Close up Magician Ben Williams on Saga Sapphire Cruise Ship.

Well, it has been a month since my last blog post, how outrageous! I have literally been rushed off my feet with gigs, can't complain!

So, for the end of November I spent my time entertaining everyone on the Saga Sapphire Cruiseliner. It is always wonderful working with Saga, the clientele is lovely, the staff are very attentive and great at what they do and I am treated very well throughout, every time I sail with them. Flying out to Tenerife to sail bacik up to Southampton via Maderia and Lisbon, it is a tough job that someone has to do!

I am the only solely close up magic act that Saga have every booked and I have now been with them on 4 occasions. I meet some wonderful entertainers and people whenever I am aboard and this time was no exception. I got to perform to retired BBC news reader Peter Sissons, it is always great performing to someone that you recognise so well! 

I also spent a fair amount of my spare time with this couple of rapscallions - Bells and Baxter. 

Not only are they great people and loads of fun, but they are truly amazing at what they do. They have oodles of charisma and have a connection on stage that is quite simply electric. If you ever get the chance to see them do their thing I bet you will not be able to resist tapping your foot wholeheartedly and singing along! Enough about them though (I wouldn't want to give them a big head!) more about my experience.

​I was also lucky enough to spend some of my time with Captain Philip Rentall aboard the Saphirre, and I must have done something right! I was not only requested to perform on his final formal evening to his table of distinuished guests but I was also invited up to the bridge of the ship to see the sunrise and to watch us sail into Lisborn port. What an experience that was! It was calm and serene and the ship almost magically sailed in softly and docked without a bump. When I mentioned how amazed I was at how smooth the docking felt the captain simply said in a well timed fashion, 'yes, well the passengers don't like seem to like it when you do it fast!'. My thanks go out to Captain Rentall again for his kind words and hospitality.

So that was the end of November, December has gone quickly, I will update you all soon with another blog post about the close up magic adventures of Ben Williams (that sounded cooler in my head than it did when I read it back to myself!). Until then!