Vote for Your Favorites!
Porthole Cruise Magazine is kicking off its 20th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards, letting you cast your votes for the best in the world of cruising, from Best Megaship to Most Romantic Cruise Line and a host of other cruise categories. Porthole.com/RCA2018 PLUS your ballot becomes your entry t
Cruise Connection: Feel the Latin Beat
By Fabien DeGuffroy Are you a salsero (a salsa dancer or fan)? Do you enjoy the warm air and soft breezes of ocean cruising? If you answered yes to both, then a salsa cruise should be a must-do on your travel bucket list. Over the years, I’ve experienced many dance cruises — from ballroom to [&h
Theme Cruise: Grape Expectations
By Judi Cuervo It’s 10:30 a.m. and I’m at the 20-acre Mt. Hood Winery, Oregon’s 2016 Winery of the Year. In the glass before me is a gold medal–winning 2015 Estate Pinot Noir that bears aromas of ripe cherry, pomegranate, and raspberry accented by subtle cedar overtones. I swirl. I sniff. I
For Shore: To a Tee
By Peter Mumford A Caribbean cruise is a wonderful opportunity to visit exotic islands, meet new people, and learn about other cultures. For avid golfers, those several-hour–long shore leaves are made even better when you can grab your clubs and play some of the most beautiful golf courses in the
Cruise Ship Review: MSC Seaside
By Arlene Satchell As a journalist covering South Florida’s powerhouse cruise industry for nearly a decade, I’ve explored the ins and outs of countless cruise ships and know what I like and what I don’t, what works and what doesn’t. Call me a push over, but I instantly fell in love with MSC
Home Ship Home: Come aboard with a couple of regular world cruisers
By Fran Golden For Linda Weissman, 70, and her retired orthopedic surgeon husband, Martin, 76, home away from home is on the ocean liners of Cunard Line. The Michigan couple resides on a Cunard ship for a third of each year, sailing world cruises, sometimes with added days. Since 2007, they’ve
Perfect Pairings: Windstar Cruises serves sophisticated tastes
By Janice Wald Henderson Ah, Windstar Cruises. Who doesn’t love a line so passionate about its cuisine? As Windstar Cruises zeros in even further on upping its gastronomic excellence, expect more high-five–worthy changes this year. Check out how quality and quantity make a marvelous match aboard
St. Thomas Shopping Guide
Island Finds By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon When you pull into port in St. Thomas, no doubt you’ll be tempted by all the duty-free shopping on offer. After all, this busy Caribbean cruise port is packed with boutiques selling jewelry, watches, and fine leather goods from prestigious international brand
Following Last Season’s Hurricanes… a Caribbean Comeback
By Linda Garrison The 2017 Caribbean hurricane season was one of the worst in decades, with four major storms roaring through the region in less than a month. Two of these hurricanes, Irma and Maria, did significant damage on several Eastern Caribbean islands that are popular cruise ship ports of ca
Alaskan Vacations Are Wet and Wild
By Marc Cappelletti “Sweet break out there today!” You’d expect to hear such excitement from a sun-tanned surfer toweling off on Hawaii’s north shore. But this time, you’d be more than a few degrees off. Welcome to Alaskan travel, mecca for adventure seekers wanting to immerse themselves i
Five Ways to Discover Hidden Hamburg
48 Hours By James Lida As Germany’s second largest city, the Hanseatic crown jewel of Hamburg never takes itself too seriously, but displays its passion with more than 300 galleries and museums and a sparkling new performing arts center. Behind the cultural glitz, authentic and honest cuisine cele
Have Stuff, Will Travel
By Marcia Raffel Levin Bottle Babies Water bottles for little ones have come a long way, baby. Reusable, collapsible, portable, and adaptable for travel, the 12-oz. Hydaway water bottles are made from food-grade silicone so they’re flexible, BPA-free, and the stable base (which can even be persona
Bring on the Baltics: Oceania Cruises mixes popular ports with undiscovered gems
By Steve Leland Location, location, location is a well-known incantation in reference to real estate potential, but in the world of cruising that mantra is more appropriately, destination, destination, destination. Oceania Cruises’ twin sister ships, Marina and Riviera, along with a supporting
Suite Land: Manhattan Superlative
Step out of the hubbub of Midtown Manhattan’s 5th Avenue, pass between the twin Chinese guardian lions and you enter a place of timeless elegance. The historic building is appointed with classic touches, filled with helpful, white-uniformed attendants, and home to an ever-refreshed collection of c
Teen Scene | How 14-year-old twin boys fared on a river cruise with the ’rents
By Heidi Sarna Let’s face it. Most teenagers aren’t dying to go on a river cruise. But this mom of teen sons likes small-ship cruising and I’m still the boss (I think!). So last summer I signed the family up for a Bordeaux river cruise with the French line CroisiEurope. We boarded the 174-pass
Easy, Breezy: Extend your South Florida cruise vacation at Margaritaville Beach Resort
You definitely won’t be wasting away if you choose to spend some pre- or post-cruise time at the Margaritaville Beach Resort in Hollywood Beach, Florida. Less than 10 miles south of Port Everglades, the Jimmy Buffett–themed beachfront resort is the perfect place to wind up or gear down before or
Fashion Forward: Is your vacation wardrobe cruise-worthy?
Is your vacation wardrobe cruise-worthy? By Natalie DiScala You’ve scoured the brochures, chosen your itinerary, booked your tickets, and you’re ready for the vacation of a lifetime. But before the journey begins, you’ve got to get those bags packed with cruise-worthy clothes that will make yo
Vitamin Sea: Feng Shui Your Stateroom
How to feng shui your stateroom and make the most of your cruise By Valerie Sands Cruising. Why is it that once you’ve traveled this way, any other vacation actually seems stressful? Quite simply, it’s the energy that shifts as soon as you walk on board. But beyond that first-night sailaway feel
Caribbean Fashion – Five Hot Designers
The Caribbean isn’t only about sea and sand. Local designers are adding style to the equation with island-inspired clothing, jewelry, and accessories. Check out five of the region’s hottest talents, and then take their tips for looking stylish under the sun. By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon Kristin Fra
Viking’s Norway: a Photographic Journey
Come along on a photographic journey with Viking Cruises through this country’s amazing landscape, which is enhanced by cultural tie-ins on board. By J.D. Andrews Sailing on Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Sky through Norway is a majestic experience unto itself. Add in Viking-inspired art, arti