Souvenirs - do you buy a certain item each place you go?

[SeaTeach]

I usually buy tiles for the kitchen or any fine art indigenous to the area.

[sherilyn70]

hanging monkeys??? LOL

 

Yep, hanging monkeys. :) Carved wood ones found at Chichen Itza.

 

[michmike]

My buddy collects license plates from each island. Normally have to search out a local flea market, but our taxi drivers usually know where to find them or have contacts they can use to suggest a source

 

(and worse case, you use a screwdriver in a secluded parking lot *L*)

[retiredgram]

We also buy Christmas ornaments or key chains instead, if I can't find Christmas ornaments. Instead of Christmas tree, we permanently attach to our vacation wreath, which we can hang on the wall. We collect from wherever our vacation takes us, land or sea.

[retiredgram]

Yep, hanging monkeys. :) Carved wood ones found at Chichen Itza.

 

They are so cute. I will be looking for them in the future.

[ondeckatsea]

Back in the good old days we use to each get a piece of gold jewelry. Those days are gone foever but it was nice while it lasted! Now I pick up a frige magnet and a silver charm for my bracelet if I can find one.

[willow028]

We buy refrigerator magnets. I told my wife when the front of the fridge is covered we will stop traveling.

 

We do the same thing - but instead of stopping traveling I told my husband we'll just buy a bigger fridge!

 

My buddy collects license plates from each island. Normally have to search out a local flea market, but our taxi drivers usually know where to find them or have contacts they can use to suggest a source

 

(and worse case, you use a screwdriver in a secluded parking lot *L*)

 

PERFECT idea - the first part that is... had to talk my husband out of the screwdriver idea on our last cruise!

[luvscruising2007]

We used to buy souvenirs every where we went: caps, t-shirts, glasses and mugs. As others have said they take up so much room after awhile. So, now we just do the refrigerator magnets unless something really catches our eye.

[Ashland]

We also send ourselves a post card from each city or at least from each country we visit.

[biker@sea]

NCL Dive-In T shirts . I try to get one every cruise from the excursion desk with the ships name and destination on them.

I like to get them oversized to wear for night shirts . They give me sweet dreams recalling past sailing's as the sandman get's to work.

[5326jan]

We look for a local artist that is doing watercolors of the area. Beyond that we just take pictures! :) Oh.... and we buy a bottle or two of local beer to toast the country from our balcony as we sail away!:D

[Bonnie J.]

How do you get the beer back to your cabin and not taken by security when you get back on?

[5326jan]

How do you get the beer back to your cabin and not taken by security when you get back on?

 

There was no problem getting it back on. With Princess there rarely is! We don't hide it. Either carry it in the bag from the store or in our tote, depending on the port and what we're doing. One of the people scanning bags when we were in port in Romania said that we had made a good choice of local beers. :)

[chipq]

Our refrigerator has so many magnets now we can't see the doors! We pick up a magnet at every new place we visit. May need to buy a second to hold the magnets for this year's and beyond trips.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[CrabbyQ]

I buy Christmas ornaments and local crafts. But I try to keep it to items that I actually use and need (dishes, bowls, vases, etc.) and not just chachka dust-collectors. I also buy a lot of earrings.

[salabc]

fridge magnets

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img833/8253/20120315193039.jpg

[HeatherC430]

I always look for small picture frames from each stop to put on my desk at work (although I'm almost maxed out in terms of desk space now).

 

Also, last summer we put an inground pool in our backyard with Cabana bar - on our last few cruises we started buying souvenir lisc. plates & have them mounted on the wall behind our pool bar. It makes it look tropical!

 

Lastly, I love wooden bowls & serving trays - I'm always on the lookout for locally made wood products.

[Gloria Mundi]

Always a fridge magnet. We may bring home a local craft if we find something we like and I may pick up a piece of jewelry if the cost is reasonable compared to the US and I'm feeling flush- but if all we come home with is a refrigerator magnet and a lot of pictures and memories, we're happy.

[panoramaofthepast]

Christmas ornaments, the more unique, the better. I have a brass key from Alcatraz, evil eyes from Egypt and Greece, a miniature saddle from Kyrgyzstan and a Korean tassle, to name a few. It makes putting up the tree so much fun!

[RunnerGirl26.2]

We always look for a "tacky magnet" from places we visit. From Princess ships I buy the keychain that has the ship stats on it and keychains for our girls.

[KirkNC]

Our DD collects flags from the different countries we visit.

[CruisinEars]

I collect fridge magnets as well. I love taking a break and just looking at all my magnets and the places we have been. I usually try to find ones with either a real picture of the port or a map. My family knows I need to find a magnet at each port. My dd12 wears a lanyard on each cruise and collects key chains. She adds to her lanyard at each port and usually a ship one too. By the end of the cruise you can hear her coming down the hall. Kinda like putting a bell on a kitty. ;)

 

My hubs and son will buy the occasional tshirt or ball cap.

[Laurie S.]

I collect earrings, plus t-shirts from each dive shop I use. My fiancé also got me into collecting shot glasses, which we display in my house in Mexico. I also will often get something unique of traditional artwork. And, we'll never turn down anything cool (but not tacky) made of shells for the house. Never been into touristy stuff myself, but the shot glasses kind of go that way now.

[middlehaitch]

Earrings, I buy a pair where-ever I go and try to take a pic of them with the place, date, etc noted. I smile each time I wear a pair. Yes, there are a few too many pairs now and I am wondering what to start on next.

cheers, h

[beachbum53]

It varies from one port to the next. If something special catches our attention, we'll buy it. We've bought magnets, keychains, local art, handicrafts, a clock that sits on my desk, a photo album (that still doesn't have photos in it :o), and various knick-knacks that are in my DW's curio cabinet. To date, my favorite souviner is a ball cap I purchased in Dominica. I wear it almost every day. It's a constant reminder of just how much we enjoyed our time there, and how much fun we had river tubing. I'm hoping next year we can do a Southern Caribbean itinerary again.