The Joy of Cruising Podcast

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This week on The Joy Of Cruising Podcast we want to revisit a show from earlier in the year February 12, Episode 79 The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Bucket List Cruises 2024-2025 where we discussed our plans to check some milestone cruises off our overflowing bucket list over the course of this year and next. This is a mini episode as we are on a cruise to the Southern Caribbean. It may be mini in length but this The Joy Of Cruising Podcast episode packs a major punch in terms of a couple of substantial updates that directly impact the bucket list cruise journey that we are still. 

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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week to The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Jamie Robins, creator of Travel Blog Jamie, a blog and YouTube channel. I first met Jamie over a year ago when I hosted each of the finalists for The Wave Awards who had not previously been on the show. The Wave Awards, UK cruise industry’s premier award; included are award categories for cruise lines, ships, travel agencies, and most pertinent to this episode—Favorite Cruise Influencer. Travel Blog Jamie again made the short-list.

Jamie is an educator by training—he has degrees in Spanish and French and a master’s degree in linguistics— taught Spanish and French, in education leadership. Since that last year episode, Jamie stepped away from his education career of 25 years to pursue cruise vlogging as his primary career. Jamie got to sail Cunard’s new Queen Anne, one of the most anticipated ships of ’24, and we want to hear all about that; been to Bali; been interviewed by the BBC; started a role as a columnist, and more but we’ll let him catch us up.

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

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I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, fun couple Scott & Tom, creators of Vitamin Sea UK. They were on a year ago and were a lot of fun and I can tell from IG they have sailed more fun cruises so we want to hear all about them. Vitamin Sea UK’s credo is ‘Sailing the seven seas two Hawaiian shirts at a time. We're here to show that there's a cruise line for everyone, shattering the image of what some believe cruising is. We #ChooseCruise to embrace new cultures, new food, try new experiences and see what the world has to offer wherever the sea laps the shore.’

I ‘met’ Vitamin Sea UK on Instagram via my The Joy of Cruising Podcast account. Our mutual interest in cruising was obvious from the beginning. What made Vitamin Sea UK captivating is that they always seem to be fun, happy, and embracing the moment.  I’m sure you have heard some variation of ‘there is no such thing as a bad cruise.’ Well, Scott and Tom seem like the poster boys representing that ethos. Indeed, they describe themselves ‘as a fun, happy couple that both have a passion for travel, adventures, and embracing new cultures.’

They have full-time jobs but have been able to carve out time for themselves to cruise the world. I love to keep up with them on Instagram where through imagery they epitomize ‘the Joy of cruising,’ and they certainly have gone on some great cruises since we spoke last year so let’s hear all about it.

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

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The Joy of Cruising  is delighted to welcome sisters Juliet & Janice, creators of Cruise Sisters. The Cruise Sisters brand launched in 2015.  I am pleased to note that Juliet and Janice are our first guests from Germany. 

The Cruise Sisters love traveling, especially at sea, and have been cruising together since 2009. They  have been on over 65 cruises, and through their blog offer suggestions for different cruises, their top activities on sea days, insider tips for local highlights ashore and take us with them on their  travels virtually on Instagram.

The Cruise Sisters are independent and stress that they only write about our their own impressions vowing to remain authentic and honest. They are not a partner of a travel agency and do not sell anything via affiliate links, stating, “We just want to help other travelers with our experiences when choosing their next cruise and, above all, encourage readers to try out a new cruise line. We try to stay as unbiased as possible.” Janice is Juliet’s older sister. They point out, “Despite our age difference, there is nothing better for us than traveling together. We love traveling the world with our family, because cruising is such a nice way to spend time together and at the same time each individual can join in activities they like. We love to get to know the cultures, to try the typical food and to immerse ourselves completely in the world of cruising.”

The Cruise Sisters have also published a travel guidebook to the Western Mediterranean in 2020, but it is only available in German. The book focuses on port cities in the western Mediterranean and reveals their favorite spots and insider tips. Barcelona, Genoa, Marseille, Naples, Nice, Palma and Valencia, for example, are perfect for exploring on your own during a day ashore. In addition to interesting facts

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

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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

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Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
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Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
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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

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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

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

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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Support thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
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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

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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 Award

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

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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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
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Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise
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The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
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