Cruise Deal of the Week – October 8, 2021
Another week in the books! Wow does it seem like October is flying by. Before long we’ll all be getting our costumes ready for a fun Halloween evening and after that, it’s everyone’s favorite holiday season. We had some great news this week in the industry including new ships, new
Cruise Deal of the Week – August 13, 2021
It’s easy to forget about river cruises amidst all the news about large ocean liners getting back into service. Small ships are a large part of the cruise industry and many cruisers prefer the personalized service and unique ports of call available when cruising some of the most famous rivers
Riviera River Cruises Will Sail Douro River Cruises in July
A popular European river cruise line is getting ready to resume operation on Portugal’s Douro River! Riviera River Cruises is planning to restart their ship MS Douro Elegance on July 2, 2021 for eight-day itineraries on the Douro and Salamanca Rivers. All guests boarding Riviera
Check out this Epic 46-Day Cruise from Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
How would you like to spend 46 days cruising the world? Uniworld Boutique River Cruises is giving cruisers the chance to do just that with their new Rivers of the World itinerary setting sail on May 20, 2023. The cruise visits 9 countries on board five of Uniworld’s luxury river cruise ve
Fear of Flying Hurting Cruising, Says Mystic Cruises President
What started as a single cruise ship on the Douro Rivers has evolved into Mystic Invest, one of Portugal’s premier tourism brands thanks to company founder and president Mário Ferreira. Along with its many travel services, Mystic Invest owns and operates 40+ ships around the world with a focus on
CRUISE RECIPE: Viking’s Pastel de Nata
Hungry to Sail Again Today, I’m whipping up a sweet reminder of my glorious Viking Helgrim cruise down Portugal’s Douro River last summer. And I have all the ingredients on hand! The 262-foot, 106-passenger Viking Helgrim, is a baby longship, custom-built to navigate the short and narrow l
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
Perfect Pre-Cruise Prep in Portugal
The Monthly Mantra The Transition … The Transition … The Transition Could it really be only one day since my butt was crammed into an airline seat aboard a trans-Atlantic flight with a temperature that had to be hovering at the freezing mark? Between shivers and trying to ignore the scre
Grape Destinations: Visit Vila Nova de Gaia. Feel Portuguese!
At last, I was on my way to Porto, the city by the Douro River. On the train, or comboio, that I took from Oriente station in Lisbon, I was expecting to arrive at night in Porto, an almost three-hour ride. Uhum, well, not exactly – because it took me to Vila Nova de Gaia, […]
Porto Highlights
Porthole’s 5 Faves It’s hard to believe I almost missed visiting Porto the first time. During a recent Windstar cruise, I sailed from Dublin to Lisbon on Wind Surf. Porto was one of the last stops on our itinerary. We were only scheduled to be in this port for six hours. I considered not eve
