Carol Baxter, the history detective, is an internationally acclaimed author, genealogist and cruise ship speaker who tells gripping true tales of murder, mystery and mayhem.

Speaker at cruise-ship genealogy conferences 

In 2011 Carol jumped at the chance to give researching and writing lectures at a genealogy conference on board a P&O Pacific cruise. Another three conferences followed, two on Royal Caribbean cruises and one on a Celebrity cruise in the Baltic Sea.     

Enrichment speaker on international cruises

Carol became a cruise ship "enrichment" or "special interest" speaker in 2017 with the cruise ship speaking agency, Eventz in Paradise. Her many enjoyable speaking experiences include a Crystal cruise from Los Angeles to Auckland in 2019. She is also booked to speak on two Regent Seven Seas cruises in 2024.

    Carol also speaks on P&O Australia cruises and appreciates how much they value their speakers. 

    In April 2023, she was approached by the Canada-based Cruise Speakers Association. She can now speak on cruises all over the world.  

True tales of murder, mystery and mayhem

Carol believes that cruise ship audiences wish to be entertained as well as educated. Thus, her talks are storytelling performances rather than dry lectures.

    Her earliest talk-topics focused on her popular histories: true stories of bank robbers, bushrangers (outlaws) and murderers. Some were Australian subjects, others international.

    These talks proved so popular that, instead of writing more popular history books, she decided to research other subjects that would interest cruise audiences. Accordingly, her true tales of murder, mystery and mayhem now cross the world's oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. They include international maritime dramas, missing ocean-crossing aviators, land-based dramas, and more.    

Praise for Carol's talks 

Gary Knopp (Phoenix, Arizona)*: “I heard Carol Baxter speak several times on a three-week Crystal cruise. Her talks are nothing short of verbal page-turners. She tells tales as a master storyteller: from the heart and full of color. Once you leave the room, you can’t wait for the next one to begin.”

Howard and Shelley Snell, Crystal World Cruisers*: “Carol is dynamic, interactive and full of energy. Every single moment of her storytelling was carefully crafted and kept the audience engaged and inspired.”

The entertainment administrator on Carol's Royal Caribbean “Top End” cruise (February 2020) reported that attendees wanted to find out which other cruises she was speaking on so they could book on those cruises.

And then Covid struck.     

 * Can be contacted for confirmation.

Future cruises

Carol's enrichment-speaker journey begins again in November 2023 when she speaks on the following cruises:

2023 November 7 - 17: P&O Explorer, Auckland to Tonga and back.

2024 January 19 - February 7: Regent Seven Seas Explorer, Sydney to Singapore. 

2024 March 1 - 19: Regent Seven Seas Mariner, Sydney to Singapore. 

More cruises are in the pipeline.  

Contact

If you would like Carol to speak on one of your cruises or at another social event, you can contact her at:

carol@writingfabulousfamilyhistories.com 

Carol Baxter descending from the stage after speaking on the Crystal Serenity world cruise in 2019.