TRAVEL TIPS: Don’t Take a Vacation From Exercise
Everyone who works out enjoys a cheat day every now and then, but when you’re on a cruise ship vacation, cheat day tends to turn into cheat week. When you’re putting in the time and effort to exercise, eat right and generally live a healthy lifestyle, the last thing you want is to undo all [&hel
Next Stop Flavortown: Guy Fieri Teams With Carnival Cruise Line
There’s a new port of call aboard Carnival Horizon and it has everyone’s mouth watering. Okay, fine. Flavortown isn’t a real place, but that’s no matter for celebrity chef Guy Fieri and his new restaurant onboard the ship, Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse. Fieri, a Food Network
Grape Destinations: The Human Touch at Mendocino´s Anderson Valley
My way to Mendocino´s Anderson Valley was full of surprises. It took an almost-3-hour drive from American Canyon to get to the valley through a beautiful country road. Be aware that in those remote areas, your favorite GPS-style app doesn´t work as properly as in big cities. Yes, you guessed it, I
In Brief: Costa’s New Look, Ritz-Carlton itineraries, and more….
Cruise News – Apr. 13, 2018 To mark the line’s 70th anniversary, Costa Cruises is introducing new livery – in the form of a stylized Italian flag curving underneath the ship’s name in larger, more decorative lettering. The new look has already debuted on Costa Mediterranea, and will soon be
Cruise Deal of the Week
Guests sailing the Caribbean aboard MSC Seaside or MSC Divina will be able to enjoy “Drinks on Us,” a promotion that gives free unlimited non-alcoholic beverages as well as bottled and draft beers, wines by the glass and house brands of vodka, rum, gin, and whiskey (a value of more than $250 per
Grape Destinations: Healdsburg to Cafayate, with Malbec and Torrontes
It just takes one grape to magically transport you from one place to another, at least in your mind. That happens when you taste a wine that clicks on your memoirs. I have had several wine-related beyond-and-back moments. Recently, my latest such experience occurred while tasting one wine at Ferrari
Why Cruise? A Guide for the First-Time Cruiser
There’s something exciting about a cruise. The movies of the 1930s, showing Henry Fonda dressing up for dinner in a fancy tuxedo and being formally seated at a table with starched tablecloths, are mercifully a thing of the past. Today’s cruise is a glorious, fun-filled trip to anywhere: Bermud
In Brief: Horizon Delivered, Baseball Team-Up, and more…
Mar. 30, 2018 In a traditional maritime ceremony at Fincantieri shipyard, Carnival Cruise Line officially took delivery of Carnival Horizon this week. The 3,954-passenger vessel is the 26th ship in the fleet, and is en route to Barcelona to sail four cruises before crossing the Atlantic for New York
Grape Destinations: Napa’s Renaissance after the California Fires
As soon as I boarded the airplane to Newark on my way to San Francisco, I was wondering: How was the Valley after last year’s fires? Some vineyards, houses, and structures were burned. Well, I was coming from the longest hurricane aftermath in Puerto Rico. If we managed, I figured, then California
Grape Destinations: The Willamette Winemakers
The thick, weathered vines at Sokol Blosser attest to the decades that have passed since the rootstocks were first planted. It’s almost as if the vines are supporting the trellises and not the other way around. These days, it’s hard to believe that the vines were once small, timid, and so reli
Before Your River Cruise, Explore Budapest
Ranked by Forbes as Europe’s seventh-most idyllic place to live, Budapest is easily one of Eastern Europe’s most interesting cities. As Hungary’s capital and most populous city, Budapest is rich in history, culture, stunning architecture, and world-famous thermal baths. Budapest is also the st
In Brief: Ultra-modern riverboats, Disney destinations, and more….
News Briefs – Mar. 2, 2018 American Cruise Lines has begun construction on the sister ship to their “modern riverboat” American Song, which will make its inaugural cruise on the Mississippi River this October. The second ship should launch in summer 2019. Ultimately, the “modern riverboa
Cruise Control | Top 10 Cruise Tips For First-Time Cruisers (Video)
We asked our network of half-a-million cruise enthusiasts what they wish they knew before taking their first cruise, and the polls are in! Here are the top 10 tips for first-time cruisers: Don’t Fill Up Before You Get On The Ship! There’s a buffet as soon as you get on the ship, so try not [&hel
Theme Cruise: Grape Expectations
By Judi Cuervo It’s 10:30 a.m. and I’m at the 20-acre Mt. Hood Winery, Oregon’s 2016 Winery of the Year. In the glass before me is a gold medal–winning 2015 Estate Pinot Noir that bears aromas of ripe cherry, pomegranate, and raspberry accented by subtle cedar overtones. I swirl. I sniff. I
Perfect Pairings: Windstar Cruises serves sophisticated tastes
By Janice Wald Henderson Ah, Windstar Cruises. Who doesn’t love a line so passionate about its cuisine? As Windstar Cruises zeros in even further on upping its gastronomic excellence, expect more high-five–worthy changes this year. Check out how quality and quantity make a marvelous match aboard
Teen Scene | How 14-year-old twin boys fared on a river cruise with the ’rents
By Heidi Sarna Let’s face it. Most teenagers aren’t dying to go on a river cruise. But this mom of teen sons likes small-ship cruising and I’m still the boss (I think!). So last summer I signed the family up for a Bordeaux river cruise with the French line CroisiEurope. We boarded the 174-pass
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, […]
We love Isaac’s Love Boat–Inspired Cocktail
Even though it’s not Throwback Thursday today, Porthole is remembering Valentine’s Day 2015, when Princess Cruises debuted a crafty cocktail created by Ted Lange, who played the friendly red-jacketed bartender, Isaac, on The Love Boat. Lange said that he created the amorous concoction by drawin
Cruise Deals of the Week
Cruise Deals of the Week – Feb. 9, 2018 DEAL 1: Tall-ship line Star Clippers is offering a sweet deal for couples booking and 2018 or 2019 sailing by February 14 (using the promo code VALENTINES18) – sweet treats upon arrival, a bottle of bubbly, and a complimentary one-hour massage (per person/
News Briefs – P&O Cruises builds largest British ship, SuperStar Gemini becomes floating hotel….
Porthole Cruise News Briefs – Jan. 26, 2018 P&O Cruises has contracted for a new “green-cruising” ship which, on completion, will be the largest cruise ship built for the British market. The 5,200-passenger vessel will be built at Meyer Werft and delivered in 2022 as a sister ship to a
