Mardi Gras Docks at Port Canaveral for the First Time
After many months of waiting, the newest ship from Carnival Cruise Line docked in America for the first time on Friday. Mardi Gras arrived at Canaveral’s Cruise Terminal 3 Friday morning in front of an audience of more than 1,500 people which included Carnival President Christine Du
Carnival Cruise Line Preparing for New Orleans Cruises
The Big Easy is one of the most popular destination cities in the United States and pre-pandemic, Port Nola saw more than 1 million passengers flow through the port on cruises to the Caribbean and Mexico. Carnival Cruise Line is once again preparing for ships to sail from Port NOLA and with Florida&
Disney Cruise Line Approved for Test Sailings
Another day, another cruise line approved to begin operating test cruises by the CDC! Disney Cruise Line announced they are good to begin operating test cruises from Port Canaveral with volunteer passengers on board. The first test cruise will leave Port Canaveral on June 29th and return on July 1st
Silversea Will Cruise to Alaska and Iceland in July
With the passage of the U.S. Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, luxury cruise line Silversea will position their ship Silver Muse for round-trip sailings from Seattle to Alaska starting July 29. The cruise line previously announced a return to cruising from Greece and to the Galápa
Carnival Corporation Port Agreements Approved By the CDC
Over the weekend, Carnival Corporation received approval on their port agreements from the CDC to sail from Miami, Galveston and Port Canaveral as they begin the road to recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Carnival previously announced that Carnival Horizon (sailing from Miami) and C
Desperately Seeking Serenissmia
Pictures of wildlife returning to Venice’s canals, posted on social media during last year’s Covid-19 lockdown, were widely shared around the world. Images of chilled out ducks nesting on the canal banks and imperious swans reclaiming the canals, gliding through water the clearest and bluest it
This Cruise Leaves from St. Maarten Next Weekend
For what seems like an eternity, pandemic related restrictions have reined in the flourishing popularity of cruising and worldwide travel. Regulations may have challenged the possibility of arrivals and departures from US ports but the old adage necessity is the mother of invention has intervened an
Go Behind-the-Scenes of Windstar Cruises’ Latest Cruise Ship Enhancements
There’s nothing quite as fascinating as witnessing the stretching of a cruise ship, and Windstar Cruises’ Star Plus Initiative has been a remarkable process to see firsthand from start to finish. In its simplest form, the lengthening of Star Breeze, Star Legend, and Star Pride is not unlike the
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Announces Additional Cruise Ship Restarts and Deployments
One of the biggest names in cruising has announced a host of new ship restarts and deployments across their multiple cruise brands. Norwegian Cruise Line and sister brand Oceania Cruises are starting the process of getting back to normal later this summer with the announcement of new cruise itinerar
Turkey Will Welcome Back Americans This Summer
The country of Turkey is ready for visitors to return in 2021 and they’ve developed a new system for keeping tourists and citizens safe. The Safe Tourism Certificate was created last year as a way for tourism-related businesses in Turkey to ensure they’re following the most up to date gl
Norwegian Cruise Line Announces Return to Alaska
Norwegian Cruise Line announced this morning that they’re planning to return to operation in Alaska starting on August 7, 2021. Norwegian Bliss will sail weeklong voyages from Seattle with calls on Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point, Alaska. Selection voyages will also featur
Carnival Cruise Line “Working Towards” July Restart Says President Christine Duffy
Appearing on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt last night, Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy confirmed that the cruise line is working with the CDC on a restart of operation and the goal is to begin sailing again this July. There was also no mention of a fleetwide vaccine mandate for Ca
Alaska Tourism Recovery Act May Save the Cruise Season
UPDATE May 20, 2021: The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 1318: The Alaska Tourism Recovery Act. The bill will now head to the desk of President Joe Biden for approval. Alaskan Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan have been vocal over the past few
CDC Relaxes Some Rules for Vaccinated Cruise Passengers
There’s great news this morning for cruisers who are fully vaccinated! In last weeks Technical Instructions for Simulated Voyages by Cruise Ship Operators under CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, the CDC outlined exactly what needs to happen for cruise lines to begin operati
Test Your Cruise Trivia with Gary Bembridge
Over the past 25 years, Gary Bembridge has helped countless cruisers and travelers get the most out of their vacations through his website and YouTube Channel “Tips for Travellers”. A veteran cruiser with nearly 80 sailings under his belt, we decided to invite Gary to join Porthole Cruis
Norwegian Cruise Line Introduces Norwegian Prima
The new Prima Class ships from Norwegian Cruise Line are on the way! In an announcement this morning, the cruise line released some new details about the very first ship. In an interesting change from the usual, Norwegian Prima will be slightly smaller than the previous Breakaway and Break
Choose Your Cruise – May 7, 2021
Another week, another CDC update that doesn’t really help us at all. Sure, they outlined exactly what needs to happen during a simulated cruise, but the list of demands clearly pushes cruise lines toward the option to skip them altogether so long as their passengers are all vaccinated against
Fleet-Wide Crew Vaccinations Begin for MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises was one of the first to return to operation last summer when they began sailing in the Mediterranean. The cruises looked a little different due to the new health and safety protocols implemented by the cruise line, but guests reported enjoying the experience as whole. Now, MSC Cruises is
Did the CDC Just Kick Kids Off Cruise Lines?
The cruise industry was buzzing last night and this morning with the news that the CDC sent a letter to cruise lines updating and clarifying some of the rules set forth in their Conditional Sail Order. While many are rejoicing the news as a big step forward, there are some unsavory side effects that
St. Kitts Is the Island of Limitless Possibilities
Attitude is everything, just ask the people of St. Kitts. In many respects this laid-back island paradise is your quintessential Caribbean island. It’s a place where beach shack bars grill up fresh caught fish and lobster, where you can see the colorful fisherman boats dotting the horizon in the m
