Island Shore Excursions For Your Tastebuds
If you’ve cruised with Holland America Line, you may be familiar with their FOOD & WINE shore excursions. Teaming up with the famed magazine of the same name, the cruise line’s food excursions offer hands-on cooking classes with top restaurant chefs, culinary walking tours, winery visits, to
HAL Adds New America’s Test Kitchen Programs
Where do you fall on the master chef spectrum? Some of us can whip up 3 course meals in our sleep, others end up burning cereal. One of the most interesting shifts in cruising is the number of cruise lines adding some sort of cooking instruction program to their daily or nightly activities. Holland
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
Delicate Features – Face Plates as Fine Art
The Monthly Mantra An Unusual Setting … An Unusual Setting … An Unusual Setting Well now. This is different. A cruise-ship press event … at a china shop? Okay, not just any china shop but New York’s chi-chi Bernardaud, masters of the art of French porcelain who, to this day, carry Marie Anto
10 Things About A World Cruise That Keep Guests Coming Back
Ever since before the time of Ferdinand Magellan, people have been dreaming of, and trying to, circumnavigate the planet. And no wonder! Doing a circle around the globe, visiting scores of exotic places and experiencing a variety of cultures – in just one voyage –makes anyone feel like a superhe
Dish It Up: Holland America’s Food Frontiers
Holland America Line, once known more for staying the course rather than progressive pursuits, has quietly and impressively transformed its brand image into a far more compelling package, especially when it comes to its gastronomic allures. And that, my friends, is where I get enthused. Read on to s
6 Highlights of Halifax
Halifax, a top destination on New England/Canada cruises, offers a mix of historic and modern attractions and strong maritime traditions – it was here that Samuel Cunard established the legendary Cunard Line in 1840 and here that many victims of the Titanic were brought and laid to rest in 1912.
11 Reasons To Sail On Holland America’s Veendam
A classic mid-size ship – 57,092-tons with capacity for 1,350 guests – Holland America’s Veendam reminds me of playwright Channing Pollock’s definition of happiness: “a way station between too little and too much.” The Veendam is just that, and she has all the amenities for a wonderful,
Find Wellness at Sea; Adventure of Your Life Cruise
Guests aboard Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam for the Adventure of Your Life Cruise are in for, you guessed it, the adventure of their life! Leaving Fort Lauderdale, FL on October 28, 2018, the cruise heads to the Caribbean for a week of activities and events with health and wellness as a m
Cruise Deal of the Week – August 3, 2018
Are you ready to get out and explore? Holland America Line is encouraging everyone to set their sights on a great cruise vacation thanks to their latest Explore4 deal! Holland America Line, based in Seattle, is known for its spectacular ships, wonderful amenities and enticing itineraries. The Explor
Cruising Behind the Scenes
For cruisers fascinated by how ships function as small cities traveling across the oceans, behind-the-scenes tours can be a fascinating look into either the large scale of a mega ship (Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, for example, goes through 60,000 eggs per week! Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 se
Private I’s
When cruise lines pioneered private islands as ports of call on Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries decades ago, they were an instant hit. They’ve been upgraded with new facilities and activities through the years, but still consistently earn high satisfaction ratings on guests’ comment cards. Man
Megastar Oprah to Christen Holland America’s Newest Ship
It’s pretty common for cruise ship lines to ask big name stars to christen their ships, but for Holland America Line, anything less than the best was unacceptable. That’s why they went straight to the top and asked world renowned actress, talk show host, philanthropist and media mogul Oprah Winf
Cruise Deal of the Week
Book a Holland America Line cruise by June 14, 2018 and you can get pre-paid gratuities, reduced deposits, savings on fares, and up to $300 in onboard spending money per stateroom – all part of the “Ready Set Sail” promotion. Contact Holland America Line or your travel agent for more.
Cutting-Edge Art Aboard Holland America
Cruise News – Apr. 11, 2018 Holland America Line is marking World Art Day, April 15, with the introduction of the world’s largest emerging-art gallery, an experience designed to take place on board its ships and on shore during cruises. The program has been created in partnership with ArtLink, a
In Brief: Carnival adds 20 Havana trips, Viking combines ocean and river cruises, and more…
Apr. 6, 2018 Carnival Cruise Line has added another 20 voyages to Cuba on Carnival Paradise from Tampa in 2019. The 5-day trips will include day-long or overnight stays in Havana. These come in addition to the 17 Cuba cruises on Carnival Sensation from Miami in 2019. Viking Cruises announced its 201
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
In Brief: Rapunzel’s Royal Table debuts on Disney Magic and more!
Among the many recent enhancements that guests began experiencing aboard Disney Magic last week was the debut of Rapunzel’s Royal Table, a Tangled-themed family restaurant featuring beloved characters and live entertainment. Upon entering the royal castle, guests are invited by the King and Queen
Sushi Master Welcomed to Holland America Line’s Culinary Council
Cruise News – Mar. 5, 2018 Andy Matsuda, who brought Osaka’s sushi tradition to Los Angeles, has been invited to join Holland America Line’s esteemed Culinary Council, serving alongside Master Chef Rudi Sodamin as well as international chefs Jonnie Boer, David Burke, Elizabeth Falkner, Eth
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