5 Reasons to Vacation in Auckland, New Zealand
Also called “the City of Sails,” a sprawling metropolis between two harbors (Waitemata and Manukau Harbors), Auckland is located in New Zealand’s North Island. It is a friendly, cosmopolitan city of 1.45 million inhabitants – it has attracted a large concentration of Polynesians from South P
Bora Bora: Your Dream Vacation
This article is the 3rd of a three part series by Porthole Cruise Magazine contributor Georgina Cruz chronicling her voyage aboard a Holland America Line world cruise. The three parts focus on a unique island in French Polynesia: Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora. Today, Georgina takes us on a tour of B
Make the Most of Your Tahiti Cruise Vacation
The beauty of French Polynesia, a South Pacific archipelago made up of 118 islands and atolls, has beckoned artists and writers including Paul Gauguin, Robert Louis Stevenson and James Michener across the centuries. Poet Rupert Brooke, another luminary captivated by the islands, observed, “In the
5 Ways To Have A Blast In San Blas
Panama’s San Blas Islands are exotic, friendly, and relatively nearby; often a port of call on Panama Canal itineraries, including those featuring partial transits of the Canal. They form an archipelago consisting of 378 islands scattered around in an area of 100 square miles in the northwest of P
6 Must-Sees In Cadiz, Spain
Most cruise passengers whose ships call at Cadiz, a White City in the Costa de la Luz (the Coast of Light) in the Andalusia region of Spain, immediately head out of town. It’s understandable, as the nearby treasures of Seville and the wines of Jerez de la Frontera beckon – I myself visited Sev
Heading Ashore: 9 Things to See in Rome
For most cruise passengers sailing in the Med, a call at Civitavecchia, Italy, the port of the Eternal City, means that, as the saying goes, “All roads lead to Rome.” It will necessarily be a long day on those roads – it is about a 45-minute to one-hour’s drive (or longer, depending on traff
11 Reasons To Set Sail On Crystal Symphony
An icon of the ultra-luxury category in cruising, the Crystal Symphony is a 51,044-ton vessel with 848 berths, reduced from 922 during a redesign in 2017. The re-imagining resulted in more space per passenger: a 64.7 space ratio (the enclosed space per passenger measured in cubic feet) which is one
8 Must-Sees During Pre-Cruise Stay In Boston
The three times my husband Humberto and I sailed on New England/Canada cruises out of Boston. Most times we opted for pre-cruise and/or post-cruise stays in this historic city. There is so much to see and do in Bean Town – everything from historical points of interest to family-friendly attraction
5 Musts in Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor, Maine, on lovely Mount Desert Island, a pretty-as-a-picture quintessential New England harbor town, is one of the most popular ports on New England/Canada itineraries – it’s certainly a big favorite with me. There is much to enjoy during a call here – from natural beauty to hist
7 Musts In Quebec City
Shopkeepers who greet you with a “bonjour!” A hotel that reminds you of chateaux from the Loire Valley in France. Old-World style cafes and narrow cobblestone streets bordered by quaint stone buildings. Quebec City, the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec in Canada, is located on the bank
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
Disney Charter Cruise: Not Your Average Vacation
What does a typical day on a charter cruise look like? A meet-and-greet opportunity in the morning, a Q&A session with an artist in the afternoon, a deck party with performances in the evening, a commemorative pillow gift at night. Charter cruises are, you could say, “vacations on steroids,”
7 Can-Do’s In The Canary Islands
The Canary Islands – gorgeous Spanish isles that sit in the Atlantic off the northwest coast of Africa – are sometimes associated with the myths of the Lost Continent of Atlantis. I grant you, it’s a bit of a stretch, as the most prevalent theories point to Santorini in the Greek Isles. Bu
9 Reasons to Set Sail on Silver Whisper
This past fall my husband Humberto and I took the Silver Whisper from Silversea Cruises on what we called a “leaves, lobsters and lighthouses” cruise in New England and Canada. It was our third voyage on this ship that the line uses for its annual World Cruise – so you can tell we like it! [&h
6 Delights Of The Amalfi Coast Drive
Whenever I visit Sorrento, Italy, I am, well, driven. I always take the Amalfi Coast Drive, 30 miles of narrow, curving roads that are strung up on cliffs with waves crashing below. A UNESCO World Heritage Site facing the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Amalfi Coast is arguably one of the world’s most beau
5 Pre-Cruise Stay Options From Port Canaveral
Our family doesn’t need a fairy godmother to make a cruise out of Port Canaveral or Tampa even more magical – we just opt for a pre-cruise stay in Orlando. It’s easy: When we sail out of Port Canaveral (less than an hour away from Orlando) or Tampa (an hour and a half away from […]
Cruise Adventures in Curacao: 6 Spots You Have to See!
When I see Willemstad, Curacao on a Caribbean cruise itinerary, I’m immediately excited –the name alone acts like a hook and I invariably read on. Cruise-passenger-friendly Willemstad, the capital of Curacao is an architecture-buff’s delight –I’m one!– and the island, a consti
