The Joy of Cruising Podcast
The Joy of Cruising Podcast is a conversation with one of the dozens of amazing cruisers with fascinating stories that have been featured in The Joy of Cruising Trilogy—The Joy of Cruising, Cruising Interrupted, and new, The Joy of Cruising Again. In addition there will be conversations with global cruise personalities and cruisers I encounter with fascinating stories the cruise community would enjoy hearing. Order here: The Joy of Cruising; Cruising Interrupted; bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain; Contact Me
Jeff Cuellar, Chief Executive Officer, Sixthman: Music Festival Experiences at Sea
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Jeff Cuellar, Chief Executive Officer, Sixthman, which offers Music Festival Experiences at Sea. I love all my guests, but Jeff is a particularly coveted one because as many of you know, I love theme cruises and thinks ever regular cruiser should put one on their bucket list. Those of you who read The Joy of Cruising know I have long been enamored of theme cruises and in that book...
Filippos Venetopoulos, Chief Executive Officer, Variety Cruises
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am honored to welcome Filippos Venetopoulos, Chief Executive Officer, Variety Cruises. Variety has been creating a better world at sea for over 75 years, offering travelers the comforts and unique benefits of small ship cruising while exploring the true identity of a destination.
Filippos Venetopoulos is the third-generation leader of Variety Cruises, one of the world's longest-standing small ship cruise companies, founded by his family in 1949. After graduating with distinction from New Y...
Wayne and Charlotte’s Adventure on Norwegian Luna
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast I am delighted to welcome Wayne and Charlotte Carter, first guests I have hosted who can share with guests all about Norwegian Cruise Lines new flagship, NCL Luna. They had a wonderful itinerary: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; and, Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, NCL’s private island. I have had guests on to talk about the previous ships in NCL’s boutique hotel-inspired Prima class—Prima, Viva, and Aqua—and even...
Ralph DeFalco, Cruise Ship Speaker; Author, The Counterfeit
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Ralph DeFalco, a former U.S. Navy Captain turned cruise ship enrichment speaker, who brings a rare blend of global experience and storytelling to audiences at sea. As a Smithsonian Journeys Expert as well as a speaker with Ritz-Carlton, Ponant and Viking, DeFalco lectures on geopolitics, maritime history, and world affairs—often while sailing through the very regions he’s discussing. With five-decade career spanning five continents, including time on the Pent...
Life of R and R (Reign & Royce, daughters of A Rich and Jazzy Life)
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul, and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am excited to welcome Reign and Royce, the creators of Life of R and R. Reign and Royce are 10- and 8-year-old cruise and lifestyle content creators from Atlanta, Georgia. They've been cruising since they were just eight months old and have since traveled to 19 countries on 37 and 36 cruises — and they’re still going! They love hosting kids on their group cruises alongside their parents. When not at sea, Reign and Royce enjoy dancing, tennis, tumb...
Carra Miller, Maritime Attorney; Cruise Passengers and the Law; Hantavirus Outbreak
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Carra Miller, a maritime attorney. I have long wanted to bring to listeners a perspective of matters of law and passenger rights when it comes to cruising. I have been amazed at some of my findings regarding a cursory look at some those matters and I suspect, Carra will share some eye-opening information with you. Her visit is especially timely given the burgeoning Hantavirus crisis. With three passengers dead and 17 Americans...
Jason Gelineau, Luxury Cruise Industry Expert, Seatrade Cruise Ambassador for Guest Experience & Wellness
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Jason Gelineau. Jason is the answer to a The Joy of Cruising Podcast trivia question, as he is the dad of a previous guest, the lovely violinist and cruise ship performer and Grammy winner, Emily Gelineau, my guest for Ep 199 but I certainly don’t mean to trivialize Jason’s appearance. In my view, Jason transcends cruising similar to certain other guests I have hosted like travel and hospitality icon...
Travel With Josianne
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Josianne Jocelyn, Travel With Josianne. Josianne worked for several years for different travel agencies.
Josianne told me, “I was born in Haiti. I came to the US 40 years ago. I come from a family of 6 children (like me). I lived in Brooklyn through high school. (Like me, well, through middle school). After earning a bachelor’s degree, I knew working in the Travel industry is what I wante...
Tiana, Crew Life on Deck
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Tiana, Crew Life On Deck. Tiana works in a hotel department, on a European river cruise ship called, The Excellence Countess, a Swiss-operated river cruise vessel. I met her on Instagram where her profile said, “Facts about people working on cruise ships.” You know that whenever I get the chance to speak with someone who has worked on cruise ships, I jumped at the opportunity. Just as Tiana jumped at the oppo...
Colin Stewart, Future Cruise Director
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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 Colin Stewart. Colin was a guest along with another Future Cruise Director, Nick Jackson, when I featured the new brand Cruise with Colin and Nick, Episode 88. I featured Nick in my latest book, The Joy of Cruising Again, and 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...
Rose Perry, SipWatchTravel; Attorney, Certified Sommelier, Cruise Lover, World Traveler
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Rose Perry, SipWatchTravel. Just being a cruise enthusiast and world traveler means she has the kind of stories that I would like to bring to my listeners, but there is so much more to Rose.
Rose is a certified sommelier and lifestyle creator behind SipWatchTravel, a platform centered on elevated food, wine, and travel experiences with a strong focus on coastal living and day-drinking culture. She has a...
Paul & Cheryl, Reflections of Virgin Voyages Brilliant Lady, Red Hot Sailing Club Voyage 2026 Featuring Nile Rogers & CHIC
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul, and let me introduce my co-host for today’s episode, Cheryl.
Welcome to this episode featuring our reflections on Virgin Voyages newest lady ship, Brilliant Lady which we had the pleasure to sail March 12-21 on a special sailing known as a Red Hot Sailing Club Voyage, special voyages—I think there’s a couple per year—that feature a special guest performance, in our case legendary performer and song writer, Nile Rodgers, and Chic, guest speakers like the Virgin Voyages CEO, Nirmal Saverimuttu, and other sp...
The Return of Billy D. Washington, Stand-Up on the Water
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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 Billy D. Washington. Billy D. was one of my first guests three years ago way back on Episode 8. He also was the first stand-up comedian I have hosted on the podcast, and regular listeners know I have since had several comedians and other cruise ship performers given my love of comedy and music. Now 230 episodes later it is my pleasure to welcome Billy D.back.
I f...
Kenya/Egypt: Safaris, Pyramids, Nile Cruise-Special Episode About The Joy of Vacation's Group Trip April 10-24, 2027
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Hello, passionate travelers! This is Paul, welcome to this special episode pertaining solely to our 14-Day Kenya & Egypt—Safaris, Great Pyramids & Nile River Cruise bucket list trip. An unforgettable journey through the wilds of Kenya and the treasures of Egypt! Discover the legendary Maasai Mara Natural Reserve, the scene of the annual Great Migration. At Lake Nakuru, contemplate the amazing landscapes and spot diverse birdlife before heading to Egypt to marvel at the Great Pyramids and experience the wonders of the Nile on a 4-night full-board river cruise!
Joining me...
Dixie Krystals, Virgin Voyages, The Return of the Diva
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Dixie Krystals, of Virgin Voyages. I met Dixie on my first cruise on Virgin Voyages, a transatlantic cruise from Miami to Barcelona, Spain aboard Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady a couple of years ago. Dixie was “The Diva,” on Scarlet Lady. I experienced Dixie in several settings and always enjoyed her. She was funny and can she ever sing! I was delighted when Dixie agreed to be on The Joy of Cruis...
Sam Catling, Host, YouTube Podcast, Decktales; Author, Seems Like Smooth Sailing
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Sam Catling, Owner and Host of the unique YouTube podcast, Decktales, and Author, Seems Like Smooth Sailing.
Sam told me, “I've been chipping away at DeckTales since November 2023, have written a book or two myself. I live in London.” The mission statement for his podcast is as follows: Welcome aboard The DeckTales Podcast! The first port of call for anyone curious about the dynamic and adventurous world of wor...
The Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection, Kathy Lu, Regional Director
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome back Kathy Lu, Regional Director, Trade Sales, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. When Kathy was here over a year ago, she represented a different luxury brand. I am excited to hear from Kathy now about The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. I perused their website, linked below, and RCYC looks marvelous!
Kathy Lu previously worked for respectively, Explora Journeys and Crystal Cruises. From her beginnings as an administrative assistant, through promotions i...
Jason Venner, Producer/Host, Soul Train Cruise & Various Theme Cruises: 60’s, New Orleans Music, Country, Rock, and Disco
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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 Jason Venner. In a section called Specialty Cruising: Fun and Quirky, I wrote about Jason in my book Cruising Interrupted in a chapter titled, Cruise Entertainment Producer, Director, Creator, MC Extraordinaire! And Jason joined me for a podcast of that same name, way back on Episode 26.
I am really happy to have Jason back. I finally got to meet him in person, first last year on...
Emery Gill aka DJ Gilla, Headlining Cruise Ship DJ
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome my friend Emery Gill, aka DJ Gilla. I call him my friend as I first interacted with DJ Gilla on a long cruise, our first transatlantic, it was Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady where I would find some shade around the pool and chill, or groove, depending on what he was spinning. There was a lot of that as the first 8 days of this long cruise were sea days. We got to...
Paul & Cheryl’s Reflections on the 2026 Soul Train Cruise
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul, and this is Cheryl, and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast we are pleasedto present our reflections of the Soul Train Cruise 2026 we just experienced the first week of February. It was a welcome respite from a very busy last few months as I think most of you are aware we went through the process of relocating from North Carolina to Virgina.
We want to preface by recalling a podcast episode we did several months ago about our top t...
Cruising Canucks
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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 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 got out of their way to share their findings with you. That’s what Cruising Canucks is about, and they have a fervent following, "Canucklings," which suggests they are quite good at it.
I...
Ritzy Travel Guide
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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 Bill, creator of Ritzy Travel Guide. I became familiar with Ritzy Travel Guide during my aimless browsing of YouTube cruise channels. I noticed I would stop on Ritzy Travel Guide because the videos were not only rich in production value but also rich with information. I knew I had to invite Ritzy Travel Guide on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Bill shared an amazing cruise and land-based travel...
Rubin Ervin, Child Star on Nickelodeon Family Cruises, to Parent on Disney Dream
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Rubin Ervin as my guest.
RUBIN ERVIN is the short guy with the big voice! He doubles as the Announcer and the Warm-up guy for the #1 game show in the country, Family Feud. Rubin started his career having the Slime of his life as a child actor for Nickelodeon Studios and later became a show host for their live shows. As his career progressed, he so...
Daniel Edward, Cruise & Travel Director; Writer & Presenter; Podcaster, Destination Unlocked
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on I am delighted to welcome Daniel Edward to The Joy of Cruising Podcast. He shared with me:
“I started cruising with Royal Caribbean, where I was Cruise Director's Staff, then promoted to Activities Manager. I was first a Cruise Director over there in 2018. After the pandemic, I returned to cruising with Holland America Line, where I was a Cruise & Travel Director on their Grand Voyages. I circumnavigated Australia and New Zealand twice, South America once, cruised to Anta...
Jones Getaways, Our Ghana Journey—From Accra to Ancestry
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Nikki and Tommie Jones. Nikki and Tommie are the owners of Jones Getaways by Dream Vacations. Travel agency. They are instrumental in my travel life in a couple ways. They introduced me to Dream Vacations and as many of you know we are the somewhat new owners of our own travel agency, The Joy of Vacation by Dream Vacations. I have watched them grow and have emulated them and consider them...
Alan Shapiro, 20+ Years Working and Living on Over 15 Cruise Ships
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Alan Shapiro to The Joy of Cruising Podcast, to talk about what it was like 20+ Years Working and Living on Over 15 Cruise Ships. Alan shared with me:
“I worked on 7 different cruise lines and probably at least 15 ships. Some of my more exciting cruises included going to Antarctica, cruising down the Amazon River, going on a Nude Cruise to Alaska. I even was on a shi...
Damion & Quanda EXP, Travel with Us
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Damion & Quanda EXP, Travel with Us to The Joy of Cruising Podcast. They shared with me:
We’re Damion and Quanda, a couple whose love story started fast and hasn’t slowed down since. Damion moved from Jamaica in 2012, met Quanda, and just three months later, we were married. More than a decade later, we’re raising our two adventurous boys (10 and 11), building careers we love, a...
Paul & Cheryl, Reflections on Princess Cruises Star Princess
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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 my cohost Cheryl. For the first time since we moved into our new house, we are doing a podcast together. Some of you know the past several weeks have been quite hectic for us. We have been slowly moving from North Carolina to Virginia during that time. Weekly we would drive a load of stuff to the home we bought in September. Right in the middle of this moving process...
Sail with Gail and Mike, Cunard Queen Victoria, Celebrity Apex, P&O Arvia
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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 Gail and Mike, from UK and creators of the Sail With Gail and Mike YouTube channel, Instagram platform, and Facebook group. Check out their previous episode at where they were present at Cunard’s Queen Anne’s official naming ceremony at the Liverpool waterfront. Gail and Mike are from Liverpool, UK, and Cunard had announced the unprecedented decision to choose the city of Liverpool as “Godparent” of Queen Anne.
We want...
Wayne Schell, 89-Year-Old Resort Owner, Over 100 Cruises, Bare Necessities Great Barrier Reef Luxury Yacht Cruise
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Hello, passionate cruisers! I am delighted to welcome Wayne Schell as my guest on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Wayne is the 89-year-old owner of Laguna Del Sol near Sacramento, CA, one of the largest, most well-known clothing optional resorts in the us. He also owns Mira Vista, another clothing optional resort in Tucson, AR. I first met Wayne on my other podcast, Lucid Driver Podcast, which is about my dream car, the electric vehicle and one of the fastest cars in the world. Wayne is the...
Paul & Cheryl, Reflections on Holland America Line Rotterdam, Panama Canal and Columbia
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Welcome passionate cruisers. Our brief thoughts about our dream cruise to the Panama Canal on Holland America Line Rotterdam.
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Kenneth Jarvis, Global Citizen, World Traveler, Travel Influencer
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Kenneth Jarvis. Ken is a confirmed Global Traveler (he’s visited 6 continents); Frequent Flyer (1.5 Million Miles on American Airlines and it’s One world Partners); Frequent Floater (118 cruises all in suites, Pinnacle with Royal Caribbean / Zenith with Celebrity); and Business Traveler (Senior Director in Global Networks and Technology for a major telecom company).
Ken is also a retired social media influencer. He has numerous cruise reviews on Cruise...
Paul & Cheryl, Reflections of Our Land Trip to Las Vegas
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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...
Roland & Emma's Grand Asian Invasion Holiday, 86 Days, 35 On Diamond Princess Episode
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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...
Richard Fain, Chairman and former CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, Author, Delivering the Wow
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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 de...
Life of Iris, How Does It Work Living on a Cruise Ship as a Family?
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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...
Gary Bembridge, Reflections on Luxury Cruising, Explora Journeys II & Silverseas Silver Nova
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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 wi...
Matt Hochberg, Royal Caribbean Blog, Matt's Reflections of Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas
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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...
Chris Gray Faust, Executive Editor of Cruise Critic
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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.
<...Life Well Cruised, AmaWaterways, Ama Magna (Double-Wide River Ship), Cruising the Danube—Munich to Budapest
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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...
