The Cruising Baker-Danny Bradley

He had me at The Cruising Baker. With that name, that clever “mash-up” of passions, I just knew The Cruising Baker needed to be in The Joy of Cruising....

Danny’s introduction to cruising was on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas. Independence had been warmly welcomed into the hearts of Britain’s cruisers. Independence of the Seas was christened a little over a year earlier during a ceremony in Southampton by its godmother, Elizabeth Hill of Chesterfield, UK (profiled in Chapter 4 of The Joy of Cruising). Among the world’s largest, most advanced ships, the Independence sailed Danny and his family to the Italian Mediterranean, with port of calls including Rome and Pisa.
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Despite the fantastic locations at which the ship docked, Danny was even more awed by the Independence itself, with its ice rink, boxing ring, royal promenade with shops and restaurants, climbing wall, FlowRider® surf simulator, and West End London-style entertainment. The grandeur of Independence left a lasting impression. Ever since his first cruise only ten years ago, Danny has been passionate about cruising. Since then he has cruised another twenty times....

....an August 2018 “bucket list” transatlantic cruise with Cunard on Queen Mary 2. I write this with a mix of intrigue, envy, and joy on behalf of my new friend; Danny gets to check off one of his bucket list items before he is 30! Danny’s cruises have sailed to Norway, Scandinavia, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Iberia, Canary Islands, and throughout the Caribbean; quite remarkable for someone who ten years prior had never travelled out of the UK. Clearly, Danny’s thirst for exploration was ignited and his passion for cruising inflamed by that first experience on Independence of the Seas. Danny has made up for lost time; not yet 30 years old Danny has cruised more than the average traveler cruises in a lifetime.

Danny cites his cruises to Norway among his personal highlights. He has been fortunate enough to cruise around Norway numerous times. Danny loves Norway and it is his favorite destination—he suspects what might account for part of the reason he loves it there so much is because he is nearly a quarter Scandinavian, according to AncestryDNA! Danny has sailed as far north as Longyearbyen....

....in August Danny flew to New York, spent a couple of nights in Time Square and got to experience a little of New York City before embarking on Queen Mary 2 for a transatlantic cruise back to Southampton. “New York City was amazing. I only had a short amount of time to spend so had to prioritize what I wanted to do. But my absolutely highlight was going to The Top of the Rock…breath-taking! The views are simply stunning and it was an experience I will never forget.” Top of the Rock is an observation deck atop Rockefeller Center, considered the best panoramic view of New York City; coincidently....

....mixed in with the cruise trip reports, interviews, features on existing and upcoming ships, and yes, recipes for lemon drizzle surprise, is something that caught my eye and is worthy of mentioning. From a young age, Danny and his family have worked with and been surrounded by children and young adults who have various special educational needs and disabilities, and this extended on to Danny’s psychology studies and work with autism. Danny notes on the blog, “A topic close to my heart is accessibility and inclusion for everyone.” Danny has several posts on his blog pertaining to accessibility at sea....

....besides cruising and blogging, Danny, of course, loves to bake, hence The Cruising Baker. I know that I had a little fun with the name earlier, but Danny is very serious about his baking....​

Read the complete story of The Cruising Baker, Cruising’s Young and Restless in Chapter 13, The Joy of Cruising. Order soon....