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Paul Thornton Author, Podcaster

Paul C. Thornton started writing at 58 years old incited by the task of delivering a father-of-the-bride speech at his daughter’s wedding. Told to talk about memories of Kina growing up; among Disney trips, high school sports, proms, and first boyfriends, Paul divulged the most powerful memory of all, when Kina was six and his life changed forever. At the end of the talk—as they say—"there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.” It was both liberating and cathartic to release secrets that had tortured Paul for 30 years. Needing to hold on to that feeling of release and empowerment, when he returned to his hotel Paul started his memoir, provocatively titled White Man’s Disease.

Paul’s just completed book, The Joy of Cruising Again, is his fourth; the third in The Joy of Cruising trilogy, and follow-up to the fun, upbeat, award-winning The Joy of Cruising, and Cruising Interrupted. The Joy of Cruising Again is the finale of the series but Paul won’t give up his passion. Besides continuing to cruise as much as possible, Paul hosts The Joy of Cruising Podcast, a weekly conversation with one of the dozens of passionate cruisers featured in the books and other global cruise personalities.

The cruise-themed books are a stark departure from Paul’s debut: White Man’s Disease, a memoir described as “gripping and inspiring” in the press release announcing it as the winner of the North Street Book Prize for Memoir and Creative Nonfiction about Paul’s harrowing brush with death, the journey of recovery from Trauma, resilience and ultimately transformation. White Man’s Disease is at once poignant, sad, tragic, funny, and compelling. (And, if I could get a dollar for everyone who asks what White Man’s Disease means, I would be a wealthy man!) Despite their very different subjects, at the heart of White Man’s Disease and The Joy of Cruising Trilogy is passion and how passionate people do wondrous things. Paul just started a sequel to White Man’s Disease; a fun, and hopefully inspirational tale called Gracefully. In addition, he is planning a podcast series that deconstructs White Man’s Disease.

Paul is originally from Brooklyn and Long Island, New York. After serving in the US Army and simultaneously earning a bachelor's degree in business, he attained his MBA and then spent concurrently, 17 years in corporate management, and 23 years in small business ownership. After leaving corporate, he started a career in higher ed. He earned a doctorate, attained tenure as a business professor, and subsequently moved into administration in Dean or Executive Director positions before retiring in 2021.

Paul lives in Mooresville, North Carolina with his wife Cheryl and considers cruising with their children and grandchildren life’s ultimate escape. Paul longs to cruise as much as the people he writes about in The Joy of Cruising Trilogy.

Books Authored By Paul Thornton

Recent Content

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Sometimes Sailing, Mekong River, Cambodia &Amp; Vietnam, Amawaterways Amadara/Iceland, Windstar, Star Pride &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Sometimes Sailing, Mekong River, Cambodia & Vietnam, AmaWaterways AmaDara/Iceland, Windstar, Star Pride

Send us a textI am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Mikkel and Dan, creators of the Sometimes Sailing cruise website and Instagram. Mikkel and Dan are special friends, and this…

Send us a textI am d…

Send us a textI am delighted to welcome back to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Mikkel and Dan, creators of the Sometimes Sailing cruise website and Instagram. Mikkel and Dan are special friends, and this is a special episode.  I got to know Mikkel and Dan when I wrote about Sometimes Sailing in my new release The Joy of Cruising Again http://amzn.to/3lAfyON where I wrote about their penchant for small ship cruising as well as “ship-within-a-ship” spaces, for instance, Celebrity Cruises The Retreat, Norwegian Haven, and Princess Cruises Medallion Class. I hosted Sometimes Sailing on The Joy o…

Listen · 1:17:51
The Gault Family’s Alaskan Nightmare On Ncl &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
The Gault Family’s Alaskan Nightmare on NCL

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I present to you something quite different than what you are used to hearing from me. It’s a crui…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I present to you something quite different than what you are used to hearing from me. It’s a cruise news story—an absolutely amazing one. First, let me welcome to the show Cailyn. Joshua is an entrepreneur in Tulsa, Oklahoma who is a central figure in said cruise news story, and as a busy entrepreneur was not able to join us. I don’t normally cover cruise news. I leave that up to others who are renown and much better than I am about covering that sort of thing. However, Cailyn and her fam…

Listen · 1:27:18
Melissa Davis, From Ship Life To Cruise, Shop, Save &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Melissa Davis, from Ship Life to Cruise, Shop, Save

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Melissa Davis, and have a conversation with her about how she grew from r…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Melissa Davis, and have a conversation with her about how she grew from running Port Shopping Programs onboard cruise ships to providing Port Shopping information and running  to all cruisers as a private entrepreneur.After running shopping programs on Crystal Cruises, Regent, Oceania, Viking,  and Marella, and launching the first and only onshore shopping program on Viking River Cruises, Melissa decided to create an online recommended and guaranteed shopping program…

Listen · 1:02:40
Chef Rudi, Love By Britto, Princess Cruises &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Chef Rudi, Love By Britto, Princess Cruises

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, it is my pleasure to welcome back a special guest, Chef Rudi Sodamin, a culinary virtuoso of the seas. Chef Rudi is …

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, it is my pleasure to welcome back a special guest, Chef Rudi Sodamin, a culinary virtuoso of the seas. Chef Rudi is Princess Cruises' first Head of Culinary Arts effective January 2024. When I chatted with him back in December, Ep 71, we talked about his pending new role, along with his existing role as Master Chef for Holland America Line (HAL)—which I am particularly excited about as we cruise on HAL a couple times in 2025. Carnival Cruise Corporation—parent company of HAL, as well as Princess—was …

Listen · 35:31
Quirky Cruise, Uniworld Sao Gabriel, Portugal/American Cruise Line, Amer Revolution Cruise, Chesapeake Bay &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Quirky Cruise, Uniworld Sao Gabriel, Portugal/American Cruise Line, Amer Revolution Cruise, Chesapeake Bay

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Heidi Sarna and Ted Scull’s Quirky Cruise, which was featured in my s…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Heidi Sarna and Ted Scull’s Quirky Cruise, which was featured in my second cruise book, Cruising Interrupted in a section called “Specialty Cruising: Fun and Quirky.” When I first interviewed Heidi and Ted I knew very little about small shipcruising, that is, a small ship designed to hold 300 or fewer passengers; some low double digits, even single digits! These small ships can range from spartan to ultra-luxury, and because of their size and design can access …

Listen · 1:00:56
Patrice Covington, I’m Your Whitney Tonight &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Patrice Covington, I’m Your Whitney Tonight

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, a special guest, Patrice Covington. We were introduced to Patrice on our rec…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, a special guest, Patrice Covington. We were introduced to Patrice on our recent anniversary cruise to the A, B, and C Islands in the Southern Caribbean on Celebrity Ascent. Patrice put on a show, I’m Your Whitney Tonight, a Whitney Houston Tribute.Patrice Covington is an Emmy award winning Broadway, television and film actress. She is an accomplished singer, actor, voice over artist, media personality and educator of the arts. As a broadway veteran, Patrice has graced t…

Listen · 43:43
Paul &Amp; Cheryl Reflections Of A, B, C Islands On Celebrity Ascent &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Paul & Cheryl Reflections of A, B, C Islands on Celebrity Ascent

Send us a textHello passionate cruisers, this is Paul. This week on The Joy Of Cruising Podcast Cheryl and I will share our reflections on our recent cruise—a 9-day sailing to the Southern Caribbean…

Send us a textHello …

Send us a textHello passionate cruisers, this is Paul. This week on The Joy Of Cruising Podcast Cheryl and I will share our reflections on our recent cruise—a 9-day sailing to the Southern Caribbean—A, B, C Islands aboard Celebrity Cruises newest ship, the latest in its Edge-class, the Ascent. A, B, C  is an acronym for Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. The full itinerary of Ascent was embarkation at FLL followed by a sea day; a stop at Cayman/Georgetown, a seaday, then Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire, then 2 sea days on the way back to Ft. Lauderdale. We’ve gone on longer cruises and enjoyed t…

Listen · 22:27
Roland &Amp; Emma, 61-Day Epic Europe Land &Amp; Sea Adventure, Sky Princess/Royal Caribbean Oasis Of The Seas &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Roland & Emma, 61-Day Epic Europe Land & Sea Adventure, Sky Princess/Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Roland and Emma, a couple I first met on a Facebook cruise group, and I…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Roland and Emma, a couple I first met on a Facebook cruise group, and I immediately anointed them as my new Travel role models. That cruise group happened to be the most influential on Facebook—the 106,000 member Melanin At Sea, created by friends of the show and global cruise personalities A Rich and Jazzy Life. Roland and Emma were the first guests to come on The Joy of Cruising Podcast not as global cruise personalities, but as “ordinary” cruisers to talk to…

Listen · 1:25:16
The Joy Of Cruising Podcast, Bucket List Cruises 24/25, A Major Update &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Bucket List Cruises 24/25, A Major Update

Send us a textThis week on The Joy Of Cruising Podcast we want to revisit a show from earlier in the year February 12, Episode 79 The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Bucket List Cruises 2024-2025 where we di…

Send us a textThis w…

Send us a textThis week on The Joy Of Cruising Podcast we want to revisit a show from earlier in the year February 12, Episode 79 The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Bucket List Cruises 2024-2025 where we discussed our plans to check some milestone cruises off our overflowing bucket list over the course of this year and next. This is a mini episode as we are on a cruise to the Southern Caribbean. It may be mini in length but this The Joy Of Cruising Podcast episode packs a major punch in terms of a couple of substantial updates that directly impact the bucket list cruise journey that we are still. …

Listen · 10:33
Travel Blog Jamie &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Travel Blog Jamie

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week to The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Jamie Robins, creator of Travel Blog Jamie, a blog and YouTube channel.…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome back this week to The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Jamie Robins, creator of Travel Blog Jamie, a blog and YouTube channel. I first met Jamie over a year ago when I hosted each of the finalists for The Wave Awards who had not previously been on the show. The Wave Awards, UK cruise industry’s premier award; included are award categories for cruise lines, ships, travel agencies, and most pertinent to this episode—Favorite Cruise Influencer. Travel Blog Jamie again made the short-list. Jamie is an educator by traini…

Listen · 49:27
Vitamin Sea Uk &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Vitamin Sea UK

Send us a textI am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, fun couple Scott & Tom, creators of Vitamin Sea UK. They were on a year ago and were a lot of fun and I can t…

Send us a textI am d…

Send us a textI am delighted to welcome back this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, fun couple Scott & Tom, creators of Vitamin Sea UK. They were on a year ago and were a lot of fun and I can tell from IG they have sailed more fun cruises so we want to hear all about them. Vitamin Sea UK’s credo is ‘Sailing the seven seas two Hawaiian shirts at a time. We're here to show that there's a cruise line for everyone, shattering the image of what some believe cruising is. We #ChooseCruise to embrace new cultures, new food, try new experiences and see what the world has to offer w…

Listen · 1:01:40
Cruise Sisters &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Cruise Sisters

Send us a textThe Joy of Cruising  is delighted to welcome sisters Juliet & Janice, creators of Cruise Sisters. The Cruise Sisters brand launched in 2015.  I am pleased to note that Juliet and J…

Send us a textThe Jo…

Send us a textThe Joy of Cruising  is delighted to welcome sisters Juliet & Janice, creators of Cruise Sisters. The Cruise Sisters brand launched in 2015.  I am pleased to note that Juliet and Janice are our first guests from Germany. The Cruise Sisters love traveling, especially at sea, and have been cruising together since 2009. They  have been on over 65 cruises, and through their blog offer suggestions for different cruises, their top activities on sea days, insider tips for local highlights ashore and take us with them on their  travels virtually on Instagram.The Cruise Sisters a…

Listen · 51:19
John Shallo, Cruise Addicts &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
John Shallo, Cruise Addicts

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, John Shallo, the founder and editor of Cruise Addicts, a premier online comm…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, John Shallo, the founder and editor of Cruise Addicts, a premier online community for cruise travelers. John’s love for cruising began after his first cruise in 1989. He later established Cruise Addicts in 1999 to share his passion for cruise travel with others, and it has become an award-winning destination for self-professed Cruise Addicts looking for the latest cruise industry news, forums, ship reviews, and travel tips. You can find him on the web and social media, …

Listen · 59:29
Cruise Addicted &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Cruise Addicted

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast,Cathy and Emma, creators of Cruise Addicted—YouTube channel, blog, Facebook…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast,Cathy and Emma, creators of Cruise Addicted—YouTube channel, blog, Facebook and Instagram platform; and shortlist candidate for The Wave Awards, Favorite Cruise Influencer. Let me set the stage by pointing out The Wave Awards is the UK cruise industry’s premier award; included are award categories for cruise lines, ships, travel agencies, and cruise influencers. As you are aware I greatly appreciate cruise bloggers, vloggers and influencers and have written about them …

Listen · 1:17:49
Brits On A Ship &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Brits On A Ship

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Sandra and Chris, creator of BritsOnAShip, blog, YouTube channel, and Insta…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Sandra and Chris, creator of BritsOnAShip, blog, YouTube channel, and Instagram platform; and shortlist candidate for The Wave Awards, Favorite Cruise Influencer. Let me set the stage by pointing out The Wave Awards is the UK cruise industry’s premier award; included are award categories for cruise lines, ships, travel agencies, and cruise influencers. As you are aware I greatly appreciate cruise bloggers, vloggers and influencers and have written about them extensivel…

Listen · 51:46
Point My Soul North, Ultimate World Cruise &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Point My Soul North, Ultimate World Cruise

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. This week I am delighted to welcome to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Leslie Nilsen, creator of Point My Soul North blog, Facebook page, YouTube ch…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. This week I am delighted to welcome to The Joy of Cruising Podcast Leslie Nilsen, creator of Point My Soul North blog, Facebook page, YouTube channel, and Instagram platform. Leslie is a passionate traveler and cruiser, and recently completed a major cruising milestone and a tiny percentage of us have anything like that. She sailed the entire Ultimate World Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas. Sailing on a 9-month cruise fascinates me to no end. I wanted to get Leslie’s perspective.  She told me, “As an avid world tra…

Listen · 1:19:36
Kristin Owens, Elizabeth Sails &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
Kristin Owens, Elizabeth Sails

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Kristen Owens. Kristin’s debut novel, Elizabeth Sails (Rising Action Publi…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, Kristen Owens. Kristin’s debut novel, Elizabeth Sails (Rising Action Publishing Co/Simon & Schuster), launched two days ago. What can be better than discussing with the author the use of an actual cruise ship, The Queen Elizabeth, as a setting.  Kristin told me, “After living in Europe, my husband and I moved back to the USA on the Queen Mary 2. The voyage was a life-changing experience. Ten years later, I’ve got my sea legs. Which happen to be a little chunki…

Listen · 45:57
Mcmillan’s On The Go &Raquo; 2C6Fbec80C7E8317Ed20281C1521E888D2Fe1922F26Eb50D7Efad8F0529Ebc71 3
McMillan’s On The Go

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Kevine and Vincent McMillan, creators of McMillan’s On The Go. This epi…

Send us a textHello,…

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Kevine and Vincent McMillan, creators of McMillan’s On The Go. This episode is one of those I podcast about occasionally when I come across photos and narrative about some unique, bucket list experience. Kevine had posted the following on social media, along with some lovely photos of her family which you may have seen in the promos for this episode: “When you’re told we might just be the very FIRST documented Black Family of 5 to not only visit Antarctica togeth…

Listen · 1:06:02

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