brandymleahy Posted August 24, 2007 #1 Share Posted August 24, 2007 Do you guys think it is against any laws or such to bring a rock home as a souvenir for my grandma? I'm not sure why she wants one she just asked me to bring her an ocean rock back from my trip. Would I get into alott of trouble or is it okay for me to do?:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jckvpa0 Posted August 24, 2007 #2 Share Posted August 24, 2007 I think it is a fine idea, just make sure it's not to big remember you have to carry it home :p !!! Another great idea is to bring ziplock bags & get some beach sand from every port you go to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazieNCruisingGypsy2 Posted August 24, 2007 #3 Share Posted August 24, 2007 I brought sand, water and sea shells home from our last cruise for my daughter. I didn't have any problems. And if I broke the law, I didn't know it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamrlk Posted August 24, 2007 #4 Share Posted August 24, 2007 I brought home 2 rocks from Europe and neither Customs or Immigration batted an eye. Enjoy your cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazieNCruisingGypsy2 Posted August 24, 2007 #5 Share Posted August 24, 2007 I think it is a fine idea, just make sure it's not to big remember you have to carry it home :p !!! Another great idea is to bring ziplock bags & get some beach sand from every port you go to. I actually used those clear plastic bottles you can put your shampoo/conditioner in. It worked great and nothing spilled. I did put the bottles in a ziploc bag in my suitcase but nothing leaked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruise-Crazy Posted August 24, 2007 #6 Share Posted August 24, 2007 No reason you can't bring it back in the US. If you are in a park or someplace like that in one of the ports it may be against their rules to take one though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUN TURNIP Posted August 24, 2007 #7 Share Posted August 24, 2007 I think it will be okay. I brought home a very small piece of coral from Princess Cays and I didn't get "in trouble". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chitown cruisers Posted August 24, 2007 #8 Share Posted August 24, 2007 Do you guys think it is against any laws or such to bring a rock home as a souvenir for my grandma? I'm not sure why she wants one she just asked me to bring her an ocean rock back from my trip. Would I get into alott of trouble or is it okay for me to do?:confused: I read an article once where people of the islands asked for travlers to NOT take a souvineer rock or two home.......say a thousand people from just 1 ship a day took one rock home...at 1 or 2 ship a day average for the year......eventually it would have an impact. Not saying you can/can't or that you would get "in trouble"....just not sure it's right. Would the groundskeepers of Your favorite ballpark let you take a lump of sod home after going to a game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansatw Posted August 24, 2007 #9 Share Posted August 24, 2007 When we came home from our Miracle cruise we had a 20-ounce pop bottle filled with sand from the beach at Costa Maya. No problems there. However, the guy in line behind us at the TSA checkpoint at the airport got stopped and his carry-on was searched. He had an entire pail filled with sand in his bag, and it was so dense the x-ray machine didn't know what to make of it. So you probably don't want to haul home that much. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandymleahy Posted August 24, 2007 Author #10 Share Posted August 24, 2007 Well when I asked my grandma how big of a rock she wanted, she said that one about the size of my palm would be sufficent. So, hopefully that isn't too big that it would draw concern, hehe. Thank you all for your helpful answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam1148 Posted August 24, 2007 #11 Share Posted August 24, 2007 When you say "Ocean Rock" do you mean a rock that was in the ocean when you picked it out? Don't do that. Small life forms on the rock will quickly decompose, no matter how much you scrub it (Well you could put in bleach and leave it out in the sun a few days). But if it's wet, it's got critters on that will stink up your luggage worse than packing dead fish in there. Maybe buy her a seashell from a street vendor, or a puka shell necklace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam1148 Posted August 24, 2007 #12 Share Posted August 24, 2007 And let's not forget the risk of bringing home 'cursed rocks' from the islands. You wouldn't want to do that to grandma, would you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudos2Fly Posted August 24, 2007 #13 Share Posted August 24, 2007 I don't think it should be a problem, but ask if it is in a park.. There may be laws that don't allow that.... One time we where in the Bahamas. We found a lot of conch shells on the side of the road. We decided to take one put it on the back of our scouter... There was a smell following us around that wasn't there before:eek: Needless to say we didn't keep it. We threw it away.. There is no way I was going to take it home.. A animal probably was dead in there... We where flying our own plane so the smell would have been BAD....We probably would have been cleaning the plane for weeks..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Mach* Posted August 24, 2007 #14 Share Posted August 24, 2007 I read an article once where people of the islands asked for travlers to NOT take a souvineer rock or two home.......say a thousand people from just 1 ship a day took one rock home...at 1 or 2 ship a day average for the year......eventually it would have an impact. Not saying you can/can't or that you would get "in trouble"....just not sure it's right. Would the groundskeepers of Your favorite ballpark let you take a lump of sod home after going to a game? Yep... that's exactly what happened to Not So Grand Cayman, the smaller, less appealing island cousin to Grand Cayman. Folks kept taking souvenir rocks home and finally the entire island disappeared!!! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rufustelestrat Posted August 24, 2007 #15 Share Posted August 24, 2007 I brought home 2 rocks from Europe and neither Customs or Immigration batted an eye. Enjoy your cruise! Well the rule is unless it is set in metal a stone is a stone. The customs rule applies to Diamonds and sandstone. RUF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dihead Posted August 24, 2007 #16 Share Posted August 24, 2007 And let's not forget the risk of bringing home 'cursed rocks' from the islands.You wouldn't want to do that to grandma, would you? cursed rocks? :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruise-Crazy Posted August 25, 2007 #17 Share Posted August 25, 2007 I don't think it should be a problem, but ask if it is in a park.. There may be laws that don't allow that.... One time we where in the Bahamas. We found a lot of conch shells on the side of the road. We decided to take one put it on the back of our scouter... There was a smell following us around that wasn't there before:eek: Needless to say we didn't keep it. We threw it away.. There is no way I was going to take it home.. A animal probably was dead in there... We where flying our own plane so the smell would have been BAD....We probably would have been cleaning the plane for weeks..... Shells are not allowed, if they catch you bringing them back on the ship they will be taken away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxfire7844 Posted August 25, 2007 #18 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Cursed rocks......The most famous are lava rocks from Hawaii. the Goddess Pele does not take lightly to having her island carted away by visitors after the many thousands of years she has taken to build the islands. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pele_(Goddess) !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzinstew Posted August 25, 2007 #19 Share Posted August 25, 2007 :D OMG. I would have laughed myself to tears had I seen security pull out a pail of sand from someones bag. I can just imagine! When we came home from our Miracle cruise we had a 20-ounce pop bottle filled with sand from the beach at Costa Maya. No problems there. However, the guy in line behind us at the TSA checkpoint at the airport got stopped and his carry-on was searched. He had an entire pail filled with sand in his bag, and it was so dense the x-ray machine didn't know what to make of it. So you probably don't want to haul home that much. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazy4cruise Posted August 25, 2007 #20 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Shells are not allowed, if they catch you bringing them back on the ship they will be taken away. I have brought back shells on the ship and security saw them and didnt say a word.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikel1733 Posted August 25, 2007 #21 Share Posted August 25, 2007 I've been in areas around the ruins in Mexico where taking stones or rocks of any kind could be a problem. In areas around coral formations I've seen warnings about taking coral whether washed onto the beach or whether you pick it up snorkeling. In the Colorado Mountains there are sign against taking stones. Most areas feel their natural environment is protected.My best advice is to be sure before you try and take anything out of a country or bring it into the United States. A tiny stone put away in the suitcase is fine unless Customs decides to check the luggage. Better to be safe than sorry and be sure what you are taking is approved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted August 25, 2007 #22 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Dont take any live conch shells from the ocean, thats against the law and picking sea grapes, stuff like that, but cant see the harm in a rock. ...well unless its a lava rock from Hawaii. They claim its bad luck to take certain kinds of rocks home. I think that started because if everyone of a million people took home a rock every year then it would be noticeable. But a regular rock from a port I cant see the harm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted August 25, 2007 #23 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Cursed rocks......The most famous are lava rocks from Hawaii. the Goddess Pele does not take lightly to having her island carted away by visitors after the many thousands of years she has taken to build the islands. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pele_(Goddess) !!! Yes, I see you beat me. Like minds and all. I lived in Hawaii for about 10 years and they try to stop it. There are also National Parks out west where there are painted rocks that its against the law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueJacketsFan1 Posted August 25, 2007 #24 Share Posted August 25, 2007 We were told on our last cruise that a loss diamond is considered nothing more than a rock, and you can bring them back home. So I would say that you will be just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam1148 Posted August 25, 2007 #25 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Any rock that has been wet...any shell that might have been wet. May have biological matter in it. And Trust me Sea life stinks to high heaven when it's decomposing. The shells you find on the beach are usually sun bleached..and picked over by critters, crabs and such. But there's not really a good way to tell. And rocks wet on the beach will most likely have sea-life in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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