Heart and Sole – A trip to the ship’s spa changes a person … or at least their cuticles.
Monday Mantra I’ll be relaxed and gorgeous…I’ll be relaxed and gorgeous…I’ll be relaxed and gorgeous… Heart and Sole A trip to the ship’s spa changes a person … or at least their cuticles. There I was in the oh-so-serene reception area of the cruise ship spa while the piped-in sitar
Cruise Lines… Long Lines? – Suitcase ready, passport ready, now get me on the ship!
Monday Mantra I just want to be on board…I just want to be on board…I just want to be on board… Cruise Lines… Long Lines? Suitcase ready, passport ready, now get me on the ship! Before days of lazing in a deck chair beneath sunny skies, before sumptuous meals in enchanting dining rooms, befo
Five Faves: Family Matters – When it comes to a group vacation, choose to cruise!
Porthole’s Five Faves Family Matters When it comes to a group vacation, choose to cruise! This summer, I spent a weeklong family vacation with 14 family members ranging in age from 4 to 71. We gathered in a five-bedroom house on Lake Tahoe for a week of sun and fun… and a crazy amount [&h
Cabin Fever – Cruising can push the buddy system past the breaking point.
Monday Mantra Cabin Fever Cruising can push the buddy system past the breaking point. I will find the ideal cabinmate… I will find the ideal cabinmate…I will find the ideal cabinmate “Now, for the first problem. Which bed do you want?” That was my first clue that the friend I would be cruisi
Five Fave Photos: Snap To It! Most Photogenic Cruise Destinations
Porthole’s Five Faves Five Fave Photos: Snap To It The world’s most photogenic cruise destinations Traveling the world is what I do. Whether for work or for fun, I’ve explored 90 countries and all seven continents. Lucky for today’s cruisers, so many of the world’s most beautiful desti
Remembering the Black Dress – Worn – and worn out – on the best of cruises
Monday Mantra Ode to The Black Dress Worn – and worn out – on the best of cruises. I need a new dress…I need a new dress…I need a new dress… It was black. It was elegant. And it seemed to have a magical ability to expand or contract in order to perfectly fit my body […]
Five Faves: Rollin’ on the River – Things to Love About a River Cruise
Porthole’s Five Faves Rollin’ on the River Five Favorite Things to Love About a River Cruise I’ve been cruising for 35 years. I’ve sailed on hundreds of ships, from my first job as a cruise director aboard Carnival Cruise Lines’ Mardi Gras to today’s big, bigger, and biggest megaships pl
Why Not Stay?
Monday Mantra Why Not Stay? Home is where we drop anchor. (Some day….) I want to move here…I want to move here…I want to move here… Whenever I think about ditching the crowds and chaos of New York City and relocating, I can never decide on a destination. Florida is too hot, upstate New Yor
Five Faves: Coldest Cruises to Beat the Heat
Porthole’s Five Faves Coldest Cruises to Beat the Heat Cure the summertime blues in these cool destinations Christmastime in the Caribbean is warm and wonderful. There’s something extra special about sailing through the Med when there’s sleet and slush filling the streets back home. But this t
Five Faves: Favorite Beers to Cheers – cruising’s best suds at sea!
Porthole’s Five Faves Favorite Beers to Cheers Lift a glass (or more) to the best suds at sea! There’s the bubbly you tip back with one hand whilst the other is still wheeling a suitcase to your new cabin home. There’s that white-or-red dilemma just as you sit down for that first dinne
Nothing to Declare but Décor
Monday Mantra Nothing to Declare but Décor Pack light on the way out … so you can pack heavy coming home! I will bring my cruise home with me…I will bring my cruise home with me…I will bring my cruise home with me…. “Do you have any alcohol or cigarettes?” the customs officer barked. At
Five Faves: Theme Cruises for 2015
Porthole’s Five Faves Five Theme Cruises Stargazing, yoga, and rock and roll – some of our favorite theme cruises for 2015 From country music cruises to chocolate lovers’ cruises, from golf to Goth, there is a theme cruise out there for everyone. Set sail with like-minded cruisers for
Cruising the World Cup? Goooal!
Monday Mantra Cruising the World Cup? Goooal! Soccer fans have plenty to shout about at sea today. We get a kick out of cruising…. We get a kick out of cruising…. We get a kick out of cruising…. Some people are surprised by the interest and excitement that this year’s World Cup generated in
Five Faves: And the Living’s Easy – Summer river cruise favorites.
Porthole’s Five Faves And the Living’s Easy With summer comes great reasons to river cruise! River cruises operate nearly year-round, stopping only in the dead of winter. Fall foliage sailings are popular as trees along the riverside show their brilliant colors. Turning colder, Christmas market
All Good Things…
Monday Mantra All Good Things… There is no Monday like the Monday after a cruise. I must book my next cruise… I must book my next cruise… I must book my next cruise… Boom. I knock the bedside phone to the floor and yet that shrill tone continues. My God! Maybe it’s an emergency! I’m [&he
Five Faves: Cruise, American Style!
Porthole’s Five Faves Cruise, American Style! We crown the good… from sea to shining sea! One of the joys of cruising is getting to visit exotic places in faraway lands, whether tropical islands or icy fjords. But those distant ports of call are not the whole picture. In honor of Independence D
Out on the rails
Monday Mantra Out on the rails The White Pass & Yukon Route opens Alaska I want to remain on track…I want to remain on track…I want to remain on track… “Look! There’s the sun!” It was my husband Michael’s exclamation as we stood on deck aboard Silver Shadow docked in Skagway. “
Five Faves: Lands of the Free
Porthole’s Five Faves Lands of the Free 5 Independence-Seeking Cruise Destinations For as worldly as we like to consider ourselves, Porthole is unabashedly American, loving our independence from sea to every-cruisable-shining sea! With our Independence Day a little more than a week away, we wante
Hot Rocks, Cool Vacation
Monday Mantra I want gloves…I want gloves…I want gloves… Hot Rocks, Cool Vacation Alaska is still Alaska, even on a luxury cruise. If I ever say I plan to leave for a cruise directly from the office, just slap me. A full work day, a rush hour commute to JFK, and a 6-hour flight to […]
Five Faves: Breakfast Buffet Items
Porthole’s Five Faves Start the Day Off Right! 5 Favorite Items at the Breakfast Buffet Who doesn’t love a good buffet? What about a gourmet breakfast? So what could possibly be better than when these two come together?! One of the best amenities of a cruise ship is the all-you-ca