Reviews Are a Necessary EvilBy Bill Panoff
Porthole’s editors weigh every review as to its fairness and accuracy, but unlike a restaurant reviewer, we don’t have the luxury of constantly returning to a ship if we didn’t like the main course one evening. Why do I bring up this point? Cruise ships are very labor intensive, and all facets of the sailing must hit the right chord or someone’s vacation is going to be ruined, despite what they might have read or heard. While Porthole’s reviewer might have reported that their cabin steward was at their beck and call, you, on the other hand, may have been shortchanged in the chocolate-on-the-pillow department. It happens. But you know what? Cruise ships come pretty close to perfection. Are you aware that when ships are being built in countries like Finland, Germany, Italy and France, cruise lines send over their staff months in advance to learn every nook and cranny of their ship? Name me a hotel chain that does the same thing. Our reviews in Porthole report on the good as well as the bad, and if that means our readers get an A-plus vacation, then we’ve accomplished our mission. What’s At Sea: Cunard Line and Seabourn Cruise Line have announced that they will have millennium cruises featuring the QE2 sailing in the Caribbean and to Gatun Lake in the Panama Canal. The Seabourn Sun will begin her Year 2000 cruise in Fort Lauderdale and end in San Francisco while New Year’s Eve will be celebrated in Acapulco, Mexico, with entertainer Ben Vereen. … Football fanatics will feel right at home on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norway as she hosts the players who knocked helmets during the 1958 Baltimore Colts vs. New York Giants Championship game. Scheduled to sail on the Aug. 21 Caribbean cruise are: Raymond Berry, Ordell Braase, Roosevelt Brown, Art Donovan, Gino Marchetti, Lenny Moore, Jim Mutscheller, Kyle Rote and Johnny Unitas. Chris Schenkel, who was one of the game’s announcers, also will be on hand. Vox Populi: Ms. Lil Leeder of Boca Raton wrote a letter to this column, explaining that she has been given the task of finding a cruise for a group of women (including herself) who went to boarding school together. They want to have fun and reminisce and are in their 50s and early 60s. While I can’t recommend a specific cruise line, here is what I advise: 1) Will all the women in your group have male accompaniment? If not, make sure the cruise you choose supplies male dance hosts. 2) Since these women will be joining the reunion from all parts of the world, select a port of debarkation that is centrally located. 3) Determine what activities most of these women enjoy and seek out a cruise ship that can deliver the majority. 4) Confer with a travel agent who has experience booking these types of reunions. |
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As publisher of Porthole Cruise Magazine, people who have read our ship reviews and have booked their vacations accordingly often confront me. Of course, if everyone agrees 100 percent with you, then either my magazine isn’t doing its job or it’s doing its job extremely well. There is no gray area.