What’s New at The Bamboo Room? The Royal Zombie Signature Cocktail
When Royal Caribbean International put $120 million in upgrades into Mariner of the Seas, one of the highly anticipated new features was a laid-back Polynesian style bar and lounge called The Bamboo Room. The cruise line recently released the recipe for the hottest drink on the menu, The Royal Zombi
9 Delicious Ways To Launch A Cruise From Florida This Fall
Fall is for foodies in Florida. The whole state is like a big table set with bountiful feasts to tempt every palate this time of year: everything from food and wine fests to Oktoberfest celebrations to seafood festivals. Here are nine festivals to consider pre- or post-cruise if you would like to la
Grape Destinations: A Wine Glass Tutorial
The best (or maybe worst) part about living in our modern age is the sheer number of choices we have. For wine drinkers, not only are there numerous varieties of wine, but hundreds of labels which make them. A trip to the wine store can be an almost overwhelming experience because of how many differ
Sampling Sydney’s Cocktail Culture in the CBD
Next time your cruise ship docks in Sydney Harbour and you’d like to visit some of the city’s most unique cocktail lounges, here are three in the Central Business District that we highly recommend. Our American daughter, Ashley, lives and works in Sydney and we recently visited her to celebrate
Is This the Best Cheeseburger at Sea?
Landlubbers rejoice, you can know get one of the best burgers at sea without setting foot on a cruise ship! Passengers aboard Princess Cruises are no doubt familiar with “The Ernesto,” a burger found in The Salty Dog Gastropub and Salty Dog Grill on board Princess ships. Previously, onboard the
Reliving the Nevis Mango & Food Festival
When Spanish explorers first brought mangoes to the island of Nevis in the West Indies, the fruit took to the temperate climate and rich soil like a fish to water. Today, mangoes are an intigral part of not only Caribbean cuisine, but the culture and experience as a whole. The island of Nevis has a
Bermuda, Booze, Horizon: Three ingredients to a killer cocktail
The Monthly Mantra Hitting the bottle … Hitting the bottle … Hitting the bottle … People cruise for all sorts of reasons: to visit exotic ports of call, to relax poolside, to enjoy the fine dining and to meet new friends. I, meanwhile, cruised to Bermuda aboard Carnival Horizon last week to pi
Grape Destinations: Getting Lost in Florence
Bubbles come in handy when you are fashionably late. That was a great lesson learned on a trip I recently took to Tuscany. You and your travel partners are sharing the wheel. On those hills the views are stunning and nobody cares if the GPS is audible, at least. The Winding Roads of Florence I [&hel
Get in the Spirit With Celebrity Cruises’ Norway-Themed Cocktail
Cruisers sail for a number of different reasons. Some want to get away from the stresses of daily life during what little vacation they get every year. Others, however, are on a journey to visit new places and experience new things they can’t anywhere else. Celebrity Cruises has a new cocktail abo
Nice Rice: The Many Flavors of Indonesian Cuisine
Indonesian cuisine has always been one of my favorites since my first exposure to it on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Why Curaçao you ask….(You did ask didn’t you?). The ABC islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, are intrinsically tied to the Netherlands with a strong Dutch profile.
Travel Tips: How to Choose a Good Restaurant on Vacation
Traveling the world is a wonderful way to expand your mind, cultivate lasting memories and experience things you never could at home. One of the most important aspects of diving head first into a new culture is of course the food. In our globalized world, you may see ethnic restaurants in your homet
Grape Destinations: Rosé Wine by the Pool
The perfect weekend came just in time for a break. Sounds familiar? Of course it does, specially when you have a place near the sea in mind. I was really enjoying a mojito de parcha, (passion fruit mojito) by the pool at Copamarina in Guanica, when I saw a man with a glass of rosé […]
TRAVEL TIPS: Shanghai – Explore the Unique History of Asia’s Busiest Port
In 2016 Shanghai’s international port saw nearly 3 million passengers. Not only is it China’s largest city, it is an amazing travel destination, boasting impressive architecture, delicious cuisine, unique shopping opportunities, and plenty of historical wonders to explore. As a first time visito
Grape Destinations: Seize the Wine!
There is a quaint wine bar and restaurant called Carpe Diem in downtown Napa Valley. It serves ostrich burgers and house made burrata that makes me salivate at the thought of it. My mother discovered this wine bar within its first year of business. I had recently turned twenty one when she first too
Dish It Up: Premium Palates
Imagine nibbling caviar, the roe and accoutrements shaped like a flower. Picture tucking into a lobster tail adorned with truffled leeks, before a Grand Marnier soufflé is rushed tableside. Such extravagant repasts are the norm on luxury cruises, especially in seas like the Mediterranean or the Car
Enticed by the Flavors of Abruzzo
To my throngs of ardent Porthole Cruise followers (both of you!), you know I love to expound on regional foods. Well, it’s been two days since I posted anything about that dear to my stomach subject, so allow me fill the void in your never ending search for culinary enlightenment. In Abruzzo, It
Anthony Bourdain: Great Minds Don’t Go Down So Easy
See you Captain Crunch! I wrote that down as a comment on social media today. I feel sad, but relief for Anthony Bourdain, a man with a great mind. Most everyone saw chef Bourdain as a celebrity with a strong, unique personality. I saw him as a non-conformist. Since his book Kitchen Confidential was
Exploring Carnival Horizon
The Monthly Mantra Just a Tease … Just a Tease … Just a Tease … It’s not possible to do everything there is to do aboard Carnival Horizon in 18 hours … I really tried. On May 23rd, I found myself strolling up the gangway of the newest member of Carnival’s fleet. That’s the good [&helli
Ship Review: Crystal Bach
Gray skies hang over Germany’s Black Forest and there’s a hint of rain in the air, but I’ve stepped off the gangway of Crystal Bach into a world of shimmering light. Crystal Bach Rooms with a View Riverboats on Europe’s waterways are essentially limited in size by the many locks and bridges
Made In China Part Three: Real Chinese Takeaway
The popular fall back response to the ‘what’s for dinner’ query is the ubiquitous “How about some Chinese?”. How can such a non-American food staple become so American? The fact that Chinese cuisine takeout is readily available in almost every suburban strip mall in the United States is
