Cruise Deal of the Week – January 7, 2022
Welcome to 2022 and the new look Porthole Cruise and Travel! No, we don’t have flying cars or robot butlers, but that’s okay! What we do have is cruise deals and lots of them. If you’re fixing to make 2022 a year that makes up for the past two, we’re right there with yo
Barbados Has Streamlined Protocols for Cruises
The island of Barbados is open and ready to welcome cruise travelers, according to a new press release from the island’s tourism board. The island has streamlined port entry protocols for a safe and responsible visit to the island based on recommendations from Barbados’ Ministry of Health an
Cruisers are Loving This Florida Paddleboard Rental Service
The next time you’re cruising out of the Sunshine State, make sure you give paddleboarding a try! PADL is a new service making paddleboard rentals in Florida easy and affordable for cruisers looking to spend some time in the sun before or after their cruise vacation. With miles and miles of beach
Wine & Dine in Copenhagen’s Vesterbro District
Copenhagen is having a moment in the culinary limelight as Europe’s coolest foodie capital, with rough and ready Vesterbro the most exciting area of the city in which to try the latest food trends. Take a stroll along the streets of Slagterboderne (meaning “butcher’s stalls”) and Flaesketorv
Cruise Deal of the Week – December 31, 2021
Happy New Year! As we enter 2022, things are definitely looking up for the cruise industry despite the rise of the Omicron variant and uncertainty elsewhere across the travel realm. This week felt like a step backwards in some ways as the CDC raised their warning for cruise passengers despite cruise
U.S. Virgin Islands Shorten Testing Window for Tourists
In a recent press release, the U.S. Virgin Islands announced that they’ve made changes to their COVID-19 testing protocols for visitors to the islands which reduces the time frame for pre-travel testing. All domestic air travelers to the U.S. Virgin Islands are required to present a negat
Royal Caribbean Group Gives an Update on Omicron
In a press release this morning, Royal Caribbean Group provided an update to cruisers on how the company is approaching the new Omicron variant that’s currently spreading across the United States. According to the cruise line, “Omicron has significantly altered the COVID-19 landscape for
Viking Takes Delivery of New Expedition Ship Viking Octantis
The first of two brand new adventure cruise ships from Viking is finally here and ready to begin sailing! Viking Octantis left Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Søviknes, Norway on December 23rd after a delivery ceremony held at the shipyard and will begin sailing with guests to Antarctica
The 2021 Travel Resumes Tour 2.0
In spite of the pandemic purgatory of 2020 periodically rearing its ugly head again, cruising has resumed, albeit in a somewhat revamped style. Each month that goes by finds new ships being launched, older vessels being redeployed and destinations opening their doors to those of us eager to jump thr
Cruise Deal of the Week – December 24, 2021
Happy Holidays, cruisers! It may be too late to get your last-minute online shopping packages delivered before Santa Claus gets here, but it’s not too late to book your holiday cruise for next year! A holiday cruise is a great way to keep the stresses of hosting family and friends far away whi
Royal Caribbean Returns to Port of Baltimore
The Port of Baltimore must have felt pretty left out when cruise ship ports around the country started operating again this past year. But after months of waiting, the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is welcoming back Royal Caribbean Cruise Line for their first cruise from Maryland since
Cruisers Are Choosing the Biltmore for their Pre-Cruise Stay in Miami
95 years is an impressive amount of time. For the Biltmore Hotel Miami-Coral Gables, it’s all part of their history. Located in gorgeous Coral Gables, Florida, just minutes from PortMiami, the Biltmore is one of the most popular hotels for pre-and-post cruise stays and it’s easy to see w
Belly Up to the Bars on Odyssey of the Seas
As the saying goes, “it’s five o’clock somewhere,” and on Royal Caribbean’s newest Quantum-class ship, Odyssey of the Seas, that is the truth. No matter what time your watch says, happy hour begins when you are ready for your first cocktail. There is always a bar open with a smiling b
Call Me Virtuosa, A Masterpiece At Sea
Traditional launch parties are always full of fanfare but none more entertaining than the recent naming ceremony of MSC Virtuosa in Dubai, UAE. The gala event was attended by celebrities, dignitaries, the ruler of Dubai Sheik Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum and for a touch of international elegance, chr
Asian River Cruise Line Pandaw Announces Their Return
The pandemic was terrible for everyone, but cruise lines in particular felt the financial wrath of an industry-wide shutdown and some weren’t able to make it. Pandaw looked to be one of those cruise lines when they announced late October that they would be shutting their doors. At the time, th
Cruise Deal of the Week – December 17, 2021
The holiday season is finally here and if you’re looking for the best possible post-holiday getaway, a cruise is one of the best things to do right now! Not only are most ships operating at a reduced capacity, but the deals and perks cruise lines are adding on make it truly the best time to [&
St. Kitts’ Lindsay F.P. Grant Named Caribbean Tourism Minister of the Year
The island of St. Kitts announced today that Minister of Tourism Lindsay F.P. Grant has been named Caribbean Tourism Minister of the Year in the Caribbean Journal’s 8th annual Caribbean Travel Awards. The editors chose Minister Grant for the award thanks to his leadership during the pande
Sea, Sky, and Mangroves
“That fish is walking!” gasps my wide-eyed son Freddie, pointing to a sludgy mud bank within Langkawi’s mangrove forest. He is right. Or rather, he is almost right. For this amphibious mudskipper is, in fact, shimmying with one fin fanned out like a sail on a boat; just one in a menagerie of s
Carnival Radiance Christened, Begins Sailing from California
The newly renovated and renamed Carnival Radiance was christened at ceremony at the Port of Long Beach, California with the ship’s Godmother Dr. Lucille O’Neal and her son, Carnival Chief Fun Officer and NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal as featured guests of t
Inside Dubai’s EXPO 2020
After a year long delay due to the havoc of the 2020 pandemic, the opening of Dubai’s EXPO 2020 has finally arrived. The grand scale of anything associated with Dubai is on full display stoking one’s wildest imagination, virtually a Disney EPCOT on steroids. Five years of development and the unp
