That is good advice, thanks. My plan is to look at apartments near Ft. Lauderdale in the next 2-4 years and look at 14-21 day cruises to take while working onboard a few hours each day. Treat it like "luxury living". Do 1 to 3 cruises each year until I retire. I prefer a slow, quiet pace and maybe the longer cruises (14+ days) allow for that. I have been blessed with a rewarding career, live frugally and I don't have any other expensive hobbies.
My first retirement cruise I am thinking about the 110-day HAL pole to pole cruise but I maybe I need to ease into that with a 30-something day cruise.
I also need to look at the benefits of establishing a Florida residence for tax purposes and cruising discounts.