Living aboard a Cunard ship year-round...

One hears stories about individuals living aboard a cruise ship full time (12 months a year)

Can this be true?

An unbearable thought?

One hears stories about individuals living aboard a cruise ship full time (12 months a year)

 

Can this be true?

 

An unbearable thought?

I don't know I could think of worse places. Yes, I have heard of people virtually "living permanently on board"

If I had the money, I'd rather live onboard a ship, with constant change of new (younger?) passengers, great food and a different view each day... than in a "Shady Pines" Maximum Security Twilight Home for the Terminally Bewildered :D

Now, if only I can arrange this for me, and QM2... ;)

What's unbearable about it ?

On our first cruise, onboard Regent Seven Seas Voyager, there was a gentleman who had been onboard for 18months. He said he that he had all his housekeeping and laundry looked after. He was in a suite and enjoyed the space. All his food was cooked for him. He saw different places and met new people.

He also said that it was cheaper that a retirement home.:D

Over the years, we have met two women who lived on board HAL ships in retirement. One used a walker but otherwise both were lively, interesting, adventurous and had lots of stories. Each was well looked after by the crew and, I think, was "mama" to many of them. It certainly beats being homebound during terrible winters or in places where it is so hot that you don't venture outdoors.

Cunard has a history of widows living full time on its ships. The most recent was Beatrice Muller who lived year round on the QE2. She did the math and it was equivalent to what she would have paid at a retirement home, only she got far better surroundings and company that did not have one foot in the grave.

When QE2 was retired from service she didn't like the Vista ships and found QM2 to be too big and left for a land based retirement home. She's since passed on.

What's unbearable about it ?

Nothing. I've just done it. Going back on 23rd June. What would you like to know?

Nothing. I've just done it. Going back on 23rd June. What would you like to know?

I was hoping to find someone presently retired aboard..... so here goes....

What ship are you retired on?

How long have you been retired aboard?

Are you living aboard alone? Partner? Are you a Lady or a Gentleman?

Does the cruise line cut you a deal (lower price)?

Do you change your daily shipboard routine... sorta be on the 'slow-bell', sleeping in, fewer meals daily, eat less, exercise more, less late night entertainment, etc?

How old are you?

What do you best enjoy about being retired on board?

What do you miss from your shore-bound life?

Have you sold your land home, apartment, car, etc? Sorta, pulled-the-plug entirely

Are you ever bored or restless aboard ship?

Do you miss your shore-bound family?

When porting near your former home (family), can relatives visit you aboard?

How long do you plan to live on your floating home?

If you are currently retired on board, why are you returning on June 23rd. How long have you been off your ship 'home'?

Many questions, but actually only a few?

Without a doubt, you definitely are a permanent "World Cruiser" with all the perks and trinkets bestowed on your pillow.

With all these questions, I think of the political telephone pollsters who sometimes call with endless queries.

Here's the reason I started this thread. While aboard one of the Cunard ships recently, I took a cue number to chat with one of the (2) on-board Cunard travel assist gals. Since my cue number was #1, I was first to enter their office when the door was first opened for business. Rather surprised, there was already a passenger inside who had apparently been talking with the senior Cunard travel/booking gal. While I was being helped by the second Cunard gal, I picked up on the other passengers dialogue. She was talking about selling her home and car, and living aboard ship. I thought, what a lifestyle decision.

Wonder how all this ended?

:eek: How do you avoid http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=50112771&postcount=8 violations?:confused:

PVSA is not generally an issue on Cunard ships since they rarely go US port to US port. And it would only be an issue if one wanted to disembark the ship for say, from New York to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Cunard wouldn't book anybody on just that segment for this reason.

Anybody living on the ship will go through plenty of "distant foreign ports" during the year.

:eek: How do you avoid http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=50112771&postcount=8 violations?:confused:

Do not emabark at a US port (arrive having sailed from a foreign port).

Do not disembark at a different US port (stay on board and sail on to a foreign port).

Best wishes.

I was hoping to find someone presently retired aboard..... so here goes....

 

What ship are you retired on?

 

How long have you been retired aboard?

 

Are you living aboard alone? Partner? Are you a Lady or a Gentleman?

 

Does the cruise line cut you a deal (lower price)?

 

Do you change your daily shipboard routine... sorta be on the 'slow-bell', sleeping in, fewer meals daily, eat less, exercise more, less late night entertainment, etc?

 

How old are you?

 

What do you best enjoy about being retired on board?

 

What do you miss from your shore-bound life?

 

Have you sold your land home, apartment, car, etc? Sorta, pulled-the-plug entirely

 

Are you ever bored or restless aboard ship?

 

Do you miss your shore-bound family?

 

When porting near your former home (family), can relatives visit you aboard?

 

How long do you plan to live on your floating home?

 

If you are currently retired on board, why are you returning on June 23rd. How long have you been off your ship 'home'?

 

Many questions, but actually only a few?

 

Without a doubt, you definitely are a permanent "World Cruiser" with all the perks and trinkets bestowed on your pillow.

 

With all these questions, I think of the political telephone pollsters who sometimes call with endless queries.

 

Here's the reason I started this thread. While aboard one of the Cunard ships recently, I took a cue number to chat with one of the (2) on-board Cunard travel assist gals. Since my cue number was #1, I was first to enter their office when the door was first opened for business. Rather surprised, there was already a passenger inside who had apparently been talking with the senior Cunard travel/booking gal. While I was being helped by the second Cunard gal, I picked up on the other passengers dialogue. She was talking about selling her home and car, and living aboard ship. I thought, what a lifestyle decision.

Wonder how all this ended?

You might find many answers to your questions over on the Seabourn Board. I know a lady who has lived onboard Seabourn for years......When the ship goes in for a refit or occasionally chartered , she moves over to another ship in the fleet. ;)

Also, I believe several people have lived full time on Crystal.

When I was in the voyage sales office of QE earlier this month, a guest enquired and I got the impression no one lives aboard Cunard these days. They made it clear there are no discounts for anyone who has lived on board before.

Do People live on cruise ships, http://aboardtheworld.com/

I met a lady in crystal serenity that lives on board. She likes to dance every night! She was enjoying life that's for sure.

Rob

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

If you are currently retired on board, why are you returning on June 23rd. How long have you been off your ship 'home'?

 

Possibly because that is when QM2 is out of her current dry dock.

This article answers a lot of questions about living on a cruise ship:

http://retirefabulously.com/blog/2015/05/05/smooth-sailing-through-retirement-could-living-on-a-cruise-ship-be-your-utopia/

One hears stories about individuals living aboard a cruise ship full time (12 months a year)

 

Can this be true?

 

An unbearable thought?

Mrs Beatrice Muller, the famous Cunard resident who lived onboard the QE2 for many years wrote a book that was often on sale in the QM2 book shop ........'QE2 my home in paradise' ......It might still be in print. ;)

Years ago, in the hey day of Cunard Characters who regularly sailed on the QE2, I had the privilege to take afternoon tea with both Bea and the Opera Diva at the same table. Both of the ladies while in their later years of life had egos way too large for a single tea table in the Queens Room on the QE2 so it was great fun observing the posturing and fained attempts at being polite etc.

Bea had a double inside cabin that had one of the beds removed and replaced with a sofa and floor lamp to make it more of a living quarters than a simple inside cabin. (I never was inside but did see this much one day when her door was open for cleaning.

Her children had to book passage to visit her. One son is quite an accomplished musician and we enjoyed a few chats as he lives close to where I used to reside. One day I overheard Bea telling the son that she was tiring of ship living because while she had loads of acquaintances, she had no friends. No one stayed long enough to get to that level of social acceptance.

When the QE2 was sold, Cunard made it quite difficult to book extensive trips on the QM2.There were no long term residence discounts as had been offered on the QE2. One got the impression that they really preferred not to have year round passengers. One of the problems is such. When on a cruise even a world cruise one makes every effort not to have a bad hair day in public. Bea on the other hand saw the QE2 has here home and had no problem calling out staff and management if she thought things were not up to snuff. Towards the end when little cut backs that all lines have been making of late were being made, Bea was incensed by them and stated it rather loudly to all who would hear. One day the piano player was quite late in arriving for afternoon tea playing and she gave it to him with both barrels. Cunard most likely feels they do not need this just to sell a cabin 52 weeks straight out.

She was a diamond in the rough and I am most happy to have sailed with her.

On our first cruise, onboard Regent Seven Seas Voyager, there was a gentleman who had been onboard for 18months. He said he that he had all his housekeeping and laundry looked after. He was in a suite and enjoyed the space. All his food was cooked for him. He saw different places and met new people.

 

He also said that it was cheaper that a retirement home.:D

I remember meeting him. I did several cruises on Regent.

Mama Lou has lived on cruise ships for many years now, first on HAL and now on Crystal (Serenity iirc). She left HAL when they discontinued their dance host program.

There are several others as well.

This article answers a lot of questions about living on a cruise ship:

http://retirefabulously.com/blog/2015/05/05/smooth-sailing-through-retirement-could-living-on-a-cruise-ship-be-your-utopia/

Thanks for the informative link, Salacia. Except for the howler in ...

5. The costs you see on cruise ship web sites are only a portion of what you actually pay. ... Some lower-end cruise lines may offer free self-serve washers and dryers, but most cruise ships charge for laundry service. ...

The self-serve launderettes on QM2 were free when I last used one in January 2016. But of course you pay for the service laundry service; only fair, I think.

Anyway, thanks for the read. As much as my wife and I enjoy being at sea (QM2 transatlantics are our favorite "destination"), i doubt that we would take to living aboard full time. That said, if we had the money, it would be fun to try it for a year; just to be sure, you know.

If I had the money, I'd rather live onboard a ship, with constant change of new (younger?) passengers, great food and a different view each day... than in a "Shady Pines" Maximum Security Twilight Home for the Terminally Bewildered :D

 

Now, if only I can arrange this for me, and QM2... ;)

Yep so agree.