Discover the Up-and-Coming Cruise Vloggers Making a Splash in the Industry
It’s no secret that vlogging has become a huge phenomenon over the last 20 years. From the introduction of YouTube in 2005 to newer platforms such as TikTok, vlogging has rapidly increased in popularity. A way of capturing a variety of content, viewers love to see different topics brought to life on screen.
What is Vlogging?
Vlogging is short for video log- a type of content that captures what you want in video form, rather than in written form.
One of the most popular types of video content is travel vlogs. A form of escapism, not only do these videos give viewers travel inspiration through destination highlight vlogs, but these popular videos help to guide holiday goers on the best things to do whilst on their getaway and what to avoid. One area of travel vlogging that’s rapidly becoming more and more popular is cruise vlogging.
These vlogs capture a variety of content based on cruising, including full ship tours, top things to do onboard, destinations visited, dining, accommodation tips and more. Giving you a taste of what it’s like onboard some of the world’s most incredible cruise ships, it will help you decide whether cruising is right for you, and whether you should sail with specific cruise lines depending on your wants and needs.
What’s great about cruise travel influencers, is that they are from a range of different demographics. From families, couples and solo cruisers to staff and crew working aboard giving us behind-the-scenes access and other subject experts such as those focusing on cruise ship accessibility, you’re sure to find cruise vlogs that are relevant to you.
Read on to find out about some of the top YouTube, Instagram and TikTok cruise influencers, including the type of cruise content they produce.
YouTube Cruise Vloggers
As one of the first video sharing websites, YouTube has grown to more than 114 million active channels housing more than 800 million videos. Giving you the option to subscribe to your favourite content creators, as well as suggesting relevant content, you’ll soon have a YouTube account that’s full of videos to browse and view tailored to your preferences.
Although there are lots of different travel content creators on YouTube, as mentioned above, cruise influencers are gaining more and more traction. And with it, more people are booking cruises each year, wanting to get a taste of what it’s like to travel on these extraordinary cruise lines.
Here are some of the up and coming YouTube cruise influencers, continuously creating captivating travel content:
Life Well Cruised
Life Well Cruised is run by Ilana, an avid cruiser who’s spent over 20 years travelling the world on a variety of cruise lines, such as Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises. On her YouTube channel (which she uploads to every week), she creates videos on cruise planning tips, cruise ship reviews, port and shore excursion reviews and other cruise-related content.
The Shiplife
Another account that’s quickly becoming popular on YouTube is J. Alexander (The Shiplife). Previously working for Norwegian Cruise Line, J. Alexander now runs a YouTube channel that showcases cruise ship news, cruise reviews and other related videos. Travelling on up to 20 different cruises each year, it’s now his full time job.
Suite Natured
Suite Natured is run by Linzi and Mark; a husband and wife team that create YouTube videos based on a variety of cruise topics, from restaurants onboard to what to pack, entertainment reviews and drinks package info.
Although they have only been posting videos for 2 years, the variety of cruise content has proved to be very popular, amassing thousands of views. So far, they have posted videos on Virgin Voyages, P&O Cruises, Cunard Cruises and MSC Cruises amongst other major cruise lines.
Cruise and Travel with Bill Panoff
Run by Bill Panoff, Editor in Chief of Porthole Cruise Magazine, this YouTube channel focuses on what to expect on certain cruise ships (such as MSC Euribia and Explora 1), interviews with big players in the industry, cruise ship tours and more. Passionate about travel and cruising, the array of cruise related content is popular with audiences of all ages.
Tips for Travellers
Tips for Travellers is run by Gary Bembridge, who has been posting on his YouTube channel since 2006. Throughout the years Gary has posted content on a range of topics from luxury cruises to ship tours on smaller cruise lines. Sharing a variety of videos on different cruise lines, including the likes of Regent Seven Seas and Celebrity Cruises, he is a popular vlogger and blogger that’s subscribed to by nearly 400,000 people on YouTube.
Shipmonk
An award-winning cruise journalist, Dave Monk is a prominent figure in the industry, frequently posting on his social channels. On his YouTube account there is a variety of cruise-related content, including video clips from theatre shows, of Dave experiencing the AquaMouse on Disney Wish and seeing what it’s like to take on the world’s largest dry slide at sea on MSC World Europa.
Instagram Cruise Vloggers
Since its creation in 2010, Instagram has become an incredibly popular photo sharing platform. Throughout the years, it introduced the ability to add videos to posts, on Instagram Stories (from 2016, which disappear after a day) and 10 years later, in 2020, Instagram introduced Instagram Reels- a part of the app that allows users to share video content (lasting up to 90 seconds) on a variety of topics, that can have music and other effects.
Instagram has become another platform for travel content creators to post videos on, and cruise videos have become particularly prevalent across the app. Giving a snippet of behind the scenes, tours and more, these short types of content are easy to watch. A lot of the videos also allow for screen readers and have video captions- making them more accessible for all.
Although there are millions of people creating the odd video here and there about cruising, there are accounts on the app that solely focus on this type of content.
Cruise Director Tim
@cruisedirectortim
Tim Bolton, Cruise Director on Celebrity Edge has amassed a following with those who have previously travelled on Celebrity Cruises (he also used to be the Cruise Director on Celebrity Beyond) or those looking to travel with the cruise line in the future.
Although he primarily focuses on photo Instagram posts, he is starting to also post videos of his adventures onboard. Another account that gives an insight into the life of a cruise ship crew member, Tim is relatable and adds his own sense of humour throughout his content.
The Cruising Welshman
@cruisingwelshman
The Cruising Welshman is an up-and-coming cruise influencer, posting ship tours, cabin tours, restaurant tours and more throughout his Instagram account- including Instagram Reels and Stories. With thousands of views on his videos, he has posted videos about Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises amongst several others throughout the last few years.
Cruising Wheelchair
@cruisingwheelchair
Zoe Escudier-Davis is a travel blogger and vlogger creating content about accessibility. Popular on Instagram, YouTube and other social media platforms, Zoe creates an array of content from information about accessible cruise cabins to accessible port guides, and accessible amenities throughout different cruise ships. Throughout the years, Zoe has travelled with her husband on a variety of cruise ships, including Celebrity Silhouette, MSC Preziosa and P&O Aurora amongst others.
Discover the blog - Top 10 Global Disability Friendly Tourist Destinations we’ve written here for some travel inspiration.
The Cruise Family
@thecruisefamily
For those travelling with their family in tow, The Cruise Family posts content that is perfect for you. From insights into particular areas of cruise ships (e.g the MSC Yacht Club) to cabin reviews to ship reviews and destination-specific posts, The Cruise Family’s content is ideal if you’re looking for travel inspiration. Cruise lines showcased on their platforms include MSC Cruises, Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean.
Cruise Guru
@cruiseguru
And finally, we have the Cruise Guru, Diane McDougall-Tierney. A Canadian travel reporter, throughout the years, Diane has been on 87 cruises and has visited 48 different countries. Alongside boasting a popular blog and YouTube channel, Diane has a thriving Instagram account in which she posts exterior cruise ship videos, videos showcasing particular areas of the cruise ship she’s staying on, cruise ship reviews, news and more.
Throughout her Instagram, there’s videos about several different cruise lines, including Costa Cruises and Disney Cruise Line.
Cruise Tok: The Rise of Cruise Vlogging
Since its launch in 2016, TikTok has rapidly grown to become one of the world’s most popular mobile apps, used by over 1 billion people internationally. Similarly to the above platforms, one of the most popular types of videos on TikTok is travel vlogs. And TikTok is quickly becoming populated with videos about cruises.
Also known as #cruisetok, more and more people are creating videos based on their cruise experiences. Showcasing what’s on the ship, including dining, accommodation and events, these TikTok videos can span anywhere between 30 seconds and 10 minutes.
Although this is something that anyone can do, there are certain TikTok accounts that are constantly posting videos on cruising, and are gaining thousands and thousands of followers everyday.
We’ve created a list of some of the most popular and upcoming cruise influencers that are producing content that’s entertaining and informative from start to finish.
Captain Kate Mccue
@captainkatemccue
@captainkatemccue
Whether you’ve cruised before aboard Celebrity Cruises or you’re an avid cruise enthusiast, chances are you’ll know about Captain Kate Mccue. The first female cruise ship captain, after 19 years of training she took the helm aboard Celebrity Beyond in 2022.
Working her way up the ranks on a variety of cruise lines (including Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean), she is very prominent on social media, giving insights into what it’s like to be a captain, behind the scenes of Celebrity Beyond, what she likes to do in her downtime and content surrounding her beloved sphinx cat, Bug Naked.
Bryan James
@bryanjamescruises
@bryanjamescruises
On Bryan James’ TikTok account, he posts behind the scenes and highlights videos of one of Royal Caribbean’s newest ships, Wonder of the Seas. Bryan works on the ship as a musician and gives a unique insight into what it’s like to work onboard, including what crew accommodation is like, their food is like and the process of boarding a cruise ship for crew. Previously, Bryan has worked on ships such as Celebrity Edge and Oasis of the Seas.
The Cruise Spotter
@thecruisespotter
@thecruisespotter
Next up is The Cruise Spotter. With an impressive 3.8 million followers, and over 100 different videos, the account posts unique exterior videos of cruise ships that are sailing in/out of the Port of Miami. Since 2021, The Cruise Spotter has captured videos of all the major cruise lines, including MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages and Carnival Cruise Line.
Giving an extraordinary view of the ships, it showcases to viewers the scale of them, alongside some of the incredible exterior amenities onboard.
Jack Nolan
@jackcruisesaround
@jackcruisesaround
One of the upcoming cruise influencers on TikTok is Jack Nolan. A musician on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, he began filming his experiences of working on a cruise ship in 2021. With over 40 videos showcasing ship tours, events (such as Scarlet Night), what’s inside a crew cabin and what crew do in their downtime, it’s another fascinating insight into the behind the scenes of an adults-only cruise ship.
Blogionista Travels
@blogionistatravels
@blogionistatravels
Based in Miami, Blogionista Travels is an account that posts various travel videos, including ‘The Best Getaways for Couples’, ‘Caribbean Beaches You Should Visit' and other destination-specific videos.
Alongside these, she has started to post videos solely around cruising, with some of her most popular videos including ‘5 tips for first time cruisers’ and ‘Everything You Need to Know about Virgin Voyages’. Her cruise content mainly focuses on Virgin Voyages cruises.
Ship_Facts
@ship_facts
@ship_facts
And lastly, there is the account ship_facts. Run by Preston, an avid cruise enthusiast, he takes you on his adventures onboard, showing entertainment, dining and other features. Alongside onboard features, Preston also films videos showcasing the exterior of cruise ships.
As well as focusing on the interior and exterior of different cruise ships from a variety of cruise lines, he posts useful videos such as ‘How to Avoid Seasickness’ and ‘6 Common Cruise Mistakes Passengers Make’. Preston has previously filmed TikToks on MSC Seashore, MSC Meraviglia and Anthem of the Seas.
Book a Getaway with Iglu Cruise
If you’re craving a getaway after reading all about the above vlogging accounts, there’s no better time than now to book an unforgettable holiday with Iglu Cruise. And with so many different cruise lines and itineraries on offer, you’ll be able to find a cruise that’s perfect for you. Don’t miss out- discover the variety of Iglu cruise deals on offer and enjoy a holiday of a lifetime. Alternatively, view our page about the different cruise destinations on offer to visit and get some useful travel inspiration!
Keep up to date with all the latest cruise deals, blogs and more on Iglu Cruises’ social channels. View our Iglu Cruise Facebook page, Iglu Cruise YouTube or Iglu Cruise Instagram page.