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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome a special guest, Colleen McDaniel. Among the global cruise personalities, we are blessed to host, today, I am honored to welcome another one of those Googleable individuals (is that a word) we occasionally have the honor to host. Colleen McDaniel is Editor-in-Chief of Cruise Critic. She considers cruising to be a true passion, having traveled the world by water – from Alaska, the Caribbean and Hawaii, to Europe’s rivers, Antarctica and Africa – on ships of all shapes and sizes. I first “met” Colleen when I featured her husband John Roberts of In the Loop Travel in my book Cruising Interrupted amzn.to/3seFU8y When not cruising, Colleen loves running, biking, hiking or anything that keeps her moving. Living in Colorado makes it easy to get outside and stay active. She’s also a fan of craft beer, and science fiction movies and TV. Trying craft beers in cruise ports all over the world has become a passion. She’ll talk your ear off about hair bands from the '80s and anything related to "Doctor Who." A Wisconsin native, Colleen roots for the Green Bay Packers – she’s a team owner. She’s regularly quoted as a cruise expert in media outlets across the country, including The Associated Press, Good Morning America, TODAY, CNN, FOX Business, CNBC, The New York Times, Travel + Leisure and Skift. Listen at www.thejoyofcruisingpodcast.com or Home 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 Supportthejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast) The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain Intl Orders via Amazon
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Vienna, Austria has never disappointed me. Having the good fortune to visit for a second
time meant I’d get to experience some of the same things I did on my previous visit while ensuring that I sought out new sites and adventures. When I went in 2022, it was my first visit outside of the US since the Covid mandate was instituted. I was excited but still trepidatious of the possibilities that lied ahead. My first trip to Vienna was on a redeye via British Airways in the business class section and the return via Finnair. I of course felt super fancy with it having been my first time on a long-haul flight in this section. Both airlines provided lie flat seats in business. The meals, beverages and flight were nonstop…to London. With a connecting shorter flight to/from Vienna, I recommend evening flights flying out of NY to places with a different time zone. Give yourself an extra day in the destination of your choosing to get refreshed and acclimated. Not doing that was a mistake I made the first time around. In 2022 when I landed in Vienna, I had to immediately head to a work dinner. If I had planned my trip to arrive a day earlier, the rushing could have been prevented. Nonetheless, I arrived at Restaurant Wienerin in time to order a delectable wiener schnitzel (fried veal cutlet) with parsley potatoes, green salad and cranberries. Paired with a glass of merlot made it the perfect after flight meal. I cannot complain about any of the meals I tasted in Vienna whether it was 2022 or 2024 as my palate was definitely pleased. Again, I recommend booking an extra day to stay. When I returned to Vienna this year, I flew business again but this time on Turkish Airways. What a delight that airline is. From the comfy lie flat seats, delicious food and drink offerings to the friendly and accommodating flight attendants I recommend Turkish over and over again. Arriving in Istanbul for my layover to Vienna left me in awe. I have never seen an airport so vast and clean. The ambiance was reminiscent of a large mall or outlet center. After some time walking, I made my way to the Turkish Airlines Lounge where like the flight from JFK I was again met with grandeur and excellence. Vienna itself was amazing both in 2022 and 2024. During my first visit I was able to walk the Schönbrunn Palace, experience a wine tasting, walk the city streets, eat at several cafés and shop till I dropped. This year, I took a day trip to Salzburg where I toured the locations featured in the movie The Sound of Music and visited the Salzburg cathedral famous for the cathedral square and its statue of the Virgin Mary. While on my trip through Austria this year I was also able to enjoy a tour of Schlumberger Cellars, taste delectable bites and drinks at Einsteins and Long Hall Bar among others and walk the streets of lower Austria. If you’re looking for the perfect, quiet, culturally inclusive yet conservative place to visit, Vienna, Austria and the surrounding areas is where you should go. A nice mix of a bubbling nightlife coupled with suburban influences makes Vienna a great alternative to places like London and Paris. Oh and if you have to choose between British, Finnair or Turkish…it’s Turkish all of the way. Send us a text
Hello, passionate cruisers! I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Jon Saxx, saxophonist extraordinaire. I first experienced Jon on a cruise we attended prior to the covid shutdown--Festival at Sea. Jon was a ‘house musician’ for Festival at Sea, the longest-running and most renown African-American cultural cruise. Created by African-American entrepreneur and owner of San Francisco’s Blue World Travel Agency, Patricia Yarbrough, Festival at Sea has put on over 35 consecutive years of sold out full ship charters of its annual cruise. In addition to Festival at Sea, Patricia’s affiliate brand, Friends of Festival at Sea puts on luxury cruises on high-end vessels to exotic locations every few years. Patricia has been a guest on The Joy of Cruising Podcast and it is really worth a listen, Ep 39. We recently had the opportunity to experience Jon again, this time up close and personal, when Friends of Festival at Sea put on an amazing itinerary River cruise in Southern France on AmaWaterways AmaKristina coupled with 3 days in Paris. Besides being a part of the evening entertainment on AmaKristina, Jon headlined a Gospel Brunch Event. It was during the Friends of Festival at Sea Gospel Brunch when Jon shared his personal testimony that I decided I had to bring this gentleman with the great story to the listeners of The Joy of Cruising Podcast. Jon Saxx was voted Best Local Jazz Artist in South Florida by Miami New Times in 2008 and has performed with jazz and R&B stars Najee, Montell Jordan, Howard Hewitt, and National Anthem Performances for the Miami Heat. Jon was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio earned a degree in Manufact. Engineering. He was employed by Johnson & Johnson as a Med Device Engineer for 4 years. Jon’s musical inspiration, Mr. Wright, his saxophone teacher, taught him to go beyond playing the music, to making the music a reality for himself and his audience! Witnessing Jon in his element, whether or not his eyes are hidden under one of his trademark hats, or 3-piece suits, you realize you’re warching a man possessed by the spirit of jazz that’s as natural as his own heartbeat. Listen at www.thejoyofcruisingpodcast.com or Page 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 thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast) The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain Intl Orders via Amazon Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and, in my effort, to portray cruising in all its diversity, now for something completely different. This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Cris Kostiuk, creator of Cris the Cruising Duck Man. Let me preface by saying that for the most part up until recently, I have been rather ambivalent toward the phenomenon of hiding and finding toy ducks on cruise ships. First of all, I assumed it would be a short-lived trend that would fade away. Wrong! Secondly, I kind of thought it was mainly for kids—and since I no longer have young children to cruise with I have “aged out” of the target clientele. Wrong again. Cruise ship ducks are very much a kids, and adults, aspect of cruising. The tide started to change for me in terms of paying a little more attention to cruise ship duck mania when I began to read about this duck trend in non-cruise media. Then I read a blog post by arguably the top cruise blogger/podcaster in the world, Matt Hochberg, of Royal Caribbean Blog that opened my eyes. In a blog whose title seemingly was directed at me, Hiding Ducks On A Cruise Ship Is A "Crazy" and Popular Trend - Whether You Like It Or Not https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2024/09/05/cruising-ducks-how-to-hide, Matt shared some information that put to rest any notion of cruise duck mania being a passing fad. For instance, there is a cruising ducks Facebook group that is approaching 300k members. And, Matt’s blog mentioned today’s guest. What moved me to a podcast about duck mania though were images of ducks that would regularly show up in my Facebook feed; these ducks were a far cry from dollar store ducks or ducks sold in bulk on Amazon. They were amazing. You see I was Facebook friends with Cris the Cruising Duck Man. So, I invited him on the show. After a catastrophic accident that Cris was fortunate to survive, following his recovery, Cris formed a new outlook on life and decided to start traveling more, including his 1st cruise. Of course, he got hooked. On his 2nd cruise, he took his kids and started learning about ducks. He got hooked on that too, to the point he purchased a 3-D printer (which ultimately became 6 3-D printers!) Cris takes multiple large suitcases of ducks every cruise & created a website cruisecave.com for selling his 3-D printed ducks. Cris says, ‘I love getting photos with people. I always try to get a photo with the Captain and the Cruise Director giving them a duck.’ Listen at www.thejoyofcruisingpodcast.com or Home 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 Supportthejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast) The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain Intl Orders via Amazon Send us a text
I am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Mikkel and Dan, creators of the Sometimes Sailing cruise website and Instagram. Mikkel and Dan are great friends of the show, and this is a special episode. I got to know Mikkel and Dan when I wrote about Sometimes Sailing in my new release The Joy of Cruising Again http://amzn.to/3lAfyON where I wrote about their penchant for small ship cruising as well as “ship-within-a-ship” spaces, for instance, Celebrity Cruises The Retreat, Norwegian Haven, and Princess Cruises Medallion Class. I hosted Sometimes Sailing on The Joy of Cruising Podcast Episode 28 last year, and on Episode 101 earlier this year where I mentioned how Mikkel and Dan were instrumental in motivating me to pursue my bucket list aspiration to sail our first river cruise—AmaWaterways Soulful Epicurean French River Cruise on AmaKristina. What makes this episode special is that Mikkel and Dan, Sometimes Sailing are the first guests to appear on the podcast three times! Oh, the small-ship connoisseurs are already scheduled to come back in early '26. By the way, Mikkel and Dan have created a complimentary river cruise planning resource for our listeners: **Download their Essential River Cruise Budgeting Guide here.** Listen at www.thejoyofcruisingpodcast.com or Home 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 Supportthejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast) The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain Intl Orders via Amazon Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I present to you something quite different than what you are used to hearing from me. It’s a cruise news story—an absolutely amazing one. First, let me welcome to the show Cailyn. Joshua is an entrepreneur in Tulsa, Oklahoma who is a central figure in said cruise news story, and as a busy entrepreneur was not able to join us. I don’t normally cover cruise news. I leave that up to others who are renown and much better than I am about covering that sort of thing. However, Cailyn and her family’s story transcends cruise news. It was covered extensively worldwide by mainstream media. Besides, one topic I do like to bring to the cruising community are human interest stories—and the Gault's story is a human-interest tale on steroids. Let me summarize before I bring on Cailyn to give us the real deal:
In July 2024, Cailyn and her family of 9 embarked on Norwegian Encore for a family reunion cruise to Alaska. In total, 16 relatives were on the trip at a total cost of $30,000. Joshua and his immediate family, wife Cailyn, six children, and his 78-year-old mother-in-law, Sharron, went on an excursion which I’m sure many of you who have cruised to Alaska recall fondly—a Lumberjack show in Ketchikan. Cailyn and family did the right thing in that they chose an excursion offered by the cruise line. (I always recommend on various Facebook cruise groups that’s it’s best to choose an excursion offered by the cruise line versus an independent excursion because cruise line excursions come with a promise to never leave the port without you…) Upon the end of the Lumberjack show, Cailyn and family went to board the shuttle bus back to the port but it was full and they were told to wait for the next one—which never came. After a panicked phone call, a van was dispatched to pick them up but by the time it got them back to the port, Joshua and family watch the Encore sail off—with passports, clothes and prescription medications onboard. Over the ensuing several days, they had to piece together a series of flights, hotel stays (or overnight airport stays, and of course meals enroute to Tulsa.) Oh yeah, while their Alaska souvenirs were left on the ship, they did manage to bring something home with them—Covid for several family members! Wow, I hurt even reporting this; imagine the hurt felt by the family members left behind. But it gets worse. NCL fined those left behind nearly $1000 each due to some technicality regarding US Customs and Border Patrol fees—which was charged immediately to Joshua’s credit cards. Cailyn joins us to share the ordeal in their own words as well as talk about the aftermath. Listen at www.thejoyofcruisingpodcast.com or Home 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 Supportthejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast) The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain Intl Orders via Amazon Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Melissa Davis, and have a conversation with her about how she grew from running Port Shopping Programs onboard cruise ships to providing Port Shopping information and running to all cruisers as a private entrepreneur. After running shopping programs on Crystal Cruises, Regent, Oceania, Viking, and Marella, and launching the first and only onshore shopping program on Viking River Cruises, Melissa decided to create an online recommended and guaranteed shopping program for all cruisers featuring Cruise Port Maps, and a long list of fabulous recommended and guaranteed retailers and brands in each port, and tried and tested attractions and best beaches. Melissa is the number one Online Port Shopping Guide After working with several amazing cruise lines and cruising a lot herself, Melissa was surprised to see not all Cruise lines provide accurate Port Maps when the ships arrive in port. She decided to put her Cruise Port Insider Secrets online so everyone could access it. Melissa’s cruise ship career started as a Fitness Instructor for Steiner Transocean on the old Holland America Line Noordam. She couldn’t wait for time off in port to explore the ports, and submerging herself in the culture and meeting wonderful people along the way. To this day she has artifacts, indigenous souvenirs and jewelry and art from these wonderful experiences. When a position came up as a Shopping Lecturer she jumped at the chance and for the next 7 years, she went to various cruise lines running lectures and helping cruise ship guests navigate the ports of call. Now Melissa has all these amazing Cruise Port Maps, and will tell you how to get yours free, as well as shop for wonderful products from each destination or snag a souvenir for a loved one back home. Listen at www.thejoyofcruisingpodcast.com or Home 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 Supportthejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast) The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain Intl Orders via Amazon Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, it is my pleasure to welcome back a special guest, Chef Rudi Sodamin, a culinary virtuoso of the seas. Chef Rudi is Princess Cruises' first Head of Culinary Arts effective January 2024. When I chatted with him back in December, Ep 71, we talked about his pending new role, along with his existing role as Master Chef for Holland America Line (HAL)—which I am particularly excited about as we cruise on HAL a couple times in 2025. Carnival Cruise Corporation—parent company of HAL, as well as Princess—was so impressed with Rubi’s Sel de Mer, the French-inspired intimate brasserie that Chef Rudi led the launch of on select HAL ships, that they commissioned him to create Rudi’s Seagrill for its new Excel-class ships--Mardi Gras, Celebration, and Jubilee. In 2023 Chef Rudi partnered with Princess Cruises, to create The Catch by Rudi on Enchanted Princess, Majestic Princess, Sky Princess, Discovery Princess, and recently-released Sun Princess--which I am particularly excited about as I will sail her new sister STAR Princess in 2025. Since I last spoke with Chef Rudi, Princess Cruises announced it is joining with world renowned artist Romero Britto, known for his bold, colorful, and joyful style, and a global advocate for happiness, to create Love by Britto, the first artistically inspired dining experience celebrating the essence of "Love" aboard Sun Princess. According to Princess: Love and art converge with taste in an immersive culinary journey, showcasing a meticulously curated menu by culinary virtuoso Rudi Sodamin. With Sodamin's ingenious touch, Love by Britto transcends into a multisensory exploration, offering extraordinary dishes that embody profound passion, exquisite flavor, and boundless creativity. "Love by Britto on the Sun Princess celebrates the universal language of love, expressed through Britto's vibrant art and design and promises to be uplifting and transformative for our guests," said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises. "With a perfect blend of art, beauty, and soul, Love by Britto is destined to leave a lasting impression." Love by Britto features a seven-course, prix fixe menu beginning with a flute of Champagne upon arrival and features luxury ingredients including lobster, caviar and truffles, and dessert options that always include chocolate fondue. Says Chef Rudi, "Food is the international language of love; Love by Britto could not be more perfect for Princess, home of The Love Boat!" I do not know Brazilian-born and Miami-made Mr. Britto, but Chef Rudi is a friend, and The Joy of Cruising Podcast is lucky to have him back. Listen at www.thejoyofcruisingpodcast.com or Home 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 Supportthejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast) The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain Intl Orders via Amazon quirkycruise.com/amawaterways-soulful-experience-cruise/Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Heidi Sarna and Ted Scull’s Quirky Cruise, which was featured in my second cruise book, Cruising Interrupted in a section called “Specialty Cruising: Fun and Quirky.” When I first interviewed Heidi and Ted I knew very little about small ship cruising, that is, a small ship designed to hold 300 or fewer passengers; some low double digits, even single digits! These small ships can range from spartan to ultra-luxury, and because of their size and design can access destinations that mainstream cruise ships cannot. Quirky Cruise is an online magazine that focuses exclusively on the important and growing sector of the cruise industry. Quirky Cruise's slogan is “Travel without the crowds.” Quirky Cruise is the source for reviews, news, and round-ups about unusual and small-ship cruises under 300 passengers, from river boats to canal barges, sailing ships, coastal cruisers, and expedition vessels. Heidi Sarna and Ted Scull created Quirky Cruise because they love small-ship cruising and want to share what they know and have experienced with others who also like traveling on small, intimate vessels. Here is Heidi’s previous appearance on The Joy of Cruising Podcast Ep 4 It is a pleasure to have Heidi back to talk about two very quirky cruises—from opposite sides of the world, one in driving distance from me here in North Carolina. Before I bring Heidi on, let me say Heidi has been involved in several ‘firsts’ in my cruise career. I already mentioned she and Ted were the first to familiarize me with small ship crusading; consequently, Hedi was instrumental in me taking my first River Cruise on AmaWaterways to Southern France on AmaKristina, and on the same River Cruise hired me for my first experience as a freelance travel writer for QuirkyCruise.com. Check out my article when you get a chance—the link is here: quirkycruise.com/amawaterways-soulful-experience-cruise/ It is an honor to welcome back Heidi to The Joy of Cruising Podcast! Listen at www.thejoyofcruisingpodcast.com or Home 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 Supportthejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html Book Cruises https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingPodcast-BookACruise US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast) The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain Intl Orders via Amazon |
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