Cruise Director and author of the book “Travels of a Natural Voice,” Trevor Stephenson, grew up in an English village far from the sea but wrote to cruise companies repeatedly until Ocean Trading hired him as shop manager and assistant cruise director on the West Star.

There, he worked alongside Geraldine Saunders, author of The Love Boats.

Now, Stephenson has authored a book about his experiences onboard.

Talking about his memoir, Stephenson said: “I’m 76 going on 20; I’m re-living the past.  And when you start writing, so many memories start coming back. People seem to be enjoying the book; (it has) a lot of the inside stories of the cruise industry, you know, and the people. Especially the people.”

The Director Role

Stephenson highlighted the importance of the cruise director role, describing it as the company’s face to passengers and the person responsible for organizing entertainment and activities.

According to Stephenson, cruise directors get to know passengers personally on small ships, and they create a warm, engaging atmosphere. On large ships, he noted the role can become more distant with less direct passenger contact.

“I was not what you call a typical director; I was much more a people person, but that’s generally what they do,” he said.

For young professionals considering a cruise director role, Stephenson said that they need to start off by getting on an entertainment team and then look for an opening assistant cruise director role.

“I was very lucky because I never had to go through the ranks,” he explained. “For me, it just happened; I don’t think that will happen anymore, but it’s a great career for young people: they get to travel; they can save money. And I just say, go for it. You’re going to be rejected a lot; just go for it.

He pointed out that the industry has opened to a much larger audience since his entrance into the field, and while passengers may have higher expectation than they once had, he believes efforts toward more personalization from companies while expectations than they once had, he believes efforts toward more personalization from companies will quickly solve the friction.

“They should also hire me, and I could go around. No, I’m kidding,” he said. “There must be someone, I think, who at least makes it a little more personal.”

Looking Forward

Stephenson is currently in talks to have an onboard book launch in Dubai. He said that life right now is about his book and running a restaurant near the sea.

“Before I throw out that final anchor, I’m going to do a world cruise and revisit some of the people and places that I’m still in touch with,” he added.

As for the cruise industry? He believes that the future will see cruise ships getting bigger to meet the growing demand.

“Some of the executives are going to hate this, but (ships) don’t look like ships anymore to me.  You know, when you think of the sleek lines of the liners, now, we’ve got these seriously condominium buildings. But I think they’ll just keep getting bigger.

“But I still think there’s room for the small, luxurious ships.  There is a niche market there with people who don’t care about what it costs. They’re going to do it,” he added.