5 Faves: St. Petersburg, Russia
Five Must-Do Moments in St. Petersburg, Russia One of the highlights of any Baltic cruise is the ever-popular St. Petersburg, Russia. Envisioned and built from the virtual ground up by Peter the Great, this former capital holds a treasure trove of Russian history and culture. A myriad of perfectly e
5 Faves: Independence Days. Free for All!
Five Ways to Celebrate Independence Days Around the World It’s the United States’ Independence Day on July 4, and that means blue, red, and white everything combined with the smell of gunpowder from fireworks waiting to erupt. That is, if you’re American. While we here in the U S of A take pri
5 Faves: Must-Try Cambodian Street Foods
Five Must-Try Cambodian Street Foods I profess to being a moderate foodie, backed up by my appreciation of food and the discovery of new tastes. And despite an inclination to be rather picky, I openly admit that I prefer street food fare over Michelin-rated cuisine. Give me back-alley grub marinated
5 Faves: Author-Inspired Shore Excursions
Five favorite author-inspired shore excursions From Shakespeare’s Verona to Hemingway’s Cuba, stories in far off places can sometimes fuel wanderlust stronger than any postcard-esque picture can. Unfortunately, “armchair travel” will only get you as far as the name suggests. While you can’
5 Faves: Beyond the Kids’ Club
Porthole’s 5 Faves Bored on Board? Not a Chance! Five Fun-Ship Activities Beyond the Kids’ Club They say the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. I say, so do the best-laid cruise plans of moms! I recently surprised my two daughters, Michelle and Jenna, with a 3-night crui
Who’s Cruising Now?
Monday Mantra Mistaken Identity … Mistaken Identity … Mistaken Identity … Who’s Cruising Now? We cruise to get away from it all … maybe even from who we really are. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Congratulations!” I squealed with glee and grabbed Darren’s shoulder when he revealed that he
Cruise Along at Home
Monday Mantra View from the Bridge … View from the Bridge … View from the Bridge … Cruise Along at Home Let’s hear it for webcams! Aren’t we lucky to live in this age of high technology? Okay, I’m not delighted that we can be reached 24/7 but when we’re stuck at home wishing we [&helli
5 Fave Media-Themed Cruises
Porthole’s 5 Faves #WAKENEWS As the leading media authority on cruises and numbered lists, Porthole knows exactly how much the following media outlets 1) work tirelessly on land and 2) are gonna love partying at sea! For years, the editors of Porthole Cruise Magazine have daydreamed about char
Condo Cruising – MSC Seaside has the ultimate rooms with a view.
Monday Mantra Under construction … Under construction … Under construction … Condo Cruising MSC Seaside has the ultimate rooms with a view. There are very few cruise-related things that I have no desire to experience and I always believed a shipyard visit was one of them. I mean, yeah, it migh
5 Faves: Cruiser Friendly, Kid Approved!
Porthole’s 5 Faves Cruiser Friendly, Kid Approved! Five favorite onboard activities for children Today is Take Your Child to Work Day and mom is insisting it is not just a day off for us. So she assigned me (age 11) and my sister Jenna (age 7) to work together and write a blog about what [&hel
It Won’t Break the Bank, But…
Monday Mantra Guilty … Guilty … Guilty … It Won’t Break the Bank, But… Feeling nickel-and-dimed on board? Or are you a penny-pinching pro? If you ever doubt the goodness of mankind, eavesdrop on a conversation among cruise fans. Smuggling alcohol, swiping a towel, or sharing a beverage pac
Clothes-Optional Cruising — Uncovered
Monday Mantra The Naked Truth … The Naked Truth … The Naked Truth … Clothes-Optional Cruising — Uncovered What do you pack for a nude cruise? Not much. I’m really not comfortable writing about something that I, personally, haven’t experienced but in the case of nude cruising, I’ll make
Cough Drops and Cruise Dreams
Monday Mantra Aaaaachooo! … Aaaaaachooo! … Aaaaachooo! … Cough Drops and Cruise Dreams Here’s to good health and a good ship … and they can’t come soon enough! God, I feel awful. I’ve surrendered to the horrible head cold that’s made me miserable all week so I find myself
A Master Mixer’s Memoir
Monday Mantra Cosmo Guy … Cosmo Guy … Cosmo Guy … A Master Mixer’s Memoir A bartender who can get the cosmopolitan right has clearly been around — and is just as clearly going places. It started with a cosmopolitan, that concoction of vodka, Cointreau, cranberry and lime that few barte
Cruising into the Future
Monday Mantra Tech-yes or Tech-no?…Tech-yes or Tech-no?…Tech-yes or Tech-no?… Cruising into the Future Ready or not, here sails the Internet of Things! Last week, Carnival Corporation announced the launch of Ocean Compass, a quarter-sized gizmo designed to further elevate the cruis
Resolve This! – A dozen ways to be a better cruiser in 2017.
Monday Tuesday Mantra Happy New Year! … Happy New Year! … Happy New Year! Resolve This! A dozen ways to be a better cruiser in 2017. It’s time for me to look ahead to a bright and shining new year and give some thought to what I might do to enjoy cruising even more in […]
Five Faves: Eco-Experiences at Harvest Caye
Porthole’s Five Faves Eco-Experiences at Harvest Caye Five ways to discover Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest island paradise. As cruise passengers disembark at Norwegian Cruise Line’s brand-new port of Harvest Caye, they can start to see and smell the island’s flora as they walk the canopy
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