Monday Mantra Get Lost…Get Lost…Get Lost… Where am I again? On a cruise ship, good signage is a treasure. I believe that there’s a special place in hell reserved for cruise ship interior designers who fail to place a prominent plaque or video monitor showing the direction of all public rooms on a …

Porthole‘s Five Faves High Times Five Favorite Cruise Ports to Celebrate 4/20 (Huh Huh) 4/20. For those who don’t know the significance of this number, we’ll fill you in. It’s basically a code word in the cannabis culture that essentially implies: It’s time to smoke pot. And for those who already knew that …

Dream Destinations A quiz for imaginative cruisers All of us have an ultimate dream destination, or maybe even two – the places that have something special that set them above the ordinary. There are so many amazing places to see … and so many incredible things to look forward to doing around the …

Monday Mantra Decisions…Decisions…Decisions… So Many Ways to Cruise To find the perfect trip, you have to explore. When I was about 12 years old and just learning how to cook, I went to the supermarket to buy the canned tomatoes that a recipe called for. When I got there, I found a dizzying …

Monday Mantra Ciao Italia! … Ciao Italia! … Ciao Italia! Italy … by Land! Sometimes to go deeper, you have to leave the sea behind. Soon, I’ll be off to Italy! And here’s the newsflash … NOT on a cruise. That’s the part that totally baffles my friends who seem to think that …

Monday Mantra Oceans Apart … Oceans Apart … Oceans Apart … Sailing On Beloved cruisemates never really debark. This week marks the one-year anniversary of the death of my husband Michael. Cruising brought us together — our wedding was even aboard ship — so I shouldn’t be surprised that each time I sail, …

Porthole’s Five Faves Cocoa Cruising Five favorite destinations for chocolate lovers For those of us who’ve been bitten by the chocolate bug, this is serious business — even globe-spanning. From the cacao tree’s original home in South America, its seeds have spread far and wide, used in everything from facial masks to fried …

Monday Mantra Don’t Fall for It … Don’t Fall for It … Don’t Fall for It … In the Drink What does it really take to wind up overboard? Let me make this abundantly clear: You don’t just fall off a cruise ship. Some of the stories you read in the newspaper make …

Porthole’s Five Faves Carnival Fantasy Flavor Faves Five great new tastes (and familiar ones too) When the recently refurbished Carnival Fantasy came out of dry dock, a quick 2-day cruise to the Bahamas before it returned to full service was the perfect opportunity to try the new food enhancements. Plus, who are we …