What are your favorite souvenirs?

[shofer]

Great spices from some islands, vanilla and silver from Mexico and of course, the Christmas ornaments from every vacation we have ever taken, including all the cruises. My very large tree is getting very full. On our previous Princess cruise, I bought a great shirt w/appliqués and beads from the boutique on the ship and get lots of compliments on it.

 

In Costa Rica, we bought the 1820 coffee in a grocery store for about $2.50/lb. We brought that home for the adult children. Much better than t-shirts which they don't want or need. I also purchased a diamond and tanzanite ring in St Thomas one year. On 2 trips to Hawaii got a Tahitian black pearl slide and a gold pineapple pendant. Until I started this, did not think about all the stuff I have acquired because of cruising!

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

That's an easy question to answer. No pictures, trinkets, nick-nacks or t-shirts can compare the the great memories and the wonderful friends we have from our cruise experiences.

[mrsmagnolia]

funny this question came up, but i wore an ankle brace;et from our very first cruise today, from nasau, the bahamas! it was supposto be to bermuda, but thanks to hurrican felix, i ended up there!!! taught me a bvaluable lesson! don;t leave from ny to bermuda during a hurricane!!!!:) ;) :o :eek:

[bbro]

I bought a beautiful delicate silver bangle with a brilliant blue glass inlayed pattern in Alaska made by a native AK women and her daughter-in-law. They said their inspiration of the blue glass is from the blue color of the glaciers. Everytime I look at it I think of my trip and all the glaciers we saw. And I felt really good about supporting the local economy. I only shopped in stores that advertised as "Alaskan family owned and operated" in the window.

[HAM]

Receipts from the various beach bars I have visited!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DC2OC]

Hot Sauce - We have display in the kitchen with Hot Sauces made in places we have visited.........................Frank:)

[Peregrina651]

 

my favorite is a toss up between the hand painted lacquer boxes from Russia and the hand painted camel bone boxes from Istanbul.

 

[hajekfam]

I usually pick up a small piece of artwork depicting the place we visit. For example, I picked up a water color of a spot in Grand Cayman that looked exactly like where we stopped to relax. The artists are local - no big names. I never pay more than $10 - $15 for them. After I frame them, I put a label on the back with a description. It is so nice to look at them and remember our great cruises. I had hung them in a corner of our room, but they have outgrown the corner so we will be moving them to the guestroom once we get our daughter's elephants out (she left them with us until she got a place big enough to display them).

[2theship]

As for artwork or jewelry, it all depends on the port and what's special there. We have found a fun way to remember and display all of our travels, however. On our Baltic cruise in 2001, we started buying souvenir pins in each port. In Tallin, I bought a small woven table runner. When we got home I found a rod to put through the runner and we hung our pins in it. Now, everywhere we go, we buy a pin and add it to the wall hanging. It hangs on a wall that we pass many times a day and I often stop to remember the many places we visited. The best part is that the pin takes no room in a suitcase and all of our mementos can be displayed easily in one place.

[chickaroonie]

We have 4 cruises upcoming & I love to garage sale. So I like to pre buy souvenirs much to the amusement of my fellow travelers. I have bought my spanking brand new St Maarten beach bag( which I will pack to go there), a coffee book of Ireland, various Celebrity cruises glasses & one for Sloppy Joes bar in Key West- geez, should have served that to finsup last night. My most recent find was a bank of sorts labeled cruise fund- with a cork lid with a tourist couple attached on top.We've been throwing in loose coins, Now if the weather clears today...I'll be on the hunt again.

Oh...also bought a bag full of Caymen Island postcards to mail- ;)

[Orator]

I like to collect the model of the ship I am sailing. Not available on some of my earlier cruises or some more recent ships, but I have 14 in my "fleet." Costs about $26-$30 and you can often get captain to sign.

[Yahtic]

Refrigerator magnets for us, inexpensive, small, and a constant reminder of where we have traveled. Although we are beginning to get short of room on the front of the refrigerator and now filling the sides.

[Susie51]

Swavardski (sp?) crystal figurines of animals and thing I have seen on my cruises. So far I have a dolphin, shark, sea lion, sea turtle, bear with a fish in his mouth, cockatoo, conch shell, swan, and iguana.

[Stelladoro]

Sometimes, the best souvenirs are free. While buying some stamps at the local post office in the town of Amalfi, Italy, we were given a free poster. It's a beautiful aerial shot of the town. We had it framed and it's hanging in our family room for continuous enjoyment!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I like the refrigerator magnets too--small and fit well in luggage and don't take up a lot of space at home. And good memories of the places I've been when I look at the refrigerator. But the ship ones are hard to come by, wish they would stock more. Or that one could purchase them from Celebrity. So far, I have had to content myself with magnets from destinations I've been to.

[GRBlizz]

On our recent Baltic cruise, I bought a magnet in each port, and I put them up on the bathroom door of our cabin when I got back to the ship each day.

 

Each day, the steward rearranged them in a different fun pattern. Sort of like an X version of a towel animal. I think we both enjoyed it!

 

At home, they are on my washing machine, since our refrigerator door is not magnetic. But we can enjoy them there!

[Sweet Sadie Sue]

I usually buy a handbag or a piece of jewelry as a remembrance of my trip.

[Karynanne]

Jewelry and Artwork...but most of all...memories.

[kk99]

My absolute favorite souvenir was the dog I rescued on Grand Cayman. She gave us many years of happiness. Next best is all of the memories made with old friends and new through our many years of cruising.

kk

[Duanerice1]

Magnets and Christmas ornaments. Neither take up too much room and are relatively inexpensive. This way I can buy one in each port.

 

I keep the magnets on a filing cabinet in my office and of course we use the Christmas ornaments on our tree.

 

enjoy,

Duane

[muffin]

This isn't quite a souvenir, but we were told by some Puerto Rican cruisers on our TA, to be sure and buy a great round of gouda cheese while in St Martins...the dutch side of course. THey are HUGE..weight at least 10 pounds and cost about $20.00usd. The place we bought even delivered them to the ship so you didn't have to carry them around with you. We only bought one, and got that service too. Free. And the cheese arrived in our cabin!! Many friends enjoyed their great slab....as did we.

[Cruise Junky]

My most treasured purchase from a cruise was our Chagal print that we bought in St. Paul de Vence. He's my favourite artist, we visited his grave yard there and the print features the village. Everytime I look at it, I just sigh!!!!

[hermang]

1. Small bills and change from every country

2. Passport stamps if possible

3. Liquor country may be noted for ( Appleton's Rum, Guavaberry liquor)

4. Postcards or maybe a DVD

5. Hat pins

[Glendakayself]

Christmas ornaments. It is so much fun to decorate the tree each year and remember all of our travels!

[C.a.p.t.a.i.ns.g.i.r.l.]

Mostly jewelry.

 

Love the idea of saving your bar receipts. Ingenious.