Behind the scenes on… Captain Tanner’s Mystery Cruise

by Lesley Bellew

If Captain Kim Tanner is not at work taking Saga passengers to wonderful parts of the planet, he is climbing a mountain or sailing his yacht around the world. He is Saga Cruises’ very own action man – and loves an adventure so much that it’s no wonder he is excited about planning Spirit of Adventure’s 25-night Mystery Cruise which sails from Portsmouth in October. We went behind the scenes to ask him a few crucial questions:

Can you give guests any clues as where they might be going?

Nope! The Mystery Cruise is a mystery to me, too, as it’s the first time I have planned such a sailing.

I absolutely love adventure which is possibly the reason why I was asked if I would like to take on the Spirit of Adventure’s Mystery Cruise.

Apart from myself, the only person who will know where we are going will be my navigator on The Bridge, and our Explore Ashore (excursions) manager.

I love a bit of the unknown – I requested a 25-night sailing which gives me a lot of flex to take the ship almost anywhere. And you bet I will be pushing the limits with my crew, the chefs and the hospitality team. They are going to be put under some pressure, but I know a lot of them thrive in that environment.

So many officers and crew have been asking me if they can be chosen for the Mystery Cruise; they’re all up for the challenge!”

Will guests be able to track the ship’s course?

The internet has made it easier for people to get information with ship tracker apps and with the mandatory Automatic Identification System (AIS), like a plane, commercial ships are now easy to track. People also arrive on board prepared with handheld GPS units and even compasses!

For those who aren’t familiar with AIS, the transponder transmits information regarding the ship which can be picked up by other vessels also fitted with AIS. This information includes the vessel’s identification, whether or not it is underway, and where it is travelling to.

I’ll have to conjure up something to put guests off track! I’ve got a few challenges there that’s for sure.

There will be people desperate find out where we’re going so they can spread the word but the majority will be loyal Saga guests who actually just enjoy being on the ship, plus some new guests who won’t really know what to expect. I hear that many guests won’t worry about where they are going – they just love the ship and crew, so that’s a big compliment.

What else can guests expect onboard?

While guests are fathoming out where they might be sailing they can also join all the usual activities and use the wonderful facilities such as the pools, spa, bars and lounges, and listen to lectures or concerts.

It does play into my hands that we’ve got such a superb ship, and we can look after our guests so well. We’re very adaptable with entertainment and have fantastic food events. We have so much up our sleeves for this sailing and I can share that celebrity chef Phil Vickery will be on board, putting on cooking demonstrations and sharing cooking tips – he’s a lot of fun.

How do you plan a mystery cruise?

Firstly, there’s a budget to plan for which includes fuel, port fees and taxes etc. Other factors I need to consider are visiting ports where we can reliably take on fuel and provisions plus exchange crew and guest entertainers, so there’s a bit of a jigsaw puzzle to put together when conjuring it all up.

I also wanted to include at least one maiden port, somewhere Spirit of Adventure and even Saga has never sailed before! That was one of my first aims for my secret itinerary.

There have already been some huge challenges. As this is a new entity for me and many others on board and ashore – we have lots of red tape to consider.

Times have changed since the pandemic so keeping the port calls confidential has been problematic. I approached a couple of harbour masters to ask if they’d be interested in having us and they said “No” as they have to publish their listed visits. They couldn’t keep our arrival confidential.

What should guests pack for 25 nights?

October is the first clue! It could be nice, or it could be pretty cold, wet and windy.

So I would just say to guests, dress for the month! I can’t give much away but the beauty is that the only restriction regarding luggage is the size of a guest’s cabin! All joking apart, as everybody has a shared chauffeur service from their home to the ship, they just need to know they can fit the cases into the car. That’s the only limit!

When will you reveal where the ship is mooring?

I will keep guests guessing every day and they genuinely won’t know if we’re heading to port until we start tying up the ship, so there will be about 900-plus guests not only wondering about the destination, but what they can do when they get off the ship. Luckily, we are used to running free-of-charge included tours in every port so we are already capable of pre-planning for this sort of event.

It is more of a challenge to find a variety of things that people might enjoy, particularly for different levels of fitness; some strenuous, some not – so it’s a case of finding a happy medium. I am looking at ports that are equally as nice when guests get off and just walk as well as taking a tour. There will be an included half-day surprise tour at every port.

How will you share the itinerary with the crew?

While my navigator on the bridge will know the entirety of the cruise, the rest of the team will be told on a need-to-know basis. I must tick the boxes when it comes to safety, navigation and so on. They will be updated with regular briefs about segments of the cruise but I will not be giving too much away.

Although I can trust them, just one crew member might get excited and accidentally spill the beans!

The senior team will need to know the next destination, but they needn’t know the destination after that.

It’s going to be a lot of fun and a challenge – that’s how I’m going to run it.”

Have you got any other challenges planned?

Prior to the Mystery Cruise, my Saga colleague guest services director Rebecca Heron and I are planning to climb Cho Oyu, next to Everest in the Himalayas to raise money for charity. At 8,201m (26, 906ft) it’s the sixth-highest mountain in the world.

I’m also very much looking forward to our grand voyage to South America in January 2027 – an extraordinary journey that promises spectacular scenery and many unforgettable experiences. How can I experience this:

25-night Captain Tanner’s Mystery Cruise departs Portsmouth on 25 October 2026

If you’d like to find out more about Captain Tanner’s Grand Voyage to South America visit South America Cruises