This Cruise Line Now Requires Insurance for Unvaccinated Cruisers
Not only will unvaccinated cruisers have limited access to certain areas of the ship, there are going to be extra costs involved as well. Royal Caribbean International announced this morning that those on board their ships leaving from Florida without a COVID-19 vaccine will need to provide proof of
MSC Cruises Names Second Seaside EVO ship, MSC Seascape
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but MSC Cruises has another new ship on the horizon! The cruise line held a traditional coin ceremony today for its second Seaside EVO class ship at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy where the keel was laid. The ship will be called MSC Seas
European Union Nations to Begin Easing Travel Restrictions for Americans
Your European summer vacation plans just got the green light from the EU! European Union Ambassadors met in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday and recommended that their 27 member states begin lifting travel restrictions on American citizens and eight other countries around the world. The eight countrie
Virgin Voyages Reveals New Itineraries for Resilient Lady
The third ship from Virgin Voyages is scheduled to sail in 2022 and the cruise line has released new itineraries to follow the ship’s inaugural season in Greece. Resilient Lady will head to the Caribbean on an 11-night repositioning cruise following its summer 2022 season in the Medi
AIDA Cruises To Restart AIDAstella in July
AIDA Cruises has taken another step in their gradual restart of cruise operations with the announcement that their ship AIDAstella will resume sailing on July 29, 2021 from Palma de Mallorca with calls in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Malta. The cruises
U.S. Virgin Islands In Talks with Jamaica on Tourism “Coopetition”
One of the most popular vacation destinations in the Caribbean is looking to help bolster their economic recovery by collaborating with other islands in the Caribbean. The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism announced that Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte recently underwent successful
Carnival Cruise Line Preparing for New Orleans Cruises
The Big Easy is one of the most popular destination cities in the United States and pre-pandemic, Port Nola saw more than 1 million passengers flow through the port on cruises to the Caribbean and Mexico. Carnival Cruise Line is once again preparing for ships to sail from Port NOLA and with Florida&
Carnival Corporation Port Agreements Approved By the CDC
Over the weekend, Carnival Corporation received approval on their port agreements from the CDC to sail from Miami, Galveston and Port Canaveral as they begin the road to recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Carnival previously announced that Carnival Horizon (sailing from Miami) and C
Desperately Seeking Serenissmia
Pictures of wildlife returning to Venice’s canals, posted on social media during last year’s Covid-19 lockdown, were widely shared around the world. Images of chilled out ducks nesting on the canal banks and imperious swans reclaiming the canals, gliding through water the clearest and bluest it
This Cruise Leaves from St. Maarten Next Weekend
For what seems like an eternity, pandemic related restrictions have reined in the flourishing popularity of cruising and worldwide travel. Regulations may have challenged the possibility of arrivals and departures from US ports but the old adage necessity is the mother of invention has intervened an
Italy Reopens Borders for International Tourists
If you’ve been dreaming about touring the Colosseum or snacking on gelato on the Spanish Steps, you’re in luck! In a Facebook post on May 14, Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio announced that there would no longer be a quarantine requirement for travelers visiting fr
Carnival Cruise Line “Working Towards” July Restart Says President Christine Duffy
Appearing on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt last night, Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy confirmed that the cruise line is working with the CDC on a restart of operation and the goal is to begin sailing again this July. There was also no mention of a fleetwide vaccine mandate for Ca
Test Your Cruise Trivia with Gary Bembridge
Over the past 25 years, Gary Bembridge has helped countless cruisers and travelers get the most out of their vacations through his website and YouTube Channel “Tips for Travellers”. A veteran cruiser with nearly 80 sailings under his belt, we decided to invite Gary to join Porthole Cruis
CDC Releases Technical Instructions for Simulated Voyages
Welcome to Phase 2B of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Conditional Sail Order! What is Phase 2B, you ask? It’s a set of technical instructions for what cruise lines need to do when conducting simulated voyages in order to test the efficacy of the cruise ship operato
Fleet-Wide Crew Vaccinations Begin for MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises was one of the first to return to operation last summer when they began sailing in the Mediterranean. The cruises looked a little different due to the new health and safety protocols implemented by the cruise line, but guests reported enjoying the experience as whole. Now, MSC Cruises is
St. Kitts Is the Island of Limitless Possibilities
Attitude is everything, just ask the people of St. Kitts. In many respects this laid-back island paradise is your quintessential Caribbean island. It’s a place where beach shack bars grill up fresh caught fish and lobster, where you can see the colorful fisherman boats dotting the horizon in the m
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
Don’t Miss This Taco Food Tour in Cabo San Lucas
The question of the day; You’re in Mexico and hungry. What’s the one quick bite you think of? It’s a taco of course! As a vicarious foodie follower, you know that my go to solution for hunger pangs is a food tour and with a visit to Cabo San Lucas it’s no different. After savoring […]
Choose Your Cruise – April 16, 2021
Spring is in the air! As the snow melts and the white and yellow daffodils start popping up, we find ourselves very close to a return to cruising! Cruise lines are starting up ships all over the world from Italy and England to the Caribbean and even Alaska. If you’ve been waiting this whole ti
Choose Your Cruise – April 9, 2021
It was a wild week in the cruise industry! First we had a handful of cruise lines announcing new sailing dates from places all over the world. Then we had the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line call the CDC “borderline ridiculous” in an interview with Porthole Cruise Magazine Founder and Edito
