The Cruise Director Who Came In From the Cold

Raphael Derkson
(Photo by Gerry Barker)

By GERRY BARKER
North Palm Beach Life

As cruise director for Crystal Serenity, Raphael Derkson is responsible for overseeing both the entertainment and daily activities, as well as insuring guests have the time of their lives. Working on a cruise ship has been his passion for over 30 years, and it all started when 8-year-old Derkson picked up a trumpet in a Montreal boarding school.

"I think I chose the trumpet because it was so shiny," he told me in an interview aboard Crystal Serenity as we sailed from Miami to Puerto Rico.

From that simple beginning, Derkson went on to play in his high school band and afterwards, was accepted to Montreal's Conservatory of Music, where he got a master's degree. Next, he did a stint with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and traveled all over Europe, and was also in "the French Canadian version of the Canadian Brass." 

His career as a freelance musician was flourishing, but there was one thing he wasn't crazy about: The cold. With snowy Canadian winters that can hit temperatures of minus 40, "getting stuck in traffic for two hours was not uncommon, going to gigs that paid $100 or $50 that took the whole day."

Then destiny stepped in. "One winter day I got a call about doing a cruise ship gig," he said. "It just so happens the call came at a time where I couldn't find my car because it was buried in snow." Suddenly a trip to the Caribbean didn't sound so bad.

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​"So I said yes, and ended up on a cruise ship. Literally three days later after getting that call, I was on a beach surrounded by production dancers, cocktail in my hand. I thought, well that's it. And the rest is history."
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Derkson never looked back and has been working on cruise ships ever since, starting with the now-defunct Regency Cruises, a "Greek-operated cruise line that offered 3 and 4-day cruises to the Caribbean out of Tampa" in the 1990s. "It was very basic," Derkson recalled. "All crew cabins were connected by big corridors and everyone's door was open every night and it was like living in the dorm -- so we had a ball."

As he moved up the career ladder with different cruise ships, every time he thought the next contract would be his last, new opportunities came his way -- like cruises to Asia or leading the band, which netted him his own cabin.

"I love the idea that I didn't have any responsibilities here except music," he said. With rent and bills taken care of on the ship, "you spend a lot more time and energy on your job because that becomes the main focus," he said, adding, "it's a great lifestyle. Amazing food, the clean, safe environment, surrounded by talented people wanting to do the same thing that you do -- travel the world and every day you wake up in a different port."

Then his career took another turn. A relatively new cruise line called Crystal came knocking at his door. So he ended up taking a contract to work on Crystal Harmony, and it wasn't long before he knew he found his home.

Unlike other ships, Harmony offered stability, with crew that stayed year after year. "I could actually create some roots and build relationships," he said. "You have a team in place so you don't have to retrain people every time and try to infuse some culture into what you are trying to do. Here everyone gets it right and you can build onto that. For me, that was a perfect fit. I love it."

As you might expect, on Crystal, "the expectations were very, very high," but he had all the tools to create musical productions and shows, sometimes on the spot. "We had technical support, dancers, vocalists and musicians," which allowed Derkson to get involved with the creative process of putting it all together.

Then, it all came to an abrupt stop when the pandemic shut down the entire cruise industry in 2020. But the big blow came two years later, when Crystal's parent company tanked and forced the cruise line into bankruptcy.

The news came when Derkson was vacationing in Thailand. He was expecting the ship to provide him a return ticket to Barcelona, where he would rejoin the crew. Now, all that was in limbo.

"Suddenly I lost my job, I lost my community, my friends and my girlfriend at the time," he said. "I didn't know exactly what to do." He thought about going to Los Angeles and starting a new career, but he ended up taking a job with luxury cruise line Silversea, where he re-developed and updated their onboard entertainment. "I was quite happy with what I accomplished," he said. Then Crystal came calling again.

A new company, A and K Travel Group, rescued the storied line and announced its two ships -- Serenity and Symphony -- would be back on the seas.

"It was like getting back with family," Derkson said. In fact, almost 90 percent of the former crew ended up returning. Guests, many who have taken multiple cruises, were glad to be reunited with the crew as well. "It's extremely easy for me to make people happy because they're already overjoyed" that the ship is back, he said.

 As cruise director, he tailors the ship's programming to their clientele, which includes retired CEOs. "They love good music -- like our Frank Sinatra tribute show -- and want to be stimulated by lectures and classes," pointing out they can learn computer skills they didn't have to use when they were running companies.

And unlike other cruise ships, he minimizes time making ship-wide announcements. "We promote an environment of elegance," he said.

Through it all, Derkson still enjoys the opportunity to indulge in his passion -- music. On this sailing, there was a jazz revue in the Stardust Supper Club, featuring the ship's resident band and dancers. Out front, leading the way, was Derkson playing -- what else? -- the trumpet.

​He is still doing what he loves -- just without the snow.