The Cruise Industry Party Of The Year
For the last 17 years, Editor-in-Chief Bill Panoff and the team at Porthole Cruise & Travel Magazine have hosted the Cruise Industry Party of The Year, Porthole Party. Meet the movers and shakers of cruising, while partying with a number of top names in the industry. Join us on March 28, 2023, i
Holland America Line Announces 150th Anniversary Celebrations
Mark your calendars! Holland American Line announced its 150th Anniversary celebration on April 18, 2023. To celebrate this milestone anniversary, the cruise line has announced plans for special events, activities, and transatlantic crossings for voyagers to join. “A milestone like a 150th Ann
Costa Toscana Christening Ceremony
On June 16th, 2022, Costa Cruises celebrated the Christening ceremony of Costa Toscana, the newest Italian ship in the Costa Cruises fleet in the port of Barcelona. “It is a great thrill to celebrate the christening of our Costa Toscana in Barcelona, a city to which we are particularly attache
The Porthole Cruise and Travel Store Is Open!
We are excited to share the launch of our Porthole Cruise & Travel Amazon Storefront! Set sail on your vacation at sea with all your cruise necessities. While at sea, we want you to be prepared. Our storefront offers first aid onboard items, tropical cruise essentials, and sun care to use duri
Amsterdam: Connoisseurs of Cozy
I’m sitting in Café Papeneiland in Amsterdam, when the feeling of gezelligheid hits me. It’s what this city’s bruin cafés — the Dutch answer to the pub — are most famous for inducing: a lovely, warm feeling of contentment. To be gezellig is to be cozy, to feel togetherness, to enjoy comp
From Russia With Love: Matryoshka Nesting Dolls
Matryoshka dolls are an instantly recognizable symbol of Russia. They can take on many forms, but are always a series of wooden dolls of decreasing sizes that fit one inside the other, typically painted to represent either traditional Russian folklife or more topical or satirical themes. It has be
St. Thomas, Sophisticated
St. Thomas had a deep-rooted seafaring heritage long before I plied its waters. As a cruise director for many years, I visited the small, quaint island every Tuesday. Twenty-five years later, it has matured into destination adulthood, but in spite of its modernization, the island retains its playful
CDC Cruise Line Restrictions ‘Borderline Ridiculous’ says NCL CEO
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an update to their conditional sail order last week, many thought it meant good news for the cruise industry. Upon closer look, the new protocols instituted by the CDC actually make life more difficult for cruise lines and put them further f
Mardi Gras Déjà Vu?
Who could have possibly known that when the original Mardi Gras embarked on March 11, 1972, it and its sister-ships would revolutionize the onboard experience, propel an upstart line into a cruising behemoth, perfect the paradise-probing possibilities the world over, and basically change everything
25 Years of Cruising with Porthole Cruise Magazine
Time flies when you’re having fun! And trust us, there’s nowhere better to have fun than onboard a cruise ship. Porthole Cruise Magazine is proud to celebrate 25 years of publishing the world’s best consumer cruise and travel magazine and looking back, it’s been a long journe
Choose Your Cruise – January 22, 2021
Happy Friday! We’re cruising into the weekend with a few awesome trips you can book for 2021 and beyond. Next week, MSC Cruises is restarting operation in Italy with permission from the government so we’re going to be watching that very closely. Successful sailing in the Mediterranean wo
Suite Secrets of the Riviera Maya
It’s inconceivable how the vibe of two neighboring regions could be more disparate than the tequila-induced debauchery of Cancún and the upscale chic of the Riviera Maya. But there is little doubt that the prominence of Cancún as a highly marketed tourist destination has greatly contributed to t
Appreciloving The Harmony at Rastafari Indigenous Village
Rastafari is the second-largest faith in Jamaica and has been practiced since 1930. Across the island, people coexist in Rastafari villages with horizontal societies and equitable exchange. Near Montego Bay, Rastafari Indigenous Village welcomes visitors to its experiential cultural capsule. To reac
The Best Last-Minute Christmas Gifts for Cruisers
December 25th is rapidly approaching and if you’ve been procrastinating your holiday gift shopping, it’s time to get up and get going. From stocking-stuffers to gifts that will really wow, the holidays are a great way to show the people in your life how much they mean to you. We’ve compiled a
A Tale of Two Transatlantic Cruises
Cruising has always fueled the imagination with dreams of far-flung destinations, and 2020’s unimaginable pause in cruising has amplified those dreams tenfold. It is very likely that we took this indulgent mode of travel for granted … but never again. Only when it was taken away from us could we
All Cruises Will Have a Contingency Plan, Says Carnival’s Arnold Donald
Throughout the entire pandemic, Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald has remained stout in his belief that cruising will be back and better than ever before. Their have been plenty of developments since the last time he joined Porthole Cruise Founder and Editor-in-Chief Bill Panoff for an int
3 Reasons Why You Need to Start Caring About Face Masks in Your Wardrobe
Face masks are going to be a part of our lives for the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean you have to hide your personality along with your face! There are obvious health and safety benefits which come with wearing a mask, but there are a few other good reasons why you should start caring [
A Deep Dive into Oceania Eats
Lobster pad Thai. Raw vegetable juice spiked with immune-boosting spices. Lavish dinners paired with France’s most famous bubbly. Few cruise lines hit such high, diverse culinary notes as Oceania Cruises … something food-lovers who unabashedly admit to choosing their ships solely for dining sure
Travel Gear & Good Stuff
What better way to embark upon 2021 than by preparing for actually getting out into the world? (Particularly with something that’ll help you toast to 2020’s departure.) Whether you’re planning a larger, much-deserved trip, taking a smaller afternoon excursion, or are simply looking for a perfe
Top 5 Best Ocean Ships
What’s the difference between a cruise ship and an amusement park these days? One floats. Modern cruise ships are nothing short of engineering marvels complete with water parks, movie theaters, go-kart tracks and enough new technology to make even the biggest tech nerds giddy. But
