Capt. Sandy Yawn from 'Below Deck Mediterranean' shares cruise tips and more ahead of new season

22.09.2023 - 16:07 / thepointsguy.com

Awe-inspiring backdrops, difficult yacht charter guests and cruise crew drama have fueled one of TV's most popular reality shows. Since "Below Deck" premiered on Bravo in 2013, it's spawned a number of spinoffs, beginning with the popular "Below Deck Mediterranean" series, which premiered in 2016.

Just in time for the highly anticipated Season 8 premiere on Monday, TPG had the chance to talk with the show's captain, Sandy Yawn. She shared cruise tips, favorite experiences and what to expect this season.

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This season's locale promises to be one of the franchise's most picturesque journeys yet, as the team traverses the Italian Riviera and Genoa, Italy, aboard the luxury yacht Mustique.

In the northwestern corner of Italy in the Liguria region, the Italian Riviera stretches along the Ligurian Sea from the Italian-French border to the Tuscan border. It's renowned for its multicolored fishing villages, panoramic vistas, cerulean waters and pristine beaches.

"The Italian Riviera is beautiful, the cuisine is incredible and the people are friendly," Yawn said. "The minute you drive around on a yacht, and you see it open up to Portofino, you're just like, 'Oh, my gosh!' You have Santa Margherita or Rapallo — there are so many beautiful locations."

The idyllic landscape and onboard challenges provide an interesting contrast for the show.

"I think the mix of 'Below Deck Mediterranean' is you find the spice in the middle of the beauty. It's spicy and saucy, and also elegant and calm there," she continued. "You'll see on this season I get angry with someone, so you have to keep watching and find out."

Related: Crew from 'Below Deck Down Under' shares travel tips ahead of new season

In addition to her title as a luxury yacht captain and reality show celebrity, Yawn can now add godmother to her list of superlatives. Yawn and her sister Michelle Dunham, founder of the Jacksonville School for Autism, will serve as co-godmothers for Celebrity Cruises' newest ship, Celebrity Ascent. The sisters join the first two-brother captain team in the industry, Dimitrios and Tasos Kafetzis.

"They were considering me to be a godmother, and they wanted to have two sisters," Yawn explained. "They Googled my sister because they wanted someone who's very philanthropic, of course, and gives back, and that's my sister."

Related: The 9 most exciting new cruise ships of 2023

Yawn expected the invitation might be difficult for her sister to believe.

"I asked them to please tell her, so I looped her into the call," Yawn shared. "It's going to be great! I'm so excited."

The 3,260-passenger Celebrity Ascent will be the line's fourth Edge-class ship (a fifth