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 …

Monday Mantra Guilty … Guilty … Guilty … It Won’t Break the Bank, But… Feeling nickel-and-dimed on board? Or are you a penny-pinching pro? If you ever doubt the goodness of mankind, eavesdrop on a conversation among cruise fans. Smuggling alcohol, swiping a towel, or sharing a beverage package triggers sheer outrage among …

Monday Mantra The Naked Truth … The Naked Truth … The Naked Truth … Clothes-Optional Cruising — Uncovered What do you pack for a nude cruise? Not much. I’m really not comfortable writing about something that I, personally, haven’t experienced but in the case of nude cruising, I’ll make an exception because ewwwwwwwwwwww! …

Monday Mantra Aaaaachooo! … Aaaaaachooo! … Aaaaachooo! … Cough Drops and Cruise Dreams Here’s to good health and a good ship … and they can’t come soon enough! God, I feel awful. I’ve surrendered to the horrible head cold that’s made me miserable all week so I find myself stuck at home with …

Monday Mantra Cosmo Guy … Cosmo Guy … Cosmo Guy … A Master Mixer’s Memoir A bartender who can get the cosmopolitan right has clearly been around — and is just as clearly going places. It started with a cosmopolitan, that concoction of vodka, Cointreau, cranberry and lime that few bartenders know how …

Monday Mantra Tech-yes or Tech-no?…Tech-yes or Tech-no?…Tech-yes or Tech-no?… Cruising into the Future Ready or not, here sails the Internet of Things! Last week, Carnival Corporation announced the launch of Ocean Compass, a quarter-sized gizmo designed to further elevate the cruise experience by tapping into technology to retrieve guest information and recognize preferences. …

Monday Tuesday Mantra Happy New Year! … Happy New Year! … Happy New Year! Resolve This! A dozen ways to be a better cruiser in 2017. It’s time for me to look ahead to a bright and shining new year and give some thought to what I might do to enjoy cruising even …

Porthole’s Five Faves Eco-Experiences at Harvest Caye Five ways to discover Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest island paradise. As cruise passengers disembark at Norwegian Cruise Line’s brand-new port of Harvest Caye, they can start to see and smell the island’s flora as they walk the canopy-covered pier positioned alongside the mangroves. The recently opened …

Monday Tuesday Mantra Dover? Stay over! … Dover? Stay over! … Dover? Stay over! … There’s plenty to recommend in Dover and the towns of southeast England. Well, here I am spending the holiday season completely ashore in southeastern England (for full details of where and why, look for my autobiography, Judi’s Truly, Truly …

Five Favorite Cruises That Give Back Making the world a better place, one vacation at a time This holiday season, the most heartwarming gift for a cruise fan would be a ship of your very own … but where would you dock it? (And is Santa going to chip in for gas??) No, …