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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast i am delighted to welcome back a special guest, my cohost Cheryl.

As you know we are largely in the bucket list checking stage of our lives, and just got the opportunity to check one off. We recently traveled to Las Vegas. That’s not the bucket list check I am referring to—we have been to Vegas a zillion times. An aside, we used to own a chain of video stores—memba them—and the annual conference and trade show of the Video Software Dealer’s Association was held in Vegas and were can’t miss events. What made this trip to Vegas a bucket list checking opportunity was the allure of the Sphere, the iconic spherically shaped venue built by the owners of the NY Knicks and Madison Square Garden. The Sphere, costing about 2.3 billion opened in 2023 with a 40-night residency by U2.

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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! 

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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.

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This week I am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Iris MacBeath creator of the blog Life of Iris. I wrote the story of Life of Iris in my latest book The Joy of Cruising Again amzn.to/3lAfyON in a section called “Ship life,” which followed the career of four past and present crew, staff, and officers from three different cruise lines.

At the time, I wrote that In the community that comprises onboard life, Iris is a dual member: first, not only is she a longtime crew member on various ships for Holland America Line. Secondly, Iris is what is known in cruise ship parlance as a “traveling spouse,” or a “Spouse-On-Board.” Specifically, Iris’ husband Stuart is a ship officer, and Iris has lived on ships with him. Those distinct vantage points afford Iris a unique perspective of onboard life, and she chronicles that on her blog, Life of Iris. The chapter I wrote about Iris in The Joy of Cruising Again was easily the most poignant in the book as I chronicled how Iris’ ship life directly intersected with two of the major world events of the 21st century—Covid and the cruising shutdown; and the refugee crisis in Ukraine due to the unanticipated war with Russia.

Iris came on The Joy of Cruising Podcast almost 2 years ago to recount those events, Ep 62; her story was also featured in Ep 77, Most Memorable, Funniest, Embarrassing Moments of the podcast’s 1st year. Iris also broke some news during her podcast—she was pregnant with her and Stuart’s first child. When we reconnected for this episode, I was surprised to learn she had just delivered their 2nd baby. Congratulations Iris and Stuart! 

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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome back Gary Bembridge, the embodiment of the successful Tips For Travellers blog, podcast, and most notably, YouTube channel. I have to be careful introducing Gary, lest you think of me as being sensationalistic. I’ll just give you one opinion, and one fact about Gary. It is my opinion that Gary is the smartest person out there when it comes to cruising; regardless of what I think, the one fact I will share is Gary is the most followed cruise personality in the world.

I featured Gary and Tips For Travellers in Cruising Interrupted amzn.to/3seFU8y in a section called “The Cruise Communicators.” You can read all about the development and growth of Tips for Travellers in Cruising Interrupted, and listen to his previous visits to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Episode 49 and Episode 118. Today we want to catch up with Gary about his thoughts on some luxury cruise lines, including one we just experience—Explora Journeys.

Gary epitomizes the kind of individuals I sought when wrote I began writing the The Joy of Cruising books, and subsequently The Joy of Cruising Podcast—passionate cruisers who act on their passion in fascinating ways. From a businessman who blogged about his travels part-time, to full-time most popular cruise influencer, content creator, knowledgeable cruise resource in the world!

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Hello passionate cruisers. This week I am delighted to welcome Matt Hochberg, creator of the Royal Caribbean Blog, indisputably the leading unofficial source for all things Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. To say he dominates his space is an understatement. The Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube channel is the second most popular cruise channel in the world, with 378,000 subscribers, its blog is the third most visited in the world and the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is a consensus top three in the world—all the more amazing when you consider Royal Caribbean Blog exclusively covers a single cruise line.

How popular, and influential is Matt’s brand: search “Royal Caribbean” and one of the top results—the first result after Royal Caribbean Cruise Line will be Matt’s blog. He has become almost synonymous with the cruise line! There is no one better equipped to provides his thoughts of Royal Caribbean’s brand new flagship Star of the Seas!

Icon of the Seas vs. Star of the Seas: Which ship should you choose? https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2025/08/26/icon-of-the-seas-vs-star-of-the-seas

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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Chris Gray Faust, Executive Editor of Cruise Critic, the world’s largest online cruise resource. Former travel editor of USA Today, and the winner of a Lowell Thomas travel writing award, Chris has visited more than 100 countries. She speaks frequently on the topic of cruising, and her expertise has been featured in dozens of media outlets, including Forbes, NBC News, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Conde Nast Traveler.

“30 Cruises, 30 Days” Giveaway to Celebrate Cruise Critic’s 30th Anniversary

Needham, MA -- Cruise Critic®, the world's leading cruise planning site and online cruise community, is gearing up to celebrate its anniversary month with the largest giveaway in the company’s 30-year history. The “30 Cruises,  30 Days” giveaway runs from October 1-30, 2025, and will award more than $200,000 worth of cruises – one per day, for 30 days – with prizes ranging from cruises on mega-ocean ships and intimate luxury ships, to bucket-list adventures on expedition vessels and sailings on quaint river ships.

Launching October 1, 2025, Cruise Critic’s “30 Cruises, 30 Days” giveaway will award one cruise per day through October 30, 2025. To enter, visit https://www.cruisecritic.com/sweepstakes each day to enter to win that date’s prize. Contest open to legal US residents, 21+ years of age only. 

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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Ilana of Life Well Cruised. Ilana is one of my best friends in the cruising blogosphere, having been featured in my second cruise book, Cruising Interrupted http://amzn.to/3seFU8y, and on the podcast twice before. Life Well Cruised was the second episode ever of The Joy of Cruising Podcast Episode 2, Life Well Cruised; Life Well Cruised was also on Episode 95, Ilana, Life Well Cruised. Let me be clear, all my guests are great. However, I think I would be remiss, if I didn’t acknowledge that both of Ilana’s episodes are firmly entrenched in the top five The Joy of Cruising Podcast episodes all-time!

That really should come as little surprise as Life Well Cruised is in the top five of cruise YouTube channels along with a massive presence on Instagram and Facebook. I am proud to welcome back one of the most influential cruise brands in the world. And I am especially eager to hear Ilana’s thoughts on her first river cruise.

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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome James and Tracey, making memories one trip at a time, and creators of The Traveling Type YouTube channel, and Instagram. 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 The Traveling Type

 video comes on, I turn the sound up because I know they are likely going to chronicle a cruise (or land trip) I can relate to because Cheryl and I have done it—Dubai/Abu Dhabi, Aruba, Venice, Cannes, Maxwell Cruise—or James and Traceyare sharing experiences we long to do, e.g., Icon of the Seas, Carnival’s new Celebration Key!

James and Tracey said, “Our channel is The Traveling Type.  Our channel allows viewers to experience the world through our eyes. Our channel is our way to share us exploring the world, sharing the beauty, culture, and experiences encountered along the way. We try to provide helpful information, practical tips, or simply an escape through vicarious travel. We were bitten by the travel bug early on while our children were young. Vacations allowed us to create lasting memories while exposing them to diverse cultures and show them that the world has so much to offer. We travel for Family, Friends, Food & Fun, while making memories one trip at a time.  

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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome to The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Jessica Jane Peterson, embodiment of Jessica Jane Magic, a dazzling magician, daredevil, and an experienced sleight-of-hand artist with more than 10,000 shows under her belt—many while performing on the ocean. Jessica has performed on cruise ships sailing to over 42 countries and has also entertained on tours for the men and women serving in the armed forces overseas.

Jessica Jane is a magician, powerhouse performer and exceptional entertainer! She is no stranger to the stage, with more than 10,000 shows under her belt. Just back from starring in the national tour

Penn & Teller Present: The Foolers. Known for her versatility across all areas of magic, she will surprise with her sleight of hand, shock with her daring illusions, and delight with her spirited onstage persona. 

Having performed for major corporations worldwide, at private events for the Hollywood elite, and headlined on top cruise lines around the globe, Jessica brings years of experience and accolades to every performance. She has been seen on Penn & Teller Fool Us, Netflix’s Prince of Peoria, Penn & Teller: Try this at home and was recently in the film The Queen of Magic.

The Show: It's Magic. It's Stories. It's Danger. 

It’s a show jam-packed with magic mastery. Jessica Jane performs daring illusions and mind-bloggling sleight of hand … all linked with incredible stories from her own life and career.

A complete magic showcase. The perfect headline act for audiences young and old, this fusion of classic and modern magical moments truly has something for everyone, and all delivered by one of the most charming stage personalities working internationally today.

Fun fact: I also work as a Houdini and Magic Historian.

Here's what people are saying:

“A very very talented magician.” David Copperfield

“One of our favorite magicians” Penn & Teller

“Jessica Jane Commanded the Stage!” USA Today

“That was amazing!” - Ben Affleck

“You read my mind, it’s incredible!” - Jennifer Lopez

“You must have had a traumatic childhood…because you’re really entertaining.” - Dana Carvey

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