Our Team

Our experienced, award-winning team at Cruise Express is dedicated to delivering to every customer the dream holiday they deserve      .

We know cruising! Our multi-talented staff all share a passion for cruising and travel as well as providing professional and friendly service. As cruising and holiday experts they will work tirelessly – yes that means they will look after all those mounds of paperwork for you - to ensure your dreams become a reality.

Many travel companies boast about their good customer service but seriously underestimate how much time and effort this takes. We do make the time and effort to really look after you from your first phone call to the time you return home after your holiday. And our team love to hear how much you enjoyed the trip when you return home so do let them know!

Hardy Schneider – Director, Cruise Master and Tour Host

Voted  'Australian Cruise Consultant of the year 2008'  by the International Cruise Council of Australasia

Born in a small town in the heart of Germany in a year he keeps close to his chest, Hardy embarked on his exploration of the world when he left home at the age of 16. After travelling through Europe and Asia, Hardy decided in 1981 to move to the world's ‘most beautiful and liveable city’, Sydney.

Very much at home in Australia, Hardy decided in 1988 to make his passion for travel his vocation. His sense of adventure and entrepreneurial skill led him to open a retail travel agency in the Sydney suburb of Gladesville. Twelve months later, the success and growth of the business saw a second office open in nearby Drummoyne and over the next 10 years Hardy was recognised with many industry awards. 

In 1996 Hardy sailed on the inaugural voyage of the luxurious Crystal Symphony and was sold - it was immediately clear to him that cruising was the epitome of travelling in style. His excitement for cruising led him to launch Cruise Express that year and in 2001 he joined forces with industry colleagues, Megan and Lance, and the new, expanded Cruise Express was formed. 

While one of three Directors at Cruise Express, Hardy also loves to escort several of the agency’s hosted cruise tours each year. Hardy is very much a friendly and outgoing ‘people person’ prepared to go the extra mile for all his guests and enjoys a strong following of travellers who have become good friends over the years (you should see his ever-lengthening Christmas card list! 

In his sparse spare time, he likes to potter around his garden and sometimes works as a volunteer to refurbish orphanages in Africa as part of charity work spearheaded by Qantas cabin crew. Hardy is accredited as a ‘cruise master’ with the International Cruise Council of Australasia (ICCA) and recently won the award for cruise consultant of the year.

Megan Hill – Director, Business Manager, Cruise Master and Tour Host

 Meg grew up in a small farming community in the heart of Western Australia's wheatbelt. From a very young age, her love for travel and exploring was fuelled with family camping trips into Australia's remote northwest.

After completing a journalism degree in the late 1980s she began work in the travel industry, first with a national coach tour company and then several inbound tour operators. In 1995 she relocated across the Nullarbor to Sydney to be with her (now) husband David. It was in Sydney that Meg first became involved in the cruising industry, working for Orient Lines for several years. During this time she escorted a number of groups around coastal Australia and to Alaska and the Mediterranean.  

Megan’s captain-like skill in slicing through ceaseless waves of paperwork in the office is complemented by her interest in escorting occasional cruise tours run by Cruise Express. The proud mother of daughter Phoebe, Megan loves to spend her spare time with family and friends, entertaining at home and in the great outdoors. Megan is accredited as a cruise master with the International Cruise Council of Australasia (ICCA).

Lance Mumby – Managing Director M.A.I.T.T(L)  Consultant and Tour Escort

In a career spanning more than 34 years, Lance has held the following Travel management positions.

1 - Westpac Travel - Senior

2 - Howard Smith and Patrick Shipping - Assistant Manager Travel

3 - Commonwealth Bank - Manger Travel North Shore

4- Designer Travel Holding's - General Manager

5- Sydney 2000 Games - Games Village Consultant / Opening and Closing Ceremonies

After a busy few years above he decided to join forces with Megan Hill & Hardy Schneider as Manging Director of both Travelations and Cruise Express International

He  has a Diploma in Travel from IATA ( International Air Transport Association ) and has also studied overseas, undertaking airline ticketing and tariff training in Germany with Lufthansa and management training in London with Pan Am.

 He has travelled to more than 58 countries. 

Lance has escorted many of Cruise Express’ own tours to destinations incl Asia / Europe & his favourite Alaska, many of the agency’s customers have travelled with him multiple times and he welcomes and host's both solo travellers and couples even small groups with the main group from all over Australia.

Lance hopes you are able to join him on one of the exciting tours coming up in the near future.

Barry Stevenson – Cruise Consultant and Tour Host

Barry and travel are inseparable. In fact, he often says that he has been selling cruises for so long that he is the travel agent who arranged Cleopatra's first cruise down the Nile!

As Cruise Express’ walking and talking travel encyclopedia, Barry has sailed all of the seven seas and explored most corners of the world. Ask him anything about any part of the world or any ship and he will give you a prompt and comprehensive answer, no matter if he made up the information or not! He continues to travel on a regular basis and to share his passion for travel with a widespread base of very loyal clients. 

Warren Young – Cruise Consultant and Tour Host

 Warren has worked in the travel industry for over 34 years. He started out with Rural Bank Travel, later State Bank Travel, and until recently he was a Business Development Manager with American Express. He has previously escorted Cruise Express groups to Singapore, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Malta, Italy, UK, Russia, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean and continues to host trips each year which he loves. 

Warren is also a passionate photographer (join one of his trips and you’ll have lots of photos of yourself having fun on the high seas!) and operates a small business specialising in corporate, wedding and special event photography. 

Keen to expend energy, Warren lives at Avalon Beach in Sydney and is a Life Member of the Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club. He was President for 13 years and is currently Vice President and Race Director of the Avalon Beach Surf Swim. He is the recipient of Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches Distinguished Service Award, the Australian Sports Medal and the Bicentenary Medal for Community Service. 

He has three adult sons and although he is still struggling with the concept, he is also a biased grandfather, with two ‘beautiful’ young granddaughters.

Trish Campbell – Cruise Master and Tour Host

 Since becoming a travel agent 15 years ago, Trish has “absolutely loved” cruising, a passion she was able to focus on more intently when she joined the expanding Cruise Express team in 2007. While often seen slaving over a hot computer screen in the office, Trish is also an avid escort on the agency’s regular cruise tours overseas. “I just love cruising with our guests and seeing them have the time of their lives,” Trish explains.

She has three adult children and despite her youthful looks (she says its all the salt air at sea!) also boast 10 grandchildren. And when not cruising or organising cruises for clients, Trish loves cooking up a storm in her kitchen at home. Trish is accredited as a cruise master with the International Cruise Council of Australasia (ICCA).

Clive Heath – Operations Support Officer                                          

 Clive launched his travel career with British Airways’ new holiday division at the birth of the packaged holiday market in Europe in the early 1970s. He has lived and worked in the UK, Hong Kong and Australia and has travelled extensively throughout Asia and Europe as part of his corporate career during the last 25 years. This work involved organising conferences in Europe and Asia for large and small groups before taking his first private cruise in 2005 when he officially became ‘ hooked’ on cruising, sailing with Holland America, Cunard and Royal Caribbean in the last two years.

Since joining Cruise Express in 2008, Clive has worked as an operational support member to facilitate the agency’s recent growth. In other words, he looks after a lot of paperwork! Clive is married with three adult children and boasts four grandchildren and his interests include wine appreciation and home renovation – often together!

Andrew Mevissen – Public Relations Consultant

 Easy to spot at a Cruise Express event as the tallest member of the agency’s team (6ft 5in – yes his hair does scrape the water sprinklers on ship ceilings!), Andrew began coordinating the agency’s public relations activities in October 2007. An experienced journalist and PR professional, Andrew writes our press releases, newsletters and brochures and works on other editorial projects as well as assisting with newspaper, magazine and radio marketing.

Andrew has worked in the cruise industry since 1996 but cruising has been his passion for longer than that. Ever since his parents took him, at the age of 14, on a family cruise to the South Pacific in 1979 aboard the old ‘Fairstar’, Andrew has been passionate about cruising and has sailed various ships in the South Pacific, Europe and around North America. He enjoys the chance to broaden the appeal of cruising through his promotional work for Cruise Express.

Living in the Southern Highlands, south of Sydney, where he runs his own travel PR business, Andrew is married with three children and enjoys bushwalking (he has written two hiking books), exercising (you’ll usually find him in the ship’s gym!) and his new penchant for amateur acting in the local theatre company.

 CRUISE TOUR HOSTS

In addition to our main office team we are also fortunate to boast a top team of tour hosts who help make our growing range of escorted cruise tours so popular, fun, hassle-free and memorable...

 Craig Robertson - Tour Escort

 Craig was born in Zimbabwe and spent his early life in Africa prior to his family relocating to Scotland, where Craig was educated. At an early age he developed a taste for travel and hospitality.

After leaving school, he started a hospitality apprenticeship in a Scottish castle hotel. Soon Scotland became too small and Craig signed up with Cunard, gaining employment on QE2’s world voyage. Cruising the world, he loved the port of Sydney and on conclusion of several Cunard contracts he decided to move to Sydney. 

Craig initially coordinated prestigious boardroom functions but was soon successful in applying for a position as a Qantas cabin crew member. For the past 12 years he has travelled the globe with Qantas, perfecting his customer service skills with a friendly, dedicated and helpful attitude. Craig’s leisure time is devoted to running a charity that funds and manages an orphanage in Zimbabwe, which he visits regularly.

Peter Clare - Tour Escort

 Peter has worked within the Australian travel industry for many years and in that time he has travelled extensively throughout the world with trips in recent times to Thailand, India, the UK, South America, Alaska and Antarctica. Peter has helped direct many Cruise Express cruise tours.

Sue Adams & Paul Short - Tour Escorts   

 Sue began her career as a lawyer but soon discovered there was more to life than torts!  Arriving in Australia from the UK in the early 1970s, she joined Viva Holidays as a tour escort and travelled extensively throughout America, Canada, Alaska, Japan and Asia.  After living on the west coast of California, eight years ‘on the road’ and meeting her husband in Las Vegas, Sue returned to Australia and joined Sunbeam Tours where 12 happy years were spent as operations manager, travelling regularly to many parts of the world. 

Over the last 5 years or so, Sue has enjoyed hosting Cruise Express groups overseas, with her husband, Paul Short, joining her as a co-host in recent times. Paul has also travelled extensively throughout the world and as a ‘dynamic duo’, Sue and Paul have escorted groups as a team through Europe.

 Helen Roebuck – Tour Escort

 Helen lives on the Central Coast north of Sydney with her husband Ken and has worked extensively in the hospitality and holiday accommodation sector.  After her two children grew up, Helen travelled to the Greek Islands and Turkey in 1998 whyen she officially caught the travel bug.

Her first experience with Cruise Express was to travel with Hardy eight years ago on a cruise to Italy.  She has since assisted on many trips including tours to China, UK, Baltic, Egypt, Vietnam and in the Mediterranean and has thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and seeing parts of the world that she thought she would never see. 

Helen particularly enjoys watching so many new friendships forged as Cruise Express guests travel together to exciting new destinations. She loves travel and it’s her passion to ensure others have the time of their lives on her tours as well.