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This is the sixth installment of our new bimonthly column Crews on Cruise, spotlighting the people who work behind the scenes of the world’s most memorable voyages—from bartenders and entertainers to ship captains and expedition leaders.
Ante Benic was born and raised in a small, beautiful town on the Adriatic coast of Croatia. “The sea was always a big part of my life,” he says. “Since I was a kid, I knew exactly where I wanted to end up.”
At age 14, Benic moved to Dubrovnik to attend nautical high school. After serving for one year as a cadet on cargo ships, he returned to the city to complete his university degree in Maritime Nautical Education. And that’s when his career at sea officially began—first back on board cargo ships, and then on cruise liners. The jump to hospitality was inevitable, he says. “I’m a people person—I love to connect with the guests on board.”
Benic put in 12 years with Royal Caribbean working up the officer ranks before transitioning to megayachts during the pandemic. The difference was jarring at first but suited him well. “With big ships, nothing is personal,” says Benic. “But when you have only 30 guests on a megayacht, it’s all about the guest experience.” Although the move meant starting over again, as a Third Officer, he moved up quickly—earning a promotion to Chief Officer within six months.
After three years working on the megayachts (and meeting his share of celebrities), Benic joined the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection as Safety Officer (they're the ones in charge of security and those oh-so-important emergency evacuation drills) in October 2024. He started on Ilma when it was still in the shipyard; Evrima came next, followed by the line's brand-new ship Luminara. Today, Benic's title is Staff Captain, which is second-in-command, and is tasked with responsibilities such as overseeing the ship's nautical operations, managing crew human resources, and checking in with guests.
Beyond his day-to-day duties, Benic was also involved with the design and implementation of the Ritz-Carlton’s Marina Beach, an inflatable marina that is deployed when the yacht is at anchor in select destinations. The 2,400-square-foot system is the largest floating platform that AquaBanas, maker of superyacht toys, has ever designed. A floating beach club of sorts, it includes luxurious lounge areas, a seawater swimming pool, and a host of water toys such as SEABOBs and kayaks. Though launched on Ilma last year, it’ll roll out fleetwide this summer—something Benic is extremely proud of.
Ritz Carlton yachts can accommodate approximately 450 guests across 10 decks, and many ships of this size lack direct sea access. The Marina is just one example of how “they don’t want to be a cruise ship,” says Benic. “They want to provide a yacht-like experience to their guests, and that felt very natural to me.” The luxurious fleet of three sails to glitzy, lesser-visited ports of the likes of Monte Carlo, Hong Kong, Virgin Gorda, and Bora Bora, with itineraries spanning the South Pacific, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Asia, Alaska, and Northern Europe.
When not sailing, Benic makes a beeline home to Croatia—often with a suitcase full of souvenir magnets from ports he recently visited. “Everyone at home loves my magnets,” he laughs. “We’ve filled a whole room and now I keep them in boxes because they can’t fit on the wall anymore.”
We caught up with Benic while crossing from Greece to Italy to talk about his shift to superyachting, his favorite spot to hang out on board, and which port he’s most looking forward to calling on in 2026.
What does a typical day on the job look like?
“There’s no such thing as a typical day because our arrival time is different in every port. But generally, my day starts early in the morning. We gather on the bridge with the captain for our arrival briefing, reviewing the weather conditions and safety protocols for the ports we are visiting that day. I also meet with the safety and security deck teams and coordinate with the hotel team, which is different from cruise ships I’ve worked on in the past. On larger ships, everyone works for their own department. But here, everyone works as one unit. It’s a lot of lateral service.
But again, each day is different. I’ll give you an example. We were arriving in Santorini recently and the wind was predicted to be about 40 knots—high but still operable. But then it changed and suddenly it was blowing up to 60 knots. All of the cruise ships calling on Santorini that day cancelled, but we managed to hold the operation throughout the entire day, giving the lead to the tenders so that the guests could still go in. That was not easy; it took a lot of focus, knowledge, and dedication to keep the ship safe. It would have been easier for us to just cancel the call like the rest of the cruise ships, but if you can safely operate and still provide a great experience to the guests, we want to push those boundaries. Our guests plan for a year or more to experience these incredible places; we don’t want to disappoint them.”
What is your favorite part about this job?
“I love working with Ladies and Gentlemen [what Ritz-Carlton calls its crew members] from all over the world. I am the only person from Croatia on the bridge; our captain is Canadian and we have officers from Sweden, Romania, Italy, and Montenegro. All told, there are 54 nationalities among our 370 employees. We come from different backgrounds, different religions, and everything else, but in the end we work as one team and that's really rewarding.”
What is the most challenging part about working at sea?
“Nothing is predictable. If you have bad weather or an itinerary change or technical issues—I can’t control these external factors, but my job is to make sure guests never sense any disruption. We have to think ahead and stay focused so that everything feels smooth and effortless on their end. That means staying calm under pressure, which you learn by experience.”
What is the coolest or weirdest thing about living on a ship?
“The coolest is waking up in a different place every day. Yachts are not like typical cruise ships, where you go in a circle and visit the same ports every day of every week. Here, every port is different and we get the chance to explore all those new places.”
What is your favorite place you’ve traveled so far?
“Alaska. The nature there is just amazing—huge glaciers, beautiful landscapes, wildlife. It’s also very special to me because the first cruise ship I ever joined, in 2007, started in Alaska. I haven’t been there since but I’m excited to go back with Luminara in May 2026. It will feel full circle, but with a whole new level of luxury.”
What is your favorite place to hang out on board the ship?
“The Marina Terrace, without a doubt. It feels like your own private beach club. I was deeply involved in the design and implementation of it on Ilma last September—and was the first person to jump into the seawater pool!”
Tell us about a memorable guest interaction that sticks out to you.
“During the Atlantic crossing of Ilma last April, we brought in a traditional paper navigation chart and made a special display in the Living Room, which is where guests meet to have coffee. Every day at 10 a.m. during the crossing, my bridge team, the captain, and I would all go down and present a different nautical lecture to our guests. After each talk, we would plot our position on the paper chart, telling them how many miles we had passed, where we are right now, what the weather is, and so on. I never would have dreamed how many guests would show up to those lectures—sometimes more than 100 people! But the most rewarding part was on the last day, after our final lecture, we gave a trivia quiz and the winner got to keep the chart, which the whole bridge team signed. It was very competitive! A few days after the [winning] guest went home, they sent an email to the ship with a picture: They’d framed the chart and hung it on their wall. It was such a nice reminder of the connections we make with our guests.”
What’s your top tip for first-time cruisers?
“Be open to new experiences, and explore the yacht the same way you would explore any resort or hotel, but don’t feel pressure to fill every single minute. Enjoy being surrounded by the ocean, removed from all the noise of land and cars. Slow down, relax, and just be present.”
