Shore Ex: Adventure Time!
I had spent four days surrounded by water. On it. In it. Gazing out at it as I lay sprawled on a beach. Why should I be surprised? I did choose a Caribbean cruise, and this means magical days in the embrace of clear blue waters. This likely is the primary reason most people choose […]
VIP@Sea: #Wanderlust with @LiterallyAnika
A quick scroll through Literally Anika’s Instagram feed will transport you to places as exotic as Phuket, Thailand, and as iconic as the Brooklyn Bridge. Raised in the ultra-modern metropolis of Dubai, Anika Morjaria began creating travel-focused YouTube videos as Literally Anika to hone on-camera
Ship Review: Outstanding Seabourn Ovation
“Does the word sexy mean anything to you?” Noted hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany can’t contain himself. The word “sexy” clearly means something to him, and he’s about to use it to describe the 600-passenger Seabourn Ovation, a new ultra-luxury ship he’s designed from bow to stern,
Into the Forest on Crystal Cruises
I am sailing on the 106-passenger, high-design Crystal Bach on the upper Rhine River, enjoying all the luxuries you would expect of top-end line Crystal River Cruises. Dining is extraordinary, suite accommodations are hotel-like with views and a butler who brings treats. I’m pleasantly plump and h
48 Hours In: Happy Havana
For many visitors to Havana, the city may seem frozen in time, but if you look beyond the fading facades of its elegant past, the Cuban capital is changing rapidly as a young generation of Habaneros pulls it toward the future. Everywhere you turn, colonial-era buildings that had fallen into disrepai
A New Way to Enjoy Porthole Cruise Magazine
Do you want the world’s best cruise magazine in the palm of your hand where you roam? Due to all of your love and support, we’ve made your life easier with our NEW mobile-friendly and tablet-optimized view on our free Porthole app or desktop at NO Additional Cost! That’s now possible t
Editor-in-Chief Awards 2019
2019 Editor-in-Chief Awards As editor-in-chief of Porthole Cruise Magazine, Bill Panoff travels a lot. So each year, he reports back on his favorite travel experiences around the world. Here are this year’s picks of those who left amazing impressions in terms of service, quality, and memorable mom
For Shore: Your Daily Tot on Tortola
If you’re going ashore in Tortola, why not go rum hunting? The Caribbean has the perfect climate to grow sugar cane, and during the colonial period plantations sprouted among the islands. It wasn’t long before someone noticed that the byproducts of the refining process – molasses – ferme
A Classic, Reborn
The largest passenger ship to ever homeport in West Palm Beach, Bahamas Paradise Cruises’ Grand Classica joined the smaller Grand Celebration this past March in providing a convenient daily cruise service to Freeport, Bahamas. The 52,926-grt, 1,680-guest vessel is impressive enough for her basic f
Ship Shape on Norwegian Bliss
Take a calorie-burning indoor cycling class, work on your abs, or find your Zen in a yoga session on the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Bliss and your instructor just may be Henry Berry, a former rugby player from England’s Lake District. Having worked as a personal trainer and run his own boot camp on
Cruise Ship Review: AmaWaterways AmaLea
The charms of the cities and villages of the Danube are a joy to discover. Aboard the new AmaWaterways AmaLea, this pleasure is multiplied. This is the 10th ship of their Certo class, and as AmaWaterways has evolved, they’ve incorporated the latest technology, architectural flow, and attention to
Leiding Lady
Browsing Grenadian fashion designer Raquel Leid’s Mt. Sealey Garden collection is like taking a Caribbean vacation. The sunshine yellows, turquoise blues, and emerald greens of her fruit- and flower-motif fabrics reflect the hues of the islands. And the styles, which float away from the body and f
Soul Strutting At Sea
Ready to boogie, get funky, and feel the groove with soul music royalty? Then take “the hippest trip at sea” via the Soul Train Cruise. The 7-day Caribbean voyage produced by StarVista LIVE on Holland America Line departs from Orlando, Florida, and offers a mix of music, nostalgia, television hi
48 Hours: Vancouver – Have a Gas in the City of Glass.
The enchanting city of Vancouver is located on the west coast of Canada and takes her rightful place as the largest city in British Columbia. She sits nestled amongst beautiful, snow-peaked mountains, brims with numerous luscious parks, and is touched by the deepest of oceans. For at least 14,000 ye
Cruise Ship Review: AIDAperla
Total Immersion on AIDAperla Those smiling red lips and exotic Cleopatra eyes on the bow make AIDA’s cruise ships the most strikingly dramatic-looking ships in any cruise port, from China to Miami to the Mediterranean. Yet outside of Germany, AIDA is almost unknown, even amongst cruise-lovers. I w
Dalmatian Coast
Tauck, the New England based touring company, has had more than 90 years experience organizing escorted trips to more than 70 countries. So it was no surprise that its evolution and expansion from luxury river cruising to small ship ocean cruising has been such a success. As it does with its river c
Dish It Up: Season’s Eatings
Stroll from deck to deck aboard any cruise ship during the holidays, and the wafting aromas are enough to knock your blinking-lights Santa socks off. Fresh-baked Christmas cookies here, latkes there, stuffing everywhere — what’s a foodie to do? Why, indulge, of course. We’ve got the goods (and
Maximum Middle East
The scene was a cruise ship sailing in the Middle East, but it felt more like a James Bond movie. While guests on the ultra-luxurious 600-passenger Seabourn Encore were sipping martinis and champagne around the pool, four burly armed guards arrived by small motorboat, under the cover of darkness. Th
You Picked the Best: 2018 Readers’ Choice Awards!
We’re proud to present the very best in the world of cruising as selected by you, the world’s greatest collection of cruise aficionados, cruise experts, and cruise tastemakers. We at Porthole have been doing this for 20 years, so in honor of our platinum anniversary we decided to shake things up
Cruise Connection: Web Slingers, Shell Heads, and Thunder Gods On board!
Attention all Marvel fans: Book a Marvel Day at Sea theme voyage aboard Disney Cruise Line immediately! It doesn’t matter if your penchant is for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, television series, classic comic books, or all of the above. There’s something for every connoisseur, as well as th
