Anne, while I don't envy what you and Gary are going through, I am always both informed and amused with all your travel stories! Anyway, I hope your luggage finds its way to you by the time you get on the ship.....at least they have a few days to get it to you!

I have to agree with others, those full body scanners seem to be the next solution to prevent and deter these kinds of incidents. My vivid memory leaving Amsterdam early in December almost as soon as I walked into the airport was the entry to El Al airline being ringed with yellow crime-scene type tape. Armed military guards with machine guns manned the area. I guess this is what one would call being proactive in this age?

What was strange about AMS was that I kept waiting for a security check, and it did not come until I arrived at the gate. No shoes off, but there was random physical checking of carry-on bags. They found my corkscrew, which to that point had been with me since I left home at the beginning of the trip and made it through 3 airports before being confiscated.

Enjoy the rest of your adventure, and write when you can!