Do this before you buy anything while on a cruise!

[s2kreno]

I've done a fair bit of traveling and cruising, and even did a Semester at Sea when I was younger, and I've never seen this tip. When you shop onshore or on board, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and of course you want a souvenir. Now, before I buy, I find an Internet cafe onshore and see if what I'm looking at is available online and how much it costs. Then I determine if the object in question is something I'd want enough to order it when I get back home, or if its main attraction is the experience of purchasing it abroad. If it's something I'd want anyway, and the price at the shops is better or at least not much more than I'd pay at home, I'll buy. Otherwise I skip it. The first time I did this, I was in Saint Thomas and wanted a larimar and blue topaz necklace. It was $800 and I had never seen one before and almost bought it. But we had lunch first, and I was poking around on eBay and found many of them for much less. Now I always check.

[grammi]

Before we cruise I always go to ebay and purchase cruise line travel mugs and baseball hats so we are not tempted to purchase on the ship.

[Clarea]

Caveat Emptor.:)

[calliopecruiser]

I've done a fair bit of traveling and cruising, and even did a Semester at Sea when I was younger, and I've never seen this tip. When you shop onshore or on board, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and of course you want a souvenir. Now, before I buy, I find an Internet cafe onshore and see if what I'm looking at is available online and how much it costs. Then I determine if the object in question is something I'd want enough to order it when I get back home, or if its main attraction is the experience of purchasing it abroad. If it's something I'd want anyway, and the price at the shops is better or at least not much more than I'd pay at home, I'll buy. Otherwise I skip it. The first time I did this, I was in Saint Thomas and wanted a larimar and blue topaz necklace. It was $800 and I had never seen one before and almost bought it. But we had lunch first, and I was poking around on eBay and found many of them for much less. Now I always check.

 

If you buy it when you get home, then it's not a souvenir.

[donaldsc]

If you buy it when you get home, then it's not a souvenir.

 

But if it is the same item, it most probably will be cheaper.

 

DON

[cb at sea]

We simply don't get "souvenirs ! So easy! If you need a photo or trinket to remember your trip, the trip probably wasn't worth it!

[calliopecruiser]

But if it is the same item, it most probably will be cheaper.

 

DON

Yes, but that really wasn't my point. If you want a souvenir, getting something cheaper at home doesn't fulfill your want and so it won't mean the same thing. However, if what you really want is just a particular item, that's a different story.

 

For me, photographs are usually my primary souvenir......But on occasions where I have bought something on a voyage, it means more to me than if I'd bought the same thing at a store at home because it invokes a memory.

[beachbum53]

I like to look for shops in port that sell locally made handicrafts, rather than the typical souvenir items. For me, that is more meaningful than some commercially made item.

[bakersdozen12]

Guess I don't have this problem because I'm not that rich, lol! I would never spend $800 on a necklace. Or even consider it for that matter. At most I will probably buy one $20 or less souvenir from each port. The only exception is if the port has a Pandora store. Then if they have an engraved murano unique to that island, I'll buy that. But that's only about $45. I could never afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a souvenir. I would rather save that kind of money towards another cruise! [emoji4]

 

 

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Edited April 30, 2016 by bakersdozen12

[GUT2407]

Caveat Emptor.:)

 

Always

 

And simple

[Keith1010]

We try to purchase one item for our home each time we travel. It will be an item that is locally made. Often inexpensive but something unique and something that when we look at it brings back fond memories from our cruise or land travel.

 

Keith

[mrs and mrs]

Funny story, I can remember on board looking at the gold chain by the inch, I remembered something and I asked the sales assistant, could we wear it in the shower. The answer No.I asked why not. Answer Because the gold plating would wash off, I turned and just walked away and looked back and 40 people were following, having heard the conversation. They set the stall up once more, but word must have spread like a wild fire, because there was no-one there buying. Never saw them set up again.:):).Got to remember, we were all mostly blue carders and as green as grass.

[Underwatr]

If you buy it when you get home, then it's not a souvenir.

But if you order it online while you're on vacation, it's really no different.

 

When I was in Munich I ordered a Bayern München scarf on eBay. I tell myself (and anyone who might ask) that "I bought it while on vacation in Germany." :p

Edited April 30, 2016 by Underwatr

[charmed101]

" So easy! If you need a photo or trinket to remember your trip, the trip probably wasn't worth it!

"

 

 

Aw !! But for us that have bad memories,,,, pics are what we use to remind us of the fun we had !

Edited April 30, 2016 by charmed101

[Krazy Kruizers]

We never buy any jewelry or electronic items when we cruise or do land vacations.

We do buy something unique for that port/country and/or also get a Christmas ornament.

[coneyraven]

Guess I don't have this problem because I'm not that rich, lol! I would never spend $800 on a necklace. Or even consider it for that matter. At most I will probably buy one $20 or less souvenir from each port. The only exception is if the port has a Pandora store. Then if they have an engraved murano unique to that island, I'll buy that. But that's only about $45. I could never afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a souvenir. I would rather save that kind of money towards another cruise! [emoji4]

 

 

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I'm so with you on this. My idea of a souvenir is a T-shirt, Coffee Mug or a Magnet. Totally within my budget and will bring back the same happy memories as a more expensive item.

 

 

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[MommaBear55]

We try to purchase one item for our home each time we travel. It will be an item that is locally made. Often inexpensive but something unique and something that when we look at it brings back fond memories from our cruise or land travel.

 

Keith

 

I agree! I like sipping my tea from a special mug and thinking "didn't we have a good time". We also like special Christmas ornaments.

[coneyraven]

I like the Christmas ornament idea. I know that's something my wife will embrace. How cool, have a Bermuda ornament or a St. Maarten ornament (or both. Lol)

 

 

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[onespots]

These items enhance our experience, help us remember something funny, remind us things we had forgotten over time, & how much better I looked 10 years ago. Although most of our purchases are not expensive, we enjoy one-of-a-kind items unique to our visit or locally hand-crafted items.

 

Who is interested a shoe box of photos (prints) from a trip ? Half of the time I would not recall why I took the picture in the first place, plus continually explaining the significance of the picture to someone generally not interested. Therefore we have done the following to help us remember our trips.

 

This process is time consuming, however I feel the pluses out-weigh any minuses. I am careful to take pictures daily with a marker telling me where one day ends & another begins. ( simple things like city or town name, historic bldg, sail-away, etc ) Then I collect the daily print outs from the ship to help organize these photos & dates when we return home. I try to organize all the photos chronologically & place them in a folder with a subtitle like Rome 4-29-15 or whale watching 9-12-16. I may have several folders depending on the length of the trip. After I have edited the keeper photos & they are in the proper order of this trip, I begin to make the DVD. To make it better for us, we usually add music from the country we have visited or the event we attended. Most of the time we enter a short caption about the picture. Hopefully this helps to tell the story of our trip. When the DVD is completed we have a short video of 15-25 minutes of our adventure. It still amazes me how much I have forgotten looking at these videos a year later.

 

I am not suggesting this process is for everyone, it just works for us. We try to include some short video taken during the trip, along with all the still pictures. Usually we will purchase a music CD from the country visited to be included. Yes you can always find music on the internet, however just one more trinket for us to take home.

 

Do what pleases you, it's your holiday/vacation. I have been very diligent to not over-do the picture taking, so we can enjoy the guide & our time on the ship & shore excursions. Generally we take small party excursions, instead of using the ship's. Certainly gives us more freedom to stay longer at places of interest. Totally agree that headphones are a super plus when taking photos & capturing all the information from your tour leader. Also we encourage DIY visits or tours.

 

Happy Travels, John

[calliopecruiser]

Who is interested a shoe box of photos (prints) from a trip ?

I see too many people who do this......get them out of that shoe box! Display them! Not all of them, of course, but pick your favourites and enjoy them around your house (whether in prints or as digital images). For some trips, I might keep 100+ photos, for others I might keep 8 or 10, but I display them around my house in different ways.

[Treanidus]

I usually go for Christmas ornaments as well. I try to find the flat gold or brass ones for the different places I visit (be it on a cruise or a standard trip). I hang them on a pair of topiary trees when the time comes.

 

They're nice and small, and flat enough to avoid problems bringing them back.

 

 

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[Wanderista]

This is where I say to each, their own. There are a lot of things that aren't beautiful about capitalism but that is something that definitely is. Everyone can make their own decisions about how and what they buy.

 

I don't worry much about souvenirs, if I really want something and I can afford it then I get it. I've gotten great stuff while traveling, much of which I make use of or have thoroughly enjoyed. If I am happy with the quality of an item and find the price to be reasonable, then I don't sweat it. I like supporting local vendors in my own small way when I travel.

 

I am glad to hear about and if possible to avoid places like "Diamonds International" which I've heard about on this board. I actually don't know what that is but I will try to avoid it if I see it while cruising and I can thank CC for knowing about that.

 

As for cruising, I don't plan to buy too much but if I really want something specific then I will get it.

[s2kreno]

Yes, but that really wasn't my point. If you want a souvenir, getting something cheaper at home doesn't fulfill your want and so it won't mean the same thing. However, if what you really want is just a particular item, that's a different story.

 

For me, photographs are usually my primary souvenir......But on occasions where I have bought something on a voyage, it means more to me than if I'd bought the same thing at a store at home because it invokes a memory.

I get what you're saying, but that wasn't my point. Many things that are exciting to purchase just because you're on vacation don't translate when you get home. So my point is if the main attraction for a purchase is that I bought it elsewhere, I skip it. I don't like dust-collecting objets and I have too many tee shirts, so I try to buy something that I'll use day-to-day, and only if I'd have purchased it anyway, if I like it enough to buy it from home. If I do, I'll still buy it on the trip, but there is less chance of regretting it if I've given it some thought.

[s2kreno]

If you buy it when you get home, then it's not a souvenir.

The point is that if I'm not willing to buy it when I get home, it's not worth doing while on vacation either. And the last thing I'd want is a bad buy that's too expensive to ditch and a continual reminder of how stupid I get after a "free" rum drink somewhere.

[s2kreno]

We simply don't get "souvenirs ! So easy! If you need a photo or trinket to remember your trip, the trip probably wasn't worth it!

No one buys that stuff because they "need" it. But my grandmother was a tour guide all over the world and she had some really unique and wonderful things and a good story to go with each one. As a kid, I loved to look at them and talk to her about them.I take tons of pics on my phone and then keep only a few that tell the best stories. For instance, here is a beer-drinking pig at the Domino Club in St Croix, having just finished his non-alcoholic brew. Enjoy!

Edited May 1, 2016 by s2kreno