3. Zadar, Croatia - Tuesday 9th June 2026
If I ever feel a little out of sorts, getting in some water will do wonders! I love swimming outdoors in the sea, in lochs back home in Scotland, lakes, outdoor pools… and in this job, being close to swimming spots most days is one of the things I am most grateful for. I’ll often think I don’t have time for a dip and then curse myself for not bringing my trunks - although sometimes I’ve just thought gone in my boxers!
The best thing that I ever bought is my swimming shoes. A must for outdoor swimming and to stop you doing the ouch-ouch-ouch rocky beach dance. Another must is of course sun cream, and in Greece a freddo espresso.
I’ve managed some dips on Greek islands, Greece mainland, Croatian islands and mainland and although it was very tempting, I did not swim in Slovenia as there was a whole smack of jellyfish taking up the best spot (I think a wobble would be a better collective noun personally, but smack is pretty satisfying too). I even ventured onto a nudist island near Hvar, but I’ll spare you the pics.
A couple of my favourite water-based moments happened away from the camera though, and maybe that’s something I like about swimming - you’re not thinking about getting the photo or video of it, you’re just doing it.
My brother and brother-in-law bought me an early birthday present of a snorkel set and after a few visits to the beautiful spot of Parga on the Ionian Coast of Greece, it was my last chance to get it out. It was amazing, a whole other world under the water and fish darting in and out of the seagrass below me. I also swam the shallow channel between the beach and this tiny little island. Washing up ashore to climb the hill to the top I felt like the King of my own island for a moment. I then carefully clambered down the other side (swim shoes a real winner here again) and approached the little church. I could see a group of similarly half-naked swimmers standing near the church but not going down. As I got closer, I could see why. There, in the sunshine and getting off little boats, dressed in pastel suits and flowing dresses, was a family gathering for a Christening. The Orthodox Greek Priest sang low and soft, with parents proudly holding their little one up to the sky, surrounded by the sea and watched secretly by tourists in their trunks.
Another ocean highlight was just yesterday in Split, Croatia. I’ve worked out a new schedule so that we can alternate shifts in our team to give us more of a full day or evening off instead of snatches of time. I was revelling in my planning as I found the nearest beach and spent a good few hours there, swimming in what was essentially a big outdoor pool. A twenty-something American girl on a grad trip with her friends watched my bag and me hers as we took turns to go into the water. We also chatted about everyone who was jumping off the big rocks in the classic cliff jump into the sea. I’ve seen this in life and in films ,and it feels like the ultimate summer holiday, life your life, wild and free thing to do - but both of us had never done it. We both decided this should be the moment, and even spoke of filming it, but actually in the end all we needed was someone to watch our stuff, cheer you on and then revel in the moment, with a memory stronger than any picture you could take.
And I hope that maybe my words might paint a picture in your mind too, place you in my sandy shoes and perhaps egg you on to do that cliff jump in your own life wherever you are and whatever that might be… I’ll take care of your stuff.
2. Dubrovnik, Croatia - Saturday 6th June 2026
Embarkation morning means I can sneak off the ship for a much needed brunch and time to myself before it all begins again. It’s really an amazing feat of organisation and hard work that sees a whole ship full of people leave in the morning, clean up and then be fresh and ready full of smiles to welcome the next guests by lunchtime. My job is easier here, but just as important - entertain the new guests as they come on board, but also try not to play the same songs that transit passengers (those who are staying on for the next cruise) have already heard!
So here I am in a veggie cafe near Port Gruz in Dubrovnik, sitting in the shade in the back garden as the summer sun continues to rise each day and the tourists come fast and furious to flood the streets of each port we visit. I was looking through my phone to see what photos I could gather together to make a post about, and realised that it’s really the people that make the memories. I am naturally a solitary person, or perhaps more that is just what I am used to, and will often just disappear myself when I get the chance. And although I am comfortable and happy doing that, those memories and photos of places don’t stick so much as the ones that are shared with others. The number of times I have found myself somewhere amazing and though I wish someone was here with me to share it!
So I am always grateful when I get to meet wonderful people and in this job, this happens all the time and with people from all across the world. From crew to passengers and people in ports, it’s an ever-changing cast. And sometimes when you are stuck in the middle of a very busy day or week or cruise, you can forget to appreciate the moment right now and the people who are here. Because those Embarkation days come and just like the bedsheets, towels, flowers, cups and plates, in a matter of hours the people who were with you are gone and replaced with new people, new baggage and new stories to share and make.
So here are some snaps of the people I’ve been sharing this contract with…
Coming back from Shoreside Duty in the Zodiac from Old Town Dubrovnik, our Staff Captain decided to take us on a little detour to this cool cave and a quick moment to have a laugh, take a picture and enjoy the surroundings! Crew from England, Trinidad, Philippines and Hong Kong.
My new partner in crime on the Entertainment team - Skye from South Africa! Taken on board the ship in our little office/storage/performance area!
Bartender Nayme from Brazil and I grab a delicious lunch date in Kotor, Montenegro.
Catching the sunset and a meal on deck as Lifestyle Concierge Koko from Trinidad and I hosted a table for passenger Eric from USA.
5. On board sound checking our guest act performers George and Yiota from Greece.
6. Sailing into Venice with Australian passenger Robyn.
7. The guy working in Athens cruise port who was always happy to see me as he got to play my guitar!
8. Night out with the crew in Corfu, Greece.
9. Setting up for Greek dancers on board.
10. Dinner on deck with Guest Entertainer Natalie from UK.
11. Late night adventures in Dubrovnik, Croatia with crew Daniel (Mexico), Allen (Honduras), Vali (India), Daniel (Peru).
12. My first co-Entertainment Specialist Julius from Brazil on a walk in Santorini, Greece.
13. The whole opening crew before we set sail from Piraeus, Athens in March 2026.
Korčula, Croatia - Monday 18th May 2026
So, I’ve been thinking about how I share my travels whilst I work on cruise ships. My use of social media has changed and also feel more and more reticent to be playing into the hands of those who own so much wealth and data - why should they have my photos, my thoughts, my creativity? I was using another app called Polarsteps (which you can have a look at for my previous travels: search StevenTroubador on the app) but I also felt I was sharing a lot into something that someone else owns and not many people were really seeing it. Then I wondered what am I even sharing for? I know some friends and family want to see where I have been, and I appreciate that. But my phone is now just filled with photos that I don’t share and I wonder why we are taking these pictures when really you can just find them on the internet… is it to prove that I have been here? To prove I’m alive? To show off to others about my wonderful life?
Remember when we used to go around to see the holiday snaps of family or friends after they had had a break? I think I found this quite boring as a child but also I can see there is a least more of a connection there. There is a sharing of stories and tales and it takes time. I can now send a bunch of pics which someone can glance through in seconds and say ‘oh wow, how wonderful’ but know nothing of what is actually going on. And trust me, I do the very same thing the other way round. I don’t think we will ever go back to how things were pre-digital era but here is me trying something out to slow it down and share what I’m doing but also what I’m thinking and feeling - for whoever wants to read. As you might already see, this could be a rambling ramble that does not get to any particular point fast… but it’s my ramble and my website and my life which I want to share.
And so, I begin nearly 2 months into my current cruiseship (or superyacht) contract and I sit in the handsome little island town of Korčula in Croatia. It’s known as a mini Dubrovnik with it’s forted old town surrounded by the blue Croatian sea. Cobbled streets take you up to the old church and the images above which summed up a little of what I am talking about and also some of my thoughts on cruising.
On my first visit here last week (today is a return trip with new passengers), I went for a wander and stumbled into a little church which on quick glance you would think very nice, very church, moment of quiet and move on. However, I decided to read the plaque on the wall which explained the stone sarcophagus sitting in the entrance. It made me pause. And laugh a little. As I stood and read it and took in the message, tourists poured in and out for mere seconds to take pictures clumsily on their phones then continue on their allocated hours of seeing a place. This piece of artwork by Simon Beer speaks to that exact thing of tourists, and particularly cruiseships, and how they descend to devour a place in hours. But how can you ever see beyond a surface level and really understand the people, the culture, the land… and is this industry helping or hindering? I am guilty enough of this as a crew member of just stumbling out and finding the nearest coffee shop and wifi and forgetting where I am… and the result is a kind of malaise, a sort of depression in a nice place, a numbness, a passing through but never truly feeling. And this all got wrapped up in my thoughts on how I’m sharing photos and how we move with social media in our mind. I’m pretty fed up of it, and I’m pretty sure you are too. We are slightly trapped. Until that is, we take a moment to read something, to think about something and to really be here. Then things might just change.
Another remedy to all of this is connection. As it happened, someone I had met last year when doing a songwriting camp in Berlin was here on holiday with his friend. I seized the opportunity to escape the ship and join them for a little boat trip to one of the smaller islands nearby. We walked, sat on a beach and screamed at big spiders and insects attacking us, and didn’t look at our phones for a few hours. It can make going back into the fantasy world of the ship more difficult after some real life time, but also makes me appreciate how this job gives me the chance to have such little moments of joy. And as I sit starting this blog or whatever it should become, I am grateful to that and this. Even when we feel like we are sleepwalking, we can shake ourselves awake with people, art, the ocean and the here and now.
