It Won’t Break the Bank, But…
Monday Mantra Guilty … Guilty … Guilty … It Won’t Break the Bank, But… Feeling nickel-and-dimed on board? Or are you a penny-pinching pro? If you ever doubt the goodness of mankind, eavesdrop on a conversation among cruise fans. Smuggling alcohol, swiping a towel, or sharing a beverage pac
Clothes-Optional Cruising — Uncovered
Monday Mantra The Naked Truth … The Naked Truth … The Naked Truth … Clothes-Optional Cruising — Uncovered What do you pack for a nude cruise? Not much. I’m really not comfortable writing about something that I, personally, haven’t experienced but in the case of nude cruising, I’ll make
Cough Drops and Cruise Dreams
Monday Mantra Aaaaachooo! … Aaaaaachooo! … Aaaaachooo! … Cough Drops and Cruise Dreams Here’s to good health and a good ship … and they can’t come soon enough! God, I feel awful. I’ve surrendered to the horrible head cold that’s made me miserable all week so I find myself
A Master Mixer’s Memoir
Monday Mantra Cosmo Guy … Cosmo Guy … Cosmo Guy … A Master Mixer’s Memoir A bartender who can get the cosmopolitan right has clearly been around — and is just as clearly going places. It started with a cosmopolitan, that concoction of vodka, Cointreau, cranberry and lime that few barte
Cruising into the Future
Monday Mantra Tech-yes or Tech-no?…Tech-yes or Tech-no?…Tech-yes or Tech-no?… Cruising into the Future Ready or not, here sails the Internet of Things! Last week, Carnival Corporation announced the launch of Ocean Compass, a quarter-sized gizmo designed to further elevate the cruis
Resolve This! – A dozen ways to be a better cruiser in 2017.
Monday Tuesday Mantra Happy New Year! … Happy New Year! … Happy New Year! Resolve This! A dozen ways to be a better cruiser in 2017. It’s time for me to look ahead to a bright and shining new year and give some thought to what I might do to enjoy cruising even more in […]
Five Faves: Eco-Experiences at Harvest Caye
Porthole’s Five Faves Eco-Experiences at Harvest Caye Five ways to discover Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest island paradise. As cruise passengers disembark at Norwegian Cruise Line’s brand-new port of Harvest Caye, they can start to see and smell the island’s flora as they walk the canopy
Welcoming White Cliffs
Monday Tuesday Mantra Dover? Stay over! … Dover? Stay over! … Dover? Stay over! … There’s plenty to recommend in Dover and the towns of southeast England. Well, here I am spending the holiday season completely ashore in southeastern England (for full details of where and why
Five Faves: Cruises That Give Back
Five Favorite Cruises That Give Back Making the world a better place, one vacation at a time This holiday season, the most heartwarming gift for a cruise fan would be a ship of your very own … but where would you dock it? (And is Santa going to chip in for gas??) No, no, no […]
The Third Annual Judi’s Choice Awards – And the Winners Are!
Monday Mantra The Judi’s Choice Awards…The Judi’s Choice Awards!…The Judi’s Choice Awards… And the Winners Are! Cruising has plenty of biggest, first, and most wonderful accomplishments. The Judi’s Choice Awards recognize the best of the rest. Today, I look back on 2016 and recogni
Post-Cruise Blues – The hardest thing about a cruise is coming home – and the first time can be the worst.
Monday Mantra Too bad. So sad…Too bad. So sad…Too bad. So sad… Post-Cruise Blues The hardest thing about a cruise is coming home – and the first time can be the worst As we celebrate this magical time of year, I ask each of you to briefly pause and send kind and encouraging thoughts to [
Five Faves: Sea Days on Oceania Cruises’ Riviera
Savor Your Sea Days Five Favorite Things to do During a Trans-Atlantic Cruise I never thought I would enjoy a trans-Atlantic cruise. I envisioned a version where my budget would restrict me to steerage class (whatever that is); waltzing to big bands and high tea at 4 p.m. didn’t exactly ring m
Caribbean Cruising Gets Cool – and Hot!
Monday Mantra SPActacular! … SPActacular! … SPActacular! I don’t want to be scrubbed with grated coconut or have my body wrapped in banana leaves. The tinkle of chimes doesn’t help me achieve well-being and I sure don’t want to dunk my feet in a tank and let hundreds of hungry litt
Going Down? – Viking Star soothes away everything — including the arrival of the elevator, every time.
Monday Mantra Viking SUPER Star…Viking SUPER Star…Viking SUPER Star… Going Down? Viking Star soothes away everything — including the arrival of the elevator, every time. Life is pretty darn good when everything is so perfect that an elevator’s “ping” is your big
Five New Foodie Experiences aboard Holland America Line’s Koningsdam
Dig In! Five New Foodie Experiences aboard Holland America Line’s Koningsdam When it comes to Holland America Line’s new ship, ms Koningsdam, there’s been a lot of attention paid to its innovative entertainment options such as the Music Walk, which includes Lincoln Center Stage, Billboard Onbo
Five Fave Disney Wonder Reimagined Results As Explained By Frozen Lyrics
Porthole’s Five Faves Five Fave Disney Wonder Reimagined Results … … As Explained By Frozen Lyrics No one would have ever classified Disney Wonder as a fixer-upper, but that didn’t stop Disney Cruise Line from putting the ship into a recent six-week dry dock and enhancing almost every
Nun Better
Monday Mantra Heavenly…Heavenly…Heavenly… One of San Juan’s most divine hotels started as a Carmelite convent Now, here’s an eye-opener: Before sailing from San Juan last week, I spent an extraordinary night in a convent. I’d wager that few who know me would believe
Five Faves: Curtain Call
Five Favorite Shows to See aboard Harmony of the Seas “We want to impress, we want to show off, but in the end, we really just want to entertain,” said Nick Weir, Royal Caribbean International’s Vice President of Entertainment, who oversees the cruise line’s onboard entertainment and guest a
History in the Making – There are cruise fans … cruise obsessives … cruise experts … and then there’s Peter Knego.
Monday Mantra Salvaged!…Salvaged!…Salvaged! There are cruise fans … cruise obsessives … cruise experts … and then there’s Peter Knego “I’ll give you 20 bucks if you turn to that woman and say ‘Shut the f— up.’” That, I believe, was the first thing I ever said…we
Carnival Feast – A sneak peek at Carnival Vista is more than mouthwatering.
Monday Mantra Hooked … Hooked … Hooked … A sneak peek at Carnival Vista is more than mouthwatering. If you have a serious cruise addiction, particularly if you’ve had it for decades, chances are you can trace it back to Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival’s kind of like the cruise fan’s Marlb
