EP77: Aruba Ray Ellin – Aruba Ray’s Comedy Feb 2017

Episode 77 of One Happy Podcast welcomes back Aruba Ray Ellin to the show. Ray as you probably already know is the comedian responsible for bringing Aruba Ray’s Comedy to the Marriott Stellaris. Aruba Ray’s Comedy is basically a New York City comic club transplanted down to the island of Aruba. In fact, it is actually listed as the number 1 show on Aruba.

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EP76 – Getting Happy in Aruba with Regina Crusan

On this episode of Aruba’s number one podcast, “One Happy Podcast”, I am being joined by fellow aruba-phile Regina Crusan.  Regina first discovered Aruba about 14 years ago.  For her 40th birthday she decided to visit the island she would eventually come to love.  However, unlike many of you listening Regina didn’t initially feel the…

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EP75 – Aruba Curt and Maggs Feb 2017 Pre Aruba Special

On this episode of One Happy Podcast, I am being joined by my partner in crime and favorite co-host Maggie.  Being that we are preparing for another trip to Aruba, we figured this would be a good time to do our pre-Aruba vacation special.  So this is the show where we talk about what we…

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EP74: Talking Aruba Resorts with Tracey Beaver

On this episode of One Happy Podcast, I am lucky enough to be joined by friend of the show and Aruba veteran Tracey Beaver. Tracey first appeared on the show way back in episode 8. During that episode, we learned all about her discovery of Aruba and how she’s grown from newbie to seasoned vacationer. Now nearly two years later we check back in to see how her love for the island has evolved. Fresh off a trip to Aruba Tracey has now stayed at a half dozen different properties. Additionally, Tracey has accumulated a whole list of amazing restaurants to recommend.

Over the course of this info-packed hour-long episode of the show, we touch on so many topics you may want to listen twice. It’s not often you have the opportunity to sit down with someone with such a diverse understanding of so many resorts. I ask Tracey which resort is best suited for couples, families, budget travelers, etc. She also takes the time to school me on the procedure for renting a timeshare. Also, Tracey fills me in on some of her newly discovered restaurants, as well as a few excursions she has experienced in the past.

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EP73: Checking in with Marie Geerman of Aruba Flight Volunteers

Joining me today on Episode 73 of One Happy Podcast is Marie Geerman of Aruba Flight Volunteers and the New Life for Paws. Marie has been a guest on One Happy Podcast a couple of times before on episode 15 and episode 30. Just to catch you up Marie has been traveling to Aruba for 30 years and even lived there for just about a decade. Her husband is Aruban and she even has an Aruban born son. In other words, Marie has a connection to the island as strong as any. When you combine that connection to Aruba with her love for animals what you get is some extremely driven to impact the quality of life of the animals of Aruba.

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EP72: Exploring La Cabana with Kellie Shackleton

Joining me on episode 72 of One Happy Podcast is a guest who has been visiting Aruba for 8 years, Kellie Shackleton. She first discovered Aruba thanks to a timeshare presentation in Florida. This led to Kellie discovering her ideal timeshare property, La Cabana. She can usually be found traveling with a group of friends to the island a couple of times each year. Thankfully I was able to catch up with Kellie in between visits to Aruba. She was just on the island about a month ago and will be returning very shortly.

This episode of One Happy Podcast is all about how a group of girls spends their time on One Happy Island. Kellie is nice enough to show us La Cabana through her eyes and also educate us on how Blue-Green timeshares work. Over the course of this interview, we also talk about various experiences, restaurants, and activities Kellie and her friends have enjoyed on Aruba.

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EP71.5 – Closing out the year with Aruba Ray’s Comedy

For some of you episode 71.5 of One Happy Podcast will be familiar as it is a remix of the Thanksgiving episode. Since that particular episode of the show was so time sensitive I decided to cut out the part that was no longer relevant and repost. The reason for this is because Aruba Ray’s Comedy show is still happening over at the Aruba Marriott Stellaris and it is absolutely amazing.

I’ve been to this comedy show probably 6-8 times and each time is funnier than the last. What I didn’t want to happen is even one person missing out on getting this information. Prior to going to my first comedy show I honestly didn’t think I wanted to take time out of Aruba to sit inside a comedy club. After I took that chance the first time, I will never miss a show. To this day we still laugh about some of the jokes we heard at that very first show.

A few times each year, Ray brings down some of his fellow comedians from New York City and they recreate a comedy club down on the island. The intimate venue seats maybe 100 patrons or so and each night there are 3 or 4 comedians featured. Listen to the episode to hear about the show directly from Aruba Ray Ellin and then head on over to Arubacomedy.com to check out the lineups for a particular night and to purchase tickets.

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EP71: The Thanksgiving Episode with Aruba Ray Ellin

On episode 71 of One Happy Podcast, I am trying something a bit different. This podcast episode basically has 2 separate parts, Aruba Ray’s Comedy and Thanksgiving on Aruba. In the past, I’ve mentioned how I want to mix up show formats. In addition to the hour-long interview style shows, I also want to do topic and information based shows. Episode 71 is kind of a glimpse into what a second weekly episode of the show could look like.

In the first half of the show, I am being joined by Aruba Ray Ellin who is here to tell us about the latest installment of Aruba Ray’s Comedy at the Marriott Stellaris Hotel and Casino. Aruba Ray’s Comedy runs from November 19th Through December 20th and features a lineup comprised of mostly Aruba newbies. To me this makes Aruba Ray’s Comedy extra exciting as the energy these comedians bring will be something different than anything the island has ever experienced.

The second half of the show has to do with celebrating Thanksgiving on the island. While I was surfing around I noticed some of the restaurants on the island set and posted menus. The more I came across the more I realized that some of you on the island may be able to make use of this information. This led to me recording the second half of the podcast episode which is me highlighting ten Aruba Thanksgiving menus. So on this part of the show I share the menus with you and give my recommendations on which I would choose.

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EP70: An Aruba Comedy of Errors Featuring Vallon Davis

Episode 70 of One Happy Podcast features a guest who has was on the show way back in episode 4 of the show, Vallon Davis. On my last trip down to Aruba in mid-September, Vallon and I both occupied the island at the same time. We didn’t have the opportunity to meet, just because vacation and scheduling oftentimes don’t mesh well. However, upon both of us returning home we made it a point to catch up.

On this episode, Vallon shares the details of his trip to Aruba. We talk about the challenges of getting to and from one Caribbean island to another. What it’s like landing on Aruba at night, the Marriott and the Aruba based books written by Daniel Putkowski. This interview is nothing like his first one which followed my tried and true formula. Since Vallon has been a prior guess this is pretty much two friends sitting down and chatting.

One of the main purposes for Vallon making this trip to Aruba was to reunite with old friends from the island. One thing that you will learn from his story is just how much of a focus his friends were. While Aruba is different things for different people, for Vallon it’s not about the fancy restaurants or excursions. His trips are about visiting a place he absolutely loves and hanging out with the people who make those visits complete.

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EP69: Frank Tisellano Sr. and the Playa Linda

One Happy Podcast would like to welcome to the show Frank Tisellano Sr., a 20-year member of the Playa Linda Family. Twenty plus years ago, Frank and his wife Patricia took a trip to a place called Aruba. Shortly thereafter they completely fell in love with the island and decided to purchase a timeshare there. That timeshare was at the Playa Linda which has been home to Frank Sr., Patricia and their children Frank Jr. and Kristina.

Frank and I sit down for about an hour to discuss his love for Aruba and what the island has meant for him and his family. Having introduced their children to the island when they were only about 4 or 5 years old, Aruba has been part of their family dynamic nearly as long as anyone can remember. I guess you could say the children grew up on the island.

This episode seems to follow the theme of family. There is Frank’s actual real family but also another one. Being an owner at the Playa Linda for so long, the other families who share the same weeks have also become a sort of family. This is a running theme I have heard from many of the guests I have had that own a timeshare. However, I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen it represented as extensively as what you get at the Playa Linda. If you have doubts, just wait until you hear episode 69 of One Happy Podcast – the officially unofficial podcast of the island of Aruba.

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