Welcoming White Cliffs
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
Five Faves: Cruises That Give Back
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, no, no […]
The Third Annual Judi’s Choice Awards – And the Winners Are!
Monday Mantra The Judi’s Choice Awards…The Judi’s Choice Awards!…The Judi’s Choice Awards… And the Winners Are! Cruising has plenty of biggest, first, and most wonderful accomplishments. The Judi’s Choice Awards recognize the best of the rest. Today, I look back on 2016 and recogni
Post-Cruise Blues – The hardest thing about a cruise is coming home – and the first time can be the worst.
Monday Mantra Too bad. So sad…Too bad. So sad…Too bad. So sad… Post-Cruise Blues The hardest thing about a cruise is coming home – and the first time can be the worst As we celebrate this magical time of year, I ask each of you to briefly pause and send kind and encouraging thoughts to [
Five Faves: Sea Days on Oceania Cruises’ Riviera
Savor Your Sea Days Five Favorite Things to do During a Trans-Atlantic Cruise I never thought I would enjoy a trans-Atlantic cruise. I envisioned a version where my budget would restrict me to steerage class (whatever that is); waltzing to big bands and high tea at 4 p.m. didn’t exactly ring m
Caribbean Cruising Gets Cool – and Hot!
Monday Mantra SPActacular! … SPActacular! … SPActacular! I don’t want to be scrubbed with grated coconut or have my body wrapped in banana leaves. The tinkle of chimes doesn’t help me achieve well-being and I sure don’t want to dunk my feet in a tank and let hundreds of hungry litt
Going Down? – Viking Star soothes away everything — including the arrival of the elevator, every time.
Monday Mantra Viking SUPER Star…Viking SUPER Star…Viking SUPER Star… Going Down? Viking Star soothes away everything — including the arrival of the elevator, every time. Life is pretty darn good when everything is so perfect that an elevator’s “ping” is your big
Five New Foodie Experiences aboard Holland America Line’s Koningsdam
Dig In! Five New Foodie Experiences aboard Holland America Line’s Koningsdam When it comes to Holland America Line’s new ship, ms Koningsdam, there’s been a lot of attention paid to its innovative entertainment options such as the Music Walk, which includes Lincoln Center Stage, Billboard Onbo
Five Fave Disney Wonder Reimagined Results As Explained By Frozen Lyrics
Porthole’s Five Faves Five Fave Disney Wonder Reimagined Results … … As Explained By Frozen Lyrics No one would have ever classified Disney Wonder as a fixer-upper, but that didn’t stop Disney Cruise Line from putting the ship into a recent six-week dry dock and enhancing almost every
Nun Better
Monday Mantra Heavenly…Heavenly…Heavenly… One of San Juan’s most divine hotels started as a Carmelite convent Now, here’s an eye-opener: Before sailing from San Juan last week, I spent an extraordinary night in a convent. I’d wager that few who know me would believe
Five Faves: Curtain Call
Five Favorite Shows to See aboard Harmony of the Seas “We want to impress, we want to show off, but in the end, we really just want to entertain,” said Nick Weir, Royal Caribbean International’s Vice President of Entertainment, who oversees the cruise line’s onboard entertainment and guest a
History in the Making – There are cruise fans … cruise obsessives … cruise experts … and then there’s Peter Knego.
Monday Mantra Salvaged!…Salvaged!…Salvaged! There are cruise fans … cruise obsessives … cruise experts … and then there’s Peter Knego “I’ll give you 20 bucks if you turn to that woman and say ‘Shut the f— up.’” That, I believe, was the first thing I ever said…we
Carnival Feast – A sneak peek at Carnival Vista is more than mouthwatering.
Monday Mantra Hooked … Hooked … Hooked … A sneak peek at Carnival Vista is more than mouthwatering. If you have a serious cruise addiction, particularly if you’ve had it for decades, chances are you can trace it back to Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival’s kind of like the cruise fan’s Marlb
Five Faves: Hangin’ Tough at Sea
Porthole’s Five Faves Five favorite moments of this year’s NKOTB cruise! Yes, they still got the Right Stuff —and eight sold-out cruises to prove it. If you happen to be among the gaggle of girls who fell in love with the New Kids on the Block circa the late ’80s, you know exactly what I
Oceania Enthusiasm – When you can’t believe cruising can be like this.
Monday Mantra Oooooceania!…Ooooooceania!….Ooooooceania! Oceania Enthusiasm: When you can’t believe cruising can be like this ✓ A prestigious luxury cruise line. ✓ A stunning 684-passenger mid-size ship. ✓ Award-winning dining. ✓ Regular New York departures. ✓ Fabulous Bulgari
Five Faves: Puh-LAY BALL!
Porthole’s Five Faves Five Fave 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 o
Comforts of Home
Monday Mantra Something’s Missing … Something’s Missing … Something’s Missing … It’s strange what you miss while having the time of your life. By this time, you’ve probably figured out that I love to cruise — aboard big ships, small ships, yachts, riverboats, and expedition ships.
The Show Must Go Onboard – Cruise entertainment has really grown up.
Monday Mantra That’s Entertainment! … THAT’S Entertainment?? … That’s Entertainment! … THAT’S Entertainment?? … Cruise entertainment has really grown up I endured lousy comedians and jugglers. I attended an hour-long zither concert. I put up with marginally talented s
Five Faves: Saluting the First Nations
Porthole’s Five Faves Saluting the First Nations We kicked off the week with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the annual recognition of the accomplishments and heritage of the first Americans. Some of their music, food, art forms, and history will seem familiar to seasoned cruisers, thanks to eye-openin
Time and Tide and Major Hurricanes….
Monday Mantra Any port in a storm…Any port in a storm…Any port in a storm… Time and Tide and Major Hurricanes…. How do cruises cope with stormy weather? My heart goes out to everyone whose cruise was cancelled, rerouted, or adjusted because of the devastating power of Hurricane Matthew.
