Paul Rutter – Wild Business Growth Podcast #267: Cruise Director, Customer Service Captain

Could your business survive if you had to live with your customers? That’s the story of this week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guest, Paul Rutter. Paul is a Cruise and Entertainment Director and Customer Service Expert. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Full Transcript
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Summary

Episode 267: Paul Rutter – Cruise Director, Customer Service Captain

Paul Rutter, the Cruise and Entertainment Director and Customer Service Expert, joins the show to share his journey spending decades living with his customers and co-workers. Hear about that clothing-optional cruise, how to provide an excellent customer experience, the biggest customer service mistakes businesses make, the most beautiful night sky Paul’s seen on the water, and what’s next for cruise ships. This episode covers everything from Alaska to Jerry Lewis. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What did Paul learn working on the naked cruise
• How do you maintain professionalism in challenging environments
• A Sea Day
• How can you show care and empathy towards customers
• Shore Excursions
• How do you get in the customer-facing mindset
• The Aurora Borealis
• FlowRider

Connect with Paul at PaulRutterSpeaks.com, on social media, and check out his books on Amazon.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Naked Cruise
  • [0:27] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:37] Connect with Paul at PaulRutterSpeaks.com, on social media, and check out his books on Amazon
  • [1:49] Starting off shipshape
  • [2:31] What did Paul learn working on the naked cruise aka clothing-optional cruise
  • [4:49] Port of Call
  • [5:08] CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
  • [5:24] Clothing-Optional Communities
  • [5:41] Eye Contact
  • [6:09] Nude Beach
  • [6:18] Corona, Pacifico
  • [6:34] How do you maintain professionalism in challenging environments
  • [7:36] PHEW
  • [8:05] Captain’s Formal Cocktail Party
  • [8:38] You know who you are!

• Cruises & Customer Service
  • [9:27] How do you provide excellent customer service
  • [11:24] Sea Day aka Day at Sea
  • [11:39] Cruise and Entertainment Director
  • [11:47] Grand Cayman
  • [12:02] Tenders
  • [13:10] Destination Wedding, St. Thomas
  • [15:19] Dana Branstetter – Wild Business Growth Podcast #213: Wedding Recap
  • [16:11] Ha
  • [16:20] How can you show care and empathy towards customers
  • [17:15] Honeymoon
  • [17:31] Anniversary
  • [18:11] PR (Public Relations)
  • [18:41] How do you handle crises quickly
  • [19:16] Shore Excursions
  • [20:14] Refund
  • [22:32] What’s the biggest customer service mistake businesses make
  • [22:47] Ayayay, Max
  • [23:28] Corporate Trainer
  • [24:53] Crew Mess
  • [25:34] Employee Engagement
  • [26:04] Creature Comforts
  • [26:20] Nice one
  • [26:32] How do you get in the customer-facing mindset
  • [27:30] St. Martin, San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • [28:05] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23
  • [28:08] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity

• Rapid-Fire Q&A: Cruise Edition
  • [28:07] Bazinga
  • [28:35] Aurora Borealis
  • [29:40] Jerry Lewis, Phyllis Diller, Norm Crosby, Captain & Tennille, The 5th Dimension, “Cuchi-Cuchi” by Charo
  • [30:48] What would be Paul’s dream theme for a cruise
  • [31:00] Super Bowl, NFL (National Football League), Jazz Cruise, Earth, Wind & Fire, The O’Jays
  • [31:35] What would be Paul’s dream shore excursion
  • [32:28] IP (Intellectual Property), Trade Secrets
  • [32:54] What’s next for the cruise industry
  • [33:25] Universal Studios, Disney World
  • [33:40] FlowRider, iFLY
  • [35:52] Connect with Paul at PaulRutterSpeaks.com, on social media, and check out his books on Amazon
  • [36:21] What are Paul’s Final Thoughts
  • [36:44] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [37:01] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [37:04] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
  • [37:07] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [37:12] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Paul Rutter on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And play Cruis’n Exotica with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!