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Volunteer Princess Cruises is a small, family owned and operated business consisting of four full-time employees and several part time employees that work as crew. Each family member works year-round and performs multiple duties on an everyday basis to make sure the Volunteer Princess offers a unique and memorable experience for its guests.
The captains of the Volunteer Princess are Coast Guard certified and licensed professionals whose highest priority is the safety and security of our passengers. Each possess a 100 Ton Masters Coast Guard License.
All ship employees and wait staff are professionally trained by our captain to perform all necessary safety drills. Nowhere else will you find a staff and crew so dedicated to both your safety and enjoyment on-board.
Walter LeMasurier, President Walter, our English boss man, has lived around the world! Coming from London, he has shared his English quirks with Ontario, Peru, Miami and Kuwait. How he ended up in Knoxville is a mystery, but we’re glad to have him! You can find Walter in three different places: greeting each and every guest that arrives, washing dishes in the galley with his wife, Beverly, or taking a nap in one of our leather chairs. If you discover him sleeping, make all the noise you want, he won’t wake up. He is a successful business man, with his experiences in finance and property taxes. Walter would also say he is successful at bugging one of our crew members, Madelyn. His favorite yacht cuisines are the shrimp and cheesecake, though not necessarily together (we hope). Walter is determined to keep the Princess operationally sound, as well as meet every person on board.
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| Beverly LeMasurier, Vice PresidentIf there is one person on the Princess that you should get to know, it’s Beverly. She is our cooking, cleaning and event planning extraordinaire. The crew knows not to mess with her; I mean, she IS the one that feeds the poor college crew members! Heads up crew: she’s wanting to introduce new menu items! Coming from Chicago, San Francisco and Ft. Lauderdale. Beverly knows her way around. She has also worked in Pigeon Forge before finally settling in Knoxville with her hubby, Walter. Her hobbies are volunteering, shopping and spending time with friends, but you’ll most likely find her in the galley cooking up a storm! Guests should stop by and peak their head in to say hello. This friendly lady is all about talking and meeting new people. She might even give you an extra bite of her gourmet meals!
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Chris LeMasurier, Captain and VP Operations and Webmaster Chris is our all-American, southern-bred captain, wake-boarder and professional water tuber. He graduated at University of Tennessee in 2006 with a Business Management degree, but decided to attain his US Coast Guard 100 Ton Master Captain’s license in 2007. Who could blame him? He works on the river everyday with his wife, Nikki, and parents. Chris is always ready for a challenge, whether that be docking the boat in windy weather, working on our yacht’s engines in the 100-degree engine room or being the coach of the unruly VPC softball team. Though his short-term goal is a bit unattainable (wakeboarding behind the Princess... yeah right), his plan to keep the yacht in ideal condition is quite successful.
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Nikki LeMasurier, Cruise Coordinator Nikki was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee and moved to Knoxville in May 2003 to work towards her degree in Early Childhood Education. She has worked at VPC for over six years, after marrying her captain charming, Chris LeMasurier. She plans to become a kindergarten or first grade teacher, but for now, she has her hands tied with teaching and looking after Chris, Walter and Beverly in the office... and sometimes her two dogs! Nikki is our events coordinator on board and loves to plan events, interact with our guests and give her mother-in-law, “Chef Bev” as Nikki likes to say, a helping hand in the galley. When asked about working with clients, Nikki says, “By the time their event rolls around, they have become my friend and literally a part of our family.” She likes to evaluate a cruise based on the number of hugs she gets as people disembark. So please, give her a big bear hug before you journey home!
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Neil Johnson Local Knoxvillian, Neil is a biology grad, but isn’t the stereotypical glasses-wearing, book worm. He loves spending time on the lake and singing karaoke. Thankfully, we will spare you from listening to his… ahem... unique sound, though he does enjoy requesting songs to our DJs. He’s been working for VPC since Cinco de Mayo in 2011 and if that didn’t make him want to run away, then this power man is here to stay! Neil is also on our softball team and dreams to hit a walk off homer to win the championship. He is currently studying every night to take his Dental exam and get into dental school (we are sure there are more scientific terms but Neil is too loaded down in studying to help us with those!). Good Luck on your test at the end of this month...we know you can do it!
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| Rachel CrispRachel calls Farragut, Tennessee home. Rachel is currently a freshman at the University of Tennessee studying Marketing and Logistics. Even though she is the youngest crew member, Rachel has big goals for the future. The biggest goal right now is finishing off freshman year with a perfect GPA! While on board you can always find Rachel socializing with guest or in the pilot house putting her logistics knowledge to work and trying to help Captain Chris figure out our best route!
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Kevin Nowell To put it shortly, Kevin is our personal comedic relief. Brother to our events coordinator, Nikki, Kevin has worked for VPC for five years. By day, he’s an insurance producer, training to be an actuary. By night, he is one of our master bartenders. His social hobbies include tennis, camping and paddling. His solo-hobbies include reading and going to the movie theatre by himself, really! He loves enjoying films with his own, unshared popcorn and coke. Kevin is great at posing for camera pictures (check out our Facebook albums), discussing the latest pop culture and getting everybody to enjoy their time on the yacht! He also wants to make sure you choose the cheesecake.
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Madelyn Martin Madelyn is also from Knoxville and has been working at VPC since October of 2010. You’ll find her on the ship talking to everybody, but she mainly loves giving our beloved Walter a hard time. She attends The University of Tennessee, while majoring in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management; and no, she doesn’t abbreviate it when asked. Other than playing tennis and socializing with her sorority sisters, Madelyn is learning how to cook. Side note: You will not find her in the galley with Beverly, if you know what we mean. Madelyn has begun working in the office with our VPC office gals and is a vital work force for us here. The next time you call the office she will most likely take your reservation! Give here a little shout out and ask how it finally feels to be 21!!
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Max Archey Being from the outdoorsy town of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Max loves anything to do with water and athletics. Seeing as though he’s worked on VPC since December of 2010 he’s put in his sweet time on the Princess’s stairs and working on the water (perfect fit!). Max’s major is kinesiology and when asked his short-term goals, he responds, “Right now I’m just kind of in college and going with the flow.” What does that even mean? Don’t you worry, though. Max has a good head on his shoulders; that’s the only reason Captain Chris lets him drive our stretch golf cart to take out the trash. Max also jumps in behind the bar mixing up cocktails and serving out bottled beers like a pro. His specialty has to be a Margarita on the Rocks. Next time you are on board ask him for his secret recipe!
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Lisa Nowell
 Yes my friends, this is Kevin and Nikki's sister, Lisa. She has worked with the Volunteer Princess off and on since she moved to Knoxville for school in August of 2006! Lisa is a UTK Logistics grad and works full time for a rubber distributing company called, Ebco. She spends her days in an office calling on clients and solving distribution conflicts, so when she works on board she is ready to mix, mingle and show our guests a great time. She can do everything on the yacht! On your next cruise you might find her behind the bar as your friendly bartender, tying the yacht up as your trusted first mate, serving you dinner as an attentive server, or in the galley as your dedicated sous chef. However, Lisa's favorite time to cruise on the yacht is when she comes on board as a guest! She says, "It is much nicer to have my co-workers serve me, than to be serving with my co-workers!"
Patrick McCullough
 Chatty Cathy can't keep up with this talkative crew member. Patrick can talk! He is a wonderfully social person and if you are interested in learning a thing or two while on board, he is your man. Hailing from Chattanooga, TN, Patrick came to Knoxville for college. Not only does he spend his time working and chatting aboard the Volunteer Princess but you can also catch up with him at Blue Coast Burrito in Market Square. His second favorite food in the world is our Beef Medallions and when asked what his first favorite is, he doesn't know. I would have to guess that would be Spinach Artichoke Dip combined with our Rolls. Patrick is also our reliable left fielder on the VPC Softball team. He has been known to jump over team mates, fences, and bases all in the name of catching a fly ball.
Taylor Burns
 Taylor Burns is our newest intern for fall of 2012. Taylor grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She moved to Knoxville, TN to study Public Relations at the University of Tennessee. If you ever see someone dancing around the yacht, you can bet it is our dance expert, Taylor! She has been a competitive gymnast and dancer her entire life, specializing in contemporary, lyrical and hip-hop dance. One of Taylor's short term goals is to be a successful intern; so far she is off to a great start! She also strives ot maintain an excellant GPA. In the future Taylor would like to work in the hospitality/entertainment industy. Her favorite part about working for Volunteer Princess is the luxurious and loving family environment. After events, she loves to chow down on the Princess's salad, chicken and chocolate cake while relaxing on the top deck.
Devon Swanson
 Our always cheerful crew member Devon started working for the Volunteer Princess in January of 2012! Devon comes to us all the way from the foothills of the Rockies, but this football loving sorority girl is a Southerner at heart. Devon is currently a senior at the University of Tennessee studying Marketing and Journalism by day, and stalking wedding blogs by night. Devon LOVES wedding and can not wait to work on all of our wedding cruises this summer; we just hope she doesn’t pass out from all of the excitement! In addition to being our unofficial wedding expert Devon is also the self proclaimed team cheerleader for our softball team.
Rachael Daughtrey
 Rachael comes to us all the way from Albuquerque, New Mexico, but is a Knoxvillian and true southern at heart (one of her favs is Sweet Tea)! In addition to working and interning for us, Rachael is the PR intern for the City of Knoxville and the PR consultant for Scarecrow Foundation. Even though Rachael spends most of her time being a PR mastermind she loves exploring downtown Knoxville and being out on the lake. Knoxville's proximity to the mountains and lake is one of the main reasons she fell in love with our wonderful city. On your next cruise look for her on one of our outside decks, just make sure you don't have any mashed potatoes within arms reach (she claims they are better than her grandmother's!). In December Rachael hopes to graduate from the University of Tennessee with a degree in public relations, but plans on staying in Knoxville, TN!
Jennifer Gosciniak
 Hailing from Brentwood, TN, Jennifer is our Fall 2012 PR/Event Planning Intern and Crew Member. She not only loves planning events, but her love for animals is what you notice right away. Jennifer recently added an eleven week old puppy named Sophie to her family, and she is more than willing to share her many pictures and stories with you. With graduation coming up in May, she plans to continue on with event planning, hopefully for a successful business. We have no doubt this quick learner will be very successful in the event industry as her bubbly personality and giving nature are sure to bring a smile to everybody's face, unless of course you take her piece of the Volunteer Princess Cheesecake...steer clear!
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