Take at Trip to Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano
Costa Rica is well known for it’s focus on eco-tourism and sustainable practices. A country bordered by both the Pacific and Atlantic ocean, the interior volcanic region, known as Arenal, is a gorgeous part of the country that feels wild and undisturbed by man. Thanks to the still-active Arena
Hidden Inland: Walla Walla WOW
The bustling summertime port city of Seattle offers an incredible range of sights and sounds, but if you’re set to sample the feast of Alaska cruising and looking for a pre-cruise appetizer or a post-cruise dessert, place your order for the off-the-menu town of Walla Walla, Washington. It’s no s
Cruise Deal of the Week – November 22, 2019
Greetings from on board the newest ship from Norwegian Cruise Lines, Norwegian Encore! Porthole Cruise Magazine has been onboard for a couple of days now and we’ll be here all weekend long as well. We’ve been amazed at all the incredible amenities, dining options and wonderful service fr
River Cruising: Crystal Mahler and Me
Most people would be content sitting on their king-sized bed in their 253-square-foot Deluxe Suite, watching the Danube flow by their balcony window while their personal butler (yes, really) introduced them to a canapé and a glass of Champagne. But for this bright-eyed river ship novice, the shape-
For Shore: Two Sides to Hispaniola
As a name, “Hispaniola” seems better suited for history books. But as an island, straddling the line between Caribbean and Atlantic, it is more likely to enter today’s conversations as home to one or both of the two independent nations that share it: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. H
Silver Cove Sets the Private Island Standard
Private islands are all the rage in cruising these days as lines are jockeying to have the most exclusive, luxurious or exciting private island experience in the industry. Norwegian Cruise Line has a handful of new ships in service and many of them are making stops at Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian Cr
Cruise Ship Review: Spectrum of the Seas Introduces the Royal Range
Typically, sister ships within a class are built in close succession, making it difficult to impose significant changes throughout the class. This is the reality Royal Caribbean understood, coupled with the knowledge that a new Quantum-class ship would also have quite a lot to live up to with stando
Pack These Vitamins for a Healthy Cruise Vacation
Your bags are all packed, your embarkation documents are all ready to go, you’ve arranged accommodations for your pets, yet you might be forgetting one crucial element to a happy and healthy cruise vacation: vitamins. Have you ever found yourself out to sea wishing you had brought along the ba
48 Hours In Orlando
It’s easy to think of Orlando solely in terms of its world-famous theme parks. After all, they attract millions of visitors each year. But their reputation tends to overshadow Central Florida’s many other charms. Besides, you can’t always afford the luxury of taking a full-fledged, theme park
Last Call: Make Mine a Vera Lynn — Aboard P&O Cruises.
The Place — The Crow’s Nest Grab A Seat — Britannia Standout Feature — P&O Cruises is a very British cruise line, and Britannia is a very British ship. What else would one sip, gazing over the bow from the Crow’s Nest lounge, if not “the pleasant medicine” of gin? During Britannia&
The Heart of Vietnam
I first visited Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in 1995; Vietnam tourism was evolving and beginning to take root as an integral part of daily life in major cities. By my next visit in December 2012, tourism was booming. Brand-name hotels shared the skyline near the legendary Rex Hotel. Restaurants caterin
Cruise Deal of the Week – November 1, 2019
Before you run out and buy way too many bags of discount Halloween candy, you might want to check out the cruise deal of the week on board Norwegian Cruise Line! Today, Porthole Cruise readers can get a great deal on a cruise that sails the Eastern Caribbean on board a brand new ship! Norwegian [&he
Theme Cruise: Sailing the Haunted Caribbean
You expect spirits on a cruise — but in a glass, with a little paper umbrella, right? You don’t expect the kind of spirits you talk to and that, if you’re lucky, answer you back. That is, unless you’re on a Strange Escapes cruise, where paranormal investigators guide you through otherworldly
Last Call: Cunard’s Commander of Cocktails
Last Call celebrates the best bars at sea and the people who can’t get enough of them. Today we pay our respects to the captain with a signature concoction inspired by Cunard’s seven most renowned Commodores. The Place — Commodore Club Grab A Seat — All Cunard ships Standout Featur
Let’s Talk Turkey
I love to cook up spirited itineraries for my nomadic travels and Turkey provides delectable key ingredients: ancient history, intriguing culture, and fabulous food. Together, they create the perfect recipe for an engaging Middle Eastern adventure. Over the course of centuries, the capital of Istanb
Green Seas: Norway’s Wave of Environmental Innovation
Norway is often thought of as a land of Fjords, pickled herring, and minimalist design, but thanks to overwhelming support from the Norwegian government, you can add maritime clean technology to that list. Be it small design firms creating lightweight hulls for electric ships or engineers conceiving
Life on the Edge
“There is no Terminal 25,” my taxi driver huffed as we neared Port Everglades. “Trust me, I’ve been driving here for 15 years. It’s not there.” We arrived shortly at, you guessed it, T25. In the cabbie’s defense, the structure is Celebrity Cruises’ newest terminal, a spacious, bright
VIP@Sea: Bright Smiles and Air Miles with Bubbly Moments
Emilia Taneva lives something of a double life. During the week, she’s a board-certified orthodontist who maintains a practice in Chicagoland. On weekends, she jets around the world in rarefied luxury, uncovering the best natural wonders, accommodations, and restaurants to bring back to her 650k I
Let Coral Adventurer Take You Way Down Under
The expedition cruise market is set to grow by nearly three-dozen ships by 2024. Small but increasingly sophisticated ships are destined for polar regions and well beyond, catering to well-heeled baby boomers looking for new experiences — whether natural or cultural. Enter the Aussies, specificall
Vitamin Sea: Health-focused fun in the Pacific Northwest
The river of many cruisers’ dreams is traditionally tranquil and slow-paced. On UnCruise Adventures’ “Rivers of Adventure” itinerary — traversing Washington, Idaho, and Oregon on the Columbia and Snake rivers — cruisers instead get a healthy dose of wellness and fitness options at a vari