DeckTales Podcast
Sam Catling
Join former cruise ship entertainer Sammy Catling on a podcast like no other.Delving into the best and worst experiences of crew from all walks of life, DeckTales is the best place to listen to true accounts from people during their time spent at sea! 🌊Sam went on to write the comedic memoir 'Seems Like Smooth Sailing', which was published on the first day of lock-down at the start of the Covid 19 pandemic.This was a bit of a slap in the face at first, because it was the first time since pre World War 2 that you couldn't book a cru...
Ep30: Ant McGinley - DJ, Entertainment Officer and Shore Excursion Manager
In my attempts to connect with the broader podcasting network of creatives out there, I signed up to a conference call on meetup.com with a bunch of people all with their own shows.Among them, was none other than Mr Ant McGinley, a gentlemen who was good enough to come on the show, and share his own ship journey from over the years.He did just under 3 years with P&O, and a couple stints with Hurtigruten and Voyager. Ant told me the hilarious story of how he first got himself onboard, what tactic
Mar 12, • 1:20:06
DeckTales Mission Statement
This is not a typical episode of DeckTales with a guest sharing their stories, as I thought I would take the time to let you know a bit about myself, where I essentially got the inspiration for the show, what makes it different from other ship related podcasts, and what I hope to achieve moving forwards with it.If you have enjoyed the show so far then please do drop up a 5 star rating on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. This really helps boost visibility on the different platfo
Mar 9, • 12:26
Ep29: Fergus Ford - Videographer and Photographer
Fergus and I worked together well over a decade ago for a brief period of time. He came aboard a ship I was working on as a videographer, and we became fast friends as Fergus is definitely good people.Instantly likeable, effortlessly cool, in many ways he reminds me of myself which is probably why we got on so well. Fergus reminded me of the time we and a few others formed a virile boyband, told me how he met the woman who brought him into the world whilst on an excursion, and revealed some of t
Mar 5, • 1:13:35
Ep28: Daniel Falconer - Ship Entertainer, DJ and Magician
I connected with Daniel over social media, and we chatted about his journey working on ships over the past 17 years. He's held quite a few various positions within the entertainment department, some of which he enjoyed more than others. There's been quite a lot of adventures during his time at sea, and it was interesting to hear how he's had to deal with a plethora of medical injuries, upstart fly-on divas, ridiculous guests and much more.Daniel was good to give me an insight into how ships are
Feb 26, • 1:23:56
Ep27: Tommy Gielingh - Musician, Guitarist and Now Philanthropist
I worked with Tommy on my first ever cruise ship contract back in 2006, and I never told him this, but back then I used to think he was the coolest guy on board.He had those husky Brian Adams type vocals that melted knee caps everywhere he went, and to be fair to him he's still got it this day, as at one point during our recording he treated me to a little performance of a song he 'wrote' a long time ago.In this episode you can expect to hear the pair of us reminiscing about the good old days, h
Feb 19, • 1:19:49
Ep26: Mark Hawkins - Comedian, Cruise Director, Fleet Supervisor
Mark is one of those people I met back in the day only a couple of times, but I found him buried among my Facebook friends with mutual acquaintances throughout the cruise ship industry, and it was only after a short amount of time speaking with him, that all the memories I had of his comedy came flooding back to me.Mark is one of the most pleasant, affable, well mannered people I've had the pleasure of speaking to on DeckTales, and his act isn't much of an act, because he is like genuinely like
Feb 12, • 1:22:27
Ep25: Steff Mercedes - Commis II/Junior Chef
I connected with Steff through social media, whilst she was stranded ashore in her home country of the Dominican Republic, sandwiched between her first ever and second cruise ship contracts.She is the first person from the galley I've had the pleasure of speaking to on DeckTales, and she filled me in on all things such as how she managed to get herself onboard, how her first experience went, what she made of ship dating life, how she coped with a wardrobe malfunction mid service and much more. E
Feb 5, • 1:01:29
Ep24: Mark Tiffin - Cargo and Cruise Ship Navigation Officer
Mark and I connected over social media, and after a bit of back and forth he agreed to be a guest on the show. As he was the first person I've interviewed from the bridge, it was great to get an insight into what life as an officer is all about, and we discussed many things from his early days at Warsash Maritime academy, his long stint working on cargo ships, and how he eventually transitioned into cruises.It was an informative and fun chat with Mark, and I'm happy that he's now working for a c
Jan 29, • 1:24:28
Ep23: Shane Jacobik - Former Show Team Dancer and Performer
Ep23: Shane Jacobik Shane used to work for Carnival primarily as a dancer in the show team, and we were colleagues for a spell around 15 years ago, on a ship known as the Paradise. It was great to hear about his experiences from within the show team, as he went from ship to ship and witnessed various changes throughout his department over the years. Shane shared a couple of salacious stories with me, but was senisble enough not to overshare at the risk of damaging my sensitive little ears. (The
Jan 22, • 1:03:02
Ep22: Ben Clift- Former Ship Entertainment Program Director
Ben has had an interesting mix of work when it comes to careers at sea, and at one point he was working behind the scenes back on land, producing some of the gameshows and quizzes I would later deliver onboard.I once met Ben many moons ago, when I came to re-audition for the company I started my ship journey with, so I reached out to him over Facebook to get him on the show. It was in many ways a very informative chat, as Ben is the first person I've had on DeckTales who has also worked on river
Jan 15, • 1:03:20
Ep21: Jini Scoville - Former Band and Show-Team Vocalist
Jini worked as a show team member and band singer onboard ships for about a decade, and we worked together on one of my last contracts which was one of her first.She now works in advertising, but does still dabble in the arts from time to time with her ship soul mate SergioIt was so much fun to catch up with Jini after all these years, and because she was so kind to laugh at my jokes, I thought it’d be best to kick off the new season of DeckTales with her interview.Jini talked about the parallel
Jan 8, • 1:26:39
Ep20: Nate - Former Receptionist Turned Cabin Steward
Nate used to work on my last ship many years ago as a receptionist, and only recently made a rather unconventional switch to the housekeeping department, where he now works as a cabin steward. He filled me in on how this turn of events transpired, and dished the dirt on some of his employers' antics over the years. In this episode you’ll hear first-hand how it is to be working in one of the toughest jobs on cruise ships, what happens when the ship leaves without you, and how to keep on the good
Sep 4, 2024 • 1:06:01
Ep19: Krista Thomas - Former Front Desk Staff and Guest Relations Manager
Krista used to work on a number of different vessels within the cruise industry over a six year period. At first working on the front desk, and progressed her way up to guest relations manager. She now works in Vancouver on the ferries responsible for similar albeit not as stressful duties, and the pair of us connected over Facebook page 'The Crew Bar', where she and a few others work to keep crew members from around the world connected, in a light hearted and meme friendly manner.In addition to
Aug 28, 2024 • 1:11:44
Ep18: JD Palfreeman - Former Ship Photographer and Shore Excursion Manager
JD worked on a ship with me during my first contract back in 2006, but his decade long career is a 50/50 split, between working in photography/videography and shore excursions. In this episode you will learn how to lower your expectations when venturing out on a land booked trip, how to sleep through an onboard fire, and what happens after you hit an iceberg.You may also learn a thing or two about the positives covid had on the industry, as well as 'where da food at'.JD had his guard up during t
Aug 21, 2024 • 1:12:48
Ep17: Liam Edwards - Former British Royal Navy Officer Cadet
Liam and I have been acquainted over the years with thanks to our many days spent working together as TV and film extras. We did reminisce briefly about some of the productions we have both worked on together, but the main focus of today's episode, was to get a bit more of an insight into the Royal Navy.Liam spent four years as an officer cadet, and recounted various tales from his time during training, being away at sea on deployment, remembrance day parades, nauseous voyages and tracking down
Aug 14, 2024 • 1:16:48
Ep16: Mase Boogie - Former Ship Break-Dancer Now NBA Athlete
Today's guest was referred to the show by his former colleague Bboy Smurf, (who I interviewed in episode 13).Mase Boogie spent a few years working on Carnival cruise ships, where he worked as a hip hop dancer putting on daily high energy shows for the punters.The things he got up to in his spare time are revealed within this episode, with one of his favourite extra curricular activities being coning!Not knowing who the guest is on a personal level adds a little something extra I feel, because I
Aug 7, 2024 • 1:15:22
Ep15: Lance Montalto - Comedian of over 20 years at sea
Lance is a seasoned comedian with 20 years of cruising experience, and around 40 years working as a comic.He came on the Carnival Paradise a bunch of times during my penultimate contract, and his son Ian was working alongside me for his first contract (see DeckTales episode 9)Lance told me all about some of his personal highlights from over the years, including how he got assaulted on stage mid performance, how he offended everyone on board and nearly got fired, what he got up to during lockdown
Jul 31, 2024 • 58:37
Ep15: Brad Stinson - Former Ship Purser and Receptionist Turned Podcast Host
Brad got in touch with me a few weeks back, as he and his co-hosts have a very similar podcast to DeckTales called 'My Ship Story'.He suggested we do a crossover episode, and of course I loved the idea, so here it is!Brad usually leads the hosting responsibilities over on 'My Ship Story', and it was him that initially reached out, so I figured he was the best person to have on DeckTales.In his past life Brad worked as a purser and receptionist during a 10 year career at sea. He told me all about
Jul 24, 2024 • 1:16:52
Ep14: Nelly Chesnul - Former Ship Kids/Teens Club Host
Nelly and I worked together for Carnival back in the day, so we had a few mutual friends and stories between us.She worked as a kids and teens club host for about 4 years, and her experiences were in many ways wildly different from my own.In this episode you'll get to hear Nelly talk about witnessing a jumper from the ship, getting a rude wake up call from the coast guard, what it's like working on a nudist charter cruise and more!She was so quick to get back to me after I initially reached out
Jul 17, 2024 • 1:10:28
Ep13: Bboy Smurf - Former Ship Break-Dancer Turned Tattoo Artist
Ep13: BBOY Smurf- Introducing BBOY SmurfI worked with Smurf for about 3 and a half months back in 2010 right at the end of my cruise ship career, and found out during this chat, that Smurf also ended his shortly after, albeit for extremely different reasons.He's a good sport for coming on the podcast, and for being so brutally honest about everything he got up to during his time with Carnival. So thanks to you Smurf for not holding back and sharing your story.He worked as a member of the Fun For
Jul 10, 2024 • 1:14:39
Ep12: Kev Orkian - Comedian, Musician, Activist and Multiple Business Owner
A musical comedian of over 20 years and a Britain's Got Talent semi finalist, Kev is one of those comedy acts that catches you off guard and leaves you speechless in the best kind of way. His show was something I always remembered when we met onboard the Thomson Destiny back in 2006, not just because of how unique it truly was, but also because his ability on the piano is like watching a master at work.These days Kev does a bit less work on the cruise ships, but he is by no means any less busy.
Jul 3, 2024 • 1:14:44
Ep11: Shirley Greenwood - Former Ship Cabaret Singer
Something a bit different this week, as there was a bit of confusion leading up to this interview, over just how long Shirley actually worked at sea.Basically, I was working with her daughter for a few months and happened to mention what my podcast was about, and she said "Oh my mum used to work on cruise ships when I was a little girl!"Without hesitation I set up a time for us to chat, and on the call was immediately given a heads up.Shirley's daughter being so young when she worked on ships, t
Jun 26, 2024 • 44:03
Ep10: Jay Black - Ship Musician and Performer
Musician and producer Jay is a serious character, having worked on ships most of his adult life.We worked together on my first contract back in 2006 and have met up since, so this was a great chance to hear all about everything noteworthy that's happened to him over the years.He's a great story teller so I'm sure this one will be a favourite among listeners.Honestly had no idea Jay liked to venture off by himself and sunbathe in the nude, but some of the events that followed based on that partic
Jun 19, 2024 • 1:08:11
Ep9: Ian Montalto - Former Entertainment Host
Ian worked with me as an entertainment host on the Carnival Paradise back in 2009. As the son of a comedian, Ian was known to have a pretty good sense of humour, and having met his dad, I felt for sure he was definitely his son. With only 2 contracts to his name Ian's ship life career was brief but eventful, and he actually got fired for sleeping with one of the guests which I didn't even know about....that he got fired, not that you couldn't sleep with guests.We hadn't spoken since we worked to
Jun 12, 2024 • 1:06:26
Ep8: Rachel Dudt - Cruise Ship Singer/Guest Act Performer
With over a decades worth of ship experience, singer Rachel Dudt has seen more than her fair share of things over the years.She filled me in on everything she'd been up to since we 'worked' together in 2010, and some of them things I never knew she'd been through, so I'm extremely grateful to her for being so open and honest.Her insights were a stark reminder to me as to why I'm even doing this podcast in the first place.To offer people a safe space where they feel comfortable enough to share th
Jun 5, 2024 • 1:08:16
Ep7: Andrew Gove - Former Greatest Photographer on the 7 Seas
Former ship photographer Andrew was one of (if not) my best friends on the Thompson Destiny back in 2006.We've stayed in touch now and again, but this was the first time we re-lived the past in all it's glory, and I even learnt the true nature behind his abrupt dismissal all those years ago.Andrew can talk for South Africa, so I had to cut him down from 17 hours to just under an hour 20 minutes, making his the longest episode so far.A lot of laughs in this one.Enjoy!Andrew Gove | LinkedInZea Gov
May 29, 2024 • 1:18:19
Ep6: Archie Quevedo - From Laundry Department to Reception Desk
Originally from the Philippines and now living in South Africa with his family, Archie worked with me on two of my contracts back in the mid to late noughties. He was the face of the ship in many ways as not only did he work on the reception desk, but he always carried a smile with him everywhere he went, making him one of the most popular crew members onboard the now deceased, Thompson Destiny. Archie and I had lot's to catch up on, had a really lovely chat, and his career trajectory is one I w
May 22, 2024 • 1:02:33
Ep5: Jemma Carroll - Former Entertainment Host
Jemma and I worked together as entertainment hosts back in 2006 on the last 4 months of my first ever contract.I had worked with another team for the first 6, and was the only member to stay behind to see out the rest of the season. It was sad for me to see them go at first, but Jemma remains one of the nicest people I ever met over the years, and made me forget all about my other team shortly after jumping on board.She has gone on to become a mother, is now a part time student, and works for th
May 15, 2024 • 56:53
Ep4: Josh Harris - Former Entertainment Host and Cruise Director
Josh is an aspiring actor I met by chance a few years ago on a film set, where we discovered that we'd both worked on ships, and proceeded to discuss all things cruisy.His cruise ship career has to date been brief, but nonetheless eventful.After only a couple of contracts under his belt, he managed to land the Cruise Director position on an extremely exclusive ship that sailed to Antarctica just before the Covid Pandemic, *not the Arctic as I stupidly say in the intro...please forgive me.ABOUT T
May 8, 2024 • 54:19
Ep3: Bruce Allen - Former Ship Electrician
Bruce and I met at the gig of a mutual friend, and when we got to talking he mentioned how he'd done a couple stints onboard ships back in the year 2000.He worked as an Electrician, mainly tending to the needs of the entertainment team at first, but then circumstances outside his control dictated he'd have to go above and beyond his regular duties.ABOUT THE HOSTSam wrote the comedic memoir ‘Seems Like Smooth Sailing’ back in March 2020, and was published on the first day of lock-down at the star
May 3, 2024 • 59:09
Ep2: Jayne Raithby - Former Entertainment Host and Assistant Cruise Director
Jayne used to be my ACD (Assistant Cruise Director) for a brief spell many moons ago, and so it was great having a chance to catch up with her to see what she's been up to over the years, and what some of her most memorable moments were from that time.She has gone on to raise two twin boys, and now works in theatre providing her local community with a sumptuous serving of the artsABOUT THE HOSTSam wrote the comedic memoir ‘Seems Like Smooth Sailing’ back in March 2020, and was published on the f
May 2, 2024 • 1:00:11
