CheckersMidwest Posted June 5, 2012 #1 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Shopping on the Paradise......Grand Cayman......Cozumel Each ship has a 'shopping expert' on board. They are in charge of sales and promotions and have seminars during the week with coupons and tips. Organizer I did NOT buy one of these, however I heard some ladies talking at dinner that did and were thrilled with the results. We didn't have much free time while in Port, but if you planned to spend a lot of time shopping I think it would be a good deal. It was a nice portfolio/planner style full of coupons. It had $2000 in coupons for % off as well as free stuff including appetizers, merchandise, jewlery, etc. You got a free Del Sol color changing beach bag with the purchase. You could make a private appointment with the 'expert' and go over specific things you're looking for, etc. Fabulous Finds Shopping Seminar I attended a shopping meeting during a land vacation to Cancun several years ago and felt like once you were in the store you were stuck. I had decided Not to go to the meetings on the ship. However, when it was time for the Grand Cayman meeting, I was free and decided to go. Glad I did. Everyone was given coupons for free stuff. The 'expert' told you all about what was there , prices, where it was, etc. They gave you maps too. I did go to the Cozumel shopping seminar too long enough to get more free coupons. The stores on the ship were reasonably priced. T shirts were $10. They had cruise ones as well as port of call shirts. Onboard photos were taken all the time. Most of ours were really good. The 5x7 one taken when we got on was $12. Everything else was printed in an 8x10 size and was $20. I refused to pay that and don't need that big a picture. If they had 5x7 sizes for $10 , I'd bought several. They did not discount them the last day either. They did have several different scrapbooks with Carnival specific sets. The albums were always full price ($25 and $30) but the paper sets went down to $12. The teen club O2 took a group picture one night. My daughter did buy that photo. When I bought the scrapbook they gave me a couple glossy photos of the ship. Diamonds International I had a coupon for a free gold charm bracelet. We got the bracelets in Grand Cayman but they had them in Cozumel too. In Cozumel, you could get a free charm at EACH Diamonds International store. The first one is $5 and the rest are free. We got a sombrero and dolphins. We didn't have time to go to the others. I don't know if Grand Cayman had charms or not. Effy jewelry stores had free gemstone necklaces. There were two in the port stores in Cozumel. I think downtown had more. Each store has a different color. When they give you the free necklace, you can buy the matching stud earrings for $10. One free necklace per person....UNLESS you buy earrings. (If you buy 3 earring sets then you can have 3 necklaces, etc.) We got 'diamond' sets and garnet sets. The picture on the coupon also showed pink and light blue. I'm sure they're not high quality, but they are pretty. Cozumel Shopping Weaving things..... This man fingerpainted beautiful pictures onto tiles. I didn't buy one of these, but I did get an 11x14 picture that was spray painted for $20. Oakley & Coach Sunglasses Several stores in the port of Cozumel had these. Inside, you can see 'made in USA' or 'made in china'. They CLAIMED the 'made in USA' ones were real and the others knock offs. Not so sure. The stores closest to the ship were the cheapest. Some were $10, $20, and $25. Look around. My son bought a pair in town for $10. All colors & styles. I bought a pair of Coach sunglasses for myself @ $35. I made a deal though since we were buying 3 pair. Viva Mexico Store had all kinds of reasonably priced things. $5 t shirts, pottery, maracas, a $20 Mexico deal that included a hat, blanket, maraca, and some other pieces. My daughter bought $1 keychains to bring back to her friends. I bought my dad hot sauce and my mom a wind chime made of coral for $4. Grand Cayman Shopping There were a lot of stores close to the port. I thought things were expensive....$28 tshirts. We didn't have much time to shop in Grand Cayman, so maybe I just didn't find the 'right' stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckersMidwest Posted June 5, 2012 Author #2 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I forgot to mention the Onboard Special Sales. The last sea day at noon, they had a bracelet sale. The bracelets look similar to Pandora ones. The square boxes are 'glass' beads/accents and the tags said $95 I think. The round boxes have 'crystals' and the tags were $125 (?). They had them covered on tables by the shops and uncovered them at noon. The square boxes sold for $25 and the round ones for $40. Extra charms/beads were $20. I bought an extra charm set that was a cruise ship & pair of sunglasses that rang up at the register for $15. There were also rectangle boxed sets of the bracelet, matching necklace, and earrings that sold for $40. The crowd was massive. Get there early to get close. Even after the crowd thinned out, you could get up to the tables & there was plenty left. I compared it to a Black Friday sale. At 2:00 they had a boxed set watch sale for $20. My husband & son looked but didn't find anything they liked. My daughter bought one with a pearlized face and stones around the outside. It came with a necklace and tennis bracelet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemynii Posted June 8, 2012 #3 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Thanks for the review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckersMidwest Posted June 11, 2012 Author #4 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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