Like a Local: US Virgin Islands
LIKE A LOCAL Livin’ in the USVI By Carol Bareuther Sure, there are guidebooks that list every restaurant and attraction in destinations around the world. But Porthole’s “Like a Local” department goes straight to the natives, who truly know the way to go. I’ve lived in St. Thomas since 1986
Ship Spotlight: Makeovers
SHIP SPOTLIGHT- MAKEOVERS Extreme Makeover: Cruise Edition Crystal Serenity takes on a chic new look. By John and Sandra Nowlan Extreme Makeover without the annoying host who screams through a bullhorn? Now that’s serenity. Crystal Serenity, in fact. Following a $25 million refurbishment in May, C
Join the Club: Holistic Cruises
Join the Club: Holistic Cruises Cruising Cures Can you find wellness on the waves? By Clark Norton People love cruising for many reasons. But Betty Hoehn, a retired U.S. Steel employee from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, has a particularly compelling one. Hoehn is convinced that if she hadn’t signed
Extreme Makeovers
Extreme Makeover: Cruise Edition Crystal Serenity takes on a chic new look. By John and Sandra Nowlan Extreme Makeover without the annoying host who screams through a bullhorn? Now that’s serenity. Crystal Serenity, in fact. Following a $25 million refurbishment in May, Crystal Cruises’ classic
Mythbuster: Will I Gain Weight on a Cruise?
MYTHBUSTER Will I Gain Weight on a Cruise? Ask the guy who knows his ships. By Robert McGarvey Of course you will, if you spend all your time bent over the buffet. But you won’t, will you? Cruising no longer is just about chewing — it’s about getting out and doing — and believe me, […
Destination Discovery: Greenland
DESTINATION DISCOVERY Destination Discovery For Cruisers Who Have Done it All By Julie Gedeon Next Stop: Greenland . . . Sailing under a midnight sun as it glistens off the watery veins of a drifting iceberg is reason enough to pack for Greenland. Knowing you’ll see more of Greenland in a week tha
Amazon Big River, Huge Adventure
AMAZON Big River, Huge Adventure Exploring the Amazon on a luxury cruise ship is probably the way to go. By Michael Collins I knew that the Amazon was a big river. Fourth grade geography taught me that. I also knew that Brazil’s longest river is at the heart of the world’s most famous rainforest
River of Dreams
River Cruises River of Dreams Experience relaxation on Europe’s quaint waterways. From a mathematical standpoint, it makes perfect sense that the cruise industry would appear to focus its attention on oceans, which account for 98 percent of the water on this planet. Don’t get us wrong. We love t
Like a Local: Kickin’ Back in Quebec City
LIKE A LOCAL Kickin’ Back in Quebec City Sure, there are guidebooks that list every restaurant and attraction in destinations around the world. But Porthole’s “Like a Local” department goes straight to the natives, who truly know the way to go. By Mark Cardwell I’ve lived in Quebec City si
Destination Discovery: Morocco
DESTINATION DISCOVERY/MOROCCO For Cruisers Who Have Done It All By Mike MacEacheran Next Stop: Morocco… Ever since Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman traded one-liners in Rick’s Café in Casablanca, the thought of Morocco and its most famous city has conjured up images of exotic romance and intr
Jetting There: Upgrades
JETTING THERE Movin’ on Up Travel expert Johnny Jet offers tips on how to get an upgrade. By Johnny Jet I’m all over the place. Each year, I fly at least 25 different airlines to about 20 countries around the world. I take cruises and rent cars and spend hundreds of nights in hotel rooms. [&hell
Gota Canal
GOTA CANAL Steaming Through Sweden A century-old canal ship puts a new spin on Scandinavian cruising. By Barry Vaudrin Hans Christian Andersen did it. So did the king of Sweden and the wife of a U.S. senator. Crisscrossed Sweden, that is, with the 137-year-old Göta Canal Steamship Company (Göta is
Flower Markets
World-famous flower markets are in full bloom By Heather Tucker Like in other parts of the world, in Belgium and the Netherlands, flowers signal the end of a dreary winter and the start of a blooming spring. Bouquets are cradled in the crook of a woman’s arm as she rides her bicycle through the co
Food for Thought: Galley Gossip
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Galley Gossip Cruise line chefs dish about the challenges of cooking at sea. By Lynn and Cele Seldon When it comes to cruising, there’s one thing you can always count on: The food’s great and there’s lots of it. But how do ship chefs do it, given the unique challenges they fac
Join the Club: Can You Sea PTV?
Can You Sea PTV? From airwaves to ocean waves, it’s smooth sailing for fans of public broadcasting shows. By Clark Norton Martha Danker, a self-confessed “public broadcasting groupie” from Everett, Washington, had an unusual item on her bucket list. She wanted to meet Gwen Ifill, moderator of
Jewish-Themed Cruises
JEWISH-THEMED CRUISES Mazel Tov! Everything you ever wanted to know about Jewish-themed cruises but were afraid to ask your rabbi. By Alison Lowenstein A Seder at sea? It’s not unheard of. Forget cruising’s misconceptions and start dreaming of Shabbat on a ship. From Passover to Purim, Jewish tr
Rotterdam- to the Third Power
Rotterdam – to the Third Power A Porthole writer takes a trip down Holland America Line’s memory lane. By Ben Lyons Peering outside the windows of my water taxi as it sped down the River Maas in Rotterdam, I saw the gently curved stern of the former Holland America Line flagship ss Rotterdam. Fo
Viking Odin: Try Me A River
Viking Odin: Try Me a River Why a river cruise in Europe should be on every traveler’s list. By Jodi Ornstein My parents were in a conundrum. After the first decade of their retirement years had taken them on cruises around the world — from the Caribbean to Alaska, Europe to Asia, the British Is
Galapagos: Wet and Wild
Lindblad Expeditions gets right into the heart of the Galapagos matter. By Fran Golden The blue-footed booby quizzically stared at me as I snapped his photo. If he’d been holding a camera, my guess is that his photo of me would have shown an equally curious expression. That’s the startling thing
