Explore every episode of the podcast The Joy of Cruising Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roland & Emma's Grand Asian Invasion Holiday, 86 Days, 35 On Diamond Princess Episode | 06 Nov 2025 | 01:35:45 | |
Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Roland and Emma, certainly worthy to join the handful of guests who have been on the podcast for three times. I first met Roland and Emma a couple of years ago on the 119,000 member Melanin At Sea, created by friends of the show and global cruise personalities A Rich and Jazzy Life, and I anointed them as my new travel role models, after they posted photos and description of just an absolute bucket list trip, Ep 63 40-Day Enchanted Princess European. I had to invite them on. Then they did it again the following year with an epic Ep 142 European adventure covering 61 days!
Well, they have outdone themselves themselves with their Grand Asian Invasion Holiday! Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Richard Fain, Chairman and former CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, Author, Delivering the Wow | 30 Oct 2025 | 00:39:52 | |
Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am honored to welcome a special guest, Richard Fain, Chairman and former CEO of Royal Caribbean Group (RCG). Mr. Fain’s new book, Delivering the WOW: Culture as Catalyst for Lasting Success (October 21, 2025; Fast Company Press), reveals actionable lessons from Royal Caribbean’s rapid growth: a culture that motivated employees to deliver WOWs to customers, transforming the customer and employee experience all at once with electrifying energy. RCG’s trademark culture and dedication to delivering wows also catalyzed innovations including the world’s first and biggest megaships, beginning with Sovereign of the Seas in 1988—Cheryl and my first cruise, also in 1988—peerless onboard experiences, including soaring atriums and unexpected ice-skating rinks at sea; and unforgettable offboard experiences including Perfect Day at CocoCay, a private island resort owned by RCG.
Proceeds from proceeds from Delivering the WOW will be donated to the Fain Scholarship Fund, a scholarship program Richard Fain established in 1999 to support the education of Royal Caribbean Group employees and their children, which he has been contributing to at an average of $200,000 in annual support.
Richard Fain served as chairman and CEO from 1988 to 2022 when he transitioned to his current role as chairman. Under his leadership, the company grew from a small cruise line to its current place as one of the world’s most valuable vacation companies. Recognized for his “visionary leadership”, Mr. Fain was named one of the 30 World’s Best CEOs by Barron’s for three years running and received the Ultimate CEO Award from the South Florida Business Journal. His international awards include the rank of Officier in the Légion d’Honneur of France and Commander, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland. He and his wife of 56 years have four children and eight extraordinary grandchildren. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Cruise with Ben & David, Holland America Line Flagship Rotterdam, 1st HAL Cruise | 28 Aug 2025 | 00:51:19 | |
Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Ben & David creators of Cruise with Ben & David, one of the top cruise brands in the world, certainly when it comes to content creators and cruise influencers. They have a massively successful YouTube channel with over 320k subscribers—in the top five of all cruise channels. This is the 3rd time Cruise with Ben & David has been on The Joy of Cruising Podcast—you can count on one hand the number of guests appearing on the podcast for the third time. Their two previous episodes were Ep 35 Cruise With Ben & David and Ep 89 Cruise With Ben & David Fun fact, their two previous appearances onThe Joy of Cruising Podcast are the top two most listened to episodes we have ever had. Is that a humblebrag?
It's been over a year, so I wanted to catch up with Ben & David. Besides, I recently watched one of their shows and learned much to my surprise, given their prolific cruising, that they have just cruised for the first time on Holland America Line. It gets better; their cruise was on HAL’s flagship, the Rotterdam. Cheryl and my next cruise…Rotterdam to Panama Canal! Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Sail With Gail and Mike, Sailing Cunard's Queen Anne | 15 Jul 2024 | 01:20:31 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Gail and Mike, a couple from UK and creators of the Sail With Gail and Mike YouTube channel, Instagram platform, and Facebook group. They are specifically from Liverpool, UK, which takes on a special significance related to the main topic of this episode. One of the most anticipated and majestic new cruise ships of the last couple of years, Queen Anne, was recently launched by UK’s Cunard, its 249th ship. Cunard announced the unprecedented decision to choose the city of Liverpool as “Godparent” of Queen Anne. On June 4, 2024, Cunard held Queen Anne’s official naming ceremony at the Liverpool waterfront. The gala event featured performances by Andrea Bocelli, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and afireworks display. Among the dignitaries in attendance were five distinguished residents of Liverpool, chosen to represent the city at the naming (one of the five was Melanie C aka “Shorty Spice” of the Spice Girls.) Oh, by the way, there were two other notable residents of Liverpool in the crowd—Gail and Mike! And, a week or so later they boarded Queen Mary for a nine-day cruise. Gail and Mike are members of The Joy of Cruising Podcast Facebook group, and when I heard about their plans to sail on one of the first cruises on Queen Anne, I immediately reached out because I am sure many of our listeners are interested in this signicant new entrant into the cruise industry. I am delighted Gail and Mike are joining us today to tell us all about their experience at the naming ceremony and their cruise on this monumental ship. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Brandee Lake, The Ultimate World Cruise | 11 Jul 2024 | 01:11:25 | |
I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, a special guest straight from somewhere in the world, Brandee Lake, the creator of Tik Tok’s 179k followers iambrandeelake, and same named Instagram. Brandee’s profile at IG says simply: “Asia finishing…Africa loading.”
On December 10, 2023, Brandee embarked in Miami Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise on Serenade of the Seas and is scheduled to disembark in Miami on September 10, 2024. In mid-2023, Brandee had announced she was stepping away from corporate America for a 9-month world cruise with her parents and younger sister and urged friends to follow along with her journey on social media.
Within days the Ultimate World Cruise became a social media sensation, and for several passengers it became a social media obsession. The best known of those passengers is Brandee Lake.
The Ultimate World Cruise is scheduled for 274 days and is divided into four segments: Ultimate Americas Cruise
Ultimate Asia Pacific Cruise
Ultimate Africa and Southern Europe
· 63 nights from May 9, 2024, to July 10, 2024 · 38 destinations from Dubai to Barcelona. It includes Mauritius, Seychelles, Cape Town, Dakar and Nice · 4 Wonders of the World, including the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Temple of Artemis Ultimate Europe and Beyond Cruise
It is now my pleasure to bring Brandee’s story to the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Alex The Cruiser | 08 Jul 2024 | 00:55:06 | |
This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Alex Roberson, creator of Alex the Cruiser, internet persona and major cruise Facebook and Instagram cruise personality. Alex has been cruising since he was 5 years old and has over 150 days at sea under his belt. He currently has his 27th, 28th, and 29th cruises booked, and he just can't get enough of the cruising lifestyle.
Alex is a social media influencer who is renowned for his real-time cruising experiences. His Facebook pages, including his personal page, have a combined following of over 130,000 people, with 30,000 of those followers on his personal page alone. His passion for cruising is infectious, and he loves nothing more than sharing his experiences with fellow cruise enthusiasts.
In addition to his social media presence, Alex has recently started making and selling custom cruise decorations, including personalized koozies and wooden cabin door signs, which have become a fan favorite. He works closely with Derek and Amanda from Island Time Travel, and they have a large group cruise planned for the very first sailing out of Galveston on the MSC Seascape on November 9th, 2025. With 100 rooms already booked, Alex and his friends are eagerly counting down the days until they can set sail again. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Jazz Cruises: The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, & Chris Botti at Sea | 04 Jul 2024 | 00:48:16 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director and Owner, Jazz Cruises, the world’s leader in full-ship charter jazz music cruises, having produced over 90 full-ship charters featuring more than 2000 musicians including several legendary performers and dozens of Grammy winners. Jazz Cruisesis comprised principally of a portfolio of three theme cruises: The Jazz Cruise, launched in 2001, the first and only full-ship cruise charter dedicated to “straight-ahead” jazz; The Smooth Jazz Cruise, the company’s flagship cruise it holds twice each spring. The Smooth Jazz Cruise sold out its first sailing in 2004 and has held 34 consecutive sold out cruises since; and, Botti at Sea, designed in the spirit and style of Grammy-winning world renowned trumpeter Chris Botti.
I wrote about Michael and Jazz Cruises in my new release, The Joy of Cruising Again http://amzn.to/3lAfyON. I got to meet Michael when I checked off a bucket list item by sailing The Smooth Jazz Cruise in 2023 which included performances by just about ‘everyone who is anyone in smooth jazz,’ such as Marcus Miller, Boney James, Gerald Albright, Candy Dulfer, Bryan Culbertson, Take 6, and one of my favorite comedians, Alonzo Bodden. I got to take photos with Michael McDonald, and with Peter White. I even met rising saxophone star Vince Ingala who agreed to come on The Joy of Cruising Podcast when I was first starting out and for that I am forever appreciative. (Vincent Ingala: Performing On Theme Cruises https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/12246466)
Many of you know about my love for music, and smooth jazz is my favorite genre. I have wanted to profile Michael and his importance to live jazz on the ocean since my first cruising book, The Joy of Cruising. I remember my reaction when Michael agreed to talk about Jazz Cruises, LLC in The Joy of Cruising Again, and I am similarly ecstatic to get to chat with him again for the global cruise community to hear. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Cruising Canucks | 01 Jul 2024 | 00:55:58 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Jill and Jerry, creators of Cruising Canucks the Canada-based blog, YouTube channel, Facebook Group and Instagram platform. I always enjoy meeting passionate cruisers who are like me, curious about what the cruising world offers and who go out of their way to share their findings with you. Thank you to my friends Paul and Carol Love to Travel—who as you know were on The Joy of Cruising Podcast a few weeks ago Episode 99—for introducing me to Jill and Jerry.
I consider Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators as Cruise Community Champions and have featured them throughout The Joy of Cruising Trilogy and on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Passionate cruisers like Jill and Jerry epitomize the joy of cruising; they are so passionate about cruising that they want to share it with the world! Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators champion the cause of cruising and at the same time they are champions to cruise fans by providing them with free, useful information, reviews, videos, photos, and cruise tips to cruisers planning a voyage, and prospective cruisers considering their first cruise.
I have enjoyed Jill and Jerry’s videos at the Cruising Canucks channel and it is now my pleasure to chat with them, and to share their story with the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Team Reese Travels | 27 Jun 2024 | 01:15:34 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Raimele (Rai) and ShaKeia (Keke) Reese, creators of the fast-growing Team Reese Travels YouTube channel, Instagram platform, and Facebook Group. In addition, Keke partners with Charvon of Parkers On The Go, and Cheryl of SIG Cruiser as hosts of the Cruise Kibitz podcast. Created in 2020, Team Reese Travels is truly a family affair as 10-year old Raimele Jr. (RJ) not only accompanies one or both parents on most cruises, but RJ plays a significant role on Team Reese Travels videos. When the caption states RJ Cam, the camera shows RJ behind a mic wearing headphones and he provides his input!
From the Team Reese Travels channel: We're a travel-loving family of three, exploring the world and creating unforgettable memories. Join our exciting adventures, engaging vlogs, and get valuable travel tips to enhance your globetrotting experiences. With a passion for cruises and land vacations, we show our 10-year-old son the beauty and diversity of the world. We're here to inspire fellow families to embark on extraordinary adventures, providing practical advice, destination recommendations, and insider secrets. Dreaming of a beach getaway, city escape, or off-the-beaten-path exploration? Let us fuel your wanderlust and make your travel dreams a reality. Subscribe now for exciting journeys and valuable insights. Join us on this incredible journey!
I consider Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators as Cruise Community Champions and have featured them throughout The Joy of Cruising Trilogy and on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Passionate cruisers like Team Reese Travels epitomize the joy of cruising; they are so passionate about cruising that they want to share it with the world!
It is my pleasure to chat with RAI & Keke, and to share their story with the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Welcome, RAI & Keke, Team Reese Travels to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Eat Sleep Cruise, Mega Ship Riches! | 20 Jun 2024 | 01:17:23 | |
I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Don Buculo, one half—along with his wife Heidi, of the influential Eat Sleep Cruise blog, YouTube channel, and Instagram platform. When it comes to mega ships, I consider Eat Sleep Cruise among the very best content creators/cruise influencers, and 2024 represents an excess of mega-ship riches. The Icon of the Seas, the new world’s largest cruise ship and a new class for Royal Caribbean was launched to near universal rave reviews; the largest ship for the world’s most popular cruise line, Carnival’s Jubilee joined its sisters of the Excel class, Mardi Gras and Celebration; and, finally Sun Princess, unlike in any other Princess ships. Of course, Eat Sleep Cruise has already experienced the 3 stunning vessels and I can think of no one better to compare and contrast the Icon, Carnival Jubilee, and Sun Princess than Don. And oh, by the way, Don and Heidi just took their first expedition cruise to Antarctica, and first river cruise, and you know I want to hear about that with our first river cruise rapidly approaching.
Don and Heidi are longtime friends of mine. They were featured in my second book, Cruising Interrupted amzn.to/3seFU8y, and were guests on The Joy of Cruising Podcast Episode 22last year. Eat Sleep Cruise has been featured in some of the top publications and news outlets globally, and we serve together as USA TODAY 10Best cruising experts. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| A Girl In Every Port | 17 Jun 2024 | 00:55:24 | |
I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Kate Smith aka A Girl in Every Port. Kate Smith is a writer and nurse who has lived and worked all over the world, both on land and at sea. When she’s not writing, she and her husband are chasing two small boys and various animals across their small farm in Maine.
Kate, when in her 20s, went on a few cruises to the Caribbean and Mexico with her family and really enjoyed them, but remained focused on her life as a nurse. By her early 30s, Kate was getting pretty burned out from her job and was coming off a failed relationship and was looking for a big change. So, she applied for a job as a cruise ship nurse and was hired by Princess Cruises. Kate spent the next couple years as a shipboard nurse and absolutely loved it. She recently released a book, "The Unsinkable Aly Brown, RN: A Girl in Every Port cruise ship mystery." Part mystery, part romance, and all heart, “The Unsinkable Aly Brown, RN” is a story about staying open to adventure and the possibility of love. It's very family friendly and is the sort of book that's perfect to read on vacation. The book is based (loosely) on some of Kate’s experiences.” Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Ships and Champagne | 13 Jun 2024 | 00:59:13 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Flavia Gray, creator of Ships and Champagne, A Luxury Cruise and Lifestyle Blog. I wrote about Flavia’s story in my first cruising book, The Joy of Cruising amzn.to/2EAMddF, in a section called The Influencers, which focuses on individuals like Flavia who epitomize what The Joy of Cruising is about: individuals moved by their passion for cruising who choose to manifest that passion in an engaging way when not sailing. Flavia hails from the UK; as you’ve likely heard me point out before fully a third of the passionate cruisers profiled in The Joy of Cruising were from UK, and that proportion has held up through the subsequent books, Cruising Interrupted amzn.to/3seFU8y and The Joy of Cruising Again amzn.to/3lAfyON, as well as The Joy of Cruising Podcast. I feel a connection with my new friends from UK—and I hope to meet a few of them when I finally cruise out of Southampton in 2025. What’s different about Flavia is unlike my other UK friends with whom I have interacted with via email, Zoom, or Skype, I have met Flavia in person twice in Florida on visits she made to see friends in the US. Flavia was also one of the first passionate cruisers—UK or elsewhere in the world to agree to be in The Joy of Cruising. I vividly remember writing her feature—with a great deal of assistance from Flavia—with a smile on my face as it was my first foray into kind of, sort of, travel writing.
Flavia’s feature in The Joy of Cruising, Ships and Champagne was at times quite poignant. A single mother of two saw her singing hobby turn into a full-time career, singing in bands performing at weddings, pubs and clubs. Though Flavia was quite good at her craft—it was not going to provide enough of a reliably constant income. This need led her to a position with Royal Caribbean as a Cruise Specialist—telephone sales.
Flavia progressed in her cruise career and went on to create an award-winning cruise blog, Ships and Champagne—named a top 50 cruise blogger and nominated for UK’s Wave Award in 2017 and 2018.
Flavia loves cruising and remains a cruiser at heart but has shifted away from the sea to the air. In 2022, she started a new travel career as a flight attendant. Flavia does however long to cruise again, and we ask her about her brief change of career and future cruise plans. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Sometimes Sailing, River Cruises, AmaWaterways AmaKristina Reflections | 06 Jun 2024 | 01:18:32 | |
I am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Mikkel & Dan, creators of the Sometimes Sailing cruise website and Instagram. I got to know Mikkel and Dan when I wrote about Sometimes Sailing in my new release The Joy of Cruising Again http://amzn.to/3lAfyON where I wrote about their penchant for small ship cruising as well as “ship-within-a-ship” spaces, for instance, Celebrity Cruises The Retreat, Norwegian Haven, and Princess Cruises Medallion Class. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Mete and I, Always Fun Onboard | 21 Aug 2025 | 00:57:09 | |
Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Anwar and Lametrius Arif, creators of the Mete and I YouTube channel, Instagram, and Facebook page. As frequent listeners know, I watch cruise YouTube videos incessantly as I work on the podcast seemingly every waking hour—often with the sound down. When a Mete and I video comes on I turn the sound up!
Their channel is described as follows. “Our channel is dedicated to love, fun, weight-loss, travel and honesty. This platform will be used to show the world how great married/family life can be. We want to motivate people like us, create memories and to keep our content as transparent as possible.”
Mete and I says, “Our cruise adventure began in 2004, and we’ve been hooked ever since. Over the years, we’ve set sail on more than 20 unforgettable voyages—each one adding new memories, friendships, and destinations to our journey. For us, cruising is more than just a vacation… it’s a lifestyle. Through our YouTube channel, we love sharing that joy with our community, inspiring others to relax, explore, and live fully—one cruise at a time. As of recently we have been exploring other cruise lines. Our latest cruise was aboard MSC Seashore for our 25th Anniversary this past May. We also sailed the Celebrity Ascent for Reconnecting at Sea in February. Our upcoming Group cruise to Celebration Key sailing 7/29. In February 2026 we are sailing Virgin Voyages (which ship) for my wife’s 50th birthday.
Based on Mete and I videos, they always appear to be to be fun-loving and purposeful. So, I am delighted to finally have them on the podcast and increase my circle of cruise community friends.
Find Mete and I online YouTube: https://youtube.com/@meteandi?si=U68ixHZl5GEcOjTr Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Cruise Life Matt | 03 Jun 2024 | 00:54:41 | |
I am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Matt, creator of Cruise Life Matt. I first “met” Matt on Instagram, mainly due to the prevalence of stunning cruise ship drone photos on his feed that caught my eye—leading me to dub him the best cruise ship drone photographer on the internet. Last summer it was my pleasure to host Matt on The Joy of Cruising Podcast Ep 32 Cruise Life Matt.
I follow Matt on social media and recently started seeing both some stunning Icon of the Seas drone photos from Matt as well as his mouthwatering food photos from Icon. As you know Icon is the new largest ship in the world which launched just a few months ago. I have had a number of passionate cruisers on the podcast to share reflections of Icon, and I thought it was timely to invite Matt back to provide his perspective—with a special emphasis on Icon’s food.
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| Nadeen, Hypnotist of the Seas! | 30 May 2024 | 00:55:57 | |
I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, my second special guest in a row that I met on my recent cruise on Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady. Nadeen Manuel. I met Nadeen on my first cruise ever on Virgin Voyages, a transatlantic cruise from Miami to Barcelona, Spain. Nadeen is a global hypnosis authority, and Virgin Voyages sailors got to experience Nadeen in several settings: comedy theater, where I met her as the featured performer; a lecture called Hypnosis Revealed; and several health and wellness presentations like Hypnosis Weight Loss with Nadeen and, Pain Management. When we got to see her—I’ll admit I walked into the venue kind of dubious of hypnosis. Nadeen knocked me off my feet!
From https://www.nadeenmanuel.com Over the past two decades Nadeen Manuel has hypnotized over a million people into an incredible hypnotic experience in over 30 countries around the world. This edgy family friendly event is the one people wait for all year. Nadeen’s interactive show is hilarious, fascinating and most of all will make you feel good! You will laugh and scream with joyful enchantment as you watch Nadeen hypnotize people in seconds into a deep trance, laughing harder than you have in years, and creating memories for life. Come see for yourself why they call Nadeen the Undisputed Queen of Hypnosis!
Nadeen is at the top of her field, making her a world authority on hypnotism, and I am honored to host her on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Dixie Krystals, The Diva, Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady | 27 May 2024 | 00:38:49 | |
I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, a special guest. Dixie Krystals, The Diva, Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady. I just met Dixie on my first cruise on Virgin Voyages, a transatlantic cruise from Miami to Barcelona, Spain. I experienced Dixie in several settings and always enjoyed her. What I didn’t expect is--can she ever sing! Dixie has a website, is on all major social media platforms, and has a podcast, Spill’n The Tea with Dixie where her About Me says, Dixie has been dazzling audiences for 20 years. Dixie chats about her work in the Colorado LGBTQ+ community, her work in theater, reading and baking. From www.dixiekrystals.com: Dixie Krystals has been dazzling audiences for 25 years. She grew up in the small town in Pennsylvania and always dreamed of having her name in lights. See where that got her?! You can catch Dixie on Discovery+ in Generation Drag(34TH Annual GLAAD Award Nominee, Outstanding Reality) as well as performing around Denver and beyond. Her live vocals and tremendous comedic talents are undeniable! She was trained in Musical Theatre and has worked for Walt Disney World, Princess Cruise Lines, Busch Gardens, and various regional theatres. Her passion for community is what drives her to excellence. She is an ordained minister, bingo queen, emcee, and fabulous hostess with the mostess. She’s won an award for her Podcast; Spill’n The Tea with Dixie where she spills the tea on her life and worldly events! Dixie is currently entertaining on the high seas as The Diva aboard Virgin Voyages, Scarlet Lady! Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Cindy & Ken’s 73-Day Grand Africa Voyage, HAL Zuiderdam | 23 May 2024 | 01:12:28 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Cindy Williams. I wrote about Cindy in my first cruising book, The Joy of Cruising, in a feature called, A Cruising Ministry. I have known Cindy, the epitome of a passionate cruiser, for virtually my entire life—we are related. However, when I started writing my first book about passionate cruisers five years ago, I hadn’t seen or communicated regularly with Cindy in decades. She moved away from New York City in her teens, and our interactions became minimal, and then when Cindy embarked on a career with the United States Army, I completely lost contact with her. It was during Cindy’s military career that her world traveler exploits began. During those years, Cindy and her husband Ken created an amazing cruising story spanning nearly the entire world. I found out about it by happenstance while I was writing The Joy of Cruising, and Cindy and Ken fit perfectly as prolific cruisers with fascinating stories, and I gladly asked them to be in the book.
Funny story…when I told Cindy of my plan to write a cruising-oriented book, Cindy sent me, unsolicited, an itemized list of hundreds of destinations around the world that she and Ken had visited. Virtually every corner of the planet was represented: every major island in the Caribbean; China; Australia; New Zealand; Iceland; Sweden; Russia; France; UK; Scotland; New Guinea; Chili; Peru; Ecuador; Dubai; Egypt; Israel; Alaska; Hawaii; Cuba; and more!
Today I am excited to share with The Joy of Cruising Podcast listeners, Cindy’s reflections on an amazing cruise. An Africa journey is at the very top of my bucket list. It won’t match Cindy and Ken’s though—a 73-Day Grand Africa Voyage onboard Holland America Line Zuiderdam! The cruise departed from Fort Lauderdale; the entire itinerary is too lengthy to detail, but I can highlight a few stops: Canary Islands; Casablanca, Morocco; Petra, Jordan; the Seychelles; Zanzibar, Tanzania; Mozambique; Capetown, South Africa; Namibia; Ghana; the Ivory Coast; Gambia; Dakar, Senegal. I’ll post the complete itinerary in the show notes.
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| JJ Cruise | 20 May 2024 | 01:09:40 | |
I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Jared and Jordan, creators of the popular JJ Cruise 60k member YouTube channel, blog, Facebook Page and Instagram. From JJ Cruise https://lovelandandsea.com: Jordan and Jared are a married couple who LOVES CRUISES! They are the co-founders of the popular YouTube channel, JJ Cruise where they give tips, tricks, and insider information on the cruise industry. Collectively they have spent more than 400 nights at sea on over 75 cruises. They have cruised around the world exploring destinations including Australia, New Zealand, Greenland, French Polynesia, Alaska, Iceland, Europe and the Caribbean. Some of their favorite itineraries include our time spent on repositioning cruises such as transatlantic and transpacific cruises. I have long enjoyed watching JJ Cruise videos. They told me they are on ships 75% of the year—I can’t wait to chat about that! It is now my pleasure to bring their story to the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Damon Williams, Comedian/Host, Friends of Festival at Sea, Soulful Epicurean French River Cruise, AmaWaterways, AmaKristina | 16 May 2024 | 00:49:26 | |
I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, a special guest, Damon Williams, a legendary comedian, actor, host, writer, and producer. He is a native of Chicago who has become a household name in the entertainment industry for over 30 years. Williams' journey to stardom began as a young entrepreneur, owning a Subway sandwich shop in the early '90s. However, he caught the comedy bug, and since then, he hasn't looked back. Over the years, Williams has worked with some of the most iconic stars in show business, too many to mention. He has performed stand-up comedy on several networks, including numerous television appearances. Williams' reputation as a highly sought-after comedian led to him earning the opening spot on the legendary Kings of Comedy Tour. I first got to see Damon live in 2018 when we sailed on Celebrity Equinox for Festival at Sea, the 35-year-old perennially sold-outAfrican-American Cultural Cruise. I wrote about Festival at Sea in The Joy of Cruising http://amzn.to/2EAMddF. This is what I wrote about Damon: “The nationally known comedians on the cruise included Damon Williams, featured performer and cruise host from the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show; Damon has been a featured performer and host on Festival at Sea since 2006…” I recently learned that we will experience Damon live again in a few months. We are booked on the Soulful Epicurean French River Cruise on AmaKristina with Friends of Festival at Sea, a luxury cruise affiliate of Festival at Sea. For the full-ship charter, Friends of Festival at Sea will bring its own Comedian Host, Damon, as well as featured Friends of Festival at Sea jazz instrumentalist, dance instructor, and resident DJ. By the way, The Joy of Cruising Podcast hosted Patricia Yarbrough, Founder of Festival at Sea in August, Podcast Episode Today we are delighted to welcome Damon Williams to The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Paul & Cheryl’s Virgin Voyages, Scarlet Lady Transatlantic Cruise Reflections | 12 May 2024 | 00:37:50 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast we want to share our reflections on our recent cruise—a transatlantic on Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady—Miami to the Med. Not a review, YouTube can do a much better job than us, but just our random reflections.
The cruise starts with 8 sea days, so we will be trying so much of the award-winning food we have heard so much about. This cruise was special in a couple of ways. As you know from a podcast we did a couple of months ago, we are on a quest in 24/25 to check some items off of our overflowing bucket list. This cruise allowed us to check a couple items off the bucket list, namely, it was our 1st transatlantic, and our 1st time experiencing Virgin Voyages. Enjoy! Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Paul & Carole Love To Travel, Mekong River Cruise, AmaWaterways, AmaDara, Japan! | 09 May 2024 | 01:09:19 | |
I am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Paul & Carole, creators of Paul & Carole Love To Travel. I go aways back with Paul & Carole whom I consider friends though I have never properly met then. But I kind of felt like I met them in our first interaction when I featured them in my first cruise book, The Joy of Cruisinghttp://amzn.to/2EAMddF and they took the readers on a Havana, Cuba bar crawl and it was like I experienced it vicariously through them. Every time I saw a photo of them subsequently, they seemed to be having fun and it reminded me of that first feature, Cuba Cruising. So, I invited them to do a more extensive feature in my second cruise book Cruising Interrupted http://amzn.to/3seFU8y. And last summer it was my pleasure to host Paul & Carole Love To Travelon The Joy of Cruising Podcast Podcast Episode. Paul & Carole Love To Travel has its own blog, great You Tube channel, IG and more.
I wanted to catch up with Paul & Carole as soon as I learned from their channel of their AmaWaterways river cruise. Chery and I go on our first river cruise this summer on AmaWaterways AmaKristina, so I wanted Paul & Carole to share all about AmaWaterways AmaDara with the listeners. In addition, following the river cruise, they had a dream trip to Japan that I am sure contains some fascinating anecdotes. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Spike Davis, Comedy On the Ocean | 06 May 2024 | 00:43:28 | |
We love stand-up comedy here at The Joy of Cruising Podcast, and no one does it better on the ocean than Carnival Cruise Lines. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Spike Davis, a Carnival favorite comedian, host, and writer. He is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, now residing in Atlanta—when not on the ocean. Perhaps after looking at his Carnival Cruise Tour Dates at https://www.spikedavis.com, I should restate that as: when not residing on the ocean Spike rests his head in Atlanta. He performs on ships a lot! Spike’s not new to this. For the past decade, Spike has been a crowd favorite on Carnival, earning his spot as one of the most sought-after comedians on the high seas. That’s not all Spike does.
Spike has been on the comedy scene 30 years and has shared stages with legends like Steve Harvey, Jamie Foxx, Rickey Smiley, Mike Epps and D.L. Hughley. He's graced national TV on Dry Bar Comedy Show, Comics Unleashed, HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, and BET. His clever and entertaining sets, infused with humor and poignant messages of hope and inclusion, make Spike a comedic force to be reckoned with. From coast to coast and cruising the shining seas, Spike leaves audiences laughing and pondering in equal measure. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Le Boat, Who's On Board? | 02 May 2024 | 00:40:05 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Lisa Mclean, Le Boat, Marketing Manager for North American. Le Boat is the market leader in providing luxury houseboat vacations on the beautiful rivers, lakes and canals of Europe and Canada. They have the world’s largest fleet of luxury houseboats and the widest choice of fabulous boating destinations to choose from. Le Boat has been at this a long time—over 50 years’ experience on the water. Here’s the part that fascinated me when I first heard of Le Boat from a previous guest on The Joy of Cruising Podcast: You don’t need a license or prior experience to be the p of your own houseboat. As Lisa will explain, Le Boat conducts a pre-departure briefing with you, explaining safety, controls and maneuvering the boat, how onboard features of the boat work, and even take you for a test drive.
I first heard about Le Boat from Judy Cohen, Traveling Judi when she was on the show in December https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/14100013. I featured Judi in Cruising Interrupted amzn.to/3seFU8y, and while she is one of the most prolific world travelers I know, Judi enthralled me talking about her return to cruising—during the Covid lockdown—in Canada where she lives, and one of several places in the world, Le Boat operates. “You captain your own boat! When we arrive there—we don’t have a boating license—they gave us 2 hours of training…and away you go. You maneuver through the locks and stop at the various ports.” At this point I loud exclaimed. “Get out, that sounds amazing!” Judi went on to talk about how they brought their whole family, including their dog for a 4-night cruise. They cooked their own food. Judi said, “The kitchen is nicer than the one I have at home!” Read more at https://travelingjudi.com
I am anxious to speak with Lisa, and to have the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast get the inside scoop on this unique way to cruise with family and friends.
Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Hugo Ortega, Founder, Superyacht Sunday School, Seasoned Superyacht Captain, Below Deck TV Star (Season 12) | 18 Aug 2025 | 01:03:33 | |
Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am proud to host Hugo Ortega a multi-talented seafarer who can bring a multitude of perspectives to the listeners of the show.
Hugo Ortega is a Superyacht Captain 500T, educator, and founder of Superyacht Sunday School, a global platform helping aspiring crew enter the luxury yachting industry. From his humble beginnings in the Bronx to captaining superyachts around the world, Hugo now mentors’ newcomers through accessible, expert-led courses that break down industry barriers. He also appears on Below Deck Season 12, as the new Bosun, bringing his experience and passion for adventure to the screen. Find Hugo/Super Yacht Sunday School online Website: https://www.superyachtsundayschool.com/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@superyachtsundayschool TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@superyachtsundayschool Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superyachtsundayschool Facebook: https://facebook.com/Superyacht.Sunday.School/ Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Lucy, Cruising As Crew | 25 Apr 2024 | 00:53:33 | |
This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Lucy, creator of the Cruising As Crew, website, YouTube channel, and Instagram platform. Lucy has worked for P & O and Virgin Voyage in the shops, and for Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Lines as a shopping ambassador. I will be sure to ask Lucy to elaborate on and differentiate between those positions. Lucy’s passion, the mission of her website and channel is to facilitate the entry of others into working on cruise ships. Her tagline is: “Helping People Land Their Dream Job On Cruise Ships.”
After qualifying as a beauty therapist/masseuse at 19, Lucy got a job with Steiner International, a leading recruiting agency for cruise ship spa departments, which Lucy calls “hard work but the best thing I’ve ever done,” Lucy’s cruise ship work includes: The Onboard Spa 2015- 2017 on Royal Caribbean, Harding Retail 2018- 2022 on P&O and Virgin Voyages, and in 2022 she became a shopping ambassador and worked on Disney Wish and Royal Caribbean Harmony OTS. Lucy’s motivation to create Cruising As Crew was because before I she started working on cruise ships, she would scour the web for information on ‘life onboard’ and couldn’t find much, so she thought she would put together something that she wishes she could have read.
I wrote about cruise ship crew, staff, and officers in my latest book The Joy of Cruising Again in a section called “Ship Life,” and from when I first started cruising have been intrigued with what it would be like to work on a cruise ship. It is my pleasure to chat with Lucy to gain some additional insight into that and to share her story with the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Life Well Cruised | 22 Apr 2024 | 01:09:55 | |
I am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Ilana of Life Well Cruised. Ilana is one of my first friends in the cruising blogosphere, having been featured in my second cruise book, Cruising Interrupted http://amzn.to/3seFU8y, and she has been a social media friend since my first book (which Ilana would have been in if not for an email issue!) Life Well Cruised was the second episode of The Joy of Cruising Podcast over a year ago and amazingly, her episode remains in the top five to this day Episode 2, Life Well Cruised. Life Well Cruised is a well-read blog, one of the top cruise You Tube channels in the world, IG and more. In fact, across all platforms Ilana has a fervent followership and Life Well Cruised is one of the mostly followed and influential cruise brands in the world.
It's been over a year, so I wanted to catch up with Ilana, get her reflections on her recent Sun Princess cruise, compare our recent MSC experiences, and get an update of her cruising plans in this red-hot cruising market. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Dream Cruise to Greenland, Tom and Dom Travel | 18 Apr 2024 | 01:02:45 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Tom and Dom, a couple from UK and creators of the Tom and Dom Travel blog, YouTube channel, Instagram platform, and Facebook group. Tom and Dom have only been cruising since right after the pandemic, sailing MSC Virtuosa on a short cruise to nowhere—referred to UK as a staycation as UK phased in cruises after the lockdown. Only three years and many cruises later Tom and Dom are now sailing exotic itineraries to Greenland! Also, in that short time they have appeared in BBC Radio Wales, BBC NEWS, The Times, The Sun, Daily Mirror, OUT Traveler, and Business Insider. They are a CLIA Choose Cruise member 2023.
I consider Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators as Cruise Community Champions and have featured them throughout The Joy of Cruising Trilogy and on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Passionate cruisers like Tom and Domepitomize the joy of cruising; they are so passionate about cruising that they want to share it with the world! Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators champion the cause of cruising and at the same time they are champions to cruise fans by providing them with free, useful information, reviews, videos, photos, and cruise tips to cruisers planning a voyage, and prospective cruisers considering their first cruise.
I have interacted with Tom and Dom occasionally on cruise social media, and it is now my pleasure to chat with them, and to share their story with the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Cruise Tips TV | 15 Apr 2024 | 00:52:03 | |
I am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Sheri of the Cruise Tips TV. Sheri is a special friend to me, having been featured in my first two cruise books, The Joy of Cruising http://amzn.to/2EAMddF and Cruising Interrupted http://amzn.to/3seFU8y, and then being my first choice for the initial episode of The Joy of Cruising Podcast which she graciously accepted https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/12197161. Cruise Tips TV has its own podcast, Cruise Tips TV Unplugged, as well as blog, You Tube channel, IG and more. In fact, across all platforms Sheri and Cruise Tips TV is one of the mostly followed and influential cruise brands in the world.
It's been over a year, so I wanted to catch up with Sheri, get her thoughts on her recent Sun Princess cruise, and share with the cruise community the recent major change in Sheri’s cruising career. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Mr. Bucketlist | 11 Apr 2024 | 01:00:57 | |
I am delighted to welcome this week to The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Justin Sorrell aka MrBucketlist. Justin is a video creator and influencer and the creator of the MrBucketlist YouTube channel where 16k subscribers get to follow his adventures on the seas usually on the newest ships, like the largest ship in the world that launched just last month, Icon of the Seas. Justin recently cruised the launch and did a little bit of everything so I can’t wait to hear the details. He cruises exclusively solo, which is relatively atypical for men, and has done 19 Solo Cruises—3 of which involved leading MrBucketlist group cruises.
As suggested by Justin’s brand name, cruising is only one aspect of his adventure seeking lifestyle. He has checked off over 150 items on his bucket list in numerous forms. Justin is a confirmed thrill seeker having visited over 80 Theme Parks; 49 of 50 States—and that will soon be 50/50 as he just booked a Hawaii cruise for this Spring; and 5/7 Continents.
And then there was this statement on the MrBucketlist homepage, and Justin became a new travel role model of mine: “I vacation every 2 weeks!” Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Transatlantic Crossings: Myths & Facts, Suite Natured | 04 Apr 2024 | 01:14:31 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Linzi and Mark, a couple from UK and creators of the Suite Natured blog, YouTube channel, Instagram platform, and Facebook group. They are a CLIA Choose Cruise member 2024. Linzi and Mark state on their website: Based in Northern England, getting to the cruise port is always an adventure, so we usually travel the day before embarkation to avoid any cruise day hiccups.
I consider Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators as Cruise Community Champions and have featured them throughout The Joy of Cruising Trilogy and on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Passionate cruisers like Linzi and Markepitomize the joy of cruising; they are so passionate about cruising that they want to share it with the world! Plus, I have a special affinity with UK content creators. Such a passionate cruise community and the first person to agree to be in my first book, The Joy of Cruising http://amzn.to/2EAMddF, was a UK cruise personality.
In the February issue of UK’s Sail Away Magazine, Suite Natured authored a feature titled “Myths & Facts of Taking a Transatlantic Crossing,” and they mentioned it on their FB Gp. The timing of coming across that post couldn’t have been any better. I was in the process of creating a podcast discussing our upcoming cruise, one of which is our first transatlantic —Bucket List Cruises 2024-2025 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/14366745. I reached out to Suite Natured, and it is now my pleasure to chat with Linzi and Mark about transatlantics, and to share the story of Suite Natured with the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. It's a fun conservation and ends with a hilarious anecdote. (I told Mar and Linzi they will be sure to be included in my second annual end-of-the-year episode oh the year's "most memorable, funniest, and most embarrassing stories!" Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Where’s Walter Travel | 28 Mar 2024 | 01:01:02 | |
I am delighted to welcome this week to The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Walter Biscardi, Founder of Where’s Walter Travel. Sometimes I mention passionate cruisers I interview who moved me to add a destination or experience or vessel to my ever-expanding bucket list, or to book one already on my bucket list. Walter was one such passionate cruiser who moved me to booking a cruise on Virgin Voyages. Here’s the thing; I hadn’t interviewed him. I met Walter on YouTube where I incessantly watch cruise videos, even with the sound down when I am recording or editing a podcast episode or just listening to music. I happened upon a video where Walter was reviewing every food venue on Virgin Voyages, which was on my bucket list. Walter seemed so genuine and impressed by the food. Most importantly, he was persuasive. Shortly after viewing that video we booked Scarlet Lady for our first cruise on Virgin Voyages next month!
Since viewing Walter’s Virgin Voyages video, we’ve become not just friends and followers of each other on social media, but collaborators. Where’s Walter Travel is The Joy of Cruising Podcast’s Travel Agent Partner. So, shameless plug, you can now book your cruises through The Joy of Cruising Podcast www.thejoyofcruising.net!
Walter is relatively new to the travel business; yet, I wanted him as a guest on The Joy of Cruising Podcast based on the difference he has made in the 15 months or so he has been involved in cruising. Walter’s appeal is mainly as a cruise content creator who I have found that I can relate to mainly because of his relevant and incisive commentary, outstanding production quality, and frankly, his ‘everyman’ persona depicted on his videos. As we became friends, I learned of hisbackground prior to becoming a Travel Agent: over 30 years in film, television, and marketing. Walter owned creative agencies in Atlanta for 20 years. Heard of the Food Networks’ Good Eats with Alton Brown? Walter was fortunate to be a part of Peabody Awards for the show. Wow. Walter started Where's Walter TikTok in December 2021. He wanted to offer honest information about cruising so folks could make an informed decision on whether to take a cruise, noting, “There was so much bad and incorrect information out there as cruising restarted.” By April 2022 his audience started asking him to become a Travel Agent. In October 2022, Where's Walter Travel was launched and realized virtually immediate success. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Cruise With Ben & David | 25 Mar 2024 | 00:47:42 | |
I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast Ben & David of the massively successful Cruise With Ben & David. Their 248k followers on YouTube puts Cruise With Ben & David as one of the top cruise channels in the world. Along with Cruise Mummy, Cruise With Ben & David are the only two-time winners of the UK Wave Award in the cruise influencer category. Among cruise content creators/influencers they just may be the most influential cruise brand in the world. As an example, just weeks ago Cruise With Ben & David dominated cruise news and the cruise blogosphere/vlogosphere regarding an interaction they had with a major cruise line. Surprisingly, however that’s not why I invited them back on. Well before that incident, I was browsing their channel and was shocked to find that Ben & David went back to MSC cruise line—on MSC World Europa—after a “falling out” they had with MSC several years ago, which we discussed when they were last on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. This first of what was to be several MSC World Europa videos was quite positive. So, I reached out to them to come back on to discuss their return to MSC, as well as get their reflections on Icon of the Seas, and just catch up on what they have been up to. Shortly after Ben & David agreed to come back on cruise news blew up.
Part of the reason for Ben & David’s influence is their credibility with the people who watch their channel. They pay for all their cruises, which enables them to provide their unfiltered—and very candid—reflections and opinions about the broad diversity of cruises they take. If a ship is among the world’s top ships, Ben & David have likely sailed on it. They pepper their videos with hilarious interchange between the two. And they feature highly polished video and production quality.
Cruise With Ben & David has been featured in some of the top publications and news outlets globally, such as The Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USAToday and The Mail on Sunday. And, they have made a memorable appearance on the BBC's "The One Show". Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Cruise with Colin and Nick, Cruising’s Young and Restless | 21 Mar 2024 | 00:53:59 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Colin Stewart and Nick Jackson, co-creators of the new brand Cruise with Colin and Nick, comprised of a YouTube channel, Instagram platform, and Facebook Group. As some of you know, Cruising’s Young and Restless has been a recurring section in The Joy of Cruising books taking a look at passionate cruisers of today who will be cruise community leaders of tomorrow. Some of you may know and follow Nick, aka #FutureCruiseDirector. I featured Nick in my latest book, The Joy of Cruising Again http://amzn.to/3lAfyON, and he was onthe podcast in September, Travel With Nick, Cruising’s Young and Restless for his own YouTube channel. When interviewing Nick for The Joy of Cruising Again he mentioned that he and another aspiring cruise director, Colin, were partnering to launch Cruise with Colin and Nick, a YouTube channel that chronicles their journey toward a mutual goal.
I introduced you to Nick a few months back, a high school student, track star, and a part-time employee at the Carnival pier at the Port of Galveston but I will ask him to reintroduce himself. This is my first-time meeting Colin, although we have interacted on social media, and I mentioned him in Nick’s feature. Colin is a college student at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, and it’s good to get to know more about him.
It is my pleasure to chat with Colin and Nick and learn what they are doing together—and separately to further their aim to be a Cruise Director, and to share their story with the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Lois: No Cruise Control | 14 Mar 2024 | 01:08:44 | |
This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Lois, creator of the UK based Lois: No Cruise Control blog, YouTube channel, and Instagram platform. Lois is a highly regarded cruise influencer—39th in the world according to Feedspot. Although she has been cruising for 14 years, she has sailed dozens of cruises. On her website, Lois introduces herself, “Hello! I am a Specialist Nurse and a Cruise content creator, living in London, UK. When I am not posting Cruise photography to Instagram, filming YouTube vlogs or writing about my Cruise adventures here, you will find me supporting amazing families and saving strangers' lives by Organ Donation!”
I consider Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators as Cruise Community Champions and have featured them throughout The Joy of Cruising Trilogy and on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Passionate cruisers like Lois epitomize the joy of cruising; they are so passionate about cruising that they want to share it with the world! Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators champion the cause of cruising and at the same time they are champions to cruise fans by providing them with free, useful information, reviews, videos, photos, and cruise tips to cruisers planning a voyage, and prospective cruisers considering their first cruise. Lois has an extensive and incredibly diverse cruising background, yet she started out with an amazing 22 straight cruises on a single cruise line. Looking forward to asking her about that.
Lois and I have interacted over the years on cruise social media, and it is now my pleasure to chat with Lois, and to share her story with the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Paul & Cheryl’s All-Time Top Ten Cruises | 14 Aug 2025 | 00:36:36 | |
In the last couple of years, we have started checking off some bucket list cruises. Given that they are bucket list destinations, vessels, or both it is of little surprise that several of those bucket list check offs made it on to this list. And as we have a number of bucket list cruises in front of us, i suspect this list will evolve over time. Like later this year, our next cruise is a bucket list trip to the Panama Canal on Holland America Lines flagship, Rotterdam, and if what I have researched turns out to be the case I suspect it will crack our top ten.
This is an absolutely subjective list, not just that it is our opinion only, but offered from the perspective of non-professional reviewers. We don’t have a YouTube channel, so we don’t go over ships anywhere near as comprehensively as many of those content creators. We just thought it would be fun to do. Exactly half of the top ten were before The Joy of Cruising Podcast was created, and the other half have been since the podcast, and thus we have done a reflections podcast for each of the five on the list that we have done since the podcast started two and-a-half years ago. So, you could check them out if you missed them. Paul’s article about the AmaWaterways AmaKristina Soulful Experience cruise at Quirky Cruise https://quirkycruise.com/amawaterways-soulful-experience-cruise/
1. AmaWaterways, AmaKristina by Friends of Festival At Sea 2. Fire & Ice, Hawaii to Alaska to Vancouver on Norwegian Spirit 3. Celebrity Beyond Mediterranean 4. Soul Train Cruise on Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam 5. The Smooth Jazz Cruise on Celebrity Millenium 6. Explora Journeys, Explora I 7. Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady Transatlantic Cruise 8. Festival At Sea On Celebrity Equinox 9. Carnival Mardi Gras 10. Royal Caribbean Symphony of The Seas
Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Hollydaysatsea, Sun Princess Inaugural Cruise | 11 Mar 2024 | 01:02:36 | |
This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Holly Crabtree, creator of the UK-based Hollydaysatsea, YouTube channel, Instagram platform, and Facebook group. Holly is visiting The Joy of Cruising Podcast today to discuss mainly her recent cruise on the inaugural sailing of the highly anticipated Princess Cruises Sun Princess—which you might have heard me refer to as perhaps my future favorite ship. I am so smitten by this new ship—which I am not booked on until April 2025—that I arranged for a cruising content creator to come on the podcast and further pique my interest. (Also of course, to share with the listeners all the bells and whistles on the shiny new gigantic sea playground.) The originally scheduled inaugural cruise was cancelled. So, I got another content creator who was on the follow-up cruise. It too was cancelled. The third time was a charm, and I am thankful my friend and cruise influencer Holly was scheduled to be on the Sun Princess and we are glad to have her on The Joy of Cruising Podcast.
Holly is a multi-award-winning cruise expert who says she is “More passionate about cruising than ever before and am excited to share my experience, tips and tricks, and the mistakes you can avoid.” Holly sold cruises for over 35 and decided to share all the insight she has learned with the cruise community on her various platforms. She points out on her channel, “Throw in a little Yorkshire humour, the odd cocktail-making class with some fabulous cruise cocktail recipes and of course my favourite cruise wine recommendations. So come and join me on this amazing and fun adventure as I cruise around the world sharing all I know to make your cruise experience fabulous.”
I am so glad Holly is here to share her story with the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| MH Family Adventures | 07 Mar 2024 | 01:02:40 | |
This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome RacQuelle and Ron, creators of the fast-growing MH Family Adventures, YouTube channel, Instagram platform, and Facebook Group. MH Family Adventures is a growing YouTube cruise channel with 15k subscribers, and 55k followers across their various social media platforms. Feedspot lists MH Family Adventures as #40 on their recent list of the world’s top 90 cruise influencers. RacQuelle has cruised at a torrid pace since 2019—44 cruises and preparing to go on her 45th as a volunteer with Autism on the Seas (the special needs community is near and dear to RacQuelle and Ron).
RacQuelle Major-Holland is a Cruise Content Creator/Travel Influencer & Travel Agency Owner. She spent 19 years as an educator—uh that’s Dr. Major-Holland—before stepping out on faith to establish with Ron, Major Adventures Travelwhich focuses exclusively on cruise travel. RacQuelle’s first cruise was just in 2019 and now she has dozens of cruises behind her on a diverse selection of cruise ships. Ron is a workaholic and with the family traveling as much as they do, it has really forced him to learn balance (something he didn't have before, and RacQuelle feels is extremely important in life). Ron has worked in accounting for the last 25 years and has served as a business consultant for small to medium sized businesses.
As the name implies MH Family Adventures is truly a family affair. RacQuelle and Ron’s 3 children, Andrew, Dice, and Jo are seemingly in every video and photo although RacQuelle travels a fair bit solo or with relatives as the kids have school schedules and Ron has to work and watch the kids. And on several videos, I've seen where RacQuelle cruises with each of the children, one at a time.
I consider Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators as Cruise Community Champions and have featured them throughout The Joy of Cruising Trilogy and on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Passionate cruisers like MH Family Adventures epitomize the joy of cruising; they are so passionate about cruising that they want to share it with the world!
It is my pleasure to chat with RacQuelle & Ron, and to share their story with the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Venus’ Sydney, Australia Bucket List Cruise on Carnival Splendor | 04 Mar 2024 | 01:14:48 | |
Hello, passionate cruisers! I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Venus Anderson, I was browsing Melanin At Sea, one of the most influential Facebook affinity groups comprised of 96,000-member, created by friends of the show and global cruise personalities A Rich and Jazzy Life. Venus happens to be the administrator of Melanin At Sea (and sister and sister-n-law of the founders, Richand Jazzy.) Following the holidays Venus posted: “We recently returned from our 19-day trip to Sydney, Australia. After planning this trip for about 16 months, we braved the 22 hours in flights from JFK to SYD with ease. Thankfully no hiccups or delays. We had the opportunity to stay in Honolulu, Hawaii for 36 hours and in Sydney for one whole day before boarding the cruise. We took an 8-day cruise on the Carnival Splendor to Noumea and Lifou, New Caledonia.” This sounded like a dream trip to me; I have interviewed well over 100 passionate cruises and many, even seasoned world travelers still have Australia on their bucket list. As I am wont to do, I reached out to Venus and invited her to the podcast so that I and the listeners could experience hertrip vicariously through Venus. I am so glad she agreed to join The Joy of Cruising Podcast.
Venus’ adventure took place from mid-December 2023, through Christmas and New Year’s. Accompanied by her daughter, 13-year-old Autumn, and her cousin, her cousin’s husband and their son, the group flew from JFK in New York to Honolulu, Hawaii, where they got to spend a couple of days. Afterwards, they flew to Sydney, Australia and boarded the Carnival Splendor December 18 for an 8-day Christmas cruise with 2 stops—Lifou, and Noumea, 2 French territories in New Caledonia.
After the cruise they spent 6 additional nights in Sydney and rung in the New Year there. Before flying to New York. Surprise, Venus plans to go back again someday! I asked Venus what inspired her to put together such a grand trip. Many veteran world travelers still have Sydney, Australia on their bucket list. One influence on her to see the world was a quite poignant interaction and left a lasting impression on Venus. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Mike Jason, President, StarVista LIVE Music Theme Cruises, Grammy Nominee | 29 Feb 2024 | 01:02:18 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Mike Jason, President, StarVista LIVE, one of the world’s largest producers of music-themed cruises. StarVista LIVE offers a diverse collection of eight theme cruises covering a cross-section of music genres all generally aimed at 55-plus cruisers. StarVista LIVE’s flagship cruise is the Malt Shop Memories Cruise which features the music of the 50s and 60s, and artists have included the likes of the Beach Boys, Frankie Valli and Dion. Other theme cruises are the Soul Train Cruise which has starred artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Smokey Robinson, and Kool and the Gang; The Country Music Cruise which has featured Vince Gill, Kenny Rogers and Alabama; ‘70s Rock & Romance Cruise with the likes of Peter Frampton, and America; Ultimate Disco Cruise which has featured Gloria Gaynor, and KC and The Sunshine Band; Flower Power Cruise featuring Three Dog Night, and Blood Sweat & Tear; Sandy Beaches Cruise headlined and curated by Delbert McClinton; and, their newest event, The Big Easy Cruise, featuring New Orleans jazz, funk, and R&B and just premiered in November.
Mike is one of the few passionate cruisers I wrote about in two books of The Joy of Cruising Trilogy. Mike and StarVista LIVE was in my first cruising book, The Joy of Cruising, in Malt Shop Memories in a section called “Theme Cruising: Two Passions in One.” In my new release, The Joy of Cruising Again, I decided to circle back to Mike to cover how StarVista LIVE fared with the pandemic. The pandemic’s effect on the cruise lines was major but the impact on operators of theme cruises is about as significant a crisis as they are likely to face. Every consequence of COVID-19 on the cruise lines is exacerbated for a company dependent on full-ship charters, particularly a music-oriented theme cruise company. Not only are they dependent on what the cruise lines do (who are dependent on the Center for Disease Control), but they had two sets of stakeholders they had to maintain ongoing relations with during the cruising shutdown—guests, who in theme cruising are very likely repeaters, and performers, also likely to have an ongoing relationship with StarVista LIVE. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| R&B Superstar Maxwell’s Valentine’s Day Cruise Reflections | 22 Feb 2024 | 00:20:44 | |
Hello passionate cruisers, this is Paul. And this is Cheryl. This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast we want to briefly share our reflections about our most recent cruise. This one was a short R&B music cruise to the Bahamas on the Norwegian Pearl.
The cruise starred R&B superstar Maxwell and was called the “Urban Hang Suite Cruise.” Urban Hang Suite is the name of Maxwell’s iconic first album. This was not part of a series of cruises—it was the first Maxwell Urban Hang Suite Cruise but I am confident it will not be the last.
Maxwell is a global R&B superstar who takes his time releasing new music. The cruise was named after his first album which was released almost 30 years ago, indicative of the staying power of his brand, and his fans are every bit as fervent. Other headliners were Ledisi, Robert Glasper, Sabrina Claudio, Leela James, Musiq Soulchild, Gallant, and comedian A-Train. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, Former CEO of Celebrity Cruises; Author, Making Waves: A Woman's Rise to the Top Using Smarts, Heart, and Courage Episode | 20 Feb 2024 | 00:56:32 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome a special guest, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. Among the global cruise personalities, we are blessed to host, today, I am honored to welcome another one of those Googleable individuals we occasionally have the honor to host. Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, the Chief Executive Officer of Celebrity Cruises from 2015-2023 is admired across the cruise industry for her accomplishments during her tenure at Celebrity, and she is a role model to women leaders and aspiring leaders beyond cruising. The legion of women, and men, interested in the leadership lessons of Lisa’s brilliant career is about to grow significantly, because today February 20, Lisa’s new book, Making Waves, A Woman's Rise to the Top Using Smarts, Heart, and Courage is released. So, besides being fortunate to be able to host someone of Lisa’s stature on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, we get to do so on the launch day of her new bestseller-to-be! ‘It's the stuff dreams are made of to start at the bottom and make it to the top. But that’s what happened to theVice Chairman of External Affairs for the Royal Caribbean Group and Former CEO of Celebrity Cruises Lisa Lutoff-Perlo who got her start in an entry-level sales position selling cruises door-to-door to travel agencies in New England and then found herself running a multibillion-dollar global company.’ Lisa Lutoff-Perlo is a high-impact leader in the travel and hospitality industry, whose vision and strategy not only propelled Celebrity Cruises to achieve transformational financial results as a brand within the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. portfolio but also dramatically increased the number of women in leadership roles throughout the Celebrity brand. Her passion for building extraordinary ships, creating unique experiences, and opening up the world through travel has brought recognition and countless awards to Lisa and Celebrity Cruises. Lisa and Celebrity have achieved global impact, earning her a reputation as a trailblazer bringing transformation, diversity, and inclusion into the travel and hospitality industry and onto bridges of ships. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| World's Largest Ship, Icon of the Seas Launch With A Rich and Jazzy Life | 15 Feb 2024 | 01:25:40 | |
This week I am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Rich and Jasmine of A Rich and Jazzy Life. It is only fitting that this first the first reflections of the launch cruise of the world’s largest ship come from one of the world’s most influential cruise personalities. A Rich and Jazzy Life has over 101K followers on their You Tube channel, and perhaps even more impressive is their 95k Facebook affinity group, one of the largest Melanin at Sea. Rich and Jasmine also were featured in my new release The Joy of Cruising Again amzn.to/3lAfyON.
Rich and Jasmine first appeared on The Joy of Cruising Podcast in May 2023, so I know that have plenty of cruises to discuss, but first and foremost let’s delight in today’s ship, Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Bucket List Cruises 2024-2025 | 12 Feb 2024 | 00:26:31 | |
We were blessed to check off some of our bucket list in the past 14 months: Mediterranean Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Hawaii, and Alaska. We’re leveling up with our bucket list cruises for 2024-2025. In this short bonus episode on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Paul and Mrs. The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Cheryl, discuss their plans to check off some cruise bucket list items in 2024-2025. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Alanna Zingano, Travel The World From A To Z | 08 Feb 2024 | 00:57:10 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Alanna Zingano, creator of the Travel The World From A To Z Facebook, and self-named blog and YouTube channel. Alanna is a highly regarded cruise influencer. I consider Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators as Cruise Community Champions and have featured them throughout The Joy of Cruising Trilogy and on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Passionate cruisers like Alanna epitomize the joy of cruising; they are so passionate about cruising that they want to share it with the world! Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators champion the cause of cruising and at the same time they are champions to cruise fans by providing them with free, useful information, reviews, videos, photos, and cruise tips to cruisers planning a voyage, and prospective cruisers considering their first cruise. It is a pleasure to chat with Alanna, whose channel I rely on for cruise reviews and information, and to share her story with the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast.
Alanna’s content revolves around teaching and inspiring others to travel more as she shares her advice and knowledge from her own adventures and experience. Her continuous goal is to create a message about weekend getaways, cruise planning, travel and vacation tips and tricks, and excursion advice! She is incredibly passionate about helping others feel empowered when they travel! Alanna can be found traveling with her husband Rafael who is known as “cameraman” within the community. They welcomed their first child, Valencia, into the world in early 2020. Both are ecstatic to begin to show and teach their daughter what the world has to offer! Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Happy 1st Birthday, The Joy of Cruising Podcast: Most Memorable, Funniest, Embarrassing Moments | 05 Feb 2024 | 01:37:37 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am thankful. Thankful that you have allowed me into your personal space for 80 times over this past year. I am thankful to the listeners that have made this podcast global in 100 countries. Cruising is loved throughout the world! And I am so appreciative of our guests, who make it possible for me to attract you. I only wish I could have included all 80 guests in this show.
We premiered a year ago, with Sheri of Cruise Tips TV, followed up by Ilana of Life Well Cruised. I knew early on who I wanted to start the podcast with. Both are friends; Sheri and Cruise Tips TV was in both The Joy of Cruising and Cruising Interrupted and did my first video ad for The Joy of Cruising. So in the first clip I wanted to honor her and say thank you by playing the first words of the first guest on the show. Ilana and Life Well Cruised was in Cruising Interrupted. She is also in the 1st clip and I wanted to honor her and say thank you by sharing the 1st of many of the most memorable, funniest, and most embarrassing moments in this one year old celebration. Finally in this 1st clip I share my most embarrassing moment. I am sure I butcher the Queens English from time-to-time; and in my very 1st show—that’s right with Sheri—my phone rings and I discovered it well after the episode was released! My most embarrassing moment was when I was a guest on a podcast which shall remain nameless. I made a boo boo, apologized to the host and completed an otherwise very nice conversation. Of course my expectation was that the host would edit out my boo boo and apology. Uh, nope. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Alissa Musto, Recording Artist, Singer, Pianist, Actor, Miss America Finalist: Performing On the Ocean | 07 Aug 2025 | 01:06:31 | |
Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am proud to welcome Alissa Musto, Recording Artist, Singer, Pianist, Actor, Miss America Finalist. And Alissa performs as a guest entertainer onboard cruise ships. I am as passionate about music and comedy as I am about cruising so when I get a chance to have a conversation with an entertainer who also has performed on cruise ships, I am in my glory.
What a resume! Alissa’s website describes her as “Retired pageant queen playing piano around the world,” A Musician, Singer-Songwriter, Actor, Miss Massachusetts 2016 & Miss America Finalist, World Traveler, Vanlifer, Sailor, Reality TV Contestant, Harvard 2016, University of Miami (MM?) 2019, and, 30 under 30. Wow, I want to hear about it all.
Of course, what we on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, most want to hear about is Alissa being a guest entertainer for Holland America, Princess, Celebrity, MSC and Norwegian Cruise Lines. Alissa has dazzled audiences while sailing through over 50 countries. The song quickly hit 20,000 views on Facebook and Alissa's story was featured in Conde Nast Traveler, GEN (a Medium publication), The Washington Post, the cover page of The Herald News, NBC Boston, Good Morning America and ABC's national lifestyle network, Localish. 0uAO9O31ai3Yftyth109 Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Sean and Stef | 01 Feb 2024 | 00:42:42 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Stefanie Mullen, co-creator of the Sean and Stef blog and YouTube Channel. From the Sean and Stef website: ‘We are Sean & Stef, your favorite cruise travelers! We are professional filmmakers and have won 3 Emmy awards for our video work. We are positive filmmakers who focus on the joys of travel and all the fun that goes along with the journey. We travel the world exploring destinations, all while making video memories that last a lifetime. Our mission is to inspire and connect with people all around the world and show them the joys of traveling. We are personally and emotionally fulfilled by the amazing people we meet and hope to continue this great journey as far as the road will take us.’
Sean was a talented artist, visual effects guru, and magical storyteller. Sean's talents took him all over the world and has won him many accolades, including three Emmys. He worked on a few Hollywood productions and TV shows, creating his own company, Rampant Design, before landing his dream job of helping to create magic for Disney theme parks. On February 24, 2020, Sean was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and was given roughly three months to live. Refusing to accept that timeline, a friend helped get Sean into the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and Sean was a patient there long beyond three months. Throughout Sean’s treatment, Sean and Stef kept their prodigious fan base apprised—especially Stef—via Daily Journals on their website. Stef’s first post was: Day 0—The Worst Day Of Our Lives. Reading each entry was at times poignant, wrenching, incredibly sad, and yet full of hope. After a pause, they also started vlogging on YouTube again. Stef said, ‘Editing kept Sean’s mind active, and filming kept us always busy. We were documenting the good times, the sad times, and everything in between.’ Sean succumbed to his hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer on March 6th, 2021, almost a year beyond the life expectancy given at the time of his diagnosis. He was just 43 years old.
It is my honor to welcome Stef of Sean & Stef, to The Joy of Cruising Podcast. While it is Stef’s first appearance on a cruising podcast since Sean passed, she has not stopped cruising, blogging, and vlogging. In fact, on my last cruise, adouble bucket list 16-day journey from Hawaii to Alaska on Norwegian Spirit, Stef was aboard, traveling with top cruise influencers, Cruise With Ben and David. Stef posts regularly on Sean & Stef and if you want to see vlogs about the Hawaii/Alaska cruise, Stef has a bunch and I love reliving that cruise through her eyes. In fact, Stef has cruised since December 2021, and I have been gorging on great content on the Sean & Stef YouTube channel. Her blog has likewise been quite busy. A recent blog entry was, “Not Happy But Way Less Sad, Year 3, Week 31” (since Sean passed). Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| LifeWithUsTv, Stanley & Lynette | 29 Jan 2024 | 01:16:03 | |
Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and on this bonus episode The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Stanley & Lynette, (the Queen!), creators of popular and growing LifeIsUsTV YouTube channel, Instagram platform, and Facebook Group. LifeIsUsTV is the 17th most-watched YouTube cruise channel with 100k subscribers. Feedspot lists Stanley & Lynette as #11 on their list of the world’s top 90 cruise influencers. Lynette is also a travel agent and books travel and has a blog a CodeFunTravel.com I consider Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators as Cruise Community Champions and have featured them throughout The Joy of Cruising Trilogy and on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Passionate cruisers like Stanley & Lynette epitomize the joy of cruising; they are so passionate about cruising that they want to share it with the world! Cruise Bloggers, Vloggers, and Content Creators champion the cause of cruising and at the same time they are champions to cruise fans by providing them with free, useful information, reviews, videos, photos, and cruise tips to cruisers planning a voyage, and prospective cruisers considering their first cruise.
It is my pleasure to chat with Stanley & Lynette, and to share their story with the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||
| Secrets of a Cruise Ship Doctor, Joanna Nell, Best Selling Author | 25 Jan 2024 | 01:01:37 | |
This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Joanna Nell, bestselling author, medical doctor, and advocate for positive aging. Born and raised in UK, Joanne studied medicine at Cambridge and Oxford universities, then trained as a general practitioner in UK before emigrating to Australia with her husband and kids, where she lives today. It was an Australian publication where I learned of Joanna by reading her essay, Secrets of A Cruise Ship Doctor. That title would stop any cruise ship geek in their tracks, especially a podcaster always looking to bring fascinating guests to the show. As I read the article a broad smile came over my face, as rather than a dry, clinical—pun intended—recitation of the day-to-day activities of an MD at sea it was a fun, well-written, and touching composition. It ended with, “And though I wasn’t expecting to find actual love on The Love Boat, I did. A year after I left the sea, I married the second engineer. Twenty-five years later, our son is following in the family tradition and is now a ship’s engineer.” Yep, I knew I had to try to reach out to Joanna.
No wonder the article was nicely done. I didn’t know it at the time, but Joanna is a best-selling author having written five novels. Her newest, Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year, was just released November 1st and Joanna is in the midst of a book launch tour and media events. So, The Joy of Cruising Podcast is especially fortunate for Joanna to take the time to chat with us. Do you have a dream car? Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new | |||