Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Be Ready for Airport Security
Because of increased security mea-
sures, the Transportation Security
Administration has made changes to
the prohibited-items list. All liquids and
gels—including drinks, shampoo, tooth-
paste, perfume, hair gel, suntan lotion,
and all other items with similar consis-
tency—are allowed in carry-on baggage
only if they are packed in 3-ounce con-
tainers and sealed in a quart-size, zip-
lock plastic bag. If you don't want to
limit the amount of liquids you bring
on your trip, pack these items in your
checked baggage. Carrying liquids of
any sort to the screening checkpoint
will cause you delays, and if it's not
properly packed, it will be confiscated.
With the ever-changing security
measures, we recommend that you
check the
Transportation Security
Administration
's website,
www.tsa.gov
,
as near to your departure date as pos-
sible to make sure that no other restric-
tions have been imposed. Speed up
security by
not wearing metal objects
such as big belt buckles. If you've got
metallic body parts, a note from your
doctor can prevent a long chat with the
security screeners.
7
By Cruise Ship
A high percentage of Caribbean cruises make at least one stop in the Virgin Islands.
Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas is the most popular port, followed by historic
Frederiksted in St. Croix and Road Town in Tortola. Miami is the cruise capital of the
world, but ships also leave from San Juan, New York, Port Everglades, and other
points. Most cruise ships travel at night, arriving the following morning at ports of
call, where passengers can go ashore for sightseeing and shopping.
THE CRUISE LINES
Once you've decided that a cruise to the Virgin Islands is right for you, you'll need to
choose your cruise line. Two helpful resources for choosing a cruise line are
From-
mer's Cruises & Ports of Call
(Wiley Publishing, Inc.) and
Cruise Vacations for Dum-
mies
(Wiley Publishing, Inc.). Below you'll find a rundown of various ships cruising
the Virgin Islands.
Carnival Cruise Lines
(
&
888/CARNIVAL
[227-6482]; www.carnival.com)
offers affordable vacations on some of the biggest and most brightly decorated ships
afloat. It's the richest, boldest, brashest, and most successful mass-market cruise line
in the world. Its boats leave from Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Mobile, Port Canav-
eral, and San Juan, and stop over at selected ports throughout the eastern and west-
ern Caribbean, including St. Thomas, St. Lucia, San Juan, St. Martin, Barbados,
Martinique, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. Most of its cruises offer good value, last
from 4 to 8 days, and feature nonstop activities, lots of glitter, and the hustle and
bustle of armies of passengers and crew members embarking and disembarking at
every port.
Celebrity Cruises
(
&
877/202-4345;
www.celebrity-cruises.com) maintains
10 medium to large ships offering cruises of between 7 and 11 nights to such ports
as Key West, San Juan, Grand Cayman, St. Thomas, Ocho Rios, Antigua, and Cozu-
mel, Mexico, among others. The line is unpretentious and classy (several notches
above mass market), but offers pricing that's nonetheless relatively competitive.
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