Traveling with Denella & Friends

Denella Ri'chard
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Have you ever wondered how you can get paid to travel the world? Meet the people who do, yes, they really exist. Traveling with Denella & Friends is your insider's look into the travel industry through real conversations with the leaders, innovators, and personalities who power it. Host Denella Ri'chard sits down with the people who built careers in travel, their journeys, their rise, and what's next. Because travel isn't a hobby, it's our career.

Episodes

  1. Meet Michal Maguire: The Woman Redefining River Cruising

    May 22

    Meet Michal Maguire: The Woman Redefining River Cruising

    In this episode of Traveling with Denella & Friends, Denella Ri'chard sits down with Michal Maguire, marketing leader at AmaWaterways, live from Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, for a conversation about travel, leadership, and the future of river cruising. Michal shares how her career began in digital marketing, which led her through major travel brands including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Seabourn, Universal Orlando, and eventually AmaWaterways. Together, Denella and Michal explore why river cruising is becoming one of the most compelling ways to see the world, especially for travelers who want culture, comfort, included excursions, city-center access, and the freedom to explore. They also discuss AmaWaterways' brand evolution, new ships, global river cruise itineraries in Colombia, Africa, Egypt, Portugal, and Europe, the growth of river cruising at Seatrade Cruise Global, and the importance of women in travel leadership. If river cruising has been sitting on your "someday" list, this conversation may move it closer to "soon." In this episode: How Michal built a career in travel marketing Why river cruising feels different from ocean cruising AmaWaterways' rebrand and new ship rollout River cruise itineraries in Colombia, Africa, Egypt, Portugal, and Europe Why Seatrade Cruise Global feels like a travel industry family reunion Women in cruise leadership The river cruise destination that Michal wants to experience next Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who loves travel, cruising, or meaningful conversations about the future of the travel industry.   00:00 – Welcome to Traveling with Denella & Friends 00:43 – Meet AmaWaterways Marketing Executive Michal Maguire 01:01 – A Life and Career Built Around Travel 02:08 – How Her Travel Career Began 02:41 – From Royal Caribbean to AmaWaterways 03:04 – Why River Cruising Became Her Passion 03:22 – AmaWaterways' New Brand Evolution 04:41 – Introducing the New AmaWaterways Ship 04:58 – Why River Cruising Surprises Ocean Cruisers 05:55 – A Floating Hotel Through the World 06:26 – Excursions, City Centers & Travel Freedom 07:04 – River Cruising: Busy or Relaxed, Your Choice 07:45 – Cruise Managers, Local Tips & Guided Experiences 08:11 – AmaWaterways Itineraries Around the World 08:18 – Colombia River Cruises & Global Growth 08:47 – Africa Cruise + Safari Experiences 09:26 – Egypt, Portugal, Europe & More River Cruises 09:38 – Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami 09:58 – AmaWaterways' Growth to 50+ Ships 10:46 – The Travel Industry as Family 12:43 – Why River Cruising Is Growing 13:13 – Women in Cruise Leadership 13:40 – Her Dream River Cruise Destination 14:28 – Final Thoughts with AmaWaterways 14:53 – From Someday to Soon: Start Planning   🔗 CONNECT WITH MICHAL MAGUIRE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michalamaguire/ 🔗 AMAWATERWAYS Website: https://www.amawaterways.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amawaterways   Follow Me: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/travelingwithdenellarichard Instagram https://www.instagram.com/travelingwithdenella/ Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/denella/ Website: https://www.travelingwithdenella.com/

    16 min

  2. May 20

    He Almost Said No. Now He's Leading Expedition Cruising.

    He read the job offer. Saw the word cruise. And almost said no. Gebhard Rainer spent 26 years as CFO of Hyatt, ran Coach as President and COO, built Sandals for six years as CEO, and when HX Expeditions came calling, his first instinct was to pass. He was not a cruise person. Then he looked closer. And everything changed. In this episode of Traveling with Denella & Friends, recorded live from Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, Gebhard shares the journey from a tiny mountain village in Austria to the helm of one of the most purpose-driven travel companies on earth. This is not a typical cruise conversation. It is a conversation about why the ocean holds 50% of the oxygen we breathe, why HX places scientists on every ship and provides nearly 2,000 free cabin nights annually to researchers, and why, after two trips to Antarctica within a single year, Gebhard watched glacier ice retreat in real time. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 — Welcome to Traveling with Denella & Friends 1:11 — Growing Up in Austria — The Village & The Passion Play 2:40 — 26 Years at Hyatt, Then Coach, Then Sandals 4:10 — Why Gebhard Almost Said No to HX Expeditions 5:06 — HX Expeditions Is Now Fully Independent 6:13 — 130 Years of History — The Oldest Startup in the World 6:52 — The Recreated 1896 Cabin You Can Sleep In 7:16 — What Expedition Cruising Actually Means 8:39 — Science Labs & 2,000 Free Cabin Nights for Scientists 9:35 — University Credits for Sailing to Antarctica 10:27 — Inuit Community Partnerships — 100% of Proceeds Stays Local 11:17 — Fleet Overview — Galápagos to Hybrid Ships at 500 Passengers 12:51 — Hot Seat — Antarctica, the Arctic & David Attenborough 14:16 — Watching Glacier Ice Retreat With His Own Eyes   🔗 CONNECT WITH GEBHARD RAINER LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gebhardrainer 🔗 HX EXPEDITIONS Website: https://www.travelhx.com/en-us/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hxexpeditions/   🔗CONNECT WITH DENELLA RI'CHARD Website: https://www.travelingwithdenella.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelingwithdenellarichard Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelingwithdenella/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denella/   Sponsorship inquiries: alfred@travelingwithdenella.com

    16 min

  3. May 14

    From London Lawyer to Chief Funatabi Officer | Mitsui Ocean Cruises

    He started as a lawyer at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles. His first client in the cruise industry was Princess Cruises. He never planned to stay, and then he never left. Anthony Kaufman is the Senior Executive Advisor, Head of Commercial Strategies, and Chief Commercial Officer of Mitsui Ocean Cruises, and, by his own appointment, the world's only Chief Funatabi Officer. Funatabi: the Japanese word for voyage by boat. In this episode, recorded live from Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, Anthony shares one of the most unexpected career journeys in the cruise industry, from growing up in London, to starting Princess Cruises' legal department, to becoming General Counsel of P&O Princess in London, to serving as incident commander for the Diamond Princess COVID crisis, to building Mitsui Ocean Cruises from a single aging ship into a growing cruise line with Japan in its DNA. We get into why Japan is now the world's top bucket list destination, what Omotenashi service really means, how Mitsui's 450-passenger ships access over 120 Japanese ports that no other cruise line reaches, and why a cruise is the best way for Western travelers to experience Japan without fear. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 — Welcome to Traveling with Denella & Friends 0:55 — Meet Anthony Kaufman — The Chief Funatabi Officer 1:47 — Growing Up in London, Moving to LA at 12 2:47 — From Lawyer to Cruise Executive 3:11 — Starting the Legal Department at Princess Cruises 4:09 — General Counsel of P&O Princess in London 4:30 — The Royal Caribbean Merger That Almost Happened 5:10 — Homeporting Ships in Japan, Taiwan & China 6:23 — The Diamond Princess COVID Incident 6:49 — How Mitsui Ocean Cruises Found Anthony 8:08 — Why Japan is the World's #1 Bucket List Destination 10:06 — Omotenashi — The Taxi Driver Story 11:34 — 120 Ports — More Than Any Country in the World 13:15 — Cherry Blossom Season Explained 14:46 — What Anthony is Most Proud Of 15:45 — Hot Seat — What Western Travelers Get Wrong About Japan 17:38 — Why a Cruise is the Best Way to See Japan 19:47 — Until We Travel Again CONNECT WITH ANTHONY KAUFMAN LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-kaufman/ MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES Website: www.mitsuioceancruises.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitsuioceancruises/ CONNECT WITH DENELLA RI'CHARD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelingwithdenella/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denella/ Website: https://www.travelingwithdenella.com/ Sponsorship inquiries: alfred@travelingwithdenella.com

    21 min

  4. May 13

    Ken Muskat Trailer

    He sent his résumé to Royal Caribbean, Burger King, and Ryder. Royal Caribbean called first, and that one phone call launched a 30-year career at the top of the cruise industry. Ken Muskat is the President of Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours and Emerald Cruises & Tours, two of the most distinguished luxury travel brands in the world. In this episode, recorded live from the floor of Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, Ken shares how a kid from Miami who wanted to work in TV and advertising accidentally became one of the most respected leaders in cruising, and why, even after trying to leave the industry a few times, it always pulled him back.

    1 min

  5. May 8

    He Sent His Résumé to Burger King. Royal Caribbean Called First. | Traveling with Denella & Friends

    He sent his résumé to Royal Caribbean, Burger King, and Ryder. Royal Caribbean called first, and that one phone call launched a 30-year career at the top of the cruise industry. Ken Muskat is the President of Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours and Emerald Cruises & Tours, two of the most distinguished luxury travel brands in the world. In this episode, recorded live from the floor of Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, Ken shares how a kid from Miami who wanted to work in TV and advertising accidentally became one of the most respected leaders in cruising, and why, even after trying to leave the industry a few times, it always pulled him back. We talk nine new ships, a brand-new Emerald yacht deploying in Japan and Australia in 2028, the 270-guest Scenic Icon coming to the Mediterranean, expedition cruising below, on, and above the water, and whether luxury cruise travel is actually as out of reach as most people think. (Spoiler: it's not.) Plus, Ken lands in the Hot Seat and tells us exactly where he's going if you hand him a ticket right now.  ───────────────────────────── ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 — Welcome to Traveling with Denella & Friends 0:42 — Meet Ken Muskat — President of Scenic & Emerald 1:40 — The Interview Begins 2:05 — Ken's Personal Connection to the Industry 2:34 — The Journey — Born in Miami, Started at Royal Caribbean 3:15 — From Entertainment Auditions to the Boardroom 4:10 — 18 Years at Royal Caribbean — What He Learned 4:22 — Moving to Shanghai to Run a Cruise Line for China 4:41 — What's New at Scenic & Emerald — Nine New Ships 5:16 — Emerald Yacht Coming to Japan & Australia in 2028 5:41 — Scenic Icon — The Largest Ship in the Fleet 6:38 — The Itineraries That Excite Him Most 7:21 — Scenic Eclipse, Iceland, Antarctica & the Kimberley 8:00 — 35 Ships by End of 2028 — A Truly Global Fleet 8:14 — Privately Owned for 40 Years — Why That Matters 8:51 — Expedition Cruising — Below, On, and Above the Water 10:18 — Why Travel Advisors & Guests Should Book Scenic & Emerald 10:50 — "A Lot of People Think It's Not Attainable" — Ken Sets the Record Straight 11:28 — What Makes Scenic & Emerald Different From Everyone Else 12:13 — Would Ken Recommend a Career in the Cruise Industry? 13:16 — 🔥 The Hot Seat — River, Ocean, or Expedition? 13:50 — Antarctica vs. the Mekong — Ken's Living List 14:07 — The Polar Plunge 14:18 — Closing & Thank You 14:36 — Until We Travel Again ───────────────────────────── 🔗 CONNECT WITH KEN MUSKAT LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenmuskat/ 🔗 SCENIC LUXURY CRUISES & TOURS Website: https://scenic.cruises/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scenic.eclipse/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScenicCruises/ 🔗 EMERALD CRUISES & TOURS Website: https://emerald.cruises/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emeraldcruises.global/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmeraldCruisesGlobal ───────────────────────────── 🔗 CONNECT WITH DENELLA Facebook https://www.facebook.com/travelingwithdenellarichard Instagram https://www.instagram.com/travelingwithdenella/ Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/denella/ Website: https://www.travelingwithdenella.com/ Watch Traveling with Denella, the TV show: https://www.youtube.com/@travelingwithdenella 📩 Sponsorship & partnerships: alfred@travelingwithdenella.com  ───────────────────────────── ABOUT TRAVELING WITH DENELLA & FRIENDS Have you ever wondered how you can get paid to travel the world? Meet the people who do, yes, they really exist. Traveling with Denella & Friends is your insider's look into the travel industry through real conversations with the leaders, innovators, and personalities who power it. Host Denella Ri'chard sits down with the people who built careers in travel, their journeys, their rise, and what's next. Because travel isn't a hobby, it's our career.  #TravelingWithDenellaAndFriends #LuxuryCruise #ScenicCruises #EmeraldCruises #TravelPodcast #CruiseIndustry #TravelCareer #TravelAdvisor #ExpeditionCruising #RiverCruise #Seatrade #LuxuryTravel #TravelIndustry #CruiseTravel #ScenIcIcon

    16 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

Have you ever wondered how you can get paid to travel the world? Meet the people who do, yes, they really exist. Traveling with Denella & Friends is your insider's look into the travel industry through real conversations with the leaders, innovators, and personalities who power it. Host Denella Ri'chard sits down with the people who built careers in travel, their journeys, their rise, and what's next. Because travel isn't a hobby, it's our career.

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