Heading to the USVI I was wondering what I could expect upon arriving and what is the culture like? I found this information very helpful and hope that you do as well.
General
English is the main language
Time zone is Atlantic Time and daylight-savings is not observed
they do run on Caribbean time so things are a bit slower, more relaxed
Drink bottled water
Country Code is 1
Electricity is the same as the US (110 volts)
Cell phone reception is not reliable nor island wide
Climate
June to November is hurricane season, peaking in September & October
November to February are the coldest months with Sept to Oct being the hottest
July to January are the rainy months
Culture
Be pleasant before asking questions or buying things (ex. Morning! How are you?)
Wear swimwear only at the beach or the pool
T-shirt, dresses, shorts, and sandals are preferred away from these locations
Tips of 15 - 20% are expected but some restaurants will add a service charge to the bill so check first
Festivals:
January: New Years Day, Three Kings Day, Martin Luther Kind's Birthday
May: Children's Parade, Adult Parade, Memorial day
June - July: St. John's month long celebration of the island
June: Organic Act Day
July: VI Emancipation Day, Independence Day, Hurricane Supplication Day
September: Labor Day
October: Columbus Day, Puerto Rico Friendship day, Hurricane Thanksgiving Day
November: Liberty Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day
December: Christmas Day, Boxing Day / Christmas Second Day
Shopping
US visitors are allowed $1,200 of duty free items within a 30 day period
if you are mailing things out of the country the gift cannot be worth more than $100/day to the same address
you are allowed 5 cartons of cigarettes, 100 cigars, and 5L of liquor
In Canada, you can follow the same duty allowances as if you were traveling home from the US which is a lot less than what the US are allowed to bring back. With the new NAFTA agreement coming into place Dec. 1 I am not going to list those levels here as they will change but check out the Canadian Government's website here for up to date information.
