A day in the life of Captain Simon Moore

And why he loves sailing with Saga on our ocean cruise ships.

Guests say I’m a little bit different to Saga Cruises’ other ship’s captains. They’re probably right as I spent almost all of my career at sea working on ferries, piloting and volunteering with the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI). I’ve only been at Saga for two years and I absolutely love it. In fact, every time I leave the ship, I’m already looking forward to the next cruise.

At 50, I had never worked for another cruise line so during my interview with CEO Nigel Blanks, when he asked, “Why should I make you a Saga captain?”, I said “I’m used to running ships. I’ve been a captain for 20-plus years, so you can download everything you want me to deliver to the guests as I want to really understand and learn the brand.”

It was like inserting the Saga chip. I’ve soaked it all up. I didn’t have a preconception of what life is like on another cruise line and that’s actually been quite helpful.

I’m very visible on the ships

On every cruise, guests always see me out and about – I’m not a fan of the gym so I do like to put in some steps around the ship, especially on sea days when we have a run down through the Bay of Biscay and further south to the Mediterranean.

It means I’m very visible, not only to guests but to the crew because, of course, they are Saga’s best secrets. They are fantastic in everything they do.

One of the most common questions I get asked as I walk around the ship is “Who is driving the ship?” This makes me chuckle: some guests seem to think I should be on the bridge 24/7!

I have fantastic bridge watchkeepers who work a four-hour “on”, eight-hour “off” pattern. At any one time there are two fully certified navigators/officers and two lookouts. We sometimes reduce the lookout to one during daylight hours and good visibility.

I am on call 24/7

I adjust my working hours to suit the schedule – on a sea day I usually work between 8am and 6pm, but take a few hours off if I have engagements such as hosting a table on a formal night.

I remain on call 24/7 throughout my time on board. On a port day I will be on the bridge at least 30 minutes before the pilot boards. The bridge team gathers and we go through a pre-arrival checklist covering their roles, the planned execution of the manoeuvre, environmental conditions, tug requirements, and any contingencies.

I have an excellent team and one of the joys of being a senior leader onboard has been recommending several of the bridge officers for promotion. Watching your team grow and develop, acquiring the skills and experience to step up to the next level is very rewarding.

Meeting guests

I quite often go down to the living room at about 8am-8.30am to have a coffee and a snack. At that time there are guests coming through, so I often have a chat to hear their plans for the day – I don’t have a script and I am happy to talk about anything.

It’s the same with my speeches or updates over the PA. I have a few written bullet points of what I need to cover but I am not reading from a piece of paper.

When I host a formal table in the dining room, I find guests love to know about the inner workings of the ships – they have a genuine desire to understand how things operate.

I’m now better at remembering names

I used to be bad at remembering names but something’s clicked. It’s so nice to be able to say “Welcome back” when a returning guest comes back on board.

I am nowhere near as good as the crew – they are amazing at remembering not only names, but guest’s favourite tipples, likes and dislikes.

What’s your favourite area of the ship?

The veranda at the aft, is a fantastic spot, especially if the sun’s out. At weekends I like to go for a walk around and then I might ask guests if I can join them for alfresco dining. Sometimes they are surprised and I’ll say, “Well, look, I’ve got to eat!”

I realised very quickly when joining Saga Cruises that the food is superb but I try to keep to two meals a day. Sometimes it’s breakfast and dinner, sometimes it’s breakfast and a late lunch.

I do like new guests to explore the ship and discover all the lovely public spaces to relax. We provide a map of the ship with the cabin key to help guests navigate the ship.

Life is guided by the weather

Everything depends on the weather so I am regularly checking three or four different weather sources, but I know I can’t control it!

It’s lovely to be able to report blue skies and calm seas but I also let guests know ahead if there is some bad weather out there. I do it very gently, but honestly – perhaps “The first 24 hours are going to be nice but it will deteriorate” and so by the time it happens they’re already prepared for it.

So many new discoveries

Port days are very different, a lot more structured, so once guests are on their excursions I might pop ashore. I’m the kid in the sweet shop visiting all these new places because I’m still relatively new to cruising.

I enjoy Valletta, in Malta. The sail-in is stunning and I always get permission to arrange the cannon salute as we sail out. Our guests thoroughly enjoy the spectacle. I am looking forward to sailing in again next year during the Greece and the Islands of the Mediterranean cruise.

The cruise also visits Mahon in Menorca. It’s gorgeous and we’re moored right by the town. I try to discover areas which aren’t that touristy, like a little back street café.

More 2027 highlights

I’m particularly excited about cruising to Greenland and Iceland on 27 July. I’ve never done it, so transiting the Prince Christian Sound will be amazing with icebergs, waterfalls, glaciers and mountains all vying for attention.

I’m equally excited about the Heritage of the British Isles cruise from Dover on 17 July because it’s a lovely way of seeing the UK and all of its natural beauty. And, being a local lad from Dover, bringing a fantastic cruise ship into my home port, under the White Cliffs, will be very special.

Springtime in France, Spain and Portugal

Canaries in Springtime

Heritage of the British Isles

Greenland and Iceland Adventure

Greece and the Islands of the Mediterranean

Madeira and Canary Island Duo