Five Must-Do Moments in St. Petersburg, Russia One of the highlights of any Baltic cruise is the ever-popular St. Petersburg, Russia. Envisioned and built from the virtual ground up by Peter the Great, this former capital holds a treasure trove of Russian history and culture. A myriad of perfectly executed excursions capture glimpses …

Five Ways to Celebrate Independence Days Around the World It’s the United States’ Independence Day on July 4, and that means blue, red, and white everything combined with the smell of gunpowder from fireworks waiting to erupt. That is, if you’re American. While we here in the U S of A take pride …

Five Must-Try Cambodian Street Foods I profess to being a moderate foodie, backed up by my appreciation of food and the discovery of new tastes. And despite an inclination to be rather picky, I openly admit that I prefer street food fare over Michelin-rated cuisine. Give me back-alley grub marinated with a hint …

Five favorite author-inspired shore excursions From Shakespeare’s Verona to Hemingway’s Cuba, stories in far off places can sometimes fuel wanderlust stronger than any postcard-esque picture can. Unfortunately, “armchair travel” will only get you as far as the name suggests. While you can’t necessarily travel to the fictional lands of Narnia or Hogwarts (although …

Porthole’s 5 Faves Bored on Board? Not a Chance! Five Fun-Ship Activities Beyond the Kids’ Club They say the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. I say, so do the best-laid cruise plans of moms! I recently surprised my two daughters, Michelle and Jenna, with a 3-night cruise aboard Carnival Liberty. …

Monday Mantra Mistaken Identity … Mistaken Identity … Mistaken Identity … Who’s Cruising Now? We cruise to get away from it all … maybe even from who we really are. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Congratulations!” I squealed with glee and grabbed Darren’s shoulder when he revealed that he and his partner were on their …

Monday Mantra View from the Bridge … View from the Bridge … View from the Bridge … Cruise Along at Home Let’s hear it for webcams! Aren’t we lucky to live in this age of high technology? Okay, I’m not delighted that we can be reached 24/7 but when we’re stuck at home …

Porthole’s 5 Faves #WAKENEWS As the leading media authority on cruises and numbered lists, Porthole knows exactly how much the following media outlets 1) work tirelessly on land and 2) are gonna love partying at sea! For years, the editors of Porthole Cruise Magazine have daydreamed about chartering a ship, inviting all of …

Monday Mantra Under construction … Under construction … Under construction … Condo Cruising MSC Seaside has the ultimate rooms with a view. There are very few cruise-related things that I have no desire to experience and I always believed a shipyard visit was one of them. I mean, yeah, it might be fun …

Porthole’s 5 Faves Cruiser Friendly, Kid Approved! Five favorite onboard activities for children Today is Take Your Child to Work Day and mom is insisting it is not just a day off for us. So she assigned me (age 11) and my sister Jenna (age 7) to work together and write a blog …