sand dollar question

[sandee]

I've seen mention of collecting sand dollars in a couple trip reports. Do sand dollars have some tiny sea creature living in them? I have always been under the impression that taking any kind of shells was frowned upon by DCL. Could someone let me know about this? I know that personally I agree with Pete's "take nothing and leave only footprints" philosophy but would like to tell the others I'm sailing with in May what the rules are... Thanks!!

 

[my3kids]

I don't think you are allowed to keep any shells.

General sand dollar info: Sand dollars are alive if they are covered with stiff little hairs that move. I always find them in the surf at the beach just by wiggling my toes in the sand under water about chest deep. If you find a greyish, hard sand dollar without the hair, rolling with the tide or on the beach, then that is just the skeleton. Those are what are soaked in Clorox to become the sand dollars we see in shell shops or painted into Christmas ornaments. If one has been on the beach a long time, the sun will bleach it to a lighish grey, but still not the Clorox white of the shell shop. My children love to find live ones to look at...of course leaving them under the water at the place they found them.

 

[perdidobay]

I hope you didn't get the impression from my trip report that I kept any shells I found! I find the enjoyment in finding them not keeping them! I guess I did fail to mention that I returned them all to the water at the end of the day. It's correct that if they are smooth they are dead, the ones at CC are larger and shaped a little different than the ones I am used to at the Gulf coast. Another reason not to keep any shells, even the dead ones stink! Also sand dollars are extremely fragile and it would be very hard for any to make it all the way home unbroken. I also enjoyed picking up the starfish and watching them move their suckers but I made sure I put them back right side down. I am cuious about the family baeach, since it is netted does that keep shells out too? I don't know how large the netting is...... or can the shells still drift under?
happy cruising!

 

[pal2pluto]

We saw a lot of beautiful white shells. Yes, most of them were small, maybe a fifty cent piece is the largest we noticed, but the smallest, smaller than my pinkie nail, were gorgeous!

 

[sandee]

To be honest I wasn't sure if people were keeping them or not since I didn't remember seeing anything about returning them in any of the reports I've read (not all reports were from DIS site ). Perdidobay,I'm glad you didn't mention it in original report because your reply and my3kids are so informative on sand dollars, lets hope it might keep others who aren't aware these are living things from gathering them as souveniers. Hope we see some on CC in May.

 

[DizMare]

I'm confused! Does this mean you cannot bring home any shells at all? Not sand dollars or anything else with a lving creature in it, but standard, washed up on the beach empty shells?

We spoke to a castmember selling drinks on CC and she said it was okay to take shells, that people did it all the time.

Later, we met a couple at lunch one day who said they had mentioned the beautiful shells they had collected on CC to the cruise director, and he told them to HIDE them in their luggage!!

Does anyone know the official policy?

 

[Michelle]

The official policy is you are NOT allowed to take anything from the island, and that includes shells of any type or size.

 

[DizMare]

Just out of curiosity, is that a Disney policy or a federal government policy (like not bringing in foodstuffs)? Is the prohibition to keep the island beautiful or keep the US food supply safe?

 

[Michelle]

It's Disney policy to keep the island beautiful. If guests started taking shells regularly there wouldn't be much of an island left.

I'm not sure if there's any government policies against bringing shells back; I know you can't bring any fruit back from any island but I don't think they prohibit shells.

 

[DizMare]

Thanks, Michelle. My first thought was it was for the island's sake, but when the cruise director told those people to HIDE their shells, then I thought it was to avoid detection from immigration!

I'm new to this cruising stuff and I don't want to do anything wrong.

 

[Rikersmom]

You can find some lovely sand dollar ornaments at almost every gift shop on St. Maartin or St. Thomas. I have a nice Christmas ornament, but I think they have others that you could display year round.