Porthole’s Five Faves Baseball Parks To Cruise To Take me out to the ballgame, or take you on a sea cruise? Why not both! With the World Series getting off to an exciting start last night, it reminds me that 1) there’s nothing better than baseball this time of year, and 2) there’s …

Porthole’s Five Faves Fall for Foliage ’Tis the season for some great leaf-peeping shore excursions If you’re cruising on a Canada/New England itinerary this fall, consider yourself lucky! The region offers some of the world’s best fall foliage scenery, and visiting cruise passengers get to experience one glorious port after another. If you’ve …

Monday Mantra I love my cabin steward…I love my cabin steward…I love my cabin steward… Home Makers Cabin stewards are the unsung heroes of every cruise. I have never had a cabin steward who sucked. Ever. That could be today’s entire Monday Mantra right there if not for those pesky little word counts. …

Porthole’s Five Faves Unique Museums of the Western Med Cruise through culture with these memorable – and often overlooked – collections. While these are extraordinary museums, they may not be the first ones that come to mind in the culture-rich Western Mediterranean. However, as an art museum fanatic and frequent cruiser, I can recommend …

Monday Mantra I want a great guide…I want a great guide…I want a great guide… Show me the way Sometimes, it’s not the destination, but the guide who really makes the journey. The cruise lines have this whole shore excursion thing all wrong. I already know that places like The Vatican, The Louvre, …

Porthole’s Five Faves Five Cruise Line Apps You Can’t Do Without. Unlock your ship’s secrets with this smart software. Some cruisers like to enjoy their vacation as an opportunity to disconnect from the digital world, a chance to take the smart phone, tablet, BlackBerry, and laptop and lock them away somewhere safe and …

Monday Mantra I miss Svein and Lars…I miss Svein and Lars…I miss Svein and Lars… Cruise Companions No matter the miles in between, some onboard friendships endure long after debarkation. Just when I was beginning to think most cruises were packed to the pool deck with a predictable combination of young families, couples, …

Porthole’s Five Faves   Insomniac-tivities Why should all the cruise fun be had while under the sun?   “…In heavy seas you feel rocked to sleep, the windows’ spume a gentle shushing, engines’ throb a mother’s pulse.” In David Foster Wallace’s beloved ode to cruising, he shone an incredibly insightful light on — …

Monday Mantra I DO love cruising…I DO love cruising…I DO love cruising… Till Death Do We Debark Cruise with me, my love… on the sea, the sea of love…. My husband, Michael, and I have been married 17 years, but it could have been a lot longer if only the gods that controlled …

Porthole’s Five Faves Culinary Keepsakes Five favorite dining experiences at sea Ask any cruiser and chances are they will admit that food is key to their overall shipboard experience. While there’s no doubt that today’s cruise ships serve cuisine that rivals top-notch, land-based restaurants, after sailing dozens of cruises, I’ve realized that there’s great …