Aye aye! A day in the life of a ship's captain

Saga Cruises' charismatic Captain Franko Papić is so popular with his passengers he even hosts his own cruise. Here's what life looks like for the 44-year-old captain on a typical day on board ship.

It's a heavy responsibility to wear the captain's gold bars and to make sure everything is fine tuned. You need a good mindset to balance this, so I am very social with a philosophy to make the most of every day and enjoy the good things in life – food, music and well-being.

I've been at sea for 28 years now, visiting hundreds of ports. The only places I haven't been to are Alaska, north of Japan and the west coast of Africa. Life at sea is a family tradition and I am the fourth-generation seafarer in my family.

I give daily announcements to keep passengers posted on the weather, the ship's position and back-onboard times. I also add history lessons, fun facts about our current ports or announce birthdays and anniversaries that are being celebrated.

I love dining out and, when we are heading to a port, guests often ask me about where to eat, what to see and what to do. I give them recommendations and that's pretty much anywhere around the world.

I start my day drinking coffee. I am a big fan and bring my own stash on board. I like Turkish style with a Croatian blend: it's strong, so the first cup sets my mind straight.

As captain I work day shifts but I am on call 24/7. I work two months on, two months off. My days differ depending on whether it's a port day or a sea day.

On a sea day, I like to have a lie in and wake up between 6.30am-7am before a shower and shave. I'll come up to the bridge between 7.30am-8am with my coffee, receive the brief from my team and then relieve them (together with the staff captain or safety officer) for a well-deserved breakfast.

On a port day, if the pilot is coming aboard at 7am for an 8am arrival, I'll wake up at 6am and be on the bridge at 6.30am (a cruise ship pilot is a specialist mariner who boards a ship to guide it safely through a port's specific waterways). Fifteen minutes before the pilot arrives, I brief my team, organise our roles and crack on with the arrival.

If it's a tidal port, such as Dover or Bordeaux, my priorities are the tie-up and mooring lines: they have to be checked more frequently to make sure the ship is safely alongside. The gangway, too, needs constant monitoring. At any tidal port, you will be more focused.

I leave my watchkeeping officers alone on a sea day because I remember the feeling of a few of my former captains coming on the bridge for hours. It felt like they were breathing down my neck!

Once everything is settled in, I take a morning walk around the ship. I am often asked: 'If you are walking around, who's driving the ship?' I am proud to tell them I have a full team of excellent officers. I go down, deck by deck, passing by the hotel general manager's office, guest services and the Explore Ashore desk so I am in touch with each department. Next, I'll drop in to the chief engineer's office and have a chat with him and the lads, unless he has already come up to the bridge with some information – or because he wants a cup of tea! Sometimes I think he comes up to enjoy the best view on board.

Guests always like to chat or ask questions. All of this walking round the ship can take up to two hours. Questions are generally about the weather. Regardless of whether the sea is calm or bumpy, that's the main topic.

In the afternoons, if we are in port, I will go out for a stroll or lunch. If it's a port I know well, I'll go for a run, particularly in La Coruña in Spain, and Las Palmas in the Canaries. I went for a run in Kristiansund, Norway recently, but got caught in the rain. Although it was cold and drizzly I carried on; I was in the zone and didn't want to back down.

A couple of months ago, in Bordeaux, I was up at 2am for the pilot's run into the city. It takes more than five hours and it's not the easiest port to dock, because it's tidal. The window to pass under the Jacques Chaban-Delmas Bridge is plus or minus 10 minutes. Everybody expected me to be tired but by the time we got alongside, I decided I would run back up to the bridge we had just passed under. It's an engineering marvel on the Garonne River that lifts for cruise ships to pass through. I went over the bridge, through the park and back down to the ship – a nice 8km run.

I host Captain's Table dinners every second or third night and I get to dine with 100 to 120 guests during a two-week cruise. I love the experience because Saga guests are always a good crowd and have a brilliant sense of humour. On occasion I have performed wedding vow renewals but overall, I just enjoy chatting to guests.

I am Croatian and still live there, but I was brought up on British TV comedies: Only Fools and Horses, On the Buses, Keeping up Appearances, The Darling Buds of May and, my favourite, 'Allo 'Allo! It had such a strong influence back home that those who love the show greet each other with 'Good Moaning'.

I love to see newcomers to Saga ships. My best advice to them is 'always do exactly what you wish'. If you want to, join in the daily activities and experience everything – but if that's not your cup of tea, find yourself a quiet corner and enjoy your own space.

I used to swap between Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Discovery, but for the past year – and for the year to come – 'Disco' as I call her, has been my home. I have a soft spot for Spirit of Discovery because I was part of the build team as a staff captain for eight months before delivery took place. I also like Spirit of Adventure very much from the design perspective: the Supper Club has a nice dance floor and an after-dinner show. Perhaps that's because I am really into music. I have five guitars in my cabin and 10 at home – I bought a new one in Zagreb on leave recently.

Whether I'm hosting a table or having dinner in the crew mess, I will go up to see a show in the Britannia Lounge, have a chat with the cruise director and assistant cruise director and talk to more guests.

Before I turn in for the night I have a Facetime chat with my wife Sonja. It's our 20th wedding anniversary in 2026.

When my call home is over, I grab one of my guitars and play for 15 to 30 minutes to get the positivity from the guitar into me. That's a must to close my day. I love and play anything from the 1950s to 1990s. I consider not much decent music was written after Freddie Mercury passed away.

Music continues to be important to me and over the years I have enjoyed many experiences including a guitar workshop where I played on stage with the best guitarist from the Balkans, Vlatko Stefanovski. Once I was the warm-up act for Sir Cliff Richard and, with my choir, I had the honour to perform a Lent concert in the Vatican in 2023 and Padova, Italy, in 2024.

My homecoming

2026 is also a special year for me as I will be delivering 'Captain Franko's Homecoming Cruise' in March. I will show guests the best of Croatia because I have been involved in the development of the itinerary, including the port of Opatija (which is considered the Monte Carlo of Croatia) and the Bay of Bakar, where I grew up and still live. The sailing also features a new port for both me and Saga's Spirit ships: Melilla, a tiny Spanish enclave on Morocco's north African coast.

Join Captain Franko on his Homecoming Cruise