Coral Expeditions’ UK sales manager fills us in on her favourite cruise destinations and how she escaped from a wasp-related emergency.

Why is your cruise line the best?

We really know the waters around our home turf – the Kimberley, Australia; Tasmania; the Islands of Indonesia; New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. We take our purpose-built tropical expedition ships, which carry between 72 and 120 guests at a time, to these incredible places on unforgettable voyages.

If your cruise line was a famous person, who would it be and why?

Sir David Attenborough. He gets right into the heart of the place he is visiting and has authentic experiences of the incredible wildlife and local culture. That is exactly what Coral Expeditions does.

How long have you worked for your cruise line?

Since the beginning of April 2019.

What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you on the road?

At a recent event, we were having a drinks reception outside and a barrage of wasps started dive-bombing headlong into my cocktail. I had to play it cool and hook them out one by one without too many people noticing – it was far too good for wasps to drink.

What’s your favourite ship in the fleet?

Coral Adventurer – she is our newest vessel and the first I sailed on.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever been asked about cruise?

I was once asked why there were no river cruise ships in England like there are on the Rhine and Danube. I had to point out that beyond Putney the bridges are somewhat too low to get such a huge vessel under.

Which port would you prefer to disembark at and why?

Broome, Australia, is an incredible port to disembark. There’s the beautiful Cable Beach, amazing seafood, camel rides on the beach and if the time is right guests can see the tidal phenomenon called the Staircase to the Moon, caused by the full moon reflecting off the exposed mudflats. It’s an amazing optical illusion.

And where would you opt to stay on board and why?

I might choose to stay on board in Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua, on our Spice Islands and Raja Ampat cruise. They have huge whale sharks that you can dive with and although I know they are just enormous fish, I’d take a while to get into that water.

Which cruise is on your bucket list?

We have a Komodo Dragons and Krakatoa cruise through the Indonesian Islands that visit the Komodo dragons at Rinca Island and orangutans at Tanjung Puting National Park.

If you didn’t work in the cruise industry, what do you think you would do?

I would definitely stay in travel. My first job after university was with a coach tour operator. I did spend some time working for a corporate bank, but couldn’t wait to get back into travel.

Visit coralexpeditions.com for more information.