required by the local law to collect value added tax (VAT) on select onboard purchases. The tax will be added at the time of purchase onboard. The VAT requirement is applicable to itineraries that sail only to European Union* ports of call. (Spain, Italy, and France are part of the European Union.)

Travelers from countries outside of the European Union are eligible for a VAT refund on select purchases they make within the European Union. Such travelers will be eligible for VAT refunds on qualifying purchases made onboard or shoreside through Global Refund, the world's largest VAT refunding company. VAT refunds are available whether you shop in shoreside luxury-brand stores, high-end street stores, department stores, souvenir shops, or the shops onboard our ships. Keep in mind that not all stores show the Tax Free Shopping sign, so remember to ask for your Global Refund check when shopping. Once the check is stamped, your refund can be obtained in a number of ways: cash at the airport or in some cases, close to the cruise terminal; direct crediting of your credit card; or a bank check sent to your home address. For some countries, you can even receive a cash refund when you get back to your home country. Check onboard for more detail about the VAT and VAT refund process or go to http://www.globalrefund.com/

When you arrive at the airport you must present your tax refund cheques at customs BEFORE you check your bags in. Immigration won’t let you go back to the place to claim your VAT refund once your passport has been stamped that you are departing the country. Customs may request to check the items before they stamp your cheques. Once your cheques have been stamped by customs you can cash your cheques at any Bureau de Change in your chosen currency. (Hint, the claim area at the airport is a little window located to the left of the baggage claim carousel in the international terminal).