Victoria Cruises

Personal hobbies and interests include travel (he enjoys walking the streets and alleyways of Victoria's ports of call), and reading all kinds of literature. He states he is "never bored with the adventures of travel." He likes to keep up to date with developments in the cruise industry, and the education and training of young people in the hospitality industry is one of his great interests.

MARION GASTON
Born and brought up in Germany, Marion spent several years in England, where she passed her Cambridge exam in English, and then moved to New York; here she was a daycare center administrator for seventeen years. She then began her career in travel as a tour manager for American Express, traveling throughout North America and the world in the late 1980's. She was elected Chairman for North America of the International Association of Tour Managers, serving for six years, and arranging a couple of the organization's annual conventions.
In the 1990's, Marion worked for a variety of tour companies, traveling mainly with incoming guests to the United States and Canada. Marion joined Victoria Cruises in 2002 as cruise director, and has had experience on several of Victoria's ships.

KEVIN HART
The year 2005 marks Kevin's seventh season sailing with Victoria Cruises. Hailing from Northern Ontario, Canada, Kevin first came to China in 1992 as an exchange student, and decided to stay. An accomplished linguist, Kevin earned his undergraduate degree in Modern Languages at Ottawa University. He speaks fluent Mandarin, and has studied four other foreign languages as well.
The expression "gone native" applies very well to Kevin. His wife is a Chongqing native, he loves spicy food, and has even learned a fair bit of the local dialect. Kevin has developed a keen interest in traditional Chinese music, and has a repertoire of over twenty songs that he loves to sing any chance he gets. He loves the richness of China's age-old culture, and enjoys traveling off the beaten track.
He says his favorite part of cruise directing is meeting people from the four corners of the globe, and sharing his love of China and the Yangtze with them. His goal is to both entertain and educate his guests as they enjoy their unique Yangtze experience aboard Victoria.

ERNIE KEMM
Ernie Kemm is celebrating twenty years on the Yangtze River. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and now a resident of New York City; he earned a B.A. and M.A. from the University of New Mexico. He came to China to work for Lindblad Travel in 1985, as a pianist/entertainer and assistant to the cruise director, spending three years on the Kunlun, Chairman Mao's state ship, and two years (1987-1989) on the Bashan. He continued working on the Bashan for Abercrombie & Kent until 1993, and joined Victoria Cruises in its inaugural year (1994). In his previous career in the entertainment field, he was a ragtime pianist, composer, and opened the nightclub "The Back Door", where Judy Collins played her first professional engagement. His nightclub act with Al Fike, "The Modern Minstrel Man", played some of the top rooms across the country from Florida to Las Vegas. Solo engagements at several clubs in New York included twelve years at Mrs. J's Sacred Cow. Engagements at sea included Celebrity Cruises, Sitmar, Royal Caribbean, and Cunard (Countess, Princess and the QE 2). He studied at H.B. Studios and with Broadway and tv star Charles Nelson Reilly, and Tony Award-winning composer Albert Hague among others. He was winner of Colorado's Bicentennial Song Contest ("Here's To Colorado"), and was recipient of the "Confetti" award for best performance in Charles Nelson Reilly's off-Broadway production "Confetti".

LIZ MEGILL
Born and raised in New Jersey, Liz has visited over fifty-two countries. She loves to go kayaking and camping, and enjoys writing humorous short stories.
In 1994, she won the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program Scholarship. She lived with a host family in Germany where she attended school during her senior year. Liz continued to pursue her passions in college and received a Bachelor's Degree in German and Dramatic Arts from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. After college, she moved to New York City to work in the translation industry, but longed to see what lay beyond. Her career on the high seas began in November of 2001.
While in China, she looks forward to learning more about the people and their culture, and hopes to help create memories that will last a lifetime for passengers.

MIRZA NATASURIA
Born in Indonesia, Mirza's educational credentials include a B. Sc. in Industrial Technology, an M.B.A., a Graduate Certificate in International Business, and an M.Sc in Computer Science.
His interests include traveling, tennis, swimming, and reading.
Mirza has an abiding interest in the people of China, and aims to offer passengers the most memorable travel experience of their lives.

JEFF FU
Hometown: Chongqing
Years with Victoria: 8
What I try to offer passengers: As much knowledge about China and Yangtze as I can, in a very easy, friendly and professional way.

AARON HUANG
Hometown: Jinzhou City, Hubei Province
Years with Victoria: 7
What I try to offer passengers: Sincere and warm smiles, and good service.

CATHY HUANG
Hometown: Chongqing
Years with Victoria: 7
What I try to offer passengers: I enjoy communicating with guests on a variety of topics, and appreciate the opportunity to provide narrative for sights along the river. A favorite aspect of life on the ship is sharing my love of local cuisine. I like to introduce the unique foods of the local people to our passengers.

CAMPBELL HUR
Hometown: Chongqing
Years with Victoria: 8
What I try to offer passengers: Thousands of years of the great history and unique culture of China, and a sense of how the country is now developing and changing.

CURTIS NING
Hometown: Chongqing
Years with Victoria: 6
What I try to offer passengers: As the river guide, I not only provide narrative about the scenery along Yangtze, but also the river's culture. The Yangtze is legendary and magnificent, with a long and rich history, and a dynamic future.

MICHAEL SUN
Hometown: Yibin (a historical Yangtze city in Sichuan Province)
Years with Victoria: 7
What I try to offer passengers: My goal is to strive for excellence, to never be satisfied with "good enough". I am always ready to serve our passengers, and to show my team spirit. I enjoy working here, and I am proud to be a member of the Victoria family.

MICHAEL YANG
Hometown: Chongqing
Years with Victoria: 1
What I try to offer passengers: A complete description of the past, present and future of the Yangtze, and an intensive view of this old and mysterious country, with her diligent and hospitable people. I believe that the service we offer onboard will surely make passengers feel at home.


		On your cruise, you will have the services of a full-time western cruise director and a river guide, who will provide interesting lectures about China and the Yangtze, and narrative about the sights along the river. In addition, our well-trained and accommodating local staff will make you feel right at home. It's our service that makes the difference! RICHARD CARPENTIER With more than twenty-five years experience as a cruise director aboard twenty-six cruise ships, Dick has visited over eighty-five ports worldwide. He is the recipient of numerous awards from cruise lines and associations, and received a special award as spokesperson for the United States Coast Guard's AMVER emergency worldwide response system. Dick finds the land, people and culture of China and the Yangtze River to be both "invigorating and exciting." Witnessing the changing Yangtze scenery, and the desire of the Chinese people to relate to and learn from visitors to their country make his job truly rewarding. His aim is to insure that each voyage is a fun-filled learning experience, and a restful break for passengers in their travels through China.
Personal hobbies and interests include travel (he enjoys walking the streets and alleyways of Victoria's ports of call), and reading all kinds of literature. He states he is "never bored with the adventures of travel." He likes to keep up to date with developments in the cruise industry, and the education and training of young people in the hospitality industry is one of his great interests. MARION GASTON Born and brought up in Germany, Marion spent several years in England, where she passed her Cambridge exam in English, and then moved to New York; here she was a daycare center administrator for seventeen years. She then began her career in travel as a tour manager for American Express, traveling throughout North America and the world in the late 1980's. She was elected Chairman for North America of the International Association of Tour Managers, serving for six years, and arranging a couple of the organization's annual conventions. In the 1990's, Marion worked for a variety of tour companies, traveling mainly with incoming guests to the United States and Canada. Marion joined Victoria Cruises in 2002 as cruise director, and has had experience on several of Victoria's ships. KEVIN HART The year 2005 marks Kevin's seventh season sailing with Victoria Cruises. Hailing from Northern Ontario, Canada, Kevin first came to China in 1992 as an exchange student, and decided to stay. An accomplished linguist, Kevin earned his undergraduate degree in Modern Languages at Ottawa University. He speaks fluent Mandarin, and has studied four other foreign languages as well. The expression "gone native" applies very well to Kevin. His wife is a Chongqing native, he loves spicy food, and has even learned a fair bit of the local dialect. Kevin has developed a keen interest in traditional Chinese music, and has a repertoire of over twenty songs that he loves to sing any chance he gets. He loves the richness of China's age-old culture, and enjoys traveling off the beaten track. He says his favorite part of cruise directing is meeting people from the four corners of the globe, and sharing his love of China and the Yangtze with them. His goal is to both entertain and educate his guests as they enjoy their unique Yangtze experience aboard Victoria. ERNIE KEMM Ernie Kemm is celebrating twenty years on the Yangtze River. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and now a resident of New York City; he earned a B.A. and M.A. from the University of New Mexico. He came to China to work for Lindblad Travel in 1985, as a pianist/entertainer and assistant to the cruise director, spending three years on the Kunlun, Chairman Mao's state ship, and two years (1987-1989) on the Bashan. He continued working on the Bashan for Abercrombie & Kent until 1993, and joined Victoria Cruises in its inaugural year (1994). In his previous career in the entertainment field, he was a ragtime pianist, composer, and opened the nightclub "The Back Door", where Judy Collins played her first professional engagement. His nightclub act with Al Fike, "The Modern Minstrel Man", played some of the top rooms across the country from Florida to Las Vegas. Solo engagements at several clubs in New York included twelve years at Mrs. J's Sacred Cow. Engagements at sea included Celebrity Cruises, Sitmar, Royal Caribbean, and Cunard (Countess, Princess and the QE 2). He studied at H.B. Studios and with Broadway and tv star Charles Nelson Reilly, and Tony Award-winning composer Albert Hague among others. He was winner of Colorado's Bicentennial Song Contest ("Here's To Colorado"), and was recipient of the "Confetti" award for best performance in Charles Nelson Reilly's off-Broadway production "Confetti". LIZ MEGILL Born and raised in New Jersey, Liz has visited over fifty-two countries. She loves to go kayaking and camping, and enjoys writing humorous short stories. In 1994, she won the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program Scholarship. She lived with a host family in Germany where she attended school during her senior year. Liz continued to pursue her passions in college and received a Bachelor's Degree in German and Dramatic Arts from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. After college, she moved to New York City to work in the translation industry, but longed to see what lay beyond. Her career on the high seas began in November of 2001. While in China, she looks forward to learning more about the people and their culture, and hopes to help create memories that will last a lifetime for passengers. MIRZA NATASURIA Born in Indonesia, Mirza's educational credentials include a B. Sc. in Industrial Technology, an M.B.A., a Graduate Certificate in International Business, and an M.Sc in Computer Science. His interests include traveling, tennis, swimming, and reading. Mirza has an abiding interest in the people of China, and aims to offer passengers the most memorable travel experience of their lives. JEFF FU Hometown: Chongqing Years with Victoria: 8 What I try to offer passengers: As much knowledge about China and Yangtze as I can, in a very easy, friendly and professional way. AARON HUANG Hometown: Jinzhou City, Hubei Province Years with Victoria: 7 What I try to offer passengers: Sincere and warm smiles, and good service. CATHY HUANG Hometown: Chongqing Years with Victoria: 7 What I try to offer passengers: I enjoy communicating with guests on a variety of topics, and appreciate the opportunity to provide narrative for sights along the river. A favorite aspect of life on the ship is sharing my love of local cuisine. I like to introduce the unique foods of the local people to our passengers. CAMPBELL HUR Hometown: Chongqing Years with Victoria: 8 What I try to offer passengers: Thousands of years of the great history and unique culture of China, and a sense of how the country is now developing and changing. CURTIS NING Hometown: Chongqing Years with Victoria: 6 What I try to offer passengers: As the river guide, I not only provide narrative about the scenery along Yangtze, but also the river's culture. The Yangtze is legendary and magnificent, with a long and rich history, and a dynamic future. MICHAEL SUN Hometown: Yibin (a historical Yangtze city in Sichuan Province) Years with Victoria: 7 What I try to offer passengers: My goal is to strive for excellence, to never be satisfied with "good enough". I am always ready to serve our passengers, and to show my team spirit. I enjoy working here, and I am proud to be a member of the Victoria family. MICHAEL YANG Hometown: Chongqing Years with Victoria: 1 What I try to offer passengers: A complete description of the past, present and future of the Yangtze, and an intensive view of this old and mysterious country, with her diligent and hospitable people. I believe that the service we offer onboard will surely make passengers feel at home.