Souvenir Collections

[PADutchman]

Christmas ornaments-the small ships (gold and silver), we have one from every cruise.

Shot Glasses from all the Hard Rocks we have been at.

The small dishes on a stand that have the places we were.

We rent food and drinks.

I have a world map that I keep track of all the countrys and Islands I have been since I have been 18 years old. (74) and counting

[Peacefrog2180]

i have a frog collection. So i like to find any thing w/frogs on it or a little frog figurine. And i love the ornament idea!! I got a FROG christmast ball ornament in Puerto Rico last yr on a cruise and i think i will def. start collecting ornaments from each port! It prolly makes decorating the xmas tree bring back lots of vacation/cruise memories!!

[MikeNKim]

I collect shot glasses and my DD collects snow globes.

 

It brings back many memories when we dust them thinking of the fun we had collecting them

 

Kim

[Scubachick84]

Since I mostly travel south I collect sand from each beach I stop at. It's amazing to get back and look at how different they all look next to each other. I keep them in spice jars with a label on each jar.

[meshelles]

We always buy a piece of art or a handmade craft to go in DH home office / loft which is decorated in a travel theme.

 

A Chirstmas ornament - each yr we have put a travel themed tree in the loft

 

A piece of jewelery for me.

[GORDONCHICK]

For me, I collect t-shirts, and Christmas ornaments. For our son, we collect Christmas ornaments and magnets. He has his own little Christmas tree and decorates it with our travels, land and sea. He's only 5 so he still loves to play with magnets on the refrigerator, so we always let him choose his own magnets. As far as his ornaments go, he will have a good collection when he's grown and moves out on his own. And each year when we get them out, he remembers the fun we've had in these different places. Strange, but when we were on the Grand Princess, they didn't have Christmas ornaments so neither of us have one from there. Could it be because it was February?

 

I have two friends who collect things (I help with their collections). One collects thimbles and the other shot glasses. Thimbles are so much easier to pack!

[morticia52]

I collect my shipboard key cards and sometimes turn them into fridge magnets.

 

I love that idea!! I collect fridge magnets from every Port of Call and of course one of the ship. But I never thought of doing that.

 

We also collect tee shirts and I love to get a small(ish) wooden carving done locally from native wood where ever we visit.

[LINANRIC]

My collection is bells and also plates from every place that my DH and I visit, we have our wall decorated with the plates at the top near the ceiling all around the living room, and we also have 2 refridges decorated with magnets I also do Sand for all the Beaches that I have been.

 

It is all so much FUN

[spartanbear]

I collect decks of cards. They are inexpensive, easy to travel and I have never found a place that doesn't have them. I also look for charms for my charm bracelet.:)

 

My ds(13) collects pins and little ds(9) collects beanie babies (bears) with the place name of something on them

[majormomma]

I collect cloth patches of places I visit. They don't take up much space and I can either put them in the scrapbook or sew them on a jacket when I get home. I also like to send home a postcard both for the picture of where we were and for the stamp if we are in other countries. The ships we have been on have had the stamps of the countries we were going to visit and if you turned the card in by a certain time on the port day it would go out from that port. They take anywhere from a week to 3 months to arrive home. It's a nice surprise when they do!:D

 

DH collects refrigerator magnets. We are going to need a bigger refrigerator soon!!!:D

 

July 2, 2006, HAL Veendam SB from Seward to Vancouver

(Only 41 days from today!)

February 2002, NCL Dream around the Horn.

November 1999, NCL Majesty through the Panama Canal.

[CoachRob]

Golf Balls from the courses that I play. Pretty cool to look back and see all the different courses that I have played over the years.

[fantastic 50]

I also collect Christmas ornaments but something unusual I started a few years ago was to collect heart shaped items I found on the beach. sometimes its old dead coral that has drifted on to the beach; other times it has been rocks. My kids got into it for me and now even neices collect them for me. I have a shadow box that I display them in. I also collect watercolors form a port of call tht I like and depicts the island.

[TolleranzaDelDio]

I usually collect keychains. I don't actually use them, but maybe I'll buy two somewhere if I find paradise! Right now they are on a large ring, but eventually I will probably find a nice box to put them in.

 

If I like a restaurant or lounge, I'll ask for an extra coaster or napkin. That way you can write the date on it. Often that's what I have everyone sign if I have a birthday/special event gathering! Happy collecting!!!

[cntrydncr1]

My collecting depends upon the location of the trip...If I'm near a beach I spend lots of time shell collecting, then I make things with them when I get home. I collect Hummels when in Germany and I ALWAYS collect jewelry! It wouldn't be a vacation without getting a piece of jewelry. I try to get stones that are mined in the country I'm visiting if possible.

[kg4pit]

I collect salt/pepper shakers, so everywhere we go, I try to find unique s/p shakers. DH collects hat pins, like a previous poster, he has his on a cork bulletin board. We also collect magnets.

 

Kay

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I'm another Christmas ornament collector. Like the previous posters, we love unwrapping the ornaments and decorating our trees. It takes forever to decorate them because the ornaments jog so many memories. We love it!

 

I also collect art if I can find the works of native artists. I'm looking forward to finding more on our upcoming Western Caribbean cruise.

 

My DD collects Mexican suns--she has about six now and is looking forward to getting another one in Cozumel. She's 11 and has them up in her room (her first one was from our first cruise in 1997 when she wasn't quite two years old).

[grandmadarlene]

Since we will be taking our first cruise of what I hope to be many, many more, I was wondering what specific cruise souvenir collections that everyone starts?

 

In the olden days, it used to be spoons when traveling....

 

What do you collect? Any specific reason?

 

Years ago (when I was really young) I started to collect toliet paper squares as these are so different from place to place. For instance in Windsor Castle it was stamped with "property of the Queen". I think it might be fun if you have some kids with you as they will notice the differences.

 

Now a days I collect wind chimes.... And very small kitchy things for my coffee table which people can handle and ask questions.

[MTcruiser]

I collect key chains and magnets from everywhere I've been. I need to figure out some way to display the key chains someday. We also pick up a Christmas ornament every now and then.

[bymyglass]

We have been collecting magnets for some time so we were quire excited on our first cruise to find a magnet of the Sapphire Princess. We hope all Princess ships have magnets to continue our new ship magnet collections.

Future Cruise

15 day Hawaiian cruise on Island Princess 10/21/06

Past Cruise

7 day Mexican cruise on Sapphire Princess 4/15/06

[Water Nymph]

Now WHY didn't I think of collecting something portable like lapel pins or shot glasses or something neat like that! On our first vacation together nearly 30 years ago, the DH and I brought back a carved wooden bull from Jamaica. It's been bulls ever since. The obsidian bulls from Mexico, the wooden bulls from everywhere else... might just be time to start a new collection! thanks!

[NorthernVAPirate]

We are Christmas ornament collectors, although we try to find unique ornaments, not just balls or flat metal ones. We also buy magnets and have just started collecting cook books, but only "local" cookbooks. Our son collects smooshed pennies and postcards.

[Cptnkirky]

Money! I always come home with some coin or paper money from the ports I have visited. I have a large stash of money from my vacations as well as some from family that has contributed that went places I did not. I still have money from areas that is no longer in circulation.

I also collect shot glasses and the key cards. I REALLY like the idea of turning the cards into magnets. I will have to start doing that!

[63galaxie]

We collect musical instruments made in each island/country we travel to. My husband bought a beautiful classical guitar in Cozumel and the children love to play with all of the instruments we've carried home with us. I even have instruments from India (I was there many years ago on a Missions Trip). It's really fun looking for and discovering music shops in out-of-the-way locations! I'm just glad my DH doesn't play the tuba (lol).;)

 

We too collect ornaments, shells, money/coins and two mugs from each ship (this came in handy when one broke)! :rolleyes:

[Carefreecruiser]

I collect Christmas ornaments,magnets and tee-shirts for hubby

and grandson. We like to try and find something really special

from each county we visit which is usually some type of art.

Lots of fun looking.

[travelchick79]

When I was younger I collected key chains, but decided that I didn't really have any kind of use for them or good way to display them, so I switched to magnets. I have quite a great collection of magnets and my friends and family will bring them back for me when they go somewhere without me.

 

A couple of years ago I also began collecting local artwork and crafts. I found a great pottery vase in Mexico and wood carvings from all over the Caribbean. And I usually try to buy a bottle of the local liquor, tequila in Mexico and rum on every island in the Caribbean, sometimes a bottle of the local beer also. I also have a small collection of neat picture frames. And I always have to add to my little brother's shot glass collection everwhere I go.

 

A friend of mine mentioned that she collects ornaments a year or two ago and I didn't really think much of it, but the more I think about it and read about everyone else's joy in putting up their "travel" trees I wish I'd thought about Christmas ornaments earlier. But I guess that's an excuse to visit all those places again. ;)

 

 

Actually, as I was just re-reading this before I post it, I realize that I probably do way too much shopping! :D Oh well, it's a lot of fun and every time I look around my house I think about the beautiful places I've been and the great memories I've made and it's so worth it!