Viking Conquers the World
Viking Conquers the World This spring, Porthole was on hand for the christening of 10(!) Viking River Cruises longships — who knows how many more there will be by the time you read this! By Fran Golden For anyone who doubts that river cruising is hot, hot, hot, consider that Viking River Cruises p
Like a Local: Copenhagen
Copenhagen Get an insider’s take on what to see and do in Copenhagen, Denmark. By Sarah Coghill Tourist Tips The Little Mermaid statue, almost any local will tell you, is over-rated. Why? The clue is in the name…she’s small. And the view behind her is a little…industrial. But she is pre
Cruise Lines Tighten Smoking Bans
With four cruise lines adopting tighter bans on smoking, right about now those cruise passengers who want to light up may be getting a message – you are not in the majority. In fact, as P&O Cruises, Cunard, Disney Cruise Line and Seabourn prepare to implement new polices, complaints from non-s
Should smoking be banned on all cabin balconies?
Should smoking be banned on all cabin balconies? Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises are the latest cruise lines to announce enhanced smoking bans. It seems non-smokers are winning the battle to make ships more smoke-free. The cruise lines say they are just following what customers are telling them. A C
Like a Local: Revolutionary Boston
Revolutionary Boston Blend into the Beantown bustle By Gabi Logan Though I’ve spent 10 years in Boston, it took 10 minutes to fall in love with it. While attending college nearby, visiting Boston was one of my first “big city” experiences. What struck me most was how Boston is metropolitan wit
Dinner and a Show: Cruising to Chicago (with prosciutto antipasto!)
Cruising to Chicago (with prosciutto antipasto!) Royal Caribbean’s “Ship of Entertainment” boasts a world of restaurants and a city’s worth of shows By Christine Koubek My friend Annemarie and I were meandering along a well-landscaped sidewalk on Allure of the Seas — past olive tree
Bucket List: Caribbean
The Bucket List: Caribbean There’s more to the Caribbean than just a shimmering beach and lots of sunshine. A bit of planning can lead to adventures of a lifetime. By Richard Varr It wasn’t too long ago when I told a friend I was feeling a sense of longing. “What is it?” my friend replied [&
Join the Club: Paranormal Cruises – Now You Sea It
Join the Club: Now You Sea It… The Ports of Apparitions Cruise is sure to draw ghost-hunters and those fascinated with all things (beings?) paranormal By Clark Norton When Peter Renn was growing up next to Addington Palace just south of London — reputedly haunted by a late-19th-century Archbisho
A Different Side of Japan
A Different Side of Japan More than 900 miles from Tokyo, the islands of Okinawa offer an unexpected abundance of natural beauty By Kevin Revolinski A loud hiss provokes a collective cry of amazement, and the boat lists just a bit as everyone on board rushes to starboard. A plume of vapor drifts awa
Delectable Lobster
Delectable Lobster Take a tour across Atlantic Canada for the best places to dine on the king of all seafood. By Jan Napier Don’t eat a blue one. But come aboard while we wend our way through Atlantic Canada for an imagined lobster-tasting tour, because there is no place on earth to savor the best
Beguiling Bermuda
Beguiling Bermuda One longtime cruiser reflects on past and present visits to the dazzling Atlantic island. By Judi Cuervo As the song says, “Bermuda is Another World.” And it certainly was to my friend Stacey and me when, in 1976 at 19 years of age, we arrived at this British colony aboard what
The Love Boat: Where Are They Now?
The Love Boat: Where Are They Now? America’s best-loved TV cruisers have sailed on to sunnier — and surprising — destinations By Christine Reed More than 35 years ago, the cast of The Love Boat set sail on American television, delighting viewers with tales of romance and hijinks on the high se
Like a Local: San Juan – December 2013
Like a Local: San Juan The best way to see Puerto Rico, after all, is through the eyes of a local By Julie Schwietert Collazo I first visited Puerto Rico while working for EF Smithsonian as a bilingual tour director, leading educational trips around the island for middle and high school stude
Cruise Ship Review: Royal Princess
Cruise Ship Review: Royal Princess Veterans and first-time cruisers will find Royal Princess is truly majestic. By Lynn & Cele Seldon Christened by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine “Kate” Middleton, this past June just before she gave birth to baby George, the 3,560-
Gemstones of the Mexican Riviera
Discover the unique and native gemological finds (from Chiapas amber to fire opal and agate) found south of the border By Clare Emmett The Mexican Riviera stretches for more than 990 miles along the coast of Mexico, from Baja California all the way to the ancient state of Oaxaca. It’s not hard
Bucket List: Iceland
Bucket List: Iceland Just setting foot on this small North Atlantic island of fire and ice earns bragging rights… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. By Susan Zimmerman When you have a country that’s off the beaten path, then off-the-beaten adventures go with the territory. And when th
Dinner and a Show: Cirque Dreams
Dinner and a Show: Cirque Dreams When Norwegian Cruise Line wanted the show of all shows, it knew exactly whom to turn to: Cirque founder Neil Goldberg By Patricia Kutza It’s been called a mash-up of Moulin Rouge and the circus. But guests aboard Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Breakaway are of
EYOS Expeditions: Now, Voyager
Now, Voyager EYOS arranges luxury yacht expeditions to the most inaccessible waterways on Earth. Welcome to a new world of wanderlust. By Amy Roe Megayachts are so predictably found in sunny, sophisticated locales — Monaco, Cannes, Antibes — that it could be said such storied ports of call are t
Executive Spotlight: Kristin Karst
Executive Spotlight: Kristin Karst With river cruising in her veins, AmaWaterways’ cofounder and executive vice-president lets passion be her guide. By Bob Cooper Kristin Karst spent her honeymoon in 2011 on a luxury riverboat cruise through Botswana’s Chobe National Park, which sounds wondrou
Join the Club: Carefree Birding
Join the Club: Carefree Birding Birders of a feather do sail together By Clark Norton When Lincoln Soule of Denver, Colorado, made a trip to Florida’s Sanibel Island five years ago, he wasn’t scouring the beach for seashells as many visitors do. Soule, a dedicated birder, was focused on a bird t
