Many Happy Returns – How (and how not) to celebrate a birthday at sea
Monday Mantra Happy birthday to me … Happy birthday to me … Happy birthday to me … Many Happy Returns How (how not) to celebrate a birthday at sea Happy birthday to me! Honestly! I say “Honestly!” because I can’t tell you how many times I pretended it was my birthday in my early days [&h
You Can’t Take It With You — Can You??
Monday Mantra What’s in Your Suitcase? … What’s in Your Suitcase? … What’s in Your Suitcase? … You Can’t Take It With You — Can You?? Wait till you see what some folks are packing … My cruise luggage typically includes clothes, underwear, shoes, cosmetics, deodorant, ha
Five Faves: Name That Ship!
Porthole‘s Five Faves Name That Ship! Our cruising quiz will put your ship knowledge to the test. Cruisers know what they love – ships! But how well do you know them? Put your passion to the test, scroll down and see if you can follow the clues to identify our five favorite cruise ship s
Cashing In – Here’s how you could really feel the surcharge pinch.
Monday Mantra A Small Price to Pay … A Small Price to Pay … A Small Price to Pay Cashing In Here’s how you could really feel the surcharge pinch. Why do I hear so many cruisers whine about surcharges that usually apply to fabulous specialty restaurants and extraordinary new features that drama
Cruising Considerately in 2016 – Resolutions for a year of bon voyages!
Monday Mantra Promises … Promises … Promises … Cruising Considerately in 2016 Resolutions for a year of bon voyages! Happy New Year! A new year means a new set of cruise resolutions! Let’s see if I can keep these any better than I kept last year’s: I will understand that my cabin steward i
The Judi’s Choice Awards 2015
Monday Mantra The Judi’s Choice Awards! … The Judi’s Choice Awards! … The Judi’s Choice Awards! And the Winners Are! It’s easy to overlook some of the things that make cruising wonderful. The Judi’s Choice Awards recognize the best of the rest. It’s that time of the year agai
Five Faves Solo Schedules
Five tips for traveling alone during the holidays How often do you travel alone? While it may seem daunting, I highly recommend you take a solo trip, and I dare you to take it during the holidays. You will surely travel alone at some point in your life, and from my experience I have found […]
Nautical and Nice – These are some gifts to win a cruiser’s heart.
Monday Mantra Gift Guide … Gift Guide … Gift Guide … Nautical and Nice These are some gifts to win a cruiser’s heart. To judge by the emails that pop into my inbox and the brochures that are delivered by my postman, a cruise is an enormously popular gift choice. If that’s the case,
Five Faves: Sailaway Stocking Stuffers
Porthole‘s Five Faves Five Faves: Sailaway Stocking Stuffers If you’re seeking great gifts for your favorite cruise traveler, we’ve got a handful of fun ideas. Is there one last empty spot on your holiday gift list? Luckily, there’s still time to get those last-minute stocking stuffers f
A Magic Shop – One destination makes Gustavia a tropical paradise.
Monday Mantra St. Barts on a Budget … St. Barts on a Budget … St. Barts on a Budget … A Magic Shop There’s one destination that truly makes Gustavia a tropical paradise. Just when I think I’m doing pretty well financially, I’ll cruise to St. Barts and realize what a pauper I am. Sometime
Five Faves: How to get in the seasonal spirit at sea
Porthole’s Five Faves Cruising For Christmas How to get in the seasonal spirit when you’re at sea When your winter travels include not just being away from home for the holidays, but being away from terra firma altogether, it can be difficult to truly get in the spirit of this wintry season. Her
First Time’s the Charm – Taking a friend on her very first cruise can be picture perfect.
Monday Mantra Starting at the top … Starting at the top … Starting at the top … First Time’s the Charm Taking a friend on her very first cruise can be picture perfect. “I cannot BELIEVE I have to unwrap the new roll of toilet paper myself!” Carole’s indignant objection boomed through t
The Can’t Talk – Gotta Cruise! Checklist – Here’s a cruise-prep pep talk for the chronically under-prepared.
Monday Mantra Ready or not … Ready or not … Ready or not … The Can’t Talk – Gotta Cruise! Checklist Here’s a cruise-prep pep talk for the chronically under-prepared. Okay. This has got to be quick. How is it possible that the months before a cruise creep by so slowly when the week before
Travel On – The best response to tragedy is to keep an even keel and a steady course.
Monday Mantra Vive la France …Vive la France …Vive la France … Travel On The best response to tragedy is to keep an even keel and a steady course. There I was, planning to write my blog on Friday when I came home from work. I was torn between three ideas: A parody of “The […]
A Cruise to … Somewhere – You know you’re a serious cruise fan when you sign on to sail an unknown itinerary.
Monday Mantra It’s a Mystery…It’s a Mystery…It’s a Mystery… A Cruise to … Somewhere You know you’re a serious cruise fan when you sign on to sail an unknown itinerary. You know how it is when you’ve booked a cruise. Everyone you know — your friends, your family — all ask where
A Little Something Extra – Navigating the etiquette of tipping can be tricky.
Monday Mantra A Few Tips … A Few Tips … A Few Tips … A Little Something Extra Navigating the etiquette of tipping can be tricky. You can’t spend nearly 20 years married to a man whose entire career was in the restaurant business and not be left with a profound appreciation for tipping. M
Five Faves: Haunted Hotels in Paranormal Ports of Call
Spooky Scenes Cruising’s Most Haunted Hotels It’s late October, when the wind rattles through the cane fields, Las Calaveras Catrinas decorate the streets of Cozumel, the duppies and jumbies cast long shadows along the lonely island beaches, and people everywhere gather close to trade scary stor
Home Is Where the Ship Is
Monday Mantra I’m movin’ in … I’m movin’ in … I’m movin’ in … Home Is Where the Ship Is Why not cruise full time? Every so often, you’ll see a news story about an old woman who decides to sell her home and all of her possessions and move, permanently, on to a cruise […]
Five Faves: The Best Things About a Music Theme Cruise
Porthole‘s Five Faves Rock This Ship Five Reasons You’ll Love a Music Theme Cruise I recently had the pure joy of spending four days on a cruise with six of my favorite people: Emily, Donnie, Danny, Jordan, Jon, and Joe. The former, my BFF since kindergarten; the latter five, none othe
A Tender Subject – Well, you’ve got to get to port somehow….
Monday Mantra Tender-ness …Tender-ness …Tender-ness … A Tender Subject Well, you’ve got to get to port somehow…. “YAY! We get to tender ashore!” said no cruise passenger ever. It just goes to show how spoiled and pampered we are on board when a 15-minute boat ride into port becomes suc
