#40 We round out the end of season 2 with another star from the world of cruise content creation, Mr Gary Bembridge.

At the time of recording Gary has been on 124 cruises around the globe, and he has documented pretty much all of them.

His mission is to help make it easier for others to book their cruises, by shining an impartial light on what the different lines offer, and objectively weighing up all the pros and cons.

I learned all about his upbringing, his early career, how it set him up to succeed, and more!

Hopefully you're enjoying DeckTales so far. If so, please do smash that like button, share your favourite episodes with your friends, and subscribe of course!

I'm gonna take a break from posting for a while as I need to record and edit with a batch of new guests for the next series, and if you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the show, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

I hope it's nothing but smooth sailing for you all out there.

Ciao for now

Sam -x-

Recorded 19th June 2025

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My guest today is the wonderful Emma La Teace, or as she is perhaps better known across social media, Emma Cruises.

She started her own ship vlogging and blogging journey nearly a decade ago, and a post of hers regarding the charity Mercy Ships caught my attention, so I got in touch to learn more.

Alongside raising money for them with the help of a certain Captain Hudson, she has also been busy producing children's books, and recently just launched and co founded the company 'The Cruise Globe'

The Cruise Globe

It was great to be able to hear her story and how she got into cruising, and I'm so thankful not only for the wonderful work she has been doing, but for also agreeing to be a guest on the show.

To see all of the work she has been doing over the years, she can be found here:

- Emma Cruises

Enjoy!

Recorded 21st April 2025

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A little something different today, as my guest Peter Knego is the first person on DeckTales who has NOT worked on ships.

His enthusiasm for them however, has basically meant he's spent more time on ships over the years than some of my previous guests.

Peter fell in love with the old ocean liners when he was young, and his obsession for them only grew over time.

He was blogging about them before the word was invented, then he progressed into vlogging, where he started a YouTube channel which can be found at Peter Knego's MidShipCinema - YouTube, and a website for people who love old ships as much as he does, where the fixings and furnishings he salvaged from Indian scrapyards are up for sale.

https://www.midshipcentury.com

Enjoy!

Recorded 7th April 2025

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Steve and I worked on a Carnival ship together back in the day, albeit different departments.

He wished to remain anonymous for his own reasons, and so used a pseudonym and an on screen avatar for the duration of the call.

This is a choice afforded to any guest who comes on the podcast, and if there are people still in the industry who would like to share some stories, then I strongly recommend you copy Steve's example.

We caught up with one another over the things we remembered, the things we'd forgotten, and the things better left forgotten.

Steve initially worked in the teens club onboard as a host, before he transitioned into a completely different role, where he drilled company policy into new and returning crew, by becoming a corporate trainer.

Have a listen to hear some of his highs and lows from a period spanning about three years in total.

Enjoy!

Recorded 28th February 2025

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Allegra and I worked on the same ship over 15 years ago, and not having seen or spoken with her since like so many of my former colleagues, it was amazing to see and speak with her after so much time.

She worked as a solo singer and musician, onboard a ship that many crew members have dubbed as being one of the rowdiest contracts on the seven seas. The Carnival Paradise which at that time ran a 3 day booze cruise from Long Beach C.A to Catalina, and Ensenada, Mexico.

She informed me that was her one and only ship contract, how she found herself on board in the first place, why she never did another, what she's up to now and loads more.

You can support her incredible talent at some of the following links.

Enjoy!

HOME | Allegra DuChaine

HOME | My Site

Allegra DuChaine - YouTube

Allegra DuChaine (@allegraduchaine) • Instagram photos and videos

Allegra Duchaine | Spotify

Recorded 25th February 2025

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Andy was such a wonderful guest from start to finish, and was referred to me by previous guest on the show Mark Tiffin.

He was on ships for around 8 years, and most of that time he worked as an entertainment host, but he transitioned into a cruise director for a brief spell, before eventually becoming a fly on guest performer.

He is a talented vocalist and pianist, and consistently shoved two thousand dollars worth of entertainment down guests throats (his words not mine) in the form of an Elton John tribute act.

During this episode Andy discussed his own personal highs and lows, how he made it though covid times being stuck onboard, how some of the crew really struggled with their mental health during that time, the various charter cruises he worked on, and loads more.

Enjoy!

Recorded 15th February 2025

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Sean reached out to me and offered himself up as a guest on the show, and as he pitched himself as having potentially one of the best jobs onboard ever, it's fair to say he piqued my interest.

He worked for around 3 years on cruise ships within the broadcasting department, and as he didn't really have to do all that much work he was free to go on a fair amount of excursions which he shared with me in plenty of detail.

He gave me insights into some of the particulars of his job, how a guest narrowly avoided dying on an excursion, what the captain discreetly needed him for and much more.

Enjoy!

Recorded 15th February 2025

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EP 33: Loki was someone I personally reached out to and pestered to be on the show for some time. When I finally convinced him to be a guest after a couple months of persistence, I caught up with him while he was in the Caribbean awaiting his next cruise ship to arrive.

He is a man of many talents, primarily going from ship to ship as a fly on guest entertainer, goes by either Loki or Manuel Martinez, and his on stage persona for at least one of those pseudonyms hails from Cuba, (I'll let you figure out which one).

We spoke about all things magic, cultural stereotypes, and a brief history of time...kind of.

He has also established the magic of ministry agency. Which helps book talent on different types of gigs all around the world.

Enjoy!

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Snejina worked with me on my very first contract back in 2006, and she herself did about 8 years in the industry, completing her first year as a cabin steward, and the rest she worked within the various shops onboard.

I had so much fun reminiscing with Snejina, and she had some really unique, interesting insights and stories from her time spent at sea over the years.

She told me how she coped her whole career with severe sea sickness, a storm so bad she was walking on the walls, what horrors she uncovered in peoples cabins, the kinds of stupid questions she got from passengers and more.

Enjoy!

Recorded 1st November 2024

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Today I spoke with a former colleague who wished to remain anonymous, and so said just to refer to him as Tommy.

All I can say is that we worked together on a Carnival Booze cruise back in 2010, and he did 10 months working as a guest services officer which was his one and only contract.

Tommy told me about the training he received prior to going onboard, crazy types of guests he encountered during that contract, (which is ultimately why it was the only one he did), heart attack at sea, drug smugglers onboard, being detained at the air for being a suspected smuggler himself, and much more.

Was great to catch up with another former shipmate after so many years.

Enjoy!

Recorded January 31st

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