When I was little, I grew up on cruise ships. My parents worked onboard and so I spent a lot of my early childhood traveling the globe.
This meant waking up one morning in the Bahamas, or sailing through the Fjords was normal… but waiting at a bus stop, or buying milk from a supermarket, was not!
This unusual start to life inspired my debut children’s book, ‘Cruise Ship Kid: Thief At Sea’ which is currently Waterstones Children’s Book of the month for July. ‘Cruise Ship Kid’ celebrates life at sea and so fellow cruise fans at Cruise Mummy, I’d love to share some of my childhood memories with you…
My Childhood Home Was a Cruise Ship
My parents worked as Cruise Director and Deputy Cruise Director for P&O Cruises. This meant we had a cabin, down on Deck 4, in the crew area.
During my early years, my mum ‘ship-schooled’ me. We did lessons in the ship’s library and I even did my music lessons on a grand piano in the theatre.
I remember being in a passenger lift, when I was about six, and I turned to my mum and said, “Muu-uum I don’t want to do piano practice today.”
Before my mum could reply, a passenger said, “Aw, poor little one, having to do piano lessons on her holiday.”
I remember me and my mum smiling politely at the passenger, and asking them about their trip, but really, I was thinking, “I’m not on holiday, this is home!”
Five World Cruises by Age Five
Growing up on ships meant I’ve always had pretty good sea legs and by the age of five, I’d done five world cruises. In a recent tour of schools for ‘Cruise Ship Kid’ a lot of children asked me, “Do you ever get seasick, Emma?”
I replied, “I never get seasick, but I often get car sick.” This is true, and even now, at 32 years old, when I’m in a hotel with a corridor that looks like a ship’s cabin corridor, I sometimes feel like the corridor is moving, but really I’m on land! I suppose I’ll always feel at home on the water.
From Diary Pages to Paperback
During ship-school, my mum encouraged me to keep diaries and I’m so glad she did, as these diaries have inspired ‘Cruise Ship Kid.’
The back of my book encourages readers to start their own diaries, and it would be wonderful to think children might take ‘Cruise Ship Kid’ on their next cruise holiday to read and be inspired to start their own holiday diary onboard!
Chocolate Buffets and One Sweet Rule
One of my favourite things about living on ships was the food. I had the option to eat in the Officer’s Mess, or in passenger restaurants.
I always loved having breakfast at the Deck 12 buffet but my favourite type of buffet… was the chocolate variety! The huge chocolate sculptures and trays of delicious treats were always a cruise highlight.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to fill my plate high with chocolate like the other kids onboard. I was only allowed to eat, “One thing.”
My mum would remind me, “We are not on holiday and if you eat that much chocolate every cruise Emma, your teeth will fall out.”
I used to think, “That’s okay, I will happily glue them back in with caramel!”
Behind the Scenes with the Crew
When I go on ships now it’s a different experience as I’m not allowed through those ‘Crew Only’ doors. As a child, I used to imagine the crew corridors as hidden guinea pig tunnels that ran between the passenger areas.
One of my favourite things about life at sea was making friends with the amazing staff onboard. My passenger friends would get off the ship after their two-week cruise, but the staff onboard were constant company. There were some particularly wonderful musicians, cabin stewards, waiters and deck officers who used to babysit me.
I also have memories backstage with the theatre ‘Show Company.’ I was often dressed up in feathers by the dancers in-between their ‘First Sitting’ and ‘Second Sitting’ performances. This made me want to become an actor and I now work a lot with ‘Horrible Histories’ in the West End.
All these experiences inspired the setting and the plot for ‘Cruise Ship Kid.’ The book is a funny sleuthing adventure set on board a cruise ship where two diamond globe watches go missing (the missing watches bit it purely fictional!)
The Real Inspiration Behind ‘The Gang’
My main character Silver, who is 10 and a ¼ (the ¼ is very important) hunts for the watches, while also searching for a best friend.
During my childhood on ships, the people who will stay in my heart forever, along with the staff, were my over 80s pals. My grandparents cruised a lot, and I got to know their regular cruising friends. I would often sit with them playing cards or dominoes when there were no other children onboard.
These friendships helped create my characters, ‘The Gang’ in’ ‘Cruise Ship Kid.’ The main character Silver has an over 80s, ‘line-dancing-loving’, group of friends who help her solve crimes. My book has been compared to ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ for kids and this is why!
I still love going to a line-dancing class or playing dominoes and this is because I lost my grandparents, Tommy and Sylvia, a few years ago and these activities remind me of them. They were the best people I’ve ever known, and I have put them directly into ‘The Gang’ in my book.
Why ‘Cruise Ship Kid’ Is More Than Just a Story
‘Cruise Ship Kid’ celebrates intergenerational relationships and I hope children will finish reading it and then want to pick up the phone to their grandparents or older relatives or friends.
I feel extremely lucky to have experienced a childhood at sea and still think there is no better feeling than standing out on deck at night, breathing in the ‘salty smell’ and watching the waves crash beneath you.
I am so excited to keep travelling the world onboard ships and researching for my next books in the ‘Cruise Ship Kid’ series…. Okay okay, I know research is a great excuse for a holiday, but why not?!
If you pick up a copy of ‘Cruise Ship Kid: Thief At Sea’ for any little ones in your life, thank you. I really hope they enjoy it!
Cruise Ship Kid: Thief at Sea by Emma Swan, illustrated by Katie Saunders, is out now in paperback from Usborne for 7+ readers. Available from Waterstones in store or online here.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
