If you like to cruise and live in New York, Jersey, Philly or Washington DC, the new Royal Caribbean schedule out of Baltimore will make your cruise plans much easier.

No more expensive flights, airport parking and security hassles to Fort Lauderdale or Miami to board ships bound for the Caribbean. A relatively short drive of an hour or two from East Coast cities can get you to the dock in Baltimore, and you’ll be sailing away.

Royal Caribbean's enormous Enchantment of the Seas will be based in Baltimore for sailings year-round from the city. Cruises include five-night Bermuda and nine-night Eastern Caribbean roundtrip schedules. Later in the year, the ship will offer nine-night cruises to Canada and New England destinations and 12-night Southern Caribbean cruises.

The Bermuda cruises will feature a two-day call at Kings Wharf. The Eastern Caribbean itinerary will include calls in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Samana, Dominican Republic; and Labadee, the cruise line's private beach destination on the northern coast of Haiti.

For more information on Royal Caribbean sailings out of Baltimore or other information, contact your favorite hometown or online travel agency, or go to www.royalcaribbean.com

If you hate stomping at the crowded airline gate like horses ready for the race, there’s a way to pay so you can go aboard first. Southwest, the bargain airline with the no-reserve seats, has been doing it for several years. For $10, you can be part of its Early Bird Check-in, go aboard first, get your choice of seats and be first to stash your carry-on in an overhead bin.

Now, some of the reserved-seating airlines are offering the same. American’s Boarding and Flexibility Package permits passengers who buy their tickets online the same privilege. AA charges from $9 to $19 each way for early boarding. Other airlines have similar features. United’s "Premier Line" early boarding service costs $19, and Ryanair’s current early boarding charge is $5.

As with all airlines, the extra payment doesn’t actually mean you’ll be the very first aboard. Passengers with highest class tickets and the handicapped, as with all airlines, still continue to go on ahead of everyone else.

Airport anger can get you on THE list

Throw a fit in the airport or just get mildly ticked off, and your name may go into a Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration watch list. They already have one for terrorists and other murderous nutcases, but now they’re starting a list of air travelers who aren’t quite as dangerous, but still need watching.

You can qualify for the throw-a-snit list by arguing loudly with a screener, angrily tossing bags and stuff around or just threatening to punch the TSA guy in the nose. Hey, wait a minute. Doesn’t that include just about everyone who flies today?

If you make the list, unless you’ve done something really violent, you won’t be barred from boarding your next flight. However, you can be sure the screener will get back at you for your alleged bad behavior on previous inspections. Expect him to grin knowingly at you and spend a lot more time going through your carry-on stuff.

Hey, traveler, if you’re planning to stay at a Red Roof Inn between now and April 15, you may get lucky and pay just a penny for your room! Just book a stay at a participating Red Roof Inn at redroof.com website, and you’re eligible to be chosen to just pay one Abe Lincoln coin for your night. The deal is in effect until all the penny rooms are sold out, so if a Red Roof Inn is in your plans until April 15, go for it now!