Cayman Souvenier Item?

[beachin']

I also collect magnets, as well as Christmas ornaments, which makes for a neat "around the world" decorated refrigerator and Christmas tree. Tortuga rum cakes are another great option. They are available in many different flavors and can be purchased on many islands (and Key West). I read on one of the posts that Blackbeard rum cakes are quite a bit cheaper. I saw their location, probably about a block from the North Terminal Tortuga Rum Factory. However, not to toot my own horn, but I make a totally wicked rum cake that everyone says is the absolute best!:)

[Nonesuch]

Black Coral jewelry IS allowed back in the US!!

 

Only with a CITES certificate testifying that the purchase is from an approved seller. Of couse, not everything sold as "black coral" is the genuine article.

 

The official US DoS "Tips for Travelers to the Caribbean" still says not to purchase black coral, in jewelry or otherwise.

[DPJAF]

i collect snow globes for my children from every place we visit. i just recently returned from a cruise on the carnival legend 7/24-8/1. while we were in st. thomas i purchased 2 snow globes but did not look at them close enough - the globes do not say st. thomas on them - the whole purpose of collecting these globes is to have something with the name of the place we visited on it. i was a little disappointed, but now we will just have to go again.

[Susky]

I bought a rum cake and a tee shirt. I ate the cake, and the shirt shrank.

 

Take pictures and enjoy your experience. That's better than any souvenir, IMHO.

[Runningaway]

Only with a CITES certificate testifying that the purchase is from an approved seller. Of couse, not everything sold as "black coral" is the genuine article.

 

The official US DoS "Tips for Travelers to the Caribbean" still says not to purchase black coral, in jewelry or otherwise.

 

What is a CITES certificate? I was very dissappointed to hear that it wasn't allowed back in the USA after hearing how beautiful it was. I had wanted a piece to bring back as my sole souvinier from GC. Thanks for your help.

[Coolcruise02]

Runningaway.......... you are allowed to buy Black Coral Jewelry and bring it back to the U.S. The pieces I purchased had a statement on the back of the price tag as the "certificate". The first time I brough a necklace back I didn't even know there was an issue. After reading on the boards I checked my receipt and tags and there was the statement. I have never been stopped or questioned by customs. I hope you buy a nice piece and enjoy it. :)

[traci28]

i collect snow globes for my children from every place we visit. i just recently returned from a cruise on the carnival legend 7/24-8/1. while we were in st. thomas i purchased 2 snow globes but did not look at them close enough - the globes do not say st. thomas on them - the whole purpose of collecting these globes is to have something with the name of the place we visited on it. i was a little disappointed, but now we will just have to go again.

 

You could always "dr" up the globes by using a paint pen and writing on the back of the globe, where it was from. Might save you a couple of $$. Unless of course, you're using this as an excuse to go back ~!

[jcs56]

I think Grand Cayman is also known for great prices on Movado watches. I bought a beautiful lace tablecloth in town last trip...there is a store there that sells tons and tons of beautiful lines. My dining room table is huge and they were very good prices.

[jcs56]

During our last cruise in 04 the CD John Heald highly recommended black coral so I am sure it is legal to bring it back to the US. Buy some and love it!! I am planning on a piece myself this year. Last year I bought a 3 ct. emerald in GC and hubby bought a 3 ct. tanzanite. Beautiful jewelry.

[Diane c]

You mean sand is illegal to bring back.. too bad I already did it!!!!I brought all the sand back from the beaches. I put it in a bead container that you can stack. it really neat looking at all the sand next to each other. what a wonderful science project for the kids I thought.

[Cruisin' Firefighter]

HI! we collect a quart sized mason jar of sand from every beach we visit. We have black sand and green sand from hawaii, pink sand from bermuda and 39 other "foreign samples". Most customs agents chuckle when inspecting sand samples. the KEY in returning w/ sand is to ALWAYS bring it with you in carry on luggage. That way when questioned you can answer the agent right away about the sand. If you place it in your check in luggage you now have about a 50% of having it confiscated, because the agent has no explaination of the reason why you have "sand". We tried this several times ( same trip, 1 bottle of sand in carry on , 1 in check on) the carry on always go through, whereas the check on about half the time wil make it through. Most agents see tourists returning w/ sand and just let it slide. However, with no explaination the check in one gets taken. The only we had a hassle was we took the Empress 11 nt- 10island cruise and brouht back 10 quart sized jars:rolleyes: :rolleyes: ( It took about an hour for the agent to open and inspect all the jars) while my wife kept saying " I TOLD you so!":o

[traci28]

HAHAHA~! That had me laughing....I can so picture a family being inspected because of sand samples. I have some leftover supplies from a "message in a bottle" project, so I'll be taking small plastic bottles w/ corks to collect our sand samples with. Thanks for the tip about putting them on our carry-on....I'll have each of our children bring back a couple in their backpacks.

[Diane c]

take ziploc baggies. mark the island on the bags. then when you get home transfer them into what ever you want.

[Marge M]

You mean sand is illegal to bring back.. too bad I already did it!!!!I brought all the sand back from the beaches. I put it in a bead container that you can stack. it really neat looking at all the sand next to each other. what a wonderful science project for the kids I thought.

 

No, it's not illegal. Go to this link (US Customs site) and scroll down to Soil, Sand, Minerals, and Shells:

 

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/c...i_prod_inus.xml

 

I used to bring back sand in empty water bottles, but lately I've been doing the baggie thing. It's easier to pack since you can "squish" it around in your luggage. Great tip on putting it in the carry-on, though. I'll do that from now on just in case.

[newfietraveldiva]

Definitely bring back some Tortuga rum cakes. We bought the six pack of small cakes, thought they would make good souvenirs. But they are so yummy!! WE ate most of them ourselves. I wish i had brought back a lot more.

[Lady Anna & Sir Troy]

Yes, It is actually illegal to bring sand back, which is funny thinking how much gets into the suitcase. We just dumped out sand from our sandals last time and hand enough for a small bottle!

 

:confused: Does anyone know how you bring rum back onto the ship? Do you need to have the company send it onto the ship or do you check-it in at boarding time?

 

Thanks!!

 

L.A.S.T.

[Tluvs2talk]

I also collect small bottles of sand from ports that we have visited on our 12 cruises. We aslo collect a magnet and deck of cards from everywhere we visit. I collect charms too.

 

Teri

[wystiria]

On the whole Black Coral deal - if you do some research you will realize this is an extremely RARE coral and it is quickly dissapearing from the oceans. Some of this is due to temperature cahnges in the ocean but also the fact that it has become so popular means it is being harvested.

 

Although some jewelers will certify that they only use non-living / broken pieces, this isn't true for many of the pieces. The popularity is increasing the demand which in turn means people will go and harvest it with no thought to the life of the reef etc.

 

Honestly I own 2 pieces, I wasn't at all aware of the endangered status when they were gifted to me. They are beautiful pieces of jewelry! However, now that I am aware of the problems it makes me sad to own them! And I certainly can not wear them in the sight of many of my scuba diving friends.

 

I don't want this to be a "guilt" post, but take a moment to learn about the coral and then make your own decision.

[surrocruiser]

Is there a good place to buy Cuban cigars on Grand Cayman? Last time I got them in Ocho Rios but later someone told me that probably weren't real.:( Basically, I guess I got ripped off and don't really want that to happen again.

[PTarbay]

http://caymanislandsdiscounts.com/Shopping.htm

here is a link with a few coupons for cigars,souvenirs etc.

[bbnbama]

take ziploc baggies. mark the island on the bags. then when you get home transfer them into what ever you want.

 

If you happen to forget the ziploc baggies, I've found that the cannisters that your 35mm film comes in is a handy dandy sand holder. I've also brought sand back from places that I have been and never realized that there was even a potential for it to be a problem!

[Martinalut]

I just returned from GC in September. I got the cutest stuffed Stingray from the Hard Rock Cafe. It is a collecters item, and is only sold there.

 

 

Also the Lalique (French Crystal) store has a limited edition crystal Stingray. Again, only sold in the Caymans. I think that it was about $200-$300, about what thier other special edition crystal pieces go for.

 

I also got some great pictures. It is fun to take a picture of the ship (and any others in port that day) without a pier coming from it!

[Doughboy77]

How much was the stuffed stingray at Hard Rock?

[nickatpsu]

I was planning to get a piece of black coral from GC also, but after learning a bit more I've lost interest. As it is illegal to "harvest" black coral in GC, they import it from Belize. They are permitted to "collect" broken pieces, but that isn't enough to satisfy the demand.

 

Doesn't quite have the effect of being an appropriate GC souvineer anymore...maybe I'll look in Belize ;) .

[glgolfer]

The black coral items at Bernard K. Passman's in Grand Cayman don't count as trinkets or souveniers, but it is well worth the time to stop in the shop and see what he does with it as far as jewelry and sculpture is concerned.

 

http://www.passman.com/

 

Also, if you like Baileys Irish Cream, try the Tortuga Rum Cream at the Tortuga shop. I like it better than Bailey's and it's great over ice cream.