Cruise Experience

Meet the Crew

Martin Stevens, Cruise Director of Pacific Dawn

Martin Stevens hails from Cambridge in England and boasts extensive knowledge of the cruising industry. From his early days working for the UK’s largest leisure hotel to a brief stint as a television presenter, Martin has been cruising and working on the high seas for the last 11 years. Martin is at his happiest when he’s out in front of a crowd hosting evening shows – whether it’s a roaring production or one of P&O Cruises’ cool cabarets.

How long have you been with Carnival/P&O Cruises?

I joined Princess Cruises in November 2006 and then moved across to P&O Cruises Australia in November 2007.

How did you get onto this career path?

I began working at Butlins holiday centres in the UK when I was 18. It was my summer job but I loved it so much that I then moved to the Grand Burstin Hotel. I worked there for three years as assistant entertainment manager. I was then approached to join Sun Cruises, a British cruise company, and I worked for them for nine years progressing through the ranks.

What does your job actually entail?

Probably the best part of my job is that every day is different. There are the normal day-to-day issues that arise from running a department with more than 50 staff, and there is also the reporting back to the head office in Sydney. Each day I also produce the Pacific Daily activities program and present a TV show that goes out to the guest’s cabins called Good Morning TV.

What can returning P&O Cruises’ guests expect in the 2009 season?

We have already started to introduce some exciting new entertainment concepts to the P&O Cruises ships, such as our very popular Circus at Sea classes and the Sit Down Comedy Club. We have also added brand new production shows, including Pirates of the Pacific, which I am sure will be extremely popular with our passengers.

What is your favourite port?

It has to be Sydney! Although this signifies the start and end of each cruise, I can honestly say that after cruising all around the world, Sydney always comes out on top.

My Cruise Experience

“My love for cruising started when I was six years old. I travelled on the inaugural cruise from Sydney to Italy on the ship Marconi for 30 days with my family,” writes Rita D’Angelo, winner of the Autumn Sailaway competition. “One year later we cruised for 30 days back to Sydney on the same ship.

“My husband, Angelo was always sick travelling on small cruise ships. So whenever I suggested a cruise he would not want to talk about it. But eight years ago I became quite ill and he decided to make my wish come true and took our 17-year-old son and me on our first family cruise. Angelo never got sick and he was sorry it took me 16 years to convince him to cruise,” she says.

Last year, Rita was admitted to hospital and sadly had to cancel her 50th birthday party, so when she saw the competition in the Autumn ‘08 issue of Sailaway, she knew she had to enter. The cruise up for grabs (Pacific Sun’s seven-night cruise to Tropical North Queensland) is set to depart on her birthday, October 18.

Determined to create a happier memory for her 51st birthday and win “The Birthday Cruise”, Rita took a sleeve from an on board photo on a previous P&O Cruises adventure. Rita decorated it and wrote her and her husband’s stories on it to create a unique scrapbook. This artistic creation was a clear winner and the prize means the couple will also be able to celebrate Angelo’s birthday, which falls on October 7, on their 11th cruise.

“My husband and I love cruising so much that now we try to cruise twice yearly. We find that cruising is the best holiday to relax, see exciting and beautiful places, explore different ships and most of all we love having dinner with new acquaintances, catching a show and dancing the night away...”

(Olimpia) Rita D ’Angelo, Sydney NSW

Winner of the Autumn ‘08 Sailaway competition, Rita D ’Angelo, is set to depart on October 18 on a seven-night cruise to tropical north Queensland.