48 Hours: Marvelous Montreal
When visitors step into the streets of Old Montreal, they feel like they’ve been transported to the shores of a European city, but when they venture beyond the waterfront, they discover a thriving and modern metropolis that is unlike any other in North America. Even though it’s a mostly Fre
The Beauties and Basics of a Baltics Cruise
Vikings, Teutonic Knights, and murderous czars ruled its capitals. Its dramatic buildings embody the finest elements of Neoclassical, Jugendstil, and Baroque styles. Few lines know the storied shores of the Baltic Sea like Viking Ocean Cruises, founded by Norwegian Torstein Hagen in 1997 as Viking R
Editor-in-Chief Awards 2020
Welcome to 2020! Where are you cruising next? Here are the picks for the top travel experiences that left an impression on our editor-in-chief in terms of service, quality and memorable moments. Bill Panoff Editor-In-Chief The Best On Board Time spent aboard a cruise ship is time well spent. Here ar
Excursion Immersion: Costa Rica is More Than a Surfcation With Travelia
I am from Florida, a state blessed with white sandy beaches although plagued with inconsistent and choppy surf. I was eager to zip on over to Guanacaste, Costa Rica, again for a 5-day surfcation. It’s a magical place where there is always swell and the winds are always right. So what is a “surfc
Hidden Inland: Walla Walla WOW
The bustling summertime port city of Seattle offers an incredible range of sights and sounds, but if you’re set to sample the feast of Alaska cruising and looking for a pre-cruise appetizer or a post-cruise dessert, place your order for the off-the-menu town of Walla Walla, Washington. It’s no s
For Shore: Two Sides to Hispaniola
As a name, “Hispaniola” seems better suited for history books. But as an island, straddling the line between Caribbean and Atlantic, it is more likely to enter today’s conversations as home to one or both of the two independent nations that share it: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. H
48 Hours In Orlando
It’s easy to think of Orlando solely in terms of its world-famous theme parks. After all, they attract millions of visitors each year. But their reputation tends to overshadow Central Florida’s many other charms. Besides, you can’t always afford the luxury of taking a full-fledged, theme park
Shore Excursions: Forts in Ports
Today, the battlements provide beautiful backdrops to our snapshots, and their towers reach reassuringly into clear skies – but as in centuries past, they allow us to keep watch as each new ship enters the harbor from ports unknown. Fort Jefferson A 2-hour ferry ride from Key West stands the large
Vitamin Sea: Health-focused fun in the Pacific Northwest
The river of many cruisers’ dreams is traditionally tranquil and slow-paced. On UnCruise Adventures’ “Rivers of Adventure” itinerary — traversing Washington, Idaho, and Oregon on the Columbia and Snake rivers — cruisers instead get a healthy dose of wellness and fitness options at a vari
Amore on the Amalfi Coast
Traffic moves at a painstaking crawl as it snakes along Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula, heading from Sorrento, on the Bay of Naples, onto the world-famous Amalfi Coast, framing the Gulf of Salerno. The road hugs, at times, perilously close to steep coastal cliffs, winding through villages such as Po
48 Hours: Shimmering South Korea
Dubbed the “Hawaii of Korea,” this volcanic island has been named a World Natural Heritage Site and one of the New7Wonders of Nature. The scenery is beyond gorgeous. Hallasan Mountain, the tallest peak in South Korea, rises nearly 6,400 feet in the center of the island, with its slopes tumbling
Viking Helgrim‘s Rivers of Gold
The Monthly Mantra The Dazzling Douro … The Dazzling Douro … The Dazzling Douro Pinhao! Gaia! Regua! Favaios! Lamego! No, I’m not cheering on a soccer team. I’ve just returned from a Viking Helgrim “Rivers of Gold” sailing and these unfamiliar towns located along the stunning Douro River
48 Hours: Pre-/Post-Cruise in Dazzling, Dynamic Cape Town
Dazzling, Dynamic Cape Town South Africa This vibrant city at the southernmost tip of the African continent has become one of the most sought-after, must-see travel destinations in the world. It’s gorgeous, rimmed by mountains and flanked by the sea, with pristine, sandy beaches stretching along i
The World’s Most Fabulous LGBTQ-Friendly Cruise Ports
The world’s most faaaaabulous LGBTQ-friendly Cruise Ports By Paul J. Heney Once predominantly relegated to specialty or theme cruises, out gay and lesbian travelers have since had their coming out of sorts on traditional cruises. With growing acceptance of marriage equality and an increase in the
Vatican VIP – Miracles Do Happen
Monday Mantra It’s a Miracle … It’s a Miracle … It’s a Miracle Vatican VIP Room to breathe, a papal address — this is a trip with a difference. Life is full of surprises. Like today, I saw the Pope. Bam! Just like that. I guess I should explain that I’m in Rome
Luxury and Tradition on Sea Cloud II
It’s nearing 10:00 p.m. and Sea Cloud II is about to depart St. Malo under a ceiling of puffy, silver clouds. Most of the ship’s 94 guests are at the ship’s rail enthralled by the view — the lights of the historic fortress are the only illumination on this balmy evening. It’s the Feast of
48 Hours In: Happy Havana
For many visitors to Havana, the city may seem frozen in time, but if you look beyond the fading facades of its elegant past, the Cuban capital is changing rapidly as a young generation of Habaneros pulls it toward the future. Everywhere you turn, colonial-era buildings that had fallen into disrepai
Editor-in-Chief Awards 2019
2019 Editor-in-Chief Awards As editor-in-chief of Porthole Cruise Magazine, Bill Panoff travels a lot. So each year, he reports back on his favorite travel experiences around the world. Here are this year’s picks of those who left amazing impressions in terms of service, quality, and memorable mom
The Judi’s Choice Awards 2018
The Monthly Mantra And the winners are in! … And the winners are in! … And the winners are in! It’s time for the Judi’s Choice Awards and this year my head is spinning! 2018 has seen explosive developments in the cruise industry, big and small, far and near – so here are this year’s
