Rise and Shine – Some cruisers might think getting up before dawn is crazy. They don’t know what they’re missing.
Monday Mantra The Early Bird Gets the View … The Early Bird Gets the View … The Early Bird Gets the View … Rise and Shine Some cruisers might think getting up before dawn is crazy. They don’t know what they’re missing. Last night I was lying in bed reading when the following sentence stopp
Cruise Artiste – Maritime painter Stephen Card has got the ticket to the good life.
Monday Mantra A Lucky Card … A Lucky Card … A Lucky Card … Cruise Artiste Maritime painter Stephen Card has got the ticket to the good life. When I die, I want to come back as maritime artist Stephen J. Card, luckiest son of a gun ever. Stephen was born and raised in Bermuda […]
Five Faves: Smokestack Spotters & Top-Deck Trivia
Stumped? Highlight for answers: 1. P&O Cruises (P&O Ventura‘s smokestack), 2. MSC Cruises (MSC Splendida‘s top deck), 3. Holland America Line (ms Nieuw Amsterdam‘s aerial view), 4. Norwegian Cruise Line (Norwegian Escape‘s bridge and upper decks), 5. Wind
Design Time: Chandeliers
Art Illuminated Massive cruise ship chandeliers do more than just light the way. By Fran Golden As you wander your way around a cruise ship, sometimes it pays to look up. Strategically placed chandeliers provide more than just brightness. The light not only creates mood, but the often-immense fixtur
Kicking Butts – Sometimes, flicking a cigarette overboard can be playing with fire.
Monday Mantra Way to go, P&O … Way to go, P&O … Way to go, P&O … Kicking Butts Sometimes, flicking a cigarette overboard can be playing with fire. The latest charge against the cruise industry comes in the form of a cancer-stricken 58-year-old Australian man being unceremon
Five Faves: The Many Fish of Finding Dory
The Many Fish of Finding Dory Which of these characters are you likely to see on your next underwater excursion? Spoiler alert! There are fish in the new Disney•Pixar film Finding Dory! That’s the only revealing plot-point we’ll dare to share from this, our favorite movie of 2016 thus far. And
Love You Till the End of the World …the end of the World Cruise, that is!
Monday Mantra Sail-Away Bride … Sail-Away Bride … Sail-Away Bride … Love You Till the End of the World…the end of the World Cruise, that is! They say you can’t run away from problems … but you can sail away from them. In fact, that’s how I ended up on my only Atlantic crossing. I [
Five Faves: “Calculated Risks” for Ovation of the Seas Cruising in China
Porthole’s Five Faves Cruiser Abroad Five “Calculated Risks” for Ovation of the Seas Cruising in China Pushing the envelope appears to be a core business strategy for Royal Caribbean International. And the recently launched Ovation of the Seas, a Quantum-class ship, marks an industry first, ha
Cruise Proud – Wear your ship-love on your sleeve … or right across your heart.
Monday Mantra Fit to a T … Fit to a T … Fit to a T … Fit to a T … Cruise Proud Wear your ship-love on your sleeve … or right across your heart. It seems that with every mention of cruising, there comes a comment about T-shirt shops. So, being an entrepreneurial […]
Choice Dining. Are you Getting the Best from your Buffet?
Monday Mantra Yay for the buffet! … Yay for the buffet! … Yay for the buffet! Choice Dining Are you getting the best from your buffet? I slapped my head like one of those “I could’ve had a V-8” commercials. Is it possible? Could I have missed it? I’ve been doing these Monday
Interrupting This Program – It’s nice to know about the daily events on board … for somebody.
Monday Mantra Get with the program … Get with the program … Get with the program … Or not … Interrupting This Program It’s nice to know about the daily events on board … for somebody. I have a confession to make. When I’m on a cruise, I never read the daily program. Ever. Most [&hellip
A Host with the Most – A romantic rendezvous worth cruising to.
Monday Mantra Shipboard romance? … Shipboard romance? … Shipboard romance? A Host with the Most A romantic rendezvous worth cruising to. True story. I was in Barcelona in November 2013 and spent a night, pre-cruise, at the lovely Hotel Duquesa de Cardona, a boutique property located acro
Working at Sea – Is It for Me?
Monday Mantra Unqualified … Unqualified … Unqualified … Working at Sea – Is It for Me? Could you be cut out for cruising career? Could I? It was love at first sight for cruising and me. Immediately, I loved being aboard a massive ship that delivered me to exotic ports. I enjoyed the camarade
Five Faves: Every day is Cinco de Mayo!
Porthole‘s Five Faves Every day is Cinco de Mayo! When in Mexico, you can drink as the locals drink all year long. Today is Cinco de Mayo! Before we start mashing fresh a.m. avocados and salting morning-margarita rims though, let’s unpack a little fact and ficción. FACT: Cinco de Mayo is tr
Mama’s Bahamas Drama
Monday Mantra Oh pleeeease …. Oh pleeeease …. Oh pleeeease …. Mama’s Bahamas Drama When someone misses the ship, there’s always more to the story. The first thing I did on Friday morning was switch on the TV news, but not to see what’s going on in the presidential race, who’s getting P
Where am I again? – On a cruise ship, good signage is a treasure.
Monday Mantra Get Lost…Get Lost…Get Lost… Where am I again? On a cruise ship, good signage is a treasure. I believe that there’s a special place in hell reserved for cruise ship interior designers who fail to place a prominent plaque or video monitor showing the direction of all public rooms
Porthole Cruise News Briefs – Apr. 22, 2016
Porthole Cruise News Briefs – Apr. 22, 2016 * Carnival Corporation has announced that its social impact brand Fathom will be sailing as planned to Cuba, thanks to the island nation now approving persons born in Cuba visiting by ship. The brand, which will be sailing the 704-passenger luxury sh
Millennial Mythbuster
Millennial Mythbuster Easing common cruise qualms of tomorrow’s travelers. By Mike Faust Hi, I’m Mike, and I’m a millennial. I’m also a world traveler and a proud cruiser. For many people, especially those of my generation, cruising isn’t that “cool.” For many,
Design Time: Cruise Ship Water Parks
Wet and Wild The evolution of cruise ship water parks By Felicity Long When I was a child cruising with my parents, shipboard pool decks weren’t very interesting. For one thing, the pools themselves were disappointingly small, dwarfed by rows of deck chairs — usually claimed before lunch by die-
