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
Five Faves: High Times – Five Favorite Cruise Ports to Celebrate 4/20 (Huh Huh)
Porthole‘s Five Faves High Times Five Favorite Cruise Ports to Celebrate 4/20 (Huh Huh) 4/20. For those who don’t know the significance of this number, we’ll fill you in. It’s basically a code word in the cannabis culture that essentially implies: It’s time to smoke pot. And for those
Five Faves: Dream Destinations Quiz
Dream Destinations A quiz for imaginative cruisers All of us have an ultimate dream destination, or maybe even two – the places that have something special that set them above the ordinary. There are so many amazing places to see … and so many incredible things to look forward to doing a
Italy … by Land! – Sometimes to go deeper, you have to leave the sea behind.
Monday Mantra Ciao Italia! … Ciao Italia! … Ciao Italia! Italy … by Land! Sometimes to go deeper, you have to leave the sea behind. Soon, I’ll be off to Italy! And here’s the newsflash … NOT on a cruise. That’s the part that totally baffles my friends who seem to think that just becaus
In the Drink – What does it really take to wind up overboard?
Monday Mantra Don’t Fall for It … Don’t Fall for It … Don’t Fall for It … In the Drink What does it really take to wind up overboard? Let me make this abundantly clear: You don’t just fall off a cruise ship. Some of the stories you read in the newspaper make it sound […]
Five Faves: TV Comedies Go Cruising
Porthole’s Five Faves TV Comedies Go Cruising Just imagine dining with these comedy crews on your next cruise. Last night, the latest season of FXX’s cult-favorite comedy It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia concluded, with devoted viewers still in gleeful shock that they’ve been given 11 absur
Going with the Flow – Every trip has surprises. The biggest might be how well you can handle them.
Monday Mantra Breathe Out … Breathe In … Breathe Out … Breathe In … Going with the Flow Every trip has surprises. The biggest might be how well you can handle them. “I expect we’ll touch down at JFK a half hour ahead of schedule,” announced our pilot. I was elated! My travel companion
Cold Comfort for the Winter Cruiser – At least the music is hot…
Monday Mantra It’s freezing…It’s freezing…It’s freezing Cold Comfort for the Winter Cruiser At least the music is hot…. My head is spinning and it’s not from an overindulgence in the drink of the day. Here I am on Norwegian Pearl’s Moody Blues Cruise, a 4-day
Cruise Questions Answered – The more you know, the more you’re asked … and the more you’re ready for your next cruise!
Monday Mantra Mouth Shut … Mouth Shut … Mouth Shut … Cruise Questions Answered The more you know, the more you’re asked … and the more you’re ready for your next cruise! Word gets out. You’ve cruised for years, decades even, and now you’re recognized as the cruise expert among your p
Solo Cruisers Unite! – Fight for your right to cruise like a couple! Down with the single supplement!
Monday Mantra Double or nothin’ … Double or nothin’ … Double or nothin’ … Solo Cruisers Unite! Fight for your right to cruise like a couple! Down with the single supplement! This single-supplement thing is really ticking me off. I’m not usually a screaming and rebellious individual who
A Thousand Million (Cruise) Questions
Monday Mantra Newbie Blues Cruise … Newbie Blues Cruise … Newbie Blues Cruise … A Thousand Million (Cruise) Questions Yes, your “Nights in White Satin” include towels … The glow of my extraordinary SeaDream Yacht Club cruise has barely dimmed yet I find myself getting ready to set sa
Five Faves: Reasons You Can’t Refuse to Cruise
Porthole‘s Five Faves Book It! Five Reasons You Can’t Refuse to Cruise In our opinion, we never need a reason to cruise. But in case you need some quantifiable rationalization, we’ll give you five great reasons you can’t refuse to cruise. Family Reunion So Grandpa’s 70th birthday is co
Many Happy Returns – How (and how not) to celebrate a birthday at sea
Monday Mantra Happy birthday to me … Happy birthday to me … Happy birthday to me … Many Happy Returns How (how not) to celebrate a birthday at sea Happy birthday to me! Honestly! I say “Honestly!” because I can’t tell you how many times I pretended it was my birthday in my early days [&h
You Can’t Take It With You — Can You??
Monday Mantra What’s in Your Suitcase? … What’s in Your Suitcase? … What’s in Your Suitcase? … You Can’t Take It With You — Can You?? Wait till you see what some folks are packing … My cruise luggage typically includes clothes, underwear, shoes, cosmetics, deodorant, ha
