When Leroy and I set off on our Viking River Cruise in April 2025, I had one mission (besides relaxing, of course): find someone from the UK to chat with. On our very first night, I heard a charming British accent cut through the room like a scene from Downton Abbey—Stuart was introducing himself and his wife, Deb. I instantly knew: target acquired. (The rest of the group on that leg of the journey? 100% American.)
The next morning at breakfast, I made my move. I marched right up to them, introduced myself, and—because I believe in getting to the heart of things—I asked for their thoughts on the royal family. Specifically, Meghan Markle. I needed to know if I was about to bond with a kindred spirit… or a future frenemy.
At first, Stuart played it close to the vest—clearly trying to figure out if I was asking out of genuine curiosity or if I was setting a royal trap. Once he realized I wasn’t about to start a debate over tea and crumpets, he relaxed and opened up. Deb was a little more reserved, but she warmed up just fine with time. Stuart did admit later that he got slightly concerned when I started taking notes. Oops.
We hit it off instantly. By day two, they were game enough to join us in a hilarious Abbey Road photo reenactment. We dove into every topic under the sun—yes, even the “off-limits” ones like religion and politics. I quickly discovered Stuart was not only passionate about history like I am, but he had the gift of storytelling. Whether it was a fun fact or a quirky anecdote, the man always had something to share. I was hooked—and I knew others would be too.
Stuart joked that their lower-deck stateroom felt like steerage. But hey, Titanic taught us that all the fun people are in steerage! And just like that, the idea for “Stuart in Steerage” was born.
You can see all of Stuart’s videos on YouTube. You can also follow Stuart on Facebook.