Table Of Content
- Buy a Cruise Residence
- Questions About Cruising Answered (Everything You Wanted to Know)
- Protect Yourself With Private Health Insurance
- Understand Your Medical Care Options at Sea
- Snowbirds in Residents
- Plan for your healthcare needs
- My 12-day cruise cost me about $109 a day. See inside my 160-square-foot cabin, the most economical option on the ship.
You can retire and live on a cruise ship from $2,500 per month, if you choose world cruise itineraries on the cheapest ship options. Choosing other long-term residential cruises, or back-to-back cruises that include drinks and internet access, can cost a lot more than this. It’s difficult to compare costs directly since ships include different levels of service within their fares, plus you don’t know how long you’re going to want to live on a cruise ship.
3 Residents share what it's like to live on a cruise ship full-time - Business Insider
3 Residents share what it's like to live on a cruise ship full-time.
Posted: Sat, 09 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Buy a Cruise Residence
If you've got the funds, The World is a private residential ship that offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom residences, ranging in price from $2 million to $16 million. One of Royal Caribbean International’s most famous long-term cruisers, Mario Salcedo, works from the top deck of all the ships he sails on. Nicknamed “Super Mario,” Salcedo has been living on various Royal Caribbean International cruise ships for over 20 years. Living fees start at $2,152 per month, depending on the residential unit, which is lower than what you would pay in most major cities and comes with a host of all-inclusive living perks. If you’re wanting to live on a cruise but aren’t ready to permanently sell your home or transition away from life on land, snowbird cruises are a great choice. These cruises allow you to set sail for the winter months but return to shore for the spring and summer.
Questions About Cruising Answered (Everything You Wanted to Know)
This can make everyday activities challenging and affect your overall enjoyment of life onboard. Living on a cruise ship is comparable to residing in an all-inclusive resort, except that this one floats. Certainly, you’re surrounded by the ocean’s breathtaking views and sunsets while enjoying top-notch facilities. However, rich cuisine and desserts are plentiful when cruising, so full-time cruisers need to make nutrition and health a priority. Mama Lee Wachstetter, a full-time Princess Cruises resident, modified her diet by ordering only half portions at each meal.
Protect Yourself With Private Health Insurance
Moving cabins might not be the end of the world – but it would be a lot easier if you didn’t have to pack and unpack at the start of every new itinerary. Even if you sell your home to live full-time on the ship, renting storage space for any belongings you can't bring on the ship will add up. After all, when people cruise they are on vacation and likely willing to spend more freely than they would normally.
It is possible for someone to write to you at a cruise port via the port agency, but this requires you to reach an agreement for them to hold your mail. Just be careful, though because you may also be paying other benefits at home that you could miss out on if living on a ship. For example, in the UK, if you don’t make National Insurance payments, you won’t get the full state pension later in life. Cruise ships do have doctors, but visits to the onboard medical centre can be very costly indeed, and for any serious medical issues, you would need to visit a hospital on land.
Snowbirds in Residents
It’s the cheapest option because you’d actually be making money – and your room and food would be free. But you would be working six or seven days a week with only very rare days off, and often for long hours. But then there were challenges about whether the ship was seaworthy, and so a second ship was sought. But with a deal lined up, the cruise line didn’t pay for the AIDAaura when it came up for sale, and instead it was purchased by Celestyal Cruises. However, just as the ship was due to launch on her three-year itinerary in November 2023, the company cancelled the cruise after revealing they had not been able to secure a suitable ship. Njord by Ocean Residences is a planned superyacht due to launch in 2025, with a wide variety of luxury residences that you can buy.
Plan for your healthcare needs
Before you commit to living on a cruise line, try going on cruises with a few different cruise lines. Setting sail with various cruise lines will not only help you figure out whether you actually like this lifestyle, but it will also help you compare which cruise lines you like best. On a cruise, all your food and entertainment are included in the cost of the cruise.
Man lives on cruise ship for 300 days a year because his bills are cheaper than renting - UNILAD
Man lives on cruise ship for 300 days a year because his bills are cheaper than renting.
Posted: Fri, 22 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The Drawbacks of Cruise Ship Living
These cruises are often expensive too, so the cost of booking world cruises as frequently as possible may not be something you can afford to do. Of course, that figure comes from the average passenger who is living it up on vacation and likely spending more on a daily basis than a retiree would on a ship. For instance, we don't think someone living on the ship would be buying drink packages, gambling every day, or eating in the specialty restaurants on a daily basis. Looking at every cruise Harmony of the Seas sails in 2025, we priced out the cost of a balcony cabin for each individual trip. For that, we decided to lock in on an option that we think would appeal to the broadest amount of people by being a mid-tier cruise that’s realistically affordable without having to skimp. In fact, major news stories have covered retirees that have doing exactly that.
Living on a cruise ship permanently involves navigating everyday life onboard, embracing the social aspects, and considering medical considerations. The days of grocery shopping, meal planning, prep and cleanup are over. Cruise ships offer a variety of dining options and cuisines for all dietary needs.
So for a fare that’s $599, it will actually cost $1,198 based on double occupancy. Even if you are sailing solo (unless in a solo cabin), you will still have to pay this “double” charge. Currently, there’s only one residential cruise ship operating called The World.
The costs for each option is based on the cheapest accommodation using reported figures. There was one more option – and this was designed as a middle option between traditional cruising and residential cruising. That’s the ultra-long-term world cruise option announced by Life At Sea Cruises. You also have the option of leasing a residence on the yacht, if you can’t afford to buy one outright.
Assuming that retirees pay cash for an all-inclusive condo that includes meals, rather than financing it over the long-term, that could substantially lower the cost of living. These fees cover things like ship maintenance, supplies and staff salaries. With Storylines, the average daily assessment fee ranges from $70 per person to $205 per person, based on the choice of the condo. At that rate, the yearly cost of living onboard permanently would range from $25,550 to $74,825. The smartest option, even if it’s more expensive than standard US insurance plans, is to invest in private health insurance, which includes evacuation insurance.
Cruise ships can offer recreational activities so that you have a way to stay active while engaging with other passengers. As you compare cruise lines, consider what opportunities for socializing they provide. Of course, if you decide to keep your home while living on a cruise ship, it would change those numbers. And even if you sell, you may have to account for other land-side expenses, such as storage for personal property or vehicles, or debts you may still be paying off.
