This week I am delighted to welcome to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Iris MacBeath creator of the blog Life of Iris. Iris is a longtime staff member for Holland America Line, most recently as a Media Manager. I wrote the story of Life of Iris in the just-released The Joy of Cruising Again amzn.to/3lAfyON in a section called “Shiplife,” which followed the career of four past and present crew, staff, and officers from three different cruise lines.


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 HAL (before assuming her role as Media Manager, Iris worked in a series of youth activities positions.) Secondly, Iris is what is known in cruise ship parlance as a “traveling spouse,” or a “Spouse-On-Board,” which is the term used by her cruise line. Specifically, Iris’ husband Stuart is a ship officer, and Iris has lived on the ship with him for over 400 days. Those distinct vantage points afford Iris a unique perspective of onboard life, and she chronicles that on her blog, Life of Iris.


Life of Iris was conceived in early 2020 as a way for Iris to document her reflections as a Spouse-On-Board on the Grand World Voyage on which her husband Stuart, a 1st Engineering Officer was assigned. Iris time “I wanted to keep track of what we were up to; basically, because going around the world is pretty cool.” Iris did launch Life of Iris prior to boarding the World Cruise. However, little did Iris know that in the ensuing two years, her cruising career would be directly impacted by the two greatest global crises of the century.

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This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Christine Zimmer, a voyager of distinction. No, she is not royalty, a celebrity, a Cruise Ship Godmother, or anything like that. She hasn’t cruised hundreds of times. She is a cruiser just like you and me…well, sort of. I wrote about Chris in my second cruising book, Cruising Interrupted amzn.to/3seFU8y in the feature, A Voyager of Distinction, in the section “Cruisers Like You and Me…Sort Of.”


It’s always fun to feature someone I know in the book or podcast. Chris lives in southwest Florida, where I lived for nine years and after she retired from a distinguished career as an educator, Chris and I became co-workers and friends when she settled into a part-time career working with adult learners at a university I worked at. Emphasis on part-time: when not helping lifelong learners keep their minds engaged, Chris traveled the world helping seasoned cruisers keep their minds, bodies, and spirits engaged on luxury cruise ships.


Chris is a Host for Distinctive Voyages. What that means is she leads and coordinates cruise activities for passengers that have availed themselves of the services of Distinctive Voyages, a selection of hosted cruises whereby a Distinctive Voyages Host serves as a private expert to answer questions, provide advice, and coordinate the services and amenities available to each traveler in the group: a private Welcome Reception attended by ship officers; an Exclusive Shore Event, a private excursion lead by the Distinctive Voyages Host; and select luxury amenities. I’ll leave it to Chris to provide the inside scoop.

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I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Adrienne and Terrence Bibb, the creators of the popular Addy and Terry. blog and YouTube channel. Addy has been in the hospitality industry for over 15 years as a professional chef but has branched off to go further into another realm of the hospitality industry, travel. Terry is a top radio executive with I Heart Radio, and as learned when I asked him about his radio DJ-sounding voice he is also top talent behind the microphone.
Addy and Terry’s aim for their blog and channel is straightforward: 1. take the mystery out of cruising; 2. dispel any myths about cruising (you know it’s for old people, etc.); 3. help their followers identify the best ships, itinerary, and type of room for their cruising needs; and 4. as parents of 3 young adults understand the need to stretch a dollar and have a focus on value in traveling, and can help cost-effectively plan family vacations—cruise or land. 


Addy and Terry don’t just dispense cruise advice and create fun vlogs, but they can help you put your plans in effect. Addy is also a Certified Leisure Travel Specialist, Certified Cruise Counselor, and member of CLIA, Cruise Lines International Association, ASTA, American Society of Travel Advisors, and ITWPA, International Travel Writers and Photographers Alliance. Finally, they are specialist in group cruises and can help you put a group cruise together and have hosted several themselves.

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This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Kandes Bregman of Sea of Glamour. The name combines Kandes’ love of the sea with hints of her past life as a beauty pageant winner. I wrote about the former Mrs. Southwest and Holland America Line super cruiser in my second cruising book, Cruising Interrupted amzn.to/3seFU8y in a section called “Cruisers Like You and Me... Sort Of.”  Kandes is the consummate Holland America Line cruiser. When I met her, I told Kandes there should be a photo of her on the HAL homepage. In fact, after researching Kandes and reviewing Sea of Glamour, I opened up my Cruising Interrupted interview with Kandes by stating facetiously, “You should be in a Holland America Line advertisement!” Kandes responded, “Well, I was....”


I am not implying Kandes is HAL’s most prolific cruiser or biggest fan, but she would be a good personification of the joy of cruising on Holland America Line. First, from a sheer quantitative perspective: Kandes has cruised virtually all of her over 100 cruises on HAL, visiting 87 countries on six continents and spending the equivalent of almost four years of her life at sea with HAL—all the more remarkable given that Kandes has been cruising with HAL since just 2000. And, while perhaps there are those out there who exist, it is hard to imagine someone who is more of an ambassador for HAL. Kandes is a five-star Mariner—which is HAL’s customer loyalty program—and has over 100 referrals of cruisers booked and sailed on HAL, several of whom are now four and five-star Mariners themselves. 


At the beginning of my new book The Joy of Cruising Again, I quoted a number of passionate cruisers who I was confident had immediately gotten back on the ocean. When I contacted Kandes for a quote last year, she told me. “I returned to cruising in October 2021, for an 18-day Panama Canal cruise on Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam; I was so excited to be back, and we sailed eight more cruises over the next seven months!” That’s a passionate cruiser!

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I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast Scott and Tom, creators of Vitamin Sea UK.  Their credo is ‘Sailing the seven seas (and rivers), 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. 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. Rather than focusing on the amenities that a ship has, we show ourselves enjoying them and what you can actually do on a cruise holiday.’ Vitamin Sea UK is big on Celebrity Cruises but has tried numerous cruise lines, like Princess Cruises for its classic feel and intimate venues like its Jazz club, to the Queen Mary 2 with its classic activities like afternoon tea, white gloves, traditions, fine dining and champagne. They love dressing up for formal nights in a tux; or a twist of formal chic nights, but also like to dress down and enjoy smart casual evenings.


Vitamin Sea UK notes ‘there’s so much to cruising; the staff really make the difference, it’s their attention to detail and service that can set a cruise line apart. Oh, and the food! We love good restaurants and champagne and wine! We love that we’ve made so many friends. There is something about cruising that makes everyone want to talk to each other and share experiences.’ Vitamin Sea UK sounds like they embody The Joy of Cruising. Let’s let them tell you themselves.

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This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Donna K. Philips. I wrote about Donna in my new release The Joy of Cruising Again in a section called ‘The Fun ships,’ where I featured Donna’s dad, the cruise industry, and carnival cruise line food and beverage giant Everette Daniel Phillips, in a chapter titled ‘Hot, Hot, Hot: Donna K. Phillips Remembers Her Fun Ship Father.’


In the introduction to The Fun Ships, I wrote: “Carnival Cruise Lines owned the brand, and the space in the fledgling cruise market, of The Fun Ships, essentially from its beginning with the launch of Mardi Gras in 1972 and Carnivale in 1975. In 1977, Joe Farcus was commissioned by Carnival to design its third ship, the Festivale, and stayed to design its next 30 or so ships. Today the retired Farcus is an internationally known icon of design. Shortly thereafter, food and beverage innovator, Everette Phillips, came to Carnival after stints with Morrisons Cafeteria, Eastern Steamship Line, Commodore Cruise Line (with its dancing waiters), and Chandris Cruises (now Celebrity Cruise Line), and stayed at Carnival until retirement. The late Phillips was recognized universally by the cruise industry as a food and beverage giant. No one did more to bring to life the motto ‘The Fun Ships,’ than Joe Farcus and Everette Phillips.”


Perhaps that bold assertion is subject to discussion. If so, perhaps we can talk about it on The Joy of Cruising Podcast! Joe Farcus was on The Joy of Cruising Podcast episode#30. Today through the words of Donna, who shared much of her dad’s experiences from the time of her first cruise with him at 11 months old through his retirement from carnival in 1997, we get a sense of the other The Fun Ships pioneer, Mr. Phillips, as he was known as by the many people who worked with him and for him.


I met Donna a couple of years ago. I was talking to a friend about the premise of The Joy of Cruising series, and she said, “You should speak with Donna Phillips; she’s part of cruising royalty.” Of course, that piqued my curiosity, and I asked if she could facilitate an introduction to Donna. She stated that she would and then shortly after our call, forwarded me an article shedding light on “cruising royalty.” The article was “Carnival family mourns Food & Beverage giant Everette Phillips,” Seatrade cruise news, by Anne Kalosh, and quoted several former associates of Mr. Phillips, one of whom I was familiar with, John Heald. I knew I needed to research Phillips and meet Donna. 

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This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome a special guest. In The Joy of Cruising books, all the passionate cruisers I write about are special—whether they are “ordinary” cruisers with extraordinary stories, to celebrities, Grammy winners/nominees, a Hall of Famer, to global cruise personalities. Today I am honored to welcome Peter Knego, a cruise personality quite unlike anyone I have hosted before. First, consider the sheer breadth of his expertise/passion. Peter is a cruise writer, maritime historian, and collector of cruise ship artifacts. Secondly, Peter has one of the most unique stories I have ever heard: his home is virtually entirely comprised of said cruise ship artifacts. I don’t mean filled with, although that’s true too—Peter has a collection of over 200 cruise ship models—but remarkably, every part of his home is made up of panels, artwork, and furniture including bars, from scrapped ships. I could easily spend this entire interview on just one aspect of Peter’s amazing background. I’m sure he could regale us with stories of maritime history. I am somewhat familiar with the travel writer Peter. He is a contributing writer for Quirky Cruise and was mentioned when I wrote about both Quirky Cruise in Cruising Interrupted and hosted Quirky Cruise on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Today, I will focus mainly on the collector aspect of Peter’s persona. Besides, Peter has an open invitation to come back on the podcast.


You can learn a great deal about Peter the collector, and his passion for older ships from his website, midshipcentury.com,and YouTube channel, Peter Knego's MidShipCinema, described as “unique, exclusive and personally captured video of the world's great ocean liners and cruise ships...past & present.” This excerpt from midshipcentury.com captures his reason for being, his raison d'être: “… today's mega cruise ships, offer a myriad of amenities to make the passenger forget he or she is even at sea. But unlike ocean liners, these boxy monoliths are fitted out like modern hotels with store-bought furnishings and fire-resistant materials. The era of the individual ship representing the best of its nation's artisans and craftsmen ended in the mid-1960’s. Seizing the one-time-only opportunity to save these items from obscurity or destruction, Knego not only bought items for his collection, but to share with those with a similar love for ocean liners or a penchant for the sleek stylings of the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. Rich, rare, tropical hardwood veneers, heavy nickel plated fixtures, a serving of "high style Italian chic" from Gio Ponti's collaborators, and much more!


Watching Peter’s videos of him cruising these ships, reminiscing about them, and on the global search to shipyards, auctions, cruise ship salvage operations, and even wrecks to find unique ship artifacts is indeed fascinating. Now let’s hear from Peter Knego directly.

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I am delighted to welcome Doris Vasconcellos-Bernstein and Doug Bernstein this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. I wrote about the Florida couple in my second cruising book, Cruising Interrupted, in a feature called “Trapped In Paradise.” Interestingly, when I set out to write the follow-up to The Joy of Cruising, originally titled More Joy of Cruising, I neither knew Doris and Doug nor was I likely to learn of them. Not that they weren’t the kind of passionate cruisers I enjoyed interviewing, and emulating, as Doris and Doug have sailed to destinations and on vessels that are bucket list items for me. I like to tell stories representing cruising in all its diversity—cruise lines, types of vessels, and destinations. So, they would have been a good fit in the book if I had known of them. Halfway through the book’s completion, the world drastically changed. Nations worldwide struggled with the healthcare and economic consequences of the pandemic; cruising was suspended; writing of More Joy of Cruising—now titled Cruising Interrupted—was likewise stopped pending cruising’s return. Living in Florida at the time, I read a compelling human-interest story early in the shutdown in the local newspaper about a Florida couple, the Bernstein’s, who found themselves “trapped” on a cruise ship in Brazil. The newspaper had found out from the couple’s friends about their plight and was able to contact the couple on the ship and conduct an interview. Fascinated both by the circumstances—the Bernstein’s were forced to quarantine due to Covid in a suite on a luxury vessel—and the ‘glass half full’ outlook the couple exuded, I knew that I wanted to reach out to Doris and Doug. And I am so glad I did.


I imagine that for some cruisers, the notion of ‘living the life’ on the ocean— being personally served virtually around the clock filet mignon, lobster, and chocolate-covered strawberries, drinking martinis, fine wine, and champagne, relaxing and luxuriating in the suite accommodations with an unparalleled view of the ocean from your veranda on a six-star cruise line—is an occasional fantasy. A relatively small percentage of cruisers get to experience some aspects of this on luxury cruises. That ‘fantasy’ was Doris and Doug Bernstein’s experience around the clock for 12 straight days. Sounds glorious, except they had no input to this real-life fantasy except whether to order Lemongrass Beef Nam Tok Nua, or Lobster Thermidor, or Milk Fed Veal Escalope. And it took place at a time that outside of Doris and Doug’s suite on Silversea Cruises Silver Shadow—from which they could not leave—the world was grappling with a raging pandemic.


Cruising Interrupted was released at the height of the cruise lockdown, and it was fitting to tell Doris and Doug's story, which was titled “Trapped In Paradise.” Today, I am interested mainly in the wonderful destinations and vessels they cruise. As I said many times, a side benefit of writing The Joy of Cruising books is living vicariously through the passionate cruisers I get to interview, and I long to cruise like Doris and Doug.


Besides avid cruisers, Doris and Doug are both esteemed scholars, speakers, authors, and researchers specializing in psychology with courtesy professorships at the University of South Florida.

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I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast Dan and Jay, creators of the UK-based cruise blog and YouTube channel, Sail Away with Dan and Jay. Let me set the stage by pointing out that the Wave Awards is the UK cruise industry’s premier award; included are award categories for cruise lines, ships, travel agencies, and most pertinent to The Joy of Cruising Podcast--Favorite Cruise Blogger. As you are aware I greatly appreciate cruise bloggers and vloggers and have written about them extensively. In the books, I call them “cruise community champions.” Several of the cruise personalities I have featured in The Joy of Cruising Trilogy and The  Joy of  Cruising Podcast are previous Wave Awards winners and finalists. This year’s award ceremony will be held in London in November. Most of the 2023 Favorite Cruise Blogger finalists have been featured in the books and/or guests on the podcast. Sail Away with Dan and Jay has not, and I thought this was a great opportunity to enlarge my circle of cruise friends, learn about Dan and Jay, and share another couple of passionate cruisers' stories with the cruise community.


Dan and Jay haven’t been at cruise blogging and vlogging for that long, but they have entered the cruise influencer space in a big way. Sail Away with Dan and Jay started out as a hobby, based on a shared passion for cruises and traveling. The cruises aspect of that hobby is relatively new—at least for Dan—he sailed his first cruise post cruising lockdown! That’s certainly not the case with Jay, who first cruised as a child, and went on to serve in the merchant navy.)


One characteristic of the Sail Away with Dan and Jay YouTube channel distinguishes them from most of the YouTube content creators I have interviewed. That is, you rarely see them in their videos! When I was researching them, the first several videos I watched, their faces were not shown at all, and when I did finally see them, it was just a brief cameo. However, their voiceover narrative is constant, comprehensive, and very informative. They note on their website, “Our channel is a little different to the others on the list, as we don’t feature our faces—and therefore don’t class ourselves as “vloggers". Our videos are cinematic, with the aim of showing the viewer as much of the ship as possible.”


In the midst of their excitement about making the shortlist for the Wave Awards, they are also celebrating the launch of their Sail Away Cruise Travel Magazine. I'll let them tell you all about that—now let me go subscribe so I can be entered to win a cruise on the world’s only remaining ocean liner, Queen Mary 2!

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