Don’t Come Home Without Them—Must-Buy Mementos from the Caribbean

Fodor’s recently did a piece on the nine must-buy souvenirs on a Caribbean cruise. Which made me think—what would be on my list?

So, this is what I came up with:

Woven wares from Dominica. They’re not sold at every stall in Roseau, so you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled, but the locally woven baskets make great—and useful—souvenirs to bring to those you left behind or keep for yourself.

Handmade, locally made in Dominica

The "Caribbean Gem." Mined in the Dominican Republic but available in many of the Caribbean isles, the lovely milky blue larimar can be found set in all kinds of jewelry and best yet, isn’t too expensive. I picked up earrings in a silver setting at St. Thomas’s Havensight pier for about $45.

Ceramics, onyx from Cozumel. While the silver jewelry is terribly tempting in Cozumel, each time I see the shopkeeper walking around with a calculator, it reminds me I can’t afford it. But what everyone can afford and is certainly worth it is Cozumel’s ceramics. They’re bright, cheerful and everywhere. You can get something as small as a spoon holder or as large as a serving platter. Also special are the onyx pieces, from figurines to chess sets.

 

Ceramics to liven up your home from Cozumel's Los Cinco Soles

Mopa Mopa art in Aruba. These don’t come cheap, but they’re unusual handicrafts native to Aruba. Buds of the mopa mopa tree are processed into resin that’s incorporated into wood and painted. You can find mopa mopa bookmarks, masks, wall hangings, and all sorts of decorative arts. You won’t find them anywhere else.

Anything painted in Labadee. The extensive artisan market in Royal Caribbean’s resort side of Haiti specializes in painted art, and the prices are very reasonable. And since the sellers promote bargaining, the prices get downright cheap. There’s a big variety of artwork—from magnets to mega canvases of beach scenes, with frames or without.

Color in canvas at Labadee, Haiti

St. Maarten guavaberry liqueur. It’s on the sweet side, but an only-in-St. Maarten kind of souvenir. Their colorful painted bottles alone make it worth the cost, even if what’s inside isn’t exactly your cup of—well, beverage of choice. 

Spices in Granada. The “Island of Spice” vendors have ready-to-go spice combo baskets that are tailor-made souvenirs. And if you feel yourself giving in to buying one of the spice necklaces the vendors assemble as you watch, beware that their shelf life is short—very short. By the end of the day, mine was beginning to self-destruct.

 

Necklaces of spice might be nice, but the baskets are much better

Rum from anywhere. I fell deeply in love with Bacardi’s 8 Anõs at its brewery in San Juan. But the Caribbean’s got more choices of rum than we have time to taste. Take some home and relive your cruise experience again and again, one happy shot at a time.

Musing’s Top Tip: If you’re thinking about a specialty dining package on an Oasis class cruise, check out Musing About Cruising’s new video on YouTube, with tips and photos, to help you decide if it’s right for you. And did you know you can now find out about new Musing postings by subscribing to Feedspot, which consolidates the latest from your favorite cruise blogs? 

15 Shades of Blue

Think of the Caribbean and you think blue, right? In fact, there are many “shades” of blue when you cruise the Caribbean Sea. 

Blue is the color of:

1. Your passport—Don’t leave home without it! And be sure it doesn’t expire within six months of your trip.
2. The sky above your balcony—With no powerlines to obstruct your view, the sky seems bluer, bigger, bolder. And if you’re headed for the ABCs (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), you’ll see more of that blue sky than anywhere else. Aruba gets only 16 inches a year of rain; compare that to 46 for New York.

   

   The sky seems bluer, bigger and bolder from your balcony
3. The water below your boat—If you’ve never cruised the Caribbean, know this: those photos you’ve seen are real. The waters of Bonaire, St. Maarten, and the U.S. Virgin Island gems of St. Croix and St. John are just that blue, just that clear, just that calm.

   

   Blue as far as you can "sea" in Bonaire 

4. The resorts the lines call their own—Carnival’s private resorts of Princess Cays (Bahamas) and Mahogany Bay (Roatan), and Royal Caribbean’s Labadee (Haiti) boast blue hue water that’s tranquil and see-through, perfect for swimming, sunning and snorkeling. And when your ship comes in, you (and your 2,000-6,000 fellow travelers) get the resort all to yourself.

   

   Calm and comfortably cool is the blue water at Princess Cays

5. The pools of port—Three neat port pools that come immediately to mind are at Grand Turk, Costa Maya and Carnival’s newest resort in the Dominican Republic, Amber Cove. These three pools are big, with plenty of room for making a splash.

   

   A part of the vast winding pool of Amber Cove

6.  The flags of Barbados and Curaçao—Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean and Curaçao in the South—both great ports to visit—use blue as the primary color of their national flags, to reflect the sea and the sky.
7.  The iguana of Grand Cayman—This blue lizard, according to Wikipedia, is a special variety found in Grand Cayman and is on the endangered list. In fact, the only one we saw on our visit was this guy below:
   
8. The cobblestones of old San Juan—Pull into port in San Juan and you’re just a few steps away from cobblestones made from adoquine, a blue stone cast originally brought over on Spanish ships.
   
9. The logos of the lines—Not surprisingly, the mermaid, ship, anchor and X logos of Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are all blue.
10. Curaçao’s namesake liquid—Made from local oranges, with a little help from food coloring, curaçao liqueur is unmistakable in its color and squat round bottles.

    

    
    

11. The delft and faux delft trinkets of the ABCs—Browse the tourist shops of the Dutch isles of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao to find some of the real hand-painted stuff, but more of the mass-produced kind. These are inexpensive, and make great Christmas tree ornaments, magnets and collectibles.

    

    Mass-produced delft, but that everyone can afford

12. Larimar—The lovely baby blue stone is from the Dominican Republic, but sold on many of the islands at a very reasonable price (note that they vary in quality). We picked up good quality earrings in St. Thomas’ Charlotte Amalie for about $40.
13. The female cruiser—What cruising woman can resist a shirt with blue-and-white stripes in classic nautical style (or “nausical” as one retailer calls it). Navy blue, says Wikipedia, got its name from the dark blue uniforms traditionally worn by many navies around the world.
14. That sign that it will come to an end—Alas, blue is also the color of the Customs card that appears on your bed—sometimes as early as the second day of the trip.
15. My mood…when it’s all over.