ABOUT STEVE

One cruise at fourteen.
Seven years at sea.
And I’m still the guy who wants to see the ship first.

Most people eventually outgrow the things they become obsessed with at fourteen. I apparently made mine a career.

Come aboard

A young Steve in his shipboard officer uniform

Steve with colleagues from the Purser’s Office aboard the ss Norway in 1994 — Purser’s Office on the *ss Norway*, 1994, Steve’s first job at sea.

Steve with his mother while boarding his second cruise in 1984 — With his always supportive mother, boarding his second cruise, 1984

Steve at age fourteen with his mother beside the ss Volendam in Bermuda on his first cruise — First cruise · *ss Volendam* · age fourteen

THE BEGINNING OF A VERY LONG VOYAGE

I boarded my first cruise ship at fourteen.
The sea never really gave me back.

My first cruise aboard the ss Volendam did more than introduce me to cruising. It gave me a very clear idea of where I wanted my life to go.

A few years later, I was no longer watching the crew with fascination. I was one of them—first with Norwegian Cruise Line aboard the legendary ss Norway, then with Holland America Line aboard ships including the Nieuw Amsterdam.

This was not a particularly subtle interest. I loved the ships, the people, the ceremony, the destinations, and the wonderful controlled chaos required to make thousands of moving parts feel effortless to a guest.

SEVEN YEARS AT SEA

Before I sold a cruise,
I lived one.

I did not learn cruising from a sales presentation. I learned it from inside the operation.

Seven years aboard ships meant guest questions, crew corridors, embarkation days, formal nights, sudden changes, late-night problem solving, and the kind of teamwork that guests should never have to notice.

It taught me that the personality of a ship is real. Service has a rhythm. Details matter. And the difference between a good voyage and a remarkable one is often found in the things no website can quite explain.

Steve with the Front Office and Purser’s Team aboard ms Maasdam in 1997 — Front Office/Purser’s Team · *ms Maasdam* · 1997

Steve’s daughter Annisa in a shipboard uniform as a young child — Steve’s daughter Annisa lived on cruise ships until age 3.

Steve working on deck in his officer uniform

Steve with Micky Arison aboard a cruise ship — Steve with Micky Arison, longtime Carnival Corporation chairman and son of founder Ted Arison.

2000 + 2001 · ROTTERDAM VI

The world cruises changed the scale of everything.

A world cruise is not simply a very long vacation. It is a moving neighborhood, a floating small town, and a master class in how places, people, sea days, and life aboard connect into one extraordinary story.

Sailing two world cruises aboard the Rotterdam VI remains a defining part of my life at sea. They taught me that a great itinerary is not a collection of pins on a map. It has rhythm: places that surprise you, sea days that reset you, and a few moments that permanently rearrange your idea of the world.

Steve among the moai of Easter Island — WC 2000 · Easter Island

A young Steve at the Great Wall of China — WC 2000 · China’s Great Wall

Steve in uniform with an icy landscape beyond the ship — WC 2000 · 7th Continent · Antarctica

Steve at the Hotel Manager’s Table during the 2000 world cruise — Hotel Manager’s Table · WC 2000

Steve with his wife Nenah during the 2001 world cruise — With his wife Nenah · WC 2001

The Rotterdam crew celebrating Hotel Manager Fekko’s birthday during the 2001 world cruise — Rotterdam crew, celebrating Hotel Manager Fekko’s birthday · WC 2001

THE VIEW MOVED ASHORE

I left the ships.
I did not leave cruising.

Family life called me ashore. Fortunately, the cruise industry came with me.

I began helping travel advisors and travelers understand cruises from Florida, then moved to Seattle to market Holland America Line’s long voyages. Over nineteen years with the company, the view kept widening—from individual markets and sales teams to international sales and bringing travelers from around the world aboard global itineraries.

The titles changed. The useful part did not: learning why one ship, itinerary, or style delights one traveler and leaves another wondering what all the fuss was about.

Steve early in his shoreside Holland America Line career

Steve discussing travel during an interview

Steve receiving cruise-industry recognition

Steve at the bow of a Windstar small ship

Steve aboard an intimate small cruise ship

Steve walking the deck of a small cruise ship

Steve traveling through a dramatic waterside landscape in Asia

THEN THE SHIPS GOT SMALLER. THE MAP GOT BIGGER.

Every kind of ship
teaches you something different.

After Holland America, Windstar taught me even more about small ships, yacht-like experiences, and the lesser-known ports that larger ships pass by. Variety Cruises took that intimacy further through Greece and French Polynesia. Today, my work with Century Cruises has added European river cruising and China’s Yangtze to the story.

I have a genuine affection for grand ships, small ships, river ships, and expedition ships—because each can be exactly right for someone.

The beauty of cruising is the enormous range. The challenge is also the enormous range. Conveniently, I enjoy that part.

WHAT ALL OF THIS MEANS FOR YOU

Experience is useful.
Knowing what to do with it is better.

Steve with the cruise staff aboard the ms Noordam in 1987 — Learning the ropes as an apprentice—Honorary Cruise Staff, 1987 aboard *ms Noordam*

I know how ships actually feel.

Not simply their size or newest features, but their pace, personality, service style, energy, and the travelers who tend to love them.

I have seen cruising from both sides.

I understand life aboard and the industry ashore—which helps me ask better questions, anticipate details, and look beyond the polished promises.

I am loyal to the fit.

There is no single best cruise line, ship, or itinerary. There is the one that best matches how you want to travel. That is the answer I care about.

What may look like a collection of old uniforms, ship railings, faraway places, and a few questionable hairstyles is really decades of learning what makes a cruise work—and what makes it right for you.

THE FAVORITE PART HAS NOT CHANGED

Helping someone find the cruise they did not yet know was theirs.

Tell me what you love, what you are curious about, and what would make this trip feel unmistakably yours. I will bring the ship knowledge, destination perspective, and a lifetime of cruise enthusiasm.

Let’s find your cruise ↗ Or call 844-412-4622

Back to Go2SeaWithMe

One cruise at fourteen.Seven years at sea.And I’m still the guy who wants to see the ship first.

I boarded my first cruise ship at fourteen.The sea never really gave me back.

Before I sold a cruise,I lived one.