HOSTS

Lynn Elmhirst

Before she started in TV, Lynn lived and worked on three continents. Those experiences bit her with the travel bug! They also gave her the kind of in-depth, real-life interactions in other lands and cultures that inspired her travel TV projects. She’s always looking for new trends in ways travelers experience the world. Lynn saw how cruise lines were upping the ante to appeal to a whole new generation of cruise traveler. Now there’s a cruise for every type of traveler out there, Lynn came up with the idea of Ship2Shore, to show that cruising “isn’t your Granma’s ‘Loveboat’ any more”!

Vanessa Lee

One of Canada's leading proponents and influencers within the cruise industry and a well known writer and speaker on cruising and travel, Vanessa Lee celebrates her 35th year in the travel industry this year.

Vanessa was born in England, has lived in Australia and has had a lengthy career in the Canadian travel and cruise industry. She was a founding partner of Encore Cruises, which went on to achieve enormous success as Canada's pre-eminent cruise specialist tour operator.

Today Vanessa is owner and publisher of the upscale Cruise and Travel Lifestyles Magazine and president and CEO of Cruise Strategies Ltd a company promoting small luxury and niche cruise ships and luxury travel.

Additionally Vanessa is a regular columnist for the travel trade website Travel Industry Today; was voted one of Canada's Top 20 “Industry Rock Stars” in a poll of her peers; and is a frequent motivational speaker on the joys of cruising and selling to the affluent.

Her love of cruising has enabled her to sail on 128 cruises, which commenced with a transatlantic crossing on the first Queen Elizabeth when only in her teens. Vanessa has also travelled to 87 countries with a goal of reaching her century mark in the not so distant future.

Vanessa was recently accorded a rare and prestigious honour, that of being chosen to be the Godmother of Avalon Waterways’ newest ship the Avalon Vista which will be christened by her in Amsterdam in May 2012. She accepted the honour with alacrity, gratitude and appreciation.

For more stories on the Avalon Vista's Godmother, click here!

Plus! Check out Vanessa's Blog - her column Ocean Views, originally published in Travel Industry Today, offer insights and information into the fastest growing sector of the industry from a unique insider’s perspective.