Stars onboard: Lisa Faulkner and John Torode

Where was your first cruise holiday and where did you go?
John: My first cruise holiday was actually in lockdown, and we went around Jersey and Guernsey. That was my first time on a cruise holiday. No, actually, no, we went on a Rhine river cruise.

Lisa: Yes. You went on a Rhine river cruise with me!

John: Yes, we did. And we stopped in Cologne and we went for a walk around Cologne together. That was my first ever cruise.

Lisa: My first cruise was a Caribbean cruise with Princess Cruises. I flew to New York, and then we got on the ship in the Big Apple and sailed to the Caribbean, though it was hurricane season. Say no more. Can you imagine?

What do you love most about cruise holidays?
John: I think it’s that almost everything is included. It's really clever. I met this wonderful lady years and years ago, and she was on the QE2. She'd been onboard for 280 days. And she said she was onboard because they did all your washing; she got fed every single day; and she got looked after.

Lisa: I like the fact that when you go to sleep, you can keep your balcony doors open and you can hear the sea. I love that about cruising.

What would be your ideal cruise destination, and why?
John: I know what Lisa’s would be.

Lisa: I definitely want to go to the Fjords. I'd like to go and see the Northern Lights from the ship. And I'd love to go to Iceland and all the cold Nordic lands.

John: I'd like to do the Atlantic and end up in New York. I'd love to sail into New York and see the Statue of Liberty and all that sort of stuff. That would be really cool.

What's the best and worst thing ever to happen to you at sea?
Lisa: Hurricane season. We had to all go to our muster stations and sit together. Nothing happened but we had to have our life jackets ready. We didn't have to take a bag, so they obviously didn't think it was that bad but...

John: I did this amazing cruise, which was the top of Australia from Broome over to Darwin. It was unbelievable. And I went to an amazing reef on a tiny boats – I think it's called expedition cruising. We went around with biologists and ornithologists... it was really cool.

And then I went on a helicopter, and I saw crocodiles. I also visited a waterfall, and I saw a funny little marsupial thing. I don't know what it’s called.

Lisa: For me, the best thing was sailing and seeing the Statue of Liberty so closely on the water. That was one of the best things I've ever seen.

What do you like to eat and drink at sea?
Lisa: Everything.

John: I like to drink bubbles.

Lisa: You always like to drink bubbles. Do you know what, the thing I think about being at sea is the afternoon tea and the breakfast buffet

Who would be your ideal cruise travelling companion and why?
Lisa: John!

John: Oh, that's lucky.

Lisa: Actually, it would be because you make everything exciting and even if I was worried about something, say the Bay of Biscay, you'd put it into a different way. So I wouldn't be worried about it.

John: We went on a cruise with Lisa’s dad, and actually he was a really good cruise companion because he was really excited about everything and discovering all the nooks and crannies and doing all sorts of stuff. He was great.

What is your top travel tip?
John: My travel tip is always to buy yourself a really good suitcase that's going to last a really long time. I use something called Globetrotter, which I love.

It's a solid case, which means that when everything is packed in it, it's folded nicely and it opens up in such a way that everything looks proper inside your case. I think packing for a holiday is really important.

Lisa: Yes, me too. So my tip is for when you start packing: take a photo on your phone, a screenshot of all the outfits. So then you know what goes with what and you can mix and match.

John: Wow. When did this start? Because I know you lay out all your clothes first, and then you do the cull and realise the stuff you don't need to take with you. And then you realise you need to put another bikini in.

Lisa: Absolutely. It’s always fewer jumpers and more bikinis.

What one thing would make your travel life easier?
Lisa: I think probably having someone to unpack and pack for me.

John: The princess comes out. Lisa is a princess. What Lisa would like and it would make her life easier, is if she arrived in the room, somebody unpacked all her bags, ironed all her clothes, hung them all up in the order of her photos from the layout with the nights and days written on them. You like that wouldn’t you?

As for me? Having somebody unpack for Lisa. Then I wouldn't have to worry about ironing it.

Lisa: John irons everything.

Which destinations are still on your bucket list and why?
John: Oh, I'd love to go back to Norway. I thought Norway and the Nordic fjords were amazing. But on the general bucket list? I absolutely want to go to Japan.

Lisa: And Nashville.

John: Yes, Nashville.

Lisa: Cruise wise, I'd really love to go to Caribbean islands like Nevis and Turks and Caicos. I have done that on a cruise, but I'd like to go back to Turks and Caicos as well. All those little Caribbean islands I'd like to do.