Matthew Lonsdale

Director

The Romans said “Carpe Diem”; the Ramones sang “Hey, ho, let’s go”. Irrespective of the source, it’s the same great advice!

My favourite destination

Because Venice is so often the beginning or the end of a cruise voyage, it has become perhaps the Clapham Junction of the maritime world; all about interchange and travel logistics (as well as ludicrously over-priced coffee).

And yet, only a few minutes' walk away from the carnival hurly-burly of St Mark's, there is a fantastic world of possibility and wonder that never fails to delight. (Not to mention some of the best art in the Western world only a short train ride away).

Explore the Mediterranean

My top cruising tip

It is a truth, universally acknowledged that few things are grimmer than disembarkation.

Trudging off a ship in the early hours you may feel you're being expelled from Eden, especially if your next stop is the hell of an international airport. My tip is to add a day to your holiday and go straight to the luxury hotel that Mundy wisely booked for you (you did speak to us about booking a day/overnight room, now didn't you?) and then, with your suitcases safely stowed and forgotten about, you can forget that you have come off a ship and straightaway start behaving like a luxury cruiser again.

There's no point realising once you arrive, that you should have done something different. Checking out the shore excursions is a great way to give you ideas and then, you need to decide whether an excursion or an independent trip would suit you better.

Fact File

Years in travel: Edwina and I have owned the Company since 1999.

First job in travel: When I walked into the Mundy office and Paul Mundy introduced me to the staff as the new owner of Mundy Cruising.

First cruise: It was on an early iteration of MS Noordam in the deep and distant past. I have almost no memories of that trip, perhaps because it was an inaugural and they were very generous with the wine. I do remember however that the Bootleg Beatles performed and had the whole ship rocking.

First cruise with Mundy Cruising: In 1994 I had pit passes for the Monaco Grand Prix, and Edwina told me that we were invited onto Song of Flower departing from Monaco the day before the Grand Prix. Race or cruise? Not an easy choice, but eventually Song of Flower deservedly won.

Best cruise dining experience: So much is about the company one dines with of course, but my mouth still waters at the very thought of the rock prawns in Crystal's Silk Road restaurants. And few things beat dining out every night on SeaDream Yacht Club's ships.

Best non-cruise holiday: Not easy to choose, but sitting on a hotel balcony at night, seeing the Taj Mahal over the tree canopies a few hundred yards away is a magical memory.

Interesting fact about yourself: I have been a magistrate in South London for 16 years.

Ocean cruise lines sailed: Silversea, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, Windstar, SeaDream, Ponant

River cruise lines sailed: AmaWaterways

Expedition cruise lines sailed: Silversea Expeditions, Aqua Expeditions

Areas you've cruised: Western Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean/Adriatic, Danube, Middle East, East Africa & Indian Ocean, Brahmaputra, Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos & Mekong, Thailand/Singapore/Malaysia & Philippines, Caribbean, Arctic