What Will It Cost You To Live FULL-TIME On A Cruise Ship?

I explore what it takes and costs to live (or retire) full-time on a cruise ship by looking at the people who have done it, and the options we have for living on a cruise ship permanently!

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00:00 Start
01:12 How Much?
06:27 Cruise Line View?
07:23 The Hurdles and Issues?
09:50 Alternatives?

[philgroves]

I live aboard my own boat - a 35 ft sailboat - for less than $16K (USD) per year. That includes my food, port fees, laundry, fuel, entertainment, and additional air travel to quickly visit aging relatives. It's my own private cruise ship, and my front and back yards are the world.

[fcichaingang]

I got tired of paying 4K to 5K for a basic winter condo a month or $200 a day for a concrete pad with a plug for a RV. That with dining out most meals and entertainment makes your winter getaway very expensive. This year I booked 10 Caribbean cruises back to back from late Dec to March. This came out way cheaper than anything I tried before. Princess line allows you to combine promotions like Military, Shareholders and Casino deals making this ridiculously affordable. With the introduction of Drinks, Gratuity and Wifi packages and free food making this the best deal possible for me.

[One-Crazy-Cat]

That’s it. I’m buying a cruise ship and staffing it with caregivers and nurses. 500k a year and get full elder care and live aboard my new retirement ship. Full dr, dental, and all senior activities fully inclusive. ;-)

[SoapinTrucker]

My solution was the Navy! a little over 10 years active, 3 different warships, and
dozens and dozens of ports spanning 25 countries! Oh, and they paid me too! :)

[STEVEF]

To me it would be a nightmare - much like being stuck in the Groundhog movie. Same ports, same shows, same food etc.

[awdrifter]

That year long cruise sounds awesome actually. I would never want to live on a ship permanently, but if I'm retired, I would love to see 60 countries in a year, all planned out for me.

[emmaludlow]

The idea of this really fascinates me. It sounds the perfect way to live, but what you said about loneliness and the hidden costs was really insightful. Keeping a small home base and going on multiple cruise holidays a year seems a better life plan. Always something to look forward to. Thanks Gary for an interesting video.

[sacredsiren]

I met one person while cruising who lived most of the year on cruise ships. She was an older woman who was retired and would jumb from cruise to cruise, line to line and had done several of those world cruises. When she got tired of cruising or was in between voyages she would go visit her children to see them and her grandchildren, go to doctors, do any business she had, etc... it sounded like an interesting concept, seeing the world and always being on vacation but being able to take a break to see family... but I could also see it getting tiresome if you did it 100% full time.

[owiyshs]

Great video, thank you.
I have worked for 9 years with Carnival, Oceania cruises amd some European River Cruises as an Exec Housekeeper and what I have seen on several occasions is that we would have a man or a woman sail with us for 10-12 months after their partner passes away.
They would mourn in such a way if they used to cruise with their partner a lot and after loosing that dear person they stayed onboard for extended periods of time.

[chulopapi]

Lived on the USS Kitty Hawk for 4 years. Hitting different countries ports, loved it. Living on a cruise ship would be great.

[jlawrence]

Your points are very valid. Unless you have a permanent residence in a port city where you could stop off a week or two a quarter and get your healthcare taken care of, it would be very difficult. One additional factor in my opinion is that living on a cruise ship is a lot like retiring to Las Vegas. It is NOT a good lifestyle if you have an alcohol, food or gambling addiction.

[maryannlibby]

I am new to cruising and I am taking my second cruise next week. I really enjoy your videos and have really learned a lot. Keep it up.

[JoeTourist]

I had dinner with a woman aboard a Holland America cruise ship who spent the majority of her time aboard ships, but had a home in Palm Springs. She was quite wealthy, since she stayed in one of the large suites aboard, bringing her housekeeper along. She departed San Diego mainly, and was driven there by her chauffeur. I think she had found the ideal compromise of spending a serious amount of time aboard cruise ships, while still maintaining a viable shore-side life as well. As the saying goes, it's only money...

[kvom]

Mario books all his cruises as soon as they're listed, as the costs are typically lowest. He typically books 60 or so at the future cruise desk on board, and then turns them over to his travel agent who takes care of payments when due, getting rebates when prices fall, and rebooking if his ship is chartered. But he also has a condo in Miami with a housekeeper who does his laundry that he exchanges on changeover days. He can also get prescriptions or medical appointments on those days. He also get a free 1 week cruise occasionally based on accumulated days under the C&A program.

[russs]

My friends and I do a cruise every spring (except for the pandemic years), and about 10 years ago, the MS World was docked in Curacao when we stopped there. We happened to run into a married couple that owned an apartment on the ship, and they offered to give us a quick tour.

Actually, they ran into us...we were sitting at one of the outdoor restaurants/bars for a noontime "beer break, " and since there were 8 of us, we pushed two tables together, and they came along and asked if they could sit in the two empty seats. (Apparently, they do that alot....spend their time in a port meeting people) These people lived in the upper Midwest, so they would go "home" around the 1st of May, and stay until sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving, depending on the ship's itinerary, and when the ship would be in a port where they could catch up with it. They said very few people lived onboard 100% of the time.

My first reaction was, "I could do this. Now all I have to do is come up with the

[AndAWakeUp]

Great stuff. I've been exploring the idea of trying to live a year just cruising.

[HeatherTravels]

As much as I enjoy cruising and being on the sea, I've never been tempted to do this for all the reasons you mentioned. For me, one of the best things about travel is that it is different than regular life. It provides a change of scenery, something to look forward to, new things to explore.

[davemihalic]

On our first cruise on HAL in 2004 we met a lady in her 80s who lived near the medical center onboard and who said it was cheaper then a high-end senior home! She said every six months she had to leave for two weeks while the ship underwent deep cleaning/maintenance. Intrigued us ever since!

[Eric-jouh]

My dream is living FOREVER on a ship. Absolutely LOVE the sea!

[qedwdyi]

Thanks, Gary.
As always, you’ve hit the nail on the head.