About Caribbean Travel

Storm Watches in Effect in Mexico, Grand Cayman, Cuba

2009-11-07T14:52:33Z

Tropical Storm Ida continues to gain strength in the western Caribbean and is now threatening the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Grand Cayman, and parts of Cuba.

A hurricane watch is in effect for the Yucatan between Tulum and Cabo Catoche, while tropical storm warnings have been posted for Grand Cayman and the western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Cuba's Isle of Youth.

Ida currently is located about 230 miles southeast of Cozumel and south of Cuba. The storm is moving north and currently is forecast to move over of just east of the Yucatan tomorrow. Ida could become a Category 1 hurricane today.

Weather Information for Your Caribbean Vacation

Storm Watches in Effect in Mexico, Grand Cayman, Cuba originally appeared on About.com Caribbean Travel on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 14:52:33.

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New Honduras Travel Alert Posted

2009-11-06T18:20:58Z

The U.S. State Department has issued a new Travel Alert on Honduras, advising Americans to exercise extreme caution when traveling in the country and defer nonessential travel to the capital of Tegulcigalpa during the current power struggle there.

The alert notes that a series of (nonviolent) demonstrations have hit the country since the June 28 coup against President Manuel Zelaya. A political accord between the coup leaders in the military and Zelaya has been drafted, but the State Department warns that demonstrations could increase leading up to the Nov. 29 elections in Honduras.

Roatan and the Bay Islands of Honduras have so far been generally unaffected by the turmoil on the mainland.

How To Stay Safe and Secure on Your Caribbean Vacation

New Honduras Travel Alert Posted originally appeared on About.com Caribbean Travel on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 18:20:58.

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Resurgent Tropical Storm Threatens Caribbean

2009-11-06T18:05:58Z

The tropical storm I told you about earlier in the week has had a busy few days. The tropical depression that formed off the coast of Nicaragua grew into Tropical Storm Ida and then a minor Category 1 hurricane, came ashore in Nicaragua, weakened back to a tropical storm and then a tropical depression.

You might think that was the end of it. But, no. Ida has now emerged into the northwestern Caribbean Sea and is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm or hurricane again. Forecasters now say the storm could hit the Yucatan Peninsula in the Mexican Caribbean and possibly affect western Cuba. No storm warnings have yet been issued -- I'll keep you posted if they are.

Weather Information for Your Caribbean Vacation

Resurgent Tropical Storm Threatens Caribbean originally appeared on About.com Caribbean Travel on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 18:05:58.

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Tropical Storm Forming in Southern Caribbean

2009-11-04T12:40:02Z

The islands off the coast of Colombia and Nicaragua are under tropical storm warnings after a tropical depression formed in the southern Caribbean Sea. Tropical Depression 11 is expected to become a tropical storm later today or tonight.

The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of about 35 mph and is located 65 miles south-southwest of San Andres Island. It is expected to move northwest toward the Nicaraguan coast and is not projected to threaten any other parts of the Caribbean at this point.

Weather Information for Your Caribbean Vacation

Where to Get Caribbean Weather Updates

Tropical Storm Forming in Southern Caribbean originally appeared on About.com Caribbean Travel on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 12:40:02.

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WestJet Begins Service from Toronto to Freeport, Bahamas

2009-11-03T18:25:39Z

Grand Bahama Island (GBI) may be the biggest Caribbean destination that many tourists have never seen, with tourism hampered by a deficit of air service. So it's great news (for Canadian travelers, anyway) that discount airline WestJet has started new seasonal nonstop service between Toronto and Freeport, Bahamas, the capital of GBI. The flights began on Nov. 2 and will operate through April 30, 2010. Fares on the twice-weekly flights start at $99 one-way.

Compare Prices

More Information on Caribbean Flights from Canada

WestJet Begins Service from Toronto to Freeport, Bahamas originally appeared on About.com Caribbean Travel on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 18:25:39.

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Castro Blames Gringos for Swine Flu in Cuba

2009-11-03T18:12:49Z

Despite all that talk about opening up Cuba to American tourism, old habits apparently die hard for former leader Fidel Castro. In a newspaper editorial, Castro recently blamed an influx of U.S. visitors for the spread of the H1N1 (swine) flu in Cuba, which now is present in all of the island's provinces. Castro also chided the U.S. for the decades-old trade embargo that he said is preventing Cuba from getting medicine and other supplies to fight the epidemic, the BBC reported Oct. 31.

"I don't think, of course, that it was the intention of the United States government" to spread the virus, Castro allowed. "But this is the reality resulting from the absurd and shameful blockade."

More Information on Healthy Caribbean Travel

Cuba Travel Guide

Castro Blames Gringos for Swine Flu in Cuba originally appeared on About.com Caribbean Travel on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 18:12:49.

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New Caribbean Cruises Launch from Grenada

2009-10-30T09:37:20Z

The much-loved small-ship cruise line Windjammer Barefoot Cruises may be gone, but a group of former passengers is keeping the concept alive by launching Island Windjammers, Inc., which will begin six-day cruises from Grenada on Nov. 15 aboard a 101-foot brigantine schooner, the Diamant.

The Diamant can accommodate 12 passengers in six air-conditioned staterooms. Rates start at $1,599 per person and include all meals, soft drinks, beer and wine, port taxes, and crew gratuities. The ship will call on Carriacou, Mayreau, Bequia, Union Island, Tobago Cays and Palm Island.

For more information, visit the cruise line's website.

More Information on Caribbean Cruises

Grenada Travel Guide

New Caribbean Cruises Launch from Grenada originally appeared on About.com Caribbean Travel on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 09:37:20.

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Hero Pilot Dies in Bonaire Crash

2009-10-29T17:46:48Z

Anyone who has ever flown a puddle-jumper between Caribbean islands can sense the terror and anguish felt by the passengers aboard the Britten-Norman Islander that ditched in the sea off the coast of Bonaire last week.

Robert Mansell, 32, the pilot of the Divi Divi Air flight from Curacao, reported trouble with the right engine of the plane on approach to Bonaire and skillfully put the plane down in the water, but was knocked unconscious by the impact.

All eight passengers on the flight survived, but were unable to get Mansell out of his safety harness before the plane slipped under the waves. The survivors were quickly plucked out of the water by nearby dive boats.

If you've never been on one of these flights, let me just explain that for passengers it is much more like being in the back seat of a car than sitting on a commercial jet. Scary enough on takeoff and landing even when the weather is perfect and everything is working smoothly. In this particular plane, a passenger literally sits next to the pilot (as the photos posted here illustrate), so the horror of the crash must have been doubled when the tourists onboard were unable to get the heroic pilot out of the sinking plane.

My condolences go out to the pilot's family as well as to the survivors, who certainly must be traumatized by last week's tragic events.

Hero Pilot Dies in Bonaire Crash originally appeared on About.com Caribbean Travel on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 17:46:48.

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CDC Advises Travelers on Swine Flu, Screenings

2009-10-29T09:57:35Z

The swine (H1N1) flu is really starting to bite here in the U.S., and travelers should anticipate that they will be screened for signs of the illness when traveling abroad. Mexico and Cuba are among the countries that have been routinely screening arriving tourists, in some cases quarantining sick passengers.

"The United States is not screening travelers who arrive from other countries or depart for other countries," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says in a document detailing what travelers can expect. "In other countries that are conducting entry screening for 2009 H1N1 flu, travelers may be checked for fever and other symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu, and their travel may be delayed. Consult the embassy of the country, or countries, in your travel itinerary for information about entry screening procedures."

For more information, see the CDC's 2009 H1N1 site and the latest update on the global swine-flu situation.

Tips on Staying Healthy and Avoiding Illness on Your Caribbean Vacation

CDC Advises Travelers on Swine Flu, Screenings originally appeared on About.com Caribbean Travel on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 09:57:35.

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Do Your Duty-Free!

2009-10-28T17:25:14Z

Caribbean travelers can save a bundle by shopping at duty-free ports. But you have to know the rules, too...

Do Your Duty-Free! originally appeared on About.com Caribbean Travel on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 17:25:14.

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