The Joy of Cruising Podcast

Send us a text

Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, John Shallo, the founder and editor of Cruise Addicts, a premier online community for cruise travelers. John’s love for cruising began after his first cruise in 1989. He later established Cruise Addicts in 1999 to share his passion for cruise travel with others, and it has become an award-winning destination for self-professed Cruise Addicts looking for the latest cruise industry news, forums, ship reviews, and travel tips. You can find him on the web and social media, sharing his latest cruise ship review, video, travel tips, and port guides. He hopes to continue sharing his experiences and inspiring others to enjoy cruise travel to its fullest.

Relying on ship wifi is slow, unsecure, sometimes not available & at foreign ports travelers don’t want to pay their carriers’ high fees. Save $ with GigSky! Get a data package usable on the ship & in ports. Link to GigSky:  https://gigsky.pxf.io/nloxor. For a 10% discount use code: joyofcruising

Support the show

Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth
Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)
The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted
The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain

Intl Orders via Amazon

Send us a text

Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast,

Cathy and Emma, creators of Cruise Addicted—YouTube channel, blog, Facebook and Instagram platform; and shortlist candidate for The Wave Awards, Favorite Cruise Influencer. Let me set the stage by pointing out The Wave Awards is the UK cruise industry’s premier award; included are award categories for cruise lines, ships, travel agencies, and cruise influencers. As you are aware I greatly appreciate cruise bloggers, vloggers and influencers and have written about them extensively. In the Joy of Cruising books, I call them “cruise community champions.” I have interviewed every winner and virtually every short lister since I have been involved with the cruising industry. Some trivia: the very first person who agreed to be featured in my first book in 2018—when I was just a “voice on the internet”—was 23-year-old Emma Le Teace, now of Emma Cruises, who I reached out to after she won The Wave Award for her Cruising Is Not Just for Old People blog. (Love that name!) This year’s award ceremony will be held in London in November. Most of this year’s Favorite Cruise Influencer finalists have been featured in the books and/or guests on the podcast. Cruise Addicted has not—love that name as well—and I thought this was a great opportunity to get to know Cathy and Emma and to share passionate cruisers’ story with the cruise community. I love this time of the year when the Wave Awards are pending because it always presents opportunities to enlarge my circle of global cruise friends.

Cathy and Emma, is the dynamic duo behind the scenes Cruise Addicted. Fuelled by a shared passion for cruising, they bring a wealth of experience in travel, business, photography, and writing. While rarely spotted together, their backgrounds blend seamlessly to offer you a unique perspective. With almost 50 years of combined cruising expertise – from planning, booking, packing, filming, writing, to pure enjoyment – they are the driving force behind Cruise Addicted.

Relying on ship wifi is slow, unsecure, sometimes not available & at foreign ports travelers don’t want to pay their carriers’ high fees. Save $ with GigSky! Get a data package usable on the ship & in ports. Link to GigSky:  https://gigsky.pxf.io/nloxor. For a 10% discount use code: joyofcruising

Support the show

Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth
Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)
The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted
The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain

Intl Orders via Amazon

Send us a text

Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Sandra and Chris, creator of BritsOnAShip, blog, YouTube channel, and Instagram platform; and shortlist candidate for The Wave Awards, Favorite Cruise Influencer. Let me set the stage by pointing out The Wave Awards is the UK cruise industry’s premier award; included are award categories for cruise lines, ships, travel agencies, and cruise influencers. As you are aware I greatly appreciate cruise bloggers, vloggers and influencers and have written about them extensively. In the Joy of Cruising books, I call them “cruise community champions.” I have interviewed every winner and virtually every short lister since I have been involved with the cruising industry. Some trivia: the very first person who agreed to be featured in my first book in 2018—when I was just a “voice on the internet”—was 23-year-old Emma Le Teace, now of Emma Cruises, who I reached out to after she won The Wave Award for her Cruising Is Not Just for Old People blog. (Love that name!) This year’s award ceremony will be held in London in November. Most of this year’s Favorite Cruise Influencer finalists have been featured in the books and/or guests on the podcast. Brits On A Ship has not—love that name as well—and I thought this was a great opportunity to get to know Sandra and Chris and to share passionate cruisers’ story with the cruise community.

Sandra and Chris, BritsOnAShip, are two Brits from London who enjoy exploring the world, one cruise at a time! They have been on over 45 cruises across nine different cruise lines since their first cruise together in 2009. They love the sound of the sea, discovering new places, good food, beer and cocktails, trivia and making new friends. Sandra and Chris have a fascination with brand new cruise ships, cruise technology and providing tips on plus sized cruising so watch out for more on their platforms on those topics.

Relying on ship wifi is slow, unsecure, sometimes not available & at foreign ports travelers don’t want to pay their carriers’ high fees. Save $ with GigSky! Get a data package usable on the ship & in ports. Link to GigSky:  https://gigsky.pxf.io/nloxor. For a 10% discount use code: joyofcruising

Support the show

Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth
Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)
The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted
The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain

Intl Orders via Amazon

Send us a text

Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. This week I am delighted to welcome to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Leslie Nilsen, creator of Point My Soul North blog, Facebook page, YouTube channel, and Instagram platform. Leslie is a passionate traveler and cruiser, and recently completed a major cruising milestone and a tiny percentage of us have anything like that. She sailed the entire Ultimate World Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas. Sailing on a 9-month cruise fascinates me to no end. I wanted to get Leslie’s perspective. 

She told me, “As an avid world traveler, of course, signing up for Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise was the next only option! Having only sailed on maybe ten prior cruises with the longest being 10 days, doing a World Cruise was a leap but I was READY! I have travel in my blood.  Seeing other cultures, exploring the world for all it has to offer, humbles your soul. It is a reminder of how truly small you are in the world and that literally anything is possible! The Ultimate World Cruise afforded us the ability to see 60+ countries on all 7 continents and immerse ourselves in areas of the world we never thought possible. From the second the world cruise was offered, I knew I would be on it.  I didn’t know how, but I signed up, with a large nonrefundable deposit and trusted the universe that in the two years I had to plan, it would come together. It did! We left December 10, 2023 and circumnavigated the globe to return just last week on September 10 with full hearts, pockets full of memories, and experiences that will take a lifetime to process!”

Relying on ship wifi is slow, unsecure, sometimes not available & at foreign ports travelers don’t want to pay their carriers’ high fees. Save $ with GigSky! Get a data package usable on the ship & in ports. Link to GigSky:  https://gigsky.pxf.io/nloxor. For a 10% discount use code: joyofcruising

Support the show

Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth
Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)
The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted
The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain

Intl Orders via Amazon

Send us a text

Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Kristen Owens. Kristin’s debut novel, Elizabeth Sails (Rising Action Publishing Co/Simon & Schuster), launched two days ago. What can be better than discussing with the author the use of an actual cruise ship, The Queen Elizabeth, as a setting. 

Kristin told me, “After living in Europe, my husband and I moved back to the USA on the Queen Mary 2. The voyage was a life-changing experience. Ten years later, I’ve got my sea legs. Which happen to be a little chunkier because I’ve taken a fair number of cruises and haven’t missed a single meal. And I’ve finagled a way of sailing more frequently – as a speaker. I entertain and educate passengers on writing, literature, and wine. So, I can’t feel too guilty because hey, I’m working, people. I spend about six months on ships and get my best writing done onboard. It’s like a quintessential writing retreat. With tea and scones daily at 3:30pm. To date, I've taken over a dozen cruises (300+ days) as a passenger and over a dozen as a speaker.” 

Kristen has experience sailing with Princess, Celebrity, Cunard and Viking. Kristin holds a Ph.D. in higher education and is an award-winning faculty member with over 25 years university experience. Now a full-time writer in sticky southwest Florida, Kristin has over 100 bylines as a contributor for celebrated magazines such as Wine Enthusiast, Writer's Digest, and 5280. She holds certifications with the Court of Master Sommeliers and Cicerone and travels the world writing about wonderful wines, beautiful beers, and surprising spirits. Her personal essays have won Honorable Mention for the 2018 New Millennium Writing Awards, awarded finalist for the 2019 New Letters’ award in nonfiction, and included in RISE! Colorado’s Book of the Year 2020. is being featured in The Writer's Digest Sept/Oct issue's "Breaking In" column. 

Relying on ship wifi is slow, unsecure, sometimes not available & at foreign ports travelers don’t want to pay their carriers’ high fees. Save $ with GigSky! Get a data package usable on the ship & in ports. Link to GigSky:  https://gigsky.pxf.io/nloxor. For a 10% discount use code: joyofcruising

Support the show

Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth
Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)
The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted
The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain

Intl Orders via Amazon

Send us a text

Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Kevine and Vincent McMillan, creators of McMillan’s On The Go. This episode is one of those I podcast about occasionally when I come across photos and narrative about some unique, bucket list experience. Kevine had posted the following on social media, along with some lovely photos of her family which you may have seen in the promos for this episode: “When you’re told we might just be the very FIRST documented Black Family of 5 to not only visit Antarctica together butttttt to ALL Polar Plunge and your 8yr old might be the YOUNGEST and smallest Polar Plunger!!! She’s tiny y’all, she’s 8yrs but doesn’t look it! She’s very petite!

We will take the title until proven otherwise because I am here for it all!!! 🔥🔥🔥 Mannn, McMillans On The Go is out here doing the dàmn thanggggg!!!” 

I said yes, yes you are McMillans On The Go and The Joy of Cruising Podcast is here for it and I just reached out cold. “Hi, I’d love for you to share your story with the cruise community on The Joy of Cruising Podcast.”

After she agreed, I asked Kevine for some thoughts about their brand. She told me:

McMillan’s On The Go was born from a desire to help families experience the joys of traveling together. Frustrated by how many families felt unable to explore the world with their children, we began sharing tips on budget and luxury travel that won't break the bank.

I'm Kevine, the brains behind it all, an educator, a mom of three, and a travel enthusiast, married to my high school sweetheart who lets me explore the world and tags along to any adventure. Together, we balance our careers with a passion for exploring new places and creating lasting family memories. For us, traveling is a wonderful way to learn and appreciate the incredible beauty of God's handiwork.”

Kevine, a graduate from the University of Central Florida is a full-time educator, a wife, a mom of three amazing blessings—Dominic, Iyanna, and Malanna. She is the main writer behind the blog, McMillan’s On The Go with pop-up collaborations from Vincent. 

Relying on ship wifi is slow, unsecure, sometimes not available & at foreign ports travelers don’t want to pay their carriers’ high fees. Save $ with GigSky! Get a data package usable on the ship & in ports. Link to GigSky:  https://gigsky.pxf.io/nloxor. For a 10% discount use code: joyofcruising

Support the show

Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth
Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)
The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted
The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain

Intl Orders via Amazon

Send us a text

Hello, passionate cruisers! I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Chef Bri Bullard, creator of Authentique Delights. I learned of Chef Bri when I hosted Nikki and Tommie Jones of Jones Getaways podcast a couple months ago Ep 123. The Jones’ had traveled on AmaWaterways Soulful Epicurean French River Cruise on AmaKristina in June, a bucket list cruise Cheryl and I were booked for a few months later. Tommie mentioned in a way that I can just describe as “mouth-watering,” Chef Bri’s presence and culinary role on that journey. Yes, as you can hear me vow on the podcast, I did follow-up with AmaWaterways to inquire whether Chef Bri was going to be on our voyage. She wasn’t but her presence was felt, which I will explain shortly.

Jazzmine Douse, AmaWaterways Senior Director, National Accounts, said, “This past June, we invited Chef Bri her company is Authentique Delight, and she came on as a featured chef in June and she was able to prepare a menu for us as we celebrated Juneteenth onboard the Soulful Experiences. So, we are always looking to continually involve these experiences and add aspects to it, do some trial and error, and this Juneteenth concept is one we want to incorporate in the future Soulful Experiences and it’s our hope to be able to feature Black chefs on each one of these experiences, but it is a work in progress. At least for now we established a fantastic itinerary with Chef Bri, she did a fantastic job and there was so much great feedback onboard from the meals she prepared. She prepared a ___ menu and an Uhuru menu, just talking about freedom and celebration of our heritage and it was truly amazing.”

Chef Bri Bullard was born and raised in the Bahamas and has been passionate about cooking since the age of eight. Growing up surrounded by the bounties of the ocean, she developed a deep love for seafood, which has become a hallmark of her culinary creations. Her early interest in cooking was matched by her diverse skills, including certification as a welder, demonstrating her versatility and dedication.

Chef Bri’s exceptional talent has garnered her widespread recognit

Relying on ship wifi is slow, unsecure, sometimes not available & at foreign ports travelers don’t want to pay their carriers’ high fees. Save $ with GigSky! Get a data package usable on the ship & in ports. Link to GigSky:  https://gigsky.pxf.io/nloxor. For a 10% discount use code: joyofcruising

Support the show

Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth
Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)
The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted
The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain

Intl Orders via Amazon

Send us a text

This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Sarah Dandashy, Ask A Concierge. From time-to-time I have been fortunate enough to host a travel icon who—though they have experienced bucket list cruises—they transcend cruising. These individuals are so influential in travel that I want them to share their story and perspectives, with the listeners. At the same time, of course, many of us cruise enthusiasts would love to sail virtually on some of Sarah’s wonderful voyages. 

Sarah is recognized as one of the leading concierges in the world. People seek her out for her travel tips, advice, and knowledge of trends from the “frontlines of travel.” Award-winning, she was named “best young concierge” by Les Clefs d’or International, making her the Miss Universe equivalent of the concierge profession. Sarah has worked at some of the most prestigious hotels, including London West Hollywood, Four Seasons Washington DC, L’ermitage Beverly Hills, and the Peninsula Beverly Hills.

A graduate of Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, Sarah has lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; London, Atlanta, Washington, DC; New York City; and Los Angeles. She has traveled throughout Europe, the Middle East, and the US. Conversational in French and basic knowledge of Arabic, Sarah can navigate the streets of Paris, and bust out some solid dance moves she learned on the streets of Hotlanta. Clearly, she is no ordinary travel influencer.

Sarah is a television travel expert, best-selling author, and dynamic keynote speaker. With over 18 years of experience in hospitality, Sarah's career took off as a luxury hotel concierge, where she earned numerous accolades and laid the foundation for her widely recognized brand, "Ask  A Concierge." With a following of over 250,000 across social media platforms, she offers a wealth of travel insights, practical advice, and the latest industry trends, drawing from her rich experience at the travel forefront. Transitioning from her role as an award-winning concierge, Sarah now travels the world, collaborating with leading industry brands. She has become a go-to travel authority on major news networks like ABC, CBS, and FOX, frequently discussing current travel dynamics. Her expertise has also

Relying on ship wifi is slow, unsecure, sometimes not available & at foreign ports travelers don’t want to pay their carriers’ high fees. Save $ with GigSky! Get a data package usable on the ship & in ports. Link to GigSky:  https://gigsky.pxf.io/nloxor. For a 10% discount use code: joyofcruising

Support the show

Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth
Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)
The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted
The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain

Intl Orders via Amazon

Send us a text

As an author of cruising books and continuing that same premise in the form of a podcast, I have learned of a large variety of vessels, destinations and experiences that I barely knew existed before I started capturing these stories. Accordingly, as The Joy of Cruising Podcast listenersknow, my cruising bucket list runneth over. In August, Cheryl and I got the opportunity to check our first river cruise off the list.

The itinerary of the cruise, 2024 Colors of Provence, Special Friends Soulful Epicurean Experience Aboard the Chartered AmaKristina was: 

7-Night cruise sailing the Rhone River through the South of France, embark from Arles, France, Avignon, Viviers, Tournon, Vienne, and disembark in Lyon, France 
 
3-Nights Paris, France

Friends in the title refers to Friends of Festival at Sea. Produced and founded by industry icon Patricia Yarbrough, President, Blue World Travel, in San Francisco, Festival at Sea offers an annual African American full-ship charter cultural cruise that has sold out for 40 years. Their affiliated brand, Friends of Festival at Sea specializes in high-end cruises on luxury ships to exotic destinations and filled the 156-passenger AmaKristina for our sailing.

I wrote about Patricia and Festival at Sea in my 1st cruising book, The Joy of Cruising amzn.to/3lAfyON, and hosted her on The Joy of Cruising Podcast Ep 39. Experiencing a Festival at Sea cruise is an inspiration. When I researched Patricia I learned about its affiliated Friends of Festival at Sea brand which sails the likes of Regent Seven Seas and Viking to exotic location like Africa, Singapore, and Paris, and doing a Friends of Festival at Sea vacation has been on my bucket list for years. 

As AmaWaterways is consistently rated among the world’s top river cruise lines it would have been an easy choice for our first river cruise journey. What made the choice of AmaWaterways that much easier was the introduction in Spring 2024 of its “Soulful” series of cruises. To diversify its customer base—which included a negligible percentage of people of color—AmaWaterways decided to take select itineraries and add components that would appeal to cruisers from or are interested in the Black and African diaspora. What made it a “no-brainer” was it a full ship charter by Friends of Festival at Sea, and they bring their own party including DJ, Saxophonist, dance instructor, and comedian, Damon Williams who also has been on the podcast

Support the show

Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth
Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)
The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted
The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain

Intl Orders via Amazon

Send us a text

Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Neil Gregory, a seven-year former videographer on several ships for Princess Cruises. During those years, Neil kept, and continues to update a diary of his time working onboard ships. His story as reflected in his diary is real, raucous and laugh-out-loud funny! “Cruise Ship Diaries” was featured in my latest book, The Joy of Cruising Again amzn.to/3lAfyON.

I hosted Neil on The Joy of Cruising Podcast last year, Episode 20-Cruise Ship Diaries. That hilarious episode pertained to Neil’s first contract, onboard Coral Princess. After Coral Princess, Neil went on to a world cruise on Sun Princess and then contracts on Sapphire Princess, Diamond Princess, Crown Princess, Grand Princess, Emerald Princess, Dawn Princess, Royal Princess, and Ocean Princess over the ensuing seven years. 

Neil says that those years working for Princess Cruises were some of the best experiences of his life. He has seen and experienced destinations and activities that I’m sure that many of us have on our bucket list: scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef; climbing the Great Wall of China, visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia and getting to walk across the Panama Canal. Sure, there were lows—I’ll get Neil to say a little about those—but it wasn’t enough to stop Neil from renewing his contract time after time. 

Support the show

Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth
Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)
The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted
The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain

Intl Orders via Amazon