Inside World of Cruising TV

Like millions of people, I love a good travel show having grown up in the eighties and nineties watching the BBC’s Holiday programme and its ITV rival Wish You Were Here…?

But when World of Cruising TV hits the small screen on June 1, 2024, chances are I’ll be watching it through my fingers.

That’s because while I have written about cruise and travel for over 20 years, the series sees me make my TV debut at the ripe old age of 43.

Yes, that’s right: I’ll be on the sofa alongside our charismatic presenter Dean Wilson – you may recognise him from shopping channels such as Create & Craft, Golf TV and Channel 5’s Going for Gold – and Lisa Minot, head of travel at The Sun, sharing tips to help you get the most out of your next voyage.

If you like www.worldofcruising.co.uk and our sister magazine, you’ll love World of Cruising TV. The brainchild of our visionary CEO, Chris Pitchford, it’s a natural progression of our coverage and builds on our core offering which, of course, is all about sharing our passion for cruise.

And certainly I was bowled over, while on set at the prestigious Palma Pictures' studio in Mallorca, by the energy and enthusiasm that Dean, Lisa and special guests including Ambassador, Riviera Travel, Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC) brought to the series.

Their enthusiasm to share the joy of sailing – and put as much expertise as possible in front of viewers – was utterly infectious.

Each episode – there are eight in total – shines the spotlight on a particular cruise line with specialist interviews giving viewers a real insight into what life is like onboard so as to help you find your perfect cruise holiday.

Because underpinning the series lies a relentless mission to ensure that everyone chooses the right cruise for them. For cruises are not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ holiday – they are tailored and specialised to suit different personalities and tastes.

In every show Dean unveils some incredible itineraries – Oceania Cruises’ 15-day Polynesian dream sailing from Papeete to Honolulu onboard Regatta caught my eye – and offers on each sailing. As Dean said: “We’re sending you to places that will literally change your life and give you memories for life.”

However my favourite part of each episode had to be getting into the kitchen with the show’s resident Michelin-star chef and expert sommelier, Marc Fosh. In some episodes, Marc whips up his own culinary creations – inspired by the destinations that one of the cruise lines visits.

Case in point? In episode one, a classic ratatouille (a French Provençal dish originating in Nice), is on the menu in homage to Riviera Travel’s featured 'Burgundy, River Rhône, and Provence' river cruise.

In other episodes, Marc recreates a cruise line’s signature dish – I couldn’t get enough of Ambassador’s Paneer tikka masala with white rice and naan bread in episode five. So much so that, if you watch closely, you’ll see me having a choking fit towards the end because I greedily stuffed too many cubes of silky paneer into my mouth – forgetting that we were being filmed.

As a life-long vegetarian Virgin Voyages’ veggie-friendly Potato gnocchi served with truffle butter sauce, spinach, and parmesan also had me purring with pleasure.

Meanwhile Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC) showcased two cocktails – Splendor and Grandeur – in the second episode. The drinks went down so easily with Dean, special guest Paul Beale (RSSC’s regional vice president of sales UK, a title we had fun teasing him about) and I that, when our wonderful director Will Kinder asked us to reshoot the segment, Marc Fosh was forced to make another round because our cocktail glasses were completely empty – prompting much laughter in the studio given that it was 9.30am on a Tuesday morning.

And I think that’s what viewers will remember most: the magic of cruise people coming together on the small screen and having a blast.

I’m getting sentimental but then holidays are deeply emotive. We travel not just to see the world and experience new cultures but to spend time with loved ones, to recharge and renew, to celebrate milestone occasions, and sometimes solo to discover new parts of ourselves.

Tune in for the incredible itineraries, offers and competitions; stay for the love and magic.