Why do people go shopping on vacation?

[Laurie S.]

We pick up shot glasses from each port and keep them at my house in Mexico. I also collect jewelry, mainly earrings, from each place. I don't vacation to shop, but I will shop when I vacation. :)

[kcwingwalker]

On vacation, you know where DH and I go if we can? Grocery store. True! We love to see the various goods for sale in other countries, and compare prices. It's interesting for us. :) Prices are cheaper too than at the stores at the pier. I think we've been to a grocery store in almost every single port we've ever gone to, and on land vacations too.

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Agree it's great fun.

 

Our favorite was in Aruba and had many products from the Netherlands.

[marco]

"Once upon a time" you used to be able to get really unique and different stuff and /or it was way less expensive. Now, you can get just about everything at home and more often than not for less $$$$$$. We were in St Thomas last year and checked out some Waterford to replace a couple of pieces that broke. It was the same price as here! I said that to the clerk and she said "yes, but you don't have to pay the sales tax". I was not going to lug the box and also have to worry about breakage. IN Europe, pretty much all the countries that are on the Euro, stuff is a better buy here. and again....I'm not carrying it!

[CowPrincess]

Count me (and DH) as another two who love to go to local grocery stores :D

 

We may spend a bit of time shopping in a port, mainly to contribute to the local economy. I have a friend, though, who can spend every minute of every port day shopping. I don't understand it at all. She almost nevers buys, just fondles the stuff on the shelves, discusses it with a clerk or two, and leaves. I just do not understand it. When she pulls that when travelling with me, my eyes glaze over, and I'm soon saying "I'll see you back onboard". :D

[pris993]

On all of my trips - so far I have been to 24 countries and of course the amount of cities multiply - I try to find a normal supermarket to see how people there actually live, eat and consume. I observe what they put in their shopping cart to see whats good and popular. Positively spying them!

I usually bring home something to taste, some dry food, like tea, coffee, bisquits, pasta etc, something that will not need to be in cold. I dont get cheap souveniers except for fridge magnet. I might need second fridge as Im running out of space on the door soon.

 

But food is probably not what you meant with shopping.

 

We are like you, we love to check out local markets - do this where ever we travel. We especially like to shop like locals for nuts, wine, candy, street foods, and bakery items. We bring back packaged candy and cookies for gifts. We bring back nuts, dried fruits, fresh fruit and bakery items to enjoy on board.

[Ehpride]

I like shopping and it's a social activity for me in general.

 

I do shop on vacation because I like to get souvenirs. I collect shot glasses and I like finding local unique jewelry in port. I don't go to the diamonds international type stores and I don't spend the entire time in port or on board shopping. If anything, it's stopping in some stores before I go back to the ship.

 

But then again I've spent the entire day at the Mall of America and I go Black Friday shopping.

[puppycanducruise]

We don't do a lot of shopping while cruising, but I do like to pick up a few souvenirs.

After touring around Santorini, DH and I were chatting with a merchant in a small shop. We had a really nice talk (were there about 1/2 and hour) and as we were getting ready to leave, the man put a silver bangle on my wrist and said how nice it looked. I thought 'Oh no, a pushy salesman'. But no, he said it was his gift to me.

Wonderful souvenir and wonderful person. So, this was either the most expensive bracelet (had to buy a cruise), or the cheapest (free). :)

[Smiles3usa]

...The couple stopped at every Hard Rock Café so that they could bring back T-shirts from each country. I just don't get it!

 

My DH has Hard Rock Cafe polo shirts and some T-shirts too from various cities around the world. He collects them; and everyone once in a while I get a story about this place or that place when he wears them on a lazy Saturday afternoon. They are always good for a smile. Although I must admit that some have outlived there functionality, and others I have had to sneak to throw away.

 

I like to collect coffee mugs from the various cities around the world. Each morning I slow down and revisit someplace nice before running off to work.

 

I also send postcards home to us from various ports.

 

So although I am no big shopper (although I did buy a rug in Turkey), I do enjoy the trinkets and reminders of places we visit...and am unlikely to give up the habit.

[Porthopper101]

This is a question that I've been wondering about for a while. And in general too, not just for cruising. This board is pretty active so I thought I would post it here. Why do you go shopping when you are on vacation? I understand if you need to buy some gifts for people. Or you forgot to bring something and you need to go buy it. But I don't understand the shopping as an activity thing. If you have such limited time in port, why would you spend it shopping? You can shop anywhere. And often the things that you can buy are not even from that port. Like in Venice there are these glass trinkets everywhere, but they are all made in China. And even if there are things that are unique to that port, aren't there much more unique things to do there than shopping?

 

I was talking about this with my husband during our last cruise, and he had a theory that maybe some people see shopping as a way to remember a place. Like if you buy something, even something that you can buy anywhere, in this specific port, it will help you remember that port more when you see that item. And that will give you good memories.

 

Curious to see what responses people will have. :o If you are someone who does look for shopping opportunities when you travel, I would really like to hear your side.

 

I have a daughter who wants a Starbuck's coffee mug from a different city. A friend who wants shot glass from a different city. I am in Paris, I always come here around this time to shop for the latest LV handbag :D. To each his own I guess :).

 

M

Edited November 19, 2013 by Porthopper101

[slidergirl]

For me, it all depends which ports I have… If it is the Caribbean, I don't shop, nothing there I really want. I don't do excursions (unless it's to someplace I really want to visit and I can't get there alone), but I love to just wander around towns and see the local flavor. I'm another one that likes to visit the local supermarket and just see what's there - it's the sociologist in me, I guess, to see local habits. My cruises down the Pacific coast did have some specific shopping - how could I not go into Chinatown in San Francisco and hit an herbalist for some of my things I use, and, I would always hit up the Lush store in Victoria for some goodies (before we got our own Lush store). I wandered around Astoria, Oregon and found a cute little pet accessory store where I bought a Halloween collar for my dog and an artichoke chew toy. The Med holds it's own spots for specific shopping. I'll usually pick up a unique scarf or a pair of earrings that catch my eye in my wanderings. But, it's not a targeted thing, it just happens if something calls to me. When I wear them, I always remember where I bought them and that makes me smile:)

[youngestof9]

I like tshirts from places I visit and well, there's no St. Thomas shirts in NY.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Different people like different things. Personally I don't get those that bring stuffed animals on their cruises and take photos of them everywhere or those that will sit in a Señor Frogs and drink the port away but whatever floats their boats. I don't do a lot if shopping but will look around in a few shops to find a shirt for our DS.

 

Aw, but Moo Cowlatta knows how to have fun on her cruises (above, you can see her on a beach in Kauai).

 

To us, as others have noted, shopping is just like touring the town. Most of the time, we just wing it and walk around (I do read up on the ports beforehand, and try to find interesting places for us as we walk around, too). We're not trying to score some jewelry or watches or fancy artwork. A magnet for our fridge will often remind us of that port. My hubby and I both grew up in the land of shopping malls so it's often fun just to window shop no matter where we are.

 

 

Your post doesn't come across that way. It seems more that you want to belittle the activity with comments like "if you have so little time in port, why would you spend it shopping."

 

 

The first post came off that way to me in the way it was written. If this wasn't that intent, sorry, but it seems too much like posters who wonder why many of us bring our kids on cruises, etc.

 

To me, sitting by a machine in a casino or playing bingo or sitting through an art auction would be totally boring, but others love to do this, but would hate to be anywhere near a trivia match (which I love playing) or watching a movie on a cruise (which I also love doing). To each their own. Same for port activities. Some have to snorkel or zipline and that's fine, but not my thing. Some people jam their port time with go-go-go, while others want to hang out on a beach for hours. Neither type of day any better than any other activity -- as long as you're enjoying yourself, that's the best for you.

 

Even sea days vs port days will bring out different responses on this site. Fortunately for me, my hubby and I seem to enjoy the same things on vacation or fully support each other (sometimes I'll help him carry his music and stand while he carries his guitar to a nice quiet nook on a ship -- and I'll take out my puzzle magazine while he strums away -- it's all good).

 

And I can totally get the going to a grocery store in port. In my area, there's Mexican and Korean grocery stores, but some people interested in that kind of food may have to shop on Amazon or wait for a vacation to an area with diverse foods. Last Christmas Eve, we were in Hilo and were checking out what the local stores had, just for fun.

[LindaM]

I don't shop in the Caribbean much. In Europe, we found an interesting knife holder in Switzerland (before weight limits), an egg piercer in a village outside of Vienna, great costume Jewelry in Slovenia, foodstuffs. Of course Christmas ornaments are always a nice memento. Putting up the tree is a fun experience, remembering the places we have been. I love buying costume jewelry that you wouldn't find in N. America! Sometimes clothing, as well! I have too many nick nacks cluttering up my house---jewelry and clothing work for me!

 

I LOVE going into foreign groceries and markets!

[Hlitner]

Reading this thread makes me just love DW that much more :). When we are traveling (about 6 months a year) and I suggest we go shopping she tells me that there is nothing we need! Just got off a 28 day Veendam cruise that went from Quebec City to San Diego and included ports in Canada, USA, Grand Cayman, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Mexico. When I filled out the US Customs Declaration our total of all goods was a big ZERO! We live in Puerto Vallarta for 2 months a year, and generally our Declaration Form (when we return home) is ZERO!. Perhaps I need to bottle my wife and put her on sale in Walmart :)

 

Hank

P.S. Before anyone asks, yes, we do stop at Walmart in Puerto Vallarta (although not the old one near the port) when we live in the city. However, it is only to buy food products which we use in our condo.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Hlitner

[cibumcupio]

The first post came off that way to me in the way it was written. If this wasn't that intent' date=' sorry, but it seems too much like posters who wonder why many of us bring our kids on cruises, etc.[/quote']

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to belittle anyone with my question. My husband tells me I might be a little Aspy or mildly autistic or something, so sometimes there are human behaviors that I really don't understand. And when I don't understand them, I usually just google my question. But in this case, google failed me so I turned to CC.

 

There are cruise things I love, there are cruise things that I don't enjoy but understand why other people do them, like gambling or buying photos. And then there are things that I just don't understand.

 

I'm female, but I really don't understand jewelry, shoes, bags, fashion, and shopping. Bags I kinda get because it's cool when there are lots of pockets. Shoes are just for wearing, and jewelry...well, I don't know what that's used for. Really don't get jewelry. But I especially don't get shopping, because it seems like lots of people devote a lot of time to it, even on vacation. I shop as a chore. Grocery shopping I like sometimes, but clothes shopping and shopping just to shop sounds like torture to me. But lots of people seem to love it so I was just wondering why. I have to say everyone's responses on here really has helped me understand this a lot better. For me, even if something was much cheaper in a certain place, I still wouldn't go buy it because it's my vacation and I would rather not do chores. So I guess if the activity is intrinsically enjoyable for you, something being cheaper or not available elsewhere will just give you that extra reason to shop. Not necessarily make you shop when you didn't want to before, right? I also don't get souvenirs because I feel like the memory you have of buying that souvenir is the time you spent buying that souvenir, and not necessarily of the port. I do like the idea of having Christmas ornaments from different ports, but again the thought of actually spending time to go get them is not for me. But still, I've had a lot of fun reading everyone's responses.

[RCcruisinfamily]

We used to buy the crappy souvenirs. But now we buy nothing. But we lie to avoid problems in customs. The time we claimed nothing, they questioned our kids on how many times they have cruised. When they heard, they let us pass. Better to falsely claim a tshirt and some crap then to get questioned.

 

I only buy what we consume on the ship and in the ports.

 

Okay, i feel the need to give some further information. I have cruised a lot in the caribbean. With a family of 5, it is a fun vacation for us. We live a short drive form the port. Three hours from PC and 5ish from Ft. L. Port Canaveral customs is the worst! They really gave us crap for purchasing no souvenirs. We have done the tour + shopping before. Probably why we stay away from it now. It gets old. We have the dreadlocks hats, sombreros, tshirts. Plus, it is common to repeat ports when your cruise out of florida. Western, Easter, Bahama itineraries. We have been there done that on the shopping. So now we avoid shopping. Plus we have been drawn in to the $10 sale. (NOT a sale, that is regular price for those items) We have bought the cruise tshirts, sweatshirts, magnets, ornaments. So for the past year, we are like I don't want any more of the crap. We have purchased plenty of the add ons and we are done with that. We purchase what we truly want and try to avoid the impulse buys or giving the kids a set amount to spend. They will spend it if they feel they have to. If we hit a port we have not been too, who knows we may purchase some new trinkets. We go to Grand Cayman for spring break this year and the BVI next year. Shopping is just not all it is cracked up to be. Guess cause we have been there done that. Also, we do not enjoy the harassment at the Falls in Jamaica or the Labadee village. It is pretty creapy when some guy is saying, little boy come over here. I say he has no money!!!

[lmd4941977]

That's the reason I love to cruise....you can do almost anything at sea or on land. I'm not a shopper any more. I don't even take pictures any more. I just love to see new things. Window shopping is a fun way to see the local people and the area. I also love visiting the grocery stores and often bring a sweet treat home.

The only place I ever did much shopping was in Bermuda. I bought all my English tea pots there. They were a real deal compared to London prices.

I never go near the straw markets. I can't stand the aggressive shop keepers. While walking down a street in Freeport a lady started wrapping silly magnetic items around my neck and wrists. Wow, was I ever in a hurry to get out of there.

[slidergirl]

One thing I'm pretty anal about is filling out my customs form. Even though I have Global Entry now, I still take the time to do it. By "anal", I mean I: 1)keep every receipt for every little thing I bought (if no receipt given, I handwrite one for myself 2) separate out into categories of items (shirts, scarves, jackets, bags, misc souvenirs, etc., 3)add up the amounts of the categories, 4) convert from local currency to $US, and 5) fill out the form with number of items and cost NOT rounded off. Some of this is for my own benefit to see exactly how much I spent. But, it's also to give the Customs people a little chuckle - who in their right mind lists "3 shirts $33.45, 5 scarves $23.99, 1 bag mixed Egyptian spices $3.72, 1 keychain $.23" :) Even when I've gone over my limit, I have it listed exactly. I have only gone over by maybe $100 at most, but I don't fudge and I've never been asked to pay duty. If I'm ever asked to pay, I'm happy to do so.

[Gloria Mundi]

I'm not a big shopper, at home or on vacation. DH and I try to get a refrigerator magnet from every place we visit- easy and cheap, and all we have to do is look at the refrigerator to see how blessed we are.

 

Other items are hit or miss. I LOVE jewelry and have bought a lot in India, where the prices are good, and have a bracelet from H. Stern in Rio that I treasure. I've picked up little things here and there when I see something in a store window that I like; I've got a good eye for jewelry and as long as I can trust that they're being honest about the gold and precious stones, I know if I'm getting a decent price. I've never bought anything with big diamonds- too many variables.

 

I try to avoid things made in China so if I can buy a locally-made belt or a wallet in a country such as Spain, I do that.

 

But if I come home with nothing but a refrigerator magnet and a lot of pictures and memories, I'm happy.

Edited November 20, 2013 by Gloria Mundi

[SuitCaseBears]

I shop (which could mean buying something or just looking in stores) on vacation for a few reasons:

 

 

• To bring souvenirs back for friends and family. They seem to like a little "I was thinking of you" trinket.
  
• To have a remembrance for ourselves
  
• If we can get to a non-tourist type store it's a terrific way to get to know the culture a little tiny bit in a very short period of time by seeing what people in that country buy. I find it's more educational than a tour
  
• To kill time before re-boarding
  
• To get out of the sun
  
• To people watch
  
• To get something I might not be able to get at home, or couldn't get at home at that price
  

[Jacs]

It depends where I am as it if I put time aside to shop. Things are very expensive in Australia, so when I'm in the US I shop for clothing as its a different range and it's cheaper, particularly with the dollar being close to parity the last few years. In Europe I shop for souvineers that remind me of the place, a Murano vase in Venice, a hand painted urn from Athens, a stein from Munich for example. When we went to Egypt I bought some statuettes and in Israel some Dead Sea products. On our recent transpacific I bought pearls in Bora Bora. I also collect Hard Rock glasses from around the world, it's fun to see the collection growing. We always seek it out if we are visiting a city that has one, even on a cruise.

 

Shopping for me isn't about the act of shopping (I can as you say do that anywhere), it's about buying something unique to the area that I'm in, and attaching a memory to that.

[Gloria Mundi]

If we can get to a non-tourist type store it's a terrific way to get to know the culture a little tiny bit in a very short period of time by seeing what people in that country buy. I find it's more educational than a tour.

 

DH and I have done land travel in a lot of cities in Europe and we buy meals form grocery stores more often than we eat out- not only to economize but because at the end of the day we're happy to just relax in our hotel room with food and wine.

 

We always enjoy being in the local grocery stores to see what brands they have, what types of produce, what OTC meds, etc. It's also a good way to mix with the locals and support local businesses rather than McDonald's, Pizza Hut or Hilton.

[clean1owner]

I've bought a string hammock in Cancun for $20 -- MUCH less than I could buy it in the USA. I also bought a Mexican dress for $12 IIRC.

 

This year I'm buying Mexican vanilla & hot sauce to represent the ports I'm landing in. I'll also get some liquor -- NOT Kaluha since I looked in my liquor cabinet & I have THREE unopened bottles already!! I LIKE Kaluha, but not that much!

 

My family & I vacationed in Mexico for YEARS so I'm done with the 'touristy' shopping.

 

 

Last time I was in Cancun, they were only $5. And the kid chased us 4 blocks down the road trying to get us to buy one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent via my Carrier Pigeon Now a free app from Bridge Rafters

[kadey]

My Dh and I also share the love to travel.The different islands, cities and countries are all a wonder to experience. We love to sight see and we love to shop. We enjoy bring home (or shipping) items that are authentic to to the area we visited that are difficult or nearly impossible to get where we live. Our home is filled with these various items that we see or use on an everyday basis. Examples-We have sent home 4 chandeliers from Murano,all 29 drawer pulls in our kitchen are from Tuscany,a painting from Positano and 2 from Rome,tablecloths and from Provence.I love to cook and we always try to send home local food/oils and seasoning.We've never given up seeing what interests us but we do try to save time for some shopping. I love looking around our home and it warms my soul to have these beautiful and memorable items be a part of our daily lives. This is why we like to shop on vacations!

[MrsPete]

I'm solidly in the camp of "why spend your limited shore time shopping"?

 

I'm not really talking about people who spend the last 30 minutes or hour in port browsing the little shops and picking up a souvenier for a friend. I'm talking about the people who plan their entire vacation around the acquisition of stuff, the consumption of goods. And more than a few people do it. Those people, it seems to me, waste their experience in the attempt to grab a few trinkets.