The Judi’s Choice Awards 2015
Monday Mantra The Judi’s Choice Awards! … The Judi’s Choice Awards! … The Judi’s Choice Awards! And the Winners Are! It’s easy to overlook some of the things that make cruising wonderful. The Judi’s Choice Awards recognize the best of the rest. It’s that time of the year agai
Five Faves Solo Schedules
Five tips for traveling alone during the holidays How often do you travel alone? While it may seem daunting, I highly recommend you take a solo trip, and I dare you to take it during the holidays. You will surely travel alone at some point in your life, and from my experience I have found […]
Nautical and Nice – These are some gifts to win a cruiser’s heart.
Monday Mantra Gift Guide … Gift Guide … Gift Guide … Nautical and Nice These are some gifts to win a cruiser’s heart. To judge by the emails that pop into my inbox and the brochures that are delivered by my postman, a cruise is an enormously popular gift choice. If that’s the case,
Five Faves: Sailaway Stocking Stuffers
Porthole‘s Five Faves Five Faves: Sailaway Stocking Stuffers If you’re seeking great gifts for your favorite cruise traveler, we’ve got a handful of fun ideas. Is there one last empty spot on your holiday gift list? Luckily, there’s still time to get those last-minute stocking stuffers f
A Magic Shop – One destination makes Gustavia a tropical paradise.
Monday Mantra St. Barts on a Budget … St. Barts on a Budget … St. Barts on a Budget … A Magic Shop There’s one destination that truly makes Gustavia a tropical paradise. Just when I think I’m doing pretty well financially, I’ll cruise to St. Barts and realize what a pauper I am. Sometime
Five Faves: How to get in the seasonal spirit at sea
Porthole’s Five Faves Cruising For Christmas How to get in the seasonal spirit when you’re at sea When your winter travels include not just being away from home for the holidays, but being away from terra firma altogether, it can be difficult to truly get in the spirit of this wintry season. Her
First Time’s the Charm – Taking a friend on her very first cruise can be picture perfect.
Monday Mantra Starting at the top … Starting at the top … Starting at the top … First Time’s the Charm Taking a friend on her very first cruise can be picture perfect. “I cannot BELIEVE I have to unwrap the new roll of toilet paper myself!” Carole’s indignant objection boomed through t
Five Faves: New Ships for the New Year
Porthole‘s Five Faves Cruise into 2016 Five new ships to look forward to in the new year. Year after year, there never seems to be a shortage of new and exciting cruise ships being built — from the continuous rise of river ships to today’s big, bigger, and biggest megaships to the world’
A Caribbean Thanksgiving – What holiday could be happier than one spent cruising?
Monday Mantra Thanks … Thanks … Thanks … A Caribbean Thanksgiving What holiday could be happier than one spent cruising? If this was Thursday Mantra, I’d wish you all a happy Thanksgiving, but since it’s Monday Mantra, I ask you to cast your mind back a couple of days. I
The Can’t Talk – Gotta Cruise! Checklist – Here’s a cruise-prep pep talk for the chronically under-prepared.
Monday Mantra Ready or not … Ready or not … Ready or not … The Can’t Talk – Gotta Cruise! Checklist Here’s a cruise-prep pep talk for the chronically under-prepared. Okay. This has got to be quick. How is it possible that the months before a cruise creep by so slowly when the week before
Travel On – The best response to tragedy is to keep an even keel and a steady course.
Monday Mantra Vive la France …Vive la France …Vive la France … Travel On The best response to tragedy is to keep an even keel and a steady course. There I was, planning to write my blog on Friday when I came home from work. I was torn between three ideas: A parody of “The […]
Cruise Ship Review: Anthem of the Seas
A Cruise Ship Review of Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas Royal Caribbean’s newest addition to the fleet is a sight to behold. Anthem of the Seas can house 4,905 guests in 2,090 staterooms and, at 1,141 feet long, lays a claim at being the third-largest cruise ship in the world. It has i
A Cruise to … Somewhere – You know you’re a serious cruise fan when you sign on to sail an unknown itinerary.
Monday Mantra It’s a Mystery…It’s a Mystery…It’s a Mystery… A Cruise to … Somewhere You know you’re a serious cruise fan when you sign on to sail an unknown itinerary. You know how it is when you’ve booked a cruise. Everyone you know — your friends, your family — all ask where
Porthole’s Five Faves Theme Cruises
Upcoming Theme Cruises Not that you ever need an excuse to book a cruise, but these theme cruises provide a pretty convincing reason to set sail soon. Who knew that the high seas would provide the ideal common ground for people to congregate and celebrate their passions? If this handful of up
A Little Something Extra – Navigating the etiquette of tipping can be tricky.
Monday Mantra A Few Tips … A Few Tips … A Few Tips … A Little Something Extra Navigating the etiquette of tipping can be tricky. You can’t spend nearly 20 years married to a man whose entire career was in the restaurant business and not be left with a profound appreciation for tipping. M
Five Faves: Haunted Hotels in Paranormal Ports of Call
Spooky Scenes Cruising’s Most Haunted Hotels It’s late October, when the wind rattles through the cane fields, Las Calaveras Catrinas decorate the streets of Cozumel, the duppies and jumbies cast long shadows along the lonely island beaches, and people everywhere gather close to trade scary stor
Home Is Where the Ship Is
Monday Mantra I’m movin’ in … I’m movin’ in … I’m movin’ in … Home Is Where the Ship Is Why not cruise full time? Every so often, you’ll see a news story about an old woman who decides to sell her home and all of her possessions and move, permanently, on to a cruise […]
Five Faves Tips for First-Time Travelers
Smooth Sailing Five Tips for First-Time Travelers Allow me to preface this post: I am completely and totally in love with traveling. There isn’t one part of traveling that I don’t like. I love the middle seat, I adore layovers (the longer the better), security lines are joyous and often make me
Mysteries of the Sea: The best parts of a cruise can’t be planned – only enjoyed as they happen.
Monday Mantra A private performance … A private performance … A private performance … Mysteries of the Sea The best parts of a cruise can’t be planned – only enjoyed as they happen. If I had to pick the most magical moment of my nearly 40 years of cruising, it would have nothing to do [&he
Five Faves: The Best Things About a Music Theme Cruise
Porthole‘s Five Faves Rock This Ship Five Reasons You’ll Love a Music Theme Cruise I recently had the pure joy of spending four days on a cruise with six of my favorite people: Emily, Donnie, Danny, Jordan, Jon, and Joe. The former, my BFF since kindergarten; the latter five, none othe
