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
Evan Pettrey, Family at Sea
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am honored to welcome Evan Pettrey, creator of one of my new favorite YouTube channels, Family at Sea. Evan is an entrepreneur, husband, dad, and the creator behind Family at Sea. Before starting the channel, he spent more than a decade building a different business in Virginia, but a love of travel and curiosity about the cruise industry eventually led him to YouTube. Over the past 2.5 years, Evan has taken more than 50 cruises across nearly...
Nancy Soule', Author, Vocalist, Speaker, and Cruise Ship Musician Coach
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Nancy Soule'. Nancy is an author, vocalist, speaker, and ship musician coach. With her books, "Work at Sea, See the World," "Notes That Float,” and "Speak at Sea, Sail for Free"she shares the intimate secrets of life above and below decks.
Nancy is a highly-rated speaker and a bestselling author, sharing the secrets of careers on cruise ships. Working onboard since 2011, she offers insider secrets on the...
Wayne and Charlotte’s Hawaiian Isles Adventure on Norwegian Pride of America
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on I am delighted to welcome Wayne and Charlotte Carter, back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Some of you may recall from their first visit to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Wayne and Charlotte are our neighbors in the community south of Richmond we moved into a year ago, and more importantly they are family. Charlotte is Cheryl’s sister and Wayne is our brother-in-law. Last time we had them on to talk about Norwegian Cruise Lines new Luna. Ep...
Stuart Milan, President of North America for Riviera Travel River 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 Stuart Milan, President of North America for Riviera Travel River Cruises. With nearly two decades travel industry experience, after helping drive strong growth in the UK, he now leads expansion across the U.S. and Canada from the Fort Lauderdale headquarters.
Stuart Milan joined Riviera Travel River Cruises in 2019 and serves as the President of North America. In his role, Milandivides his time equally between the U.K...
Alexandra Carrier, Private Charter Yacht Trip Through the Croatian Islands
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Alexandra Carrier, a luxury travel advisor in Austin, Texas area. This past summer Alexandra hosted a private charter yacht trip through the Croatian islands. She told me, “Many people said they could never cruise any other way after a week on board. We were able to visit small ports, had lots of swim stops, enjoyed the local food, had private tours of the cities with time to explore on...
Lesley Carter, Bucket List Publications, “The Most Amazing Traveler I’ve Ever Met”
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Lesley Carter, the creator of Bucket List Publications. This episode is particularly special for two reasons. First, Lesley represents the last great guest of the many I have been able to reach who was featured in my last cruising book, The Joy of Cruising Again, to be a guest on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Bucket List Productions’ chapter was featured in a section called, Cruisers Just Like Yo...
Tosh & George, GNT Travel Pros, George's 70th Birthday Trip: Paris, Barcelona, then Embark Azamara Onward for a 9-day Med Cruise, then Rome-Part 2
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Tosh Junior and George Hodges, owners of GNT Travel Pros, a Dream Vacations franchise, where they work full-time as travel advisors. During their very busy stint as relatively new travel advisors—they went through TA training in the same class as Cheryl, Shornay, and me in late-2024—they took the time to celebrate George’s 70th birthday with a spectacular combination land and sea vacation so grand I had to invite...
Tosh & George, GNT Travel Pros, George's 70th Birthday Trip: Paris, Barcelona, then Embark Azamara Onward for a 9-day Med Cruise, then Rome-Part 1
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Tosh Junior and George Hodges, owners of GNT Travel Pros, a Dream Vacations franchise, where they work full-time as travel advisors. During their very busy stint as relatively new travel advisors—they went through TA training in the same class as Cheryl, Shornay, and me in late-2024—they took the time to celebrate George’s 70th birthday with a spectacular combination land and sea vacation so grand I had to invite...
Karyn Clay, Credentialed Professional Gerontologist, Yes! You Can Travel
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Karyn Clay founder of Yes! You Can Travel. Karen is located in Hawaii—which Cheryl and I were blessed to visit a couple of years ago. Every time she greets me via email with “Aloha” and closes with “Mahalo” it momentarily brings me back!
Karyn combines her passion for cruising with more than three decades of experience supporting older adults. Through professional travel companionship, she helps travelers who may need a...
Shelton and Ke', Your Favorite Couple; Royal Caribbean 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 back Shelton and Ke' creators of the YouTube channel, Your Favorite Couple. I first met Shelton and Ke' doing what I do much of my retired-life time—watching YouTube videos about sports, politics, and my passion, cruising. And where I occasionally discover The Joy of Cruising Podcast guests. I enjoyed Shelton and Ke's fun, informative video style and their diverse choices in terms of cruising, so I thought they wo...
Stacey Parks, Co-creator & Producer, Prime Video Series, Grand Voyages
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Stacey Parks, the co-creator and producer of an amazing new television series that passionate cruisers like me and the listener won’t be able to get enough of. "Grand Voyages" is a cruise-focused documentary series now streaming on Amazon Prime in the U.S. and UK. Stacey has over 20 years’ experience producing more than a dozen feature films and series which have gone on to be distributed across every major streaming platform. In th...
Scott Fleming, President of Aon Affinity Travel Practice, Cruisers Protecting Themselves On Vacation
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Scott Fleming, President of Aon Affinity Travel Practice. Scott and his team work closely with major cruise lines to help design travel protection programs for today’s travelers. Given The Joy of Cruising Podcast audience’s passion for cruising, Scottcan offer a helpful, practical perspective on what cruisers should know about helping protect their trip before they set sail.
Scott Fleming is president of Aon Affini...
Nyasia Monroe, Singer, Songwriter, Cruise Ship Headliner, Performing On the Ocean
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, NyasiaMonroe, a Richmond, Virginia–based—hey homegirl—singer, songwriter, and entertainer known for her powerhouse vocals, captivating stage presence, and versatility across multiple genres. A three-time Stellar Award–nominated recording artist, she has built a career that spans gospel, R&B, musical theatre, and live entertainment.
Nyasia is a graduate of New York City's American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) with a concentration in Musical Theatre. She has performed...
Michele Edington, Certified Sommelier, Wine Writer, and Founder, Cruising With Wine
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Michele Edington, Certified Sommelier, Wine Writer, and Founder, Cruising With Wine. Michele told me, “I created Cruising With Wine with my dad recently as a stop-by-stop wine guide for European river cruises. It helps travelers understand what to drink in each destination before they arrive, including local wines to try, grapes and wine terms to look for, food pairings, bottles worth bringing home, and wine experiences near the port. The idea came fr...
Kevin Jordan, Stand Up Comedian, Author, and Screenwriter, Performing On the Ocean
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Comedian Kevin Jordan. Listeners know I am passionate about music and stand-up comedy. So, when I get an opportunity to host a top stand-up who performs on cruise ships, I jump at it and am so pleased to have a conversation with Kevin.
Kevin Jordan is an award-winning screenwriter, comedian, producer, and former LAPD police officer. For more than 35 years, he has headlined comedy clubs, casinos, cruise ships, an...
Deanne Moses-Wright, Founder, Wheelie on The Waves
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Deanne Moses-Wright, Founder, Wheelie on The Waves, an accessible travel and cruise consulting brand.
Deanne Moses-Wright is an accessibility-focused cruise and travel specialist, disability advocate, and founder of Wheelie on the Waves, one of the UK’s leading platforms dedicated to accessible cruising. Her journey began long before she entered the travel industry. At the age of 11, Deanne was diagnosed with scoliosis and spent much of her tee...
Jeff Nease, Stand Up Comedian, Children's Book Author, Performing On the Ocean
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Comedian Jeff Nease. Listeners know that in addition to my passion for cruising, I am passionate about music and stand-up comedy. Accordingly, on The Joy of Cruising Podcast I love hosting performers from cruise ships, and Jeff has headlined on virtually every major cruise line, so I am excited to have a conversation with him.
‘Hilarious!’ (Entertainment Today Magazine), “A high energy performer able to generat...
Mike Jirout, Founder, Ship Mate/Cruise On; Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Gangwaze
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast; I am delighted to welcome Mike Jirout. Mike is one of those entrepreneurs who transcend consumer cruising history. Along with his brother he created Ship Mate, which I’m sure many of us remember: the first mobile app for the cruise industry in 2009 when Apple first opened up its infrastructure for third-party developers. They grew Ship Mate to millions of downloads before selling it. Then Mike virtually invented the "cruise accessories" market with,
Cruise On...
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...
