The shopping arcade on any cruise ship is a mecca for many passengers. Most ships have a range of shops selling goods ranging from clothing, watches, jewellery, souvenirs to cameras and duty free alcohol. In generak I have found the quality of merchandise is good with brand names a feature. Often there is a gallery selling ( or auctioning) art works although in my view much of it is pretty ordinary.

It is fascinating to watch the passengers searching for that special item to take home. There is a pattern to the selling of goods with strategically arranged discounts and sales with prices gradually declining during the cruise.

Towards the end of the cruise special sales are held with prices on items such as watches and jewellery heavily marked down so it is worthwhile waiting until the final days - but beware the sales become a 'feeding frenzy' for many passengers. I bought a nice watch for $10 on the last day which was nearly $100 at the start of the cruise.

Duty free alcohol is a great bargain and your purchases are delivered to your cabin the night before disembarkation. My wife likes gin and she was able to buy top brands like Tanqueray and Bombay at low duty free prices on all the ships we sailed on in the past year.