Bringing Food To St. Thomas

[jojo777]

When I travel to Aruba I usually bring a few food staples from home in a soft sided cooler. I freeze some lobster meat and bring a few staples. Can I do this when traveling to St. Thomas? Anyone ever have any issues traveling to St. Thomas with food?

 

[Ann-Marie]

Can't answer your question but when and where are you going? We will be at The Elysian November 4-14.

 

[Helios]

I have done it without problems

 

[beachlynn]

I am leaving for Westin St. John next week. I was wondering about taking a hard ice chest with wheels as one of my checked items. We are traveling from CA on a red eye with a 3 hour stop in Miami. We want to make sure our frozen meat stays that way. We will be wrapping it in newspaper as well. I sort of remember someone writing about doing that and closing it with duct tape. TSA could look in if needed.

 

[SandyPGravel]

Hi-

I have taken a rolling soft-side cooler as a carry-on to both the Bahamas and St. Thomas. Couldn't do this in Mexico, they confiscate food!

I use dry ice. (check with your airline, most will allow it if you declare it. Plus it is usually gone from the night before by the time I get on the plane.) Food stays really frozen. I found a perfect sized rolling cooler to use as a carry on and the benefit of not checking it is less chance it gets lost. I have read horror stories of getting your lost checked bag back several days or a week later with spoiled food. YUCK, would rather sacrifice one of my carry-ons and check my clothes.

 

[jojo777]

wow and you go through the security with a cooler with food in it? I am flying Jetblue to St Thomas. Have you ever used Jet Blue? How do you info the airline before hand or when you get to security?

I'm leaving on Saturday--Cannot wait!!

 

[Fern Modena]

Make a meatloaf, freeze it solid ahead of time, and place it in the center of the cooler. Works like blue ice.

Fern

I am leaving for Westin St. John next week. I was wondering about taking a hard ice chest with wheels as one of my checked items. We are traveling from CA on a red eye with a 3 hour stop in Miami. We want to make sure our frozen meat stays that way. We will be wrapping it in newspaper as well. I sort of remember someone writing about doing that and closing it with duct tape. TSA could look in if needed.

 

[SandyPGravel]

wow and you go through the security with a cooler with food in it? I am flying Jetblue to St Thomas. Have you ever used Jet Blue? How do you info the airline before hand or when you get to security?

I'm leaving on Saturday--Cannot wait!!

Yes, I take everything right through security. After it goes through the x-ray it inevitably gets flagged, they open the cooler and see it is food. I tell them I am headed to an island. Never been a problem. Once I think they dug down to see my hamburger tubes, guess they thought it looked like something dangerous. Usually I make the TSA person hungry!

No I haven't flown JetBlue. Go to their website type in dry ice in the search feature or check their carry-on restrictions. Food as long as "in a thawed state" is not liquid is ok. Only issues might be cream cheese or margarine type. Since toothpaste is restricted and those would be similar. For those things I would put in checked bags inside a small cooler. I put all the frozen food inside one of those huge ziplock bags inside the cooler just to prevent any condensation issues. Don't want to drip on your fellow passangers.:rofl:

Have fun!!

 

[jojo777]

thank you!!

 

[Seaport104]

I've seen people check-in large hard side coolers with food to St. Thomas flights.