Calling a Cruise Ship Home: See the World, See it Again

[Markola]

Just when you think you've read about most alternative FIRE lifestyles, another interesting one in this NYT article.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/...l?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share

 

[Midpack]

There have been examples of this before, and it is interesting. I can't imagine doing it for 20 years, but if you can afford it (it's not cheap, but not outrageous either, $70-$90K/yr?), I could see the appeal of doing it for a few months?

It would be just my luck I'd find myself trapped on one of the norovirus or otherwise violently ill cruise ships...

 

[Texas Proud]

I remember reading many years ago about a lady who paid some cruise company a big lump sum to be able to cruise for the rest of her life... she was probably one of the first ones to do this and IIRC she paid in the neighborhood of $250K... (but, who knows if my memory is good now)...


She stayed on one ship for awhile before moving on... but I think she was aboard almost all the time...

Now it looks like the cruise lines are a bit smarter and changing by the trip... if you have the money it does sound interesting....

 

[Danmar]

This lifestyle sounds pretty good, at least at first. If I were to consider this, I would not keep doing Caribbean cruises over and over on large mass market ships. Would get pretty boring pretty quickly.

There are special purpose "condo" cruise ships but they haven't really done that well. Resale prices are not increasing and the ships require a lot of maintenance. Suites are bigger and the whole ship is more geared to long term residents. By the way, it looks like the subject of the article should spend some more time in the ship's well equipped fitness facility.

 

[NW-Bound]

The article describes Mario Salcedo, 67, who lives on a Royal Caribbean ship for the last 20 years, at a cost of $70K/year.

I will have to say it does not sound appealing to me either. Maybe I would be more interested in a perpetual world-cruise ship in a larger suite, but the price would be way out of reach for me. And then, I most likely would get bored after a year or two.

 

[Totoro]

It sounds very appalling indeed.

I´m a free range animal, even if I tend to stay in the barn a lot. I do see many upsides too though: easier social interaction, few practical worries, entertainment nearby, change of scenery. Like assisted living really.

 

[Sunset]

It sounds very appalling indeed.

I´m a free range animal, even if I tend to stay in the barn a lot. I do see many upsides too though: easier social interaction, few practical worries, entertainment nearby, change of scenery. Like assisted living really.

Yes it would be like assisted living, but without friendships, as nearly everyone else on the ship is there for a week, so the conversations would be like groundhog day, constantly repeating to different folks "your story" and listening to them say "This is our x time crusing, we always wanted to do this cruise".

 

[Amethyst]

How apt is a comparison between a cruise ship and an ALF? Cruise ships may provide medical care, but they aren't going to help passengers dress themselves or go to the bathroom, are they?

 

[kcowan]

Cruise ships may provide medical care, but they aren't going to help passengers dress themselves or go to the bathroom, are they?

They supply emergency medical care. A friend had to go to the hospital 200 miles south of Buenos Aires, then catch up with the ship on his own. His wife accompanied him and stayed in a hotel. Transport to Buenos Aires was their responsibility as well as their hotel there. Then a plane to Rio.

 

[Racer X]

Yes it would be like assisted living, but without friendships, as nearly everyone else on the ship is there for a week, so the conversations would be like groundhog day, constantly repeating to different folks "your story" and listening to them say "This is our x time crusing, we always wanted to do this cruise".

No Groundhog Day for me. My "story" would change every two weeks - just to keep it interesting.

 

[Bamaman]

I wouldn't last that long living on a cruise ship. I'd eat myself to death.

Every year, we swear we're going to slow down on taking cruises. We've been to virtually every island in the Eastern and Western Caribbean numerous times. And we've taken 2 European cruises in the last 2 years.

We're leaving in 3 weeks on repositioning cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Rome as the price was cheaper than we could have stayed at home. And I found a $238 one way flight to the U.S. from Budapest. Here we go again.

 

[Markola]

I wouldn't do it forever but might be interested to find a great cruise loyalty program and see some of the world for a season or a year from the same bedroom without unpacking.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Why not take an around the world cruise if you're concerned about seeing the same scenery?

 

[Gumby]

A stint with Uncle Sam's Cruise Line cured me of any desire to do this.

 

[youbet]

nightly ballroom dancing

Count me out...... Maybe once in a while, but nightly? No thanks.

Also agree with the comments that it's ridiculous to compare the cost of long term cruising with living in a high tier assisted living facility. It's apples to oranges. Cruising provides no "assistance" to those with special needs. In fact, I think you'd have to be in fair or better health to live on board a cruise ship and have no issues requiring periodic health maintenance.

 

[Fedup]

I admit this does not appeal to me. I have yet to take any cruise yet. The idea of overeating doesn't appeal to me.

 

[Nemo2]

The idea of overeating doesn't appeal to me.

It's not mandatory.

 

[Fedup]

It's not mandatory.

I'm a "see food" person. I eat what I see.

 

[Nemo2]

I'm a "see food" person. I eat what I see.

Knew a guy who was a 'light eater'.......soon as it got light, he started eating.

 

[kcowan]

Knew a guy who was a 'light eater'.......soon as it got light, he started eating.

But he was heavy!

 

[Walt34]

A stint with Uncle Sam's Cruise Line cured me of any desire to do this.

The scenery you had didn't have much going for it. Perhaps on the surface of the water things would be better?

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

The longest cruise we've been on so far is 11 or 12 days on a single itinerary and at the end of it, we're not ready to go home yet. However, I'm not sure if we'd enjoy a really extended time on a particular ship. For us, part of the cruise appeal is visiting different ports of call so I'm not sure constantly repeating the same or similar itineraries would be that fun, though a world cruise sounds interesting. The other aspect is that we try to cruise about once every two years which makes all the entertainment, activities, and somewhat the food pretty fresh/new to us again. I think staying on the same ship with the same rotation of entertainment, activities, and food would get repetitive. However, I'd love to try a back to back to back with a last cruise itinerary in Europe, a transatlantic, and then the first cruise of the season in the Caribbean.

 

[Markola]

Yeah, the cruises I'd aspire to are Alaska Coast, Panama Canal and Transatlantic on classic Cunard ship.

 

[Ready]

In theory this sounds very appealing to me. But when DH and I went on a 3 week Panama Canal cruise two years ago, we couldn't wait to get off the ship. 3 weeks of having to eat every meal in a restaurant, and sharing a tiny little room and single bathroom, was enough for me.

 

[Hermit]

In theory this sounds very appealing to me. But when DH and I went on a 3 week Panama Canal cruise two years ago, we couldn't wait to get off the ship. 3 weeks of having to eat every meal in a restaurant, and sharing a tiny little room and single bathroom, was enough for me.

Yes, indeed. That sounds like torture to me!