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About Us

How It Started

It all started when Emrys Thakkar began a new adventure working for Carnival Cruise Line in 2004. His very first ship was the Carnival Sensation and he loved it so much that in February 2008 he decided to launch his own personal site about cruise ships, one of the only cruise blogs around at the time.

The site first started by just featuring a few favorite Carnival cruise ships and updates were done during vacations back home. In 2012, Emrys decided to leave the ship life and begin living in the real world. In 2013, Cruise Hive shifted its to provide the latest developing and breaking news along with cruise tips. Ever since then, the site has never looked back and has become a leading site in the cruise industry.

Our Purpose

Cruise Hive continues to be fully dedicated to providing the latest and breaking cruise news. We cover all the major cruise lines based in the United States, UK, Australia and Europe. We post multiple updates daily about the cruise industry backed up by hundreds of articles with tips on cruise ships and ports.

Why Trust Us?

Cruise Hive has become a dependable voice in the cruise industry and has been providing reliable cruise related content for 12 years. Our dedication every single day is all about keeping you informed on all things cruise and this isn’t just another job, it’s a passion that will continue for years to come.

All our writers our travelers themselves and heavily involved in the travel industry. We’ve been featured and mentioned across the world of travel, including sites such as Fox News, The Express, Business Insider, Daily Mail, Miami Herald, LA Times, New York Post, Huffington Post, Tampa Bay Times, USA Today, Inquisitor and more.

Get in Touch

Feel free to get in touch with us at info@cruisehive.com or simply use the contact form here.

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Expert Team

Emrys Thakkar

Founder / Managing Editor

Emrys has more than 17 years of experience working in the cruise industry. Worked for Carnival Cruise Line for eight years and founded Cruise Hive in 2008, a leading cruise blog.

Haiyan Ma

Writer / Social Media Manager

Haiyan has been a leading member of the Cruise Hive team since 2012. Worked on several cruise ships across multiple cruise lines and involved in the cruise industry since 2010.

Melissa Mayntz

Senior News Editor

An avid cruiser (35 cruises and counting!), sailed on multiple cruise lines, 20+ different ships, visited ports of call in more than 6 countries, cruise writer for more than 6 years.

Lissa Poirot

News Writer

Lissa Poirot has been covering travel for more than a decade, including sites such as TripAdvisor, CruiseCritic, The Points Guy, Family Vacation Critic, and Family Traveller.

Robert McGillivray

News Writer

Robert has worked for various cruise lines as Hotel Director and writes on cruise industry news and insights. Professional travel photographer and been part of the Cruise Hive team since 2020.

Donna Tunney

News Writer

Donna is a travel news/feature writer and editor with 20-plus years covering cruise news, luxury travel, and destinations. Formerly at Travel Weekly and at USAToday.

Catie Kovelman

News Writer

Catie is an experienced, data-driven researcher, marketer, and journalist. She’s an avid theme-park enthusiast and cruiser, mostly on Disney, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean.

Holly Riddle

Cruise Ships Writer

Holly Riddle is a travel and food freelance writer whose work can be found in print and digital publications all around the world. She is additionally an entrepreneur specializing in content and marketing services.

Kendall James-Vargas

Community Manager

With over 12 years of cruising experience, Kendall has enjoyed traveling on several cruise lines, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Costa, and MSC. Her continued passion can be seen over on the Cruise Boards

Paul Bartlett

Audio / Script Writer

Paul Bartlett is an experienced writer and book author, along with degrees in photography, media and film. Paul can be found over on the Cruise Hive YouTube channel.

Gillian Birch

Ports Writer

Gillian Birch is a full-time travel writer and author of 12 travel books. British educated with a diploma in journalism she has traveled the world, writing about her experiences with wonderful clarity and eyewitness detail.

Accolades, Press & Collaborations