Underrated cruise souvenirs

[Honolulu Blue]

I've always had different thoughts about the souvenirs I acquire for myself on my cruises. Here are some of the things I actively seek out and treasure:

 

6. Maps - They can be tough to find, and in our GPS-addicted world, are only going to get tougher. I do appreciate them, though - both on a country and regional basis.

 

5. Postcards - I can take pictures until my hands grow limp, but they'll never be as good as the ones I get on these things. They're also good for making your friends/family/co-workers jealous. :)

 

4. Shopping maps and other sales flyers - Their store recommendations I take with a grain of salt and the maps tend to be crude, but I do appreciate their efforts. The flyers are nice because "bargains" tend to repeat themselves on different ships from the same cruise line. And maybe I miss it once, but maybe not the second time.

 

3. Ship cards - I touched on this in another thread, but I think they're great historical pieces about my growth from cruise newbie to veteran, and also the cabin I've chosen to stay in along the way.

 

2. Money - Sometimes it's loose change from a purchase from a local vendor, but surprisingly often I'll buy cards that have loose change and maybe a bill or two. It must be the dormant numismatist in me. So far I have Belize, Barbados, Mexico, and Jamaica. The one big miss for me is the EC$, which I may or may not rectify on my next trip.

 

1. Newsletters - I think these are fantastic documents about a voyage in time. They help me remember what I did by listing what was available to be done and when. They're just... awesome.

 

Are there any souvenirs that are precious to you that might not cost much? Let me know. Thanks.

[happy cruzer]

I do key chains. Small and inexpensive. I can store them in shoeboxes.

 

I did buy a map of the Mayan sites which I enjoy looking at to see how many more I would like to visit.

[Bonnie J.]

When I Was teaching (Special Ed so not many students) I would get coins from different Caribbean islands to take back and give them. I also would get some paper money to show them . All are so different from our money it was easy to see the difference. (Nassau used to have square dimes!)

We get maps of the islands at their booth usually as you get off the pier or a visitors center.

[Bracarense]

The only souvenirs we bring home are magnets. We like those from the places we visit and also from the ship.

We cover our fridge doors with them.

[runner15km]

Wood carvings by local craftsmen.

[spookwife]

we are big food snobs so we try and pick up some sort of local specialty( rum cakes, coffee, maybe a spice)

 

Magnets are one of my favorites to bring back for others who beg for a souvenir. small, relatively cheap, don't take up much space.

 

every cruise I get one Christmas ornament as well. between those and all my ones for every duty station my tree is a hodge podge.

[maywell]

Jewelry - either from the ship or at port; I wear them to remind me of the fun times I had on the trip. :D

[Honolulu Blue]

Thanks everyone. Keep those thoughts and ideas coming!

 

A few comments:

 

* Keychains - I pick up a few of these, mostly for my family as they're bigger fans of them than I am.

* Maps from the visitor centers - Yep, I definitely stock of on these. Some ports have more to choose from than others.

* Magnets - I have quite a few of these. I can understand their appeal. I'm especially vulnerable to magnets that look like national flags.

* Wood carvings - Not my thing. I try to pack light and most of those are bulkier and more fragile than I'd like.

* Christmas ornaments - Also not my style, but I picked up some Christmas cards when I was in Barbados. I might do something similar this year.

* Local food - Tempting, but I'm not really a foodie and I haven't seen anything yet that made me want to grab it. Never say never, though.

* Jewelry - I don't wear any (unless you count my watch) and I let those closest to me choose their own. But that reminds me of one group of items that I should have included on my initial list - prizes of token value from winning contests and such. I treasure my Ships on a Stick and Boat on a Rope as much as anything.

[Flatbush Flyer]

As for jewelry, check out the recent cruise port jewelry store expose from The Today Show.

Phony and mis-graded gems, etc. Even the real stuff is better priced at home with some savvy shopping.

 

On the inexpensive side, we do look for Christmas tree ornaments. For big ticket items, we research and look for native or otherwise local art from bona fide collectives.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Flatbush Flyer

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have one Christmas tree that is dedicated to all the ornaments that we have collected from all over the world. They cost anywhere from $5 - $15 each.

[griffy116]

My Grandson collects the maps and now has maps from all over the world. We buy a Christmas ornament from each port/city/country. We have some very beautiful hand-blown glass ornaments and some very odd ornaments. We try to find ones that are locally made. We even found one in Turkey that is pretty odd, but is one of our most treasured since Turkey is 99+% Muslim. Every year when we put the tree up, we enjoy remembering how and where we found each ornament. Our tree is covered in these wonderful memories. Even if we visit the same island or port, we find a new ornament for that particular adventure or trip. We love bringing back exotic spices, handmade soaps, little silk purses or rum cakes if we drove to the port and have room to bring them back and we always get requests for magnets, shot glasses and key chains from a few friends. We also buy ourselves a few t-shirts. We always account for these t-shirt purchases when we pack. That way we can pack a few less t-shirts.

[nw gardener]

Christmas ornaments, a nice coffee mug [makes me smile when getting that early morning caffeine fix], and nice art/post cards that are easy to frame up in a collage type picture frame.

[Talisker92]

They are a good idea. but there are times I am afraid our refrigerator will fall forward!:)

Edited April 5, 2015 by Talisker92

[wishIweretravelling]

Oh my, Talisker92! I thought mine was bad.

 

BTW, I love your screen name. It has inspired me to pour myself a finger of your namesake.

[Laurie S.]

I collect earrings and shot glasses.

[rkacruiser]

I collect menus and daily programs and keep my ship cards as well.

 

I am finding nice post cards at a reasonable price difficult to find, at least in the Caribbean.

[biker@sea]

Harley Davidson Tee shirts and Dealer business cards . Money . Shot glasses .

[NMLady]

I've always had different thoughts about the souvenirs I acquire for myself on my cruises. Here are some of the things I actively seek out and treasure:

 

6. Maps - They can be tough to find, and in our GPS-addicted world, are only going to get tougher. I do appreciate them, though - both on a country and regional basis.

 

5. Postcards - I can take pictures until my hands grow limp, but they'll never be as good as the ones I get on these things. They're also good for making your friends/family/co-workers jealous. :)

 

4. Shopping maps and other sales flyers - Their store recommendations I take with a grain of salt and the maps tend to be crude, but I do appreciate their efforts. The flyers are nice because "bargains" tend to repeat themselves on different ships from the same cruise line. And maybe I miss it once, but maybe not the second time.

 

3. Ship cards - I touched on this in another thread, but I think they're great historical pieces about my growth from cruise newbie to veteran, and also the cabin I've chosen to stay in along the way.

 

2. Money - Sometimes it's loose change from a purchase from a local vendor, but surprisingly often I'll buy cards that have loose change and maybe a bill or two. It must be the dormant numismatist in me. So far I have Belize, Barbados, Mexico, and Jamaica. The one big miss for me is the EC$, which I may or may not rectify on my next trip.

 

1. Newsletters - I think these are fantastic documents about a voyage in time. They help me remember what I did by listing what was available to be done and when. They're just... awesome.

 

Are there any souvenirs that are precious to you that might not cost much? Let me know. Thanks.

 

We do not have satellite tv or cable tv so my husband and I play a lot of cards in the evenings. As a result we try to collect a deck of cards from each port.

 

We have a collection of "been there" postcards.

 

I keep a journal during each cruise and include postcards as well interesting facts from the ship newsletters which I cut out and tape on page.

 

My husband collects currency from each country we visit. He has currency that is no longer used, from countries that switched to Euro. Interesting souvenirs.

 

I collect one special ornament each year that has the year on it. Some are from ports, some are from cruise ship shop. I've even made one from photo I took and printed.

 

We used to collect magnets, shot glasses, and souvenir spoons but when we moved into a double wide mobile home from a large house there was no place to display them so they are still in the moving boxes.

I did put about 50 of the magnets on our fridge and upright freezer but the rest are stored and I rarely buy any now.

 

We use our favorite shot glass, from Dubrovnik Croatia. Brings back happy memories. But there's no shelf space or counter space for any others.

 

I've also collected "useful" souvenirs: a small woven tote bag from Guatemala

a small handcrafted purse from Portugal

dish towels from Scotland and Spain

Spoon rest from Puerto Rico

Trivet and a shade hat from Australia

coasters from Roatan,

Oven mitt and hot pads from several countries

Edited April 6, 2015 by NMLady

[erinmarie424]

We get a Christmas ornament for every trip we make, if an inexpensive ornament is not readily available we get an interesting key ring and use an ornament hook to hang them. I also like earrings made by local artists and/or with local stones. And postcards. And cheap bags of candy if we make it to a grocery store.

[port msp]

I've always had different thoughts about the souvenirs I acquire for myself on my cruises. Here are some of the things I actively seek out and treasure:

 

6. Maps - They can be tough to find, and in our GPS-addicted world, are only going to get tougher. I do appreciate them, though - both on a country and regional basis.

 

5. Postcards - I can take pictures until my hands grow limp, but they'll never be as good as the ones I get on these things. They're also good for making your friends/family/co-workers jealous. :)

 

4. Shopping maps and other sales flyers - Their store recommendations I take with a grain of salt and the maps tend to be crude, but I do appreciate their efforts. The flyers are nice because "bargains" tend to repeat themselves on different ships from the same cruise line. And maybe I miss it once, but maybe not the second time.

 

3. Ship cards - I touched on this in another thread, but I think they're great historical pieces about my growth from cruise newbie to veteran, and also the cabin I've chosen to stay in along the way.

 

2. Money - Sometimes it's loose change from a purchase from a local vendor, but surprisingly often I'll buy cards that have loose change and maybe a bill or two. It must be the dormant numismatist in me. So far I have Belize, Barbados, Mexico, and Jamaica. The one big miss for me is the EC$, which I may or may not rectify on my next trip.

 

1. Newsletters - I think these are fantastic documents about a voyage in time. They help me remember what I did by listing what was available to be done and when. They're just... awesome.

 

Are there any souvenirs that are precious to you that might not cost much? Let me know. Thanks.

 

 

I'm a fan of real maps, not so much the touristy "go here" maps handed out by tourist offices and port shopping people, although they can be helpful. I take a map/atlas on each trip.

We also have a magnet collection that started on our honeymoon. It started as a joke, and it still sort of is. We try to find the gaudiest, 3-D magnet we can find from each place. Although, I'd like a magnet from each ship. We are missing a few. That is something I need to search out. I'd like to have a flotilla of every ship I've sailed, right next to the grocery list.

 

I've also become quite a fan of bamboo shirts from Cariloha. Not cheap, but the most comfortable t shirts I've ever worn.

 

Passport stamps from other countries generally only cost you some time, as you're there already.

 

I'm glad my wife has taken photos of most of the cabins we've been in, as they're all sort of running together for me. I think we have most of our ship cards. I've used them for bookmarks in the past.

 

I bought some native art in Alaska last year. It's a carving of native in a kayak with a spear/harpoon. It's carved from whale and walrus bone. I really like it! And they packaged and shipped it for me.

 

I might start buying a piece of local art from the places I visit, if I can ship it home easily.

[ithaca gal]

I used to get a ball cap from each place but have visited most of the islands to finish that collection. :)

 

Also, bought a dishtowel and/or pot holder from every port. It is so nice to reach into the drawer and see what memories will come out -- especially during that dreadful chore of doing the dishes!

 

Used to buy a mug then came up with this idea: I look through the photos I've taken on the cruise (once we get home) and pick out our favorite and take it to Walgreen's or CVS and have it put on a mug. Most recently I picked out three or four pics from our Thanksgiving cruise with son and his fiancée and had the words "Thanksgiving 2014" added. We love it!

[Talisker92]

I wanted to get a couple of magnets from Pompeii depicting some of the brothel images, but my wife nixed it!:D

[Lady Chew]

I collect magnets & shot glasses. Just got a small glass cabinet for the shots. I can pick up any of the shots & tell just where we got it, and why that particular shot. Same with the magnets.

 

We have way too many magnets to fit on the fridge, so we went to Wal-Mart and bought a large magnet board. We mounted it on a wall in the passageway between the kitchen & dining room. Looks great!

 

We also like to buy what we call "street art" Just from wandering around the ports, if we see a local artist out on the street, not in a gallery, and they have something we like, we'll bargain for it, bring it home and frame it.

 

Way, way back, many years ago, I started giving each of my children & nieces & nephews a Christmas ornament every year. When we started cruising, I started buying the ornaments in various ports. Not every port, just one Christmas shop each year. But I also do pick up little purses & keychains for the little ones, childrens books based on local culture ... stuff like that.

 

Locally made jewelry for myself ... occasionally a tee shirt or two ... wooden boxes ... small baskets ...

 

We also keep our ship cards & newsletters ... at least for now, while we have room! Also, there is usually a postcard of the ship available at no cost, and we keep those.

[pghsteelerfan]

I collect magnets but try to get unique or handmade from the ports, always get post cards, ship models to represent each cruise (only 6), foreign currency (both coins and bills), and I just started collecting Christmas ornaments. There have been a couple of ports were I wasn't able to find any, so I love the idea of a nice key chain that a previous poster mentioned. I'm not big into jewelry but some of my favorite souvenirs are jewelry...the two wood carved bangle bracelets from a vendor at Altun Ha Mayan ruin site in Belize and the Mexican Fire Opal ring I got in Mazatlan, Mexico in 2000. They were pricey but I was able to find a nice one for a great deal (half the cost that I'd seen in Cabo San Lucas) in Mazatlan. It didn't have a big, flashy stone (stone is beautiful) and the setting is kind of plain but sturdy, but it's exactly what I'd hoped for because I'm not flashy or fancy. I always keep our cruise cards and daily newsletters.

[jbooth2099]

I collect smashed pennies. You put $.50 and a penny in the machine and turn the crank and it smashes the penny and puts something on it like the name of the place, logo etc. I'm addicted. Have to get one every time I see a machine. I have a bunch of them scattered in different drawers about the house.