requesting information on living aboard a cruise ship

How does a retired couple go about making plans or reservations to live aboard a cruise ship? Which cruise line offers this?

You can live on board any cruise ship with continuous bookings. With RCI and Celebrity, as example, there are no special arrangements for living on board. There are people on both lines who do this. You simply book continuous itineraries on your ship or ships of choice in your stateroom(s) of choice through your travel agent or the cruise line and go. Deposits would be required for each when booked and final payments due on a rolling basis. It basically is ongoing back to back cruises.

The World ship offers on board residences for purchase if that would be your preferred option.

Several cruise lines have or have had people living on board including:

Crystal Cruises

Cunard

Celebrity

RCI

Holland America

I would get a TA to help you with this.

Keith

This is a book about one person who currently lives on a Crystal Cruise ship.

https://www.amazon.com/May-Homeless-But-Should-Yacht/dp/0692932569/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521639596&sr=1-2&keywords=Mama+Lee

keith

Princess has also had people living onboard.

The downside of this is the myth that the crew will serve as aides should something happen. They won't, no matter how attached you have become to them. The medical staff will have you disembarked should there be any medical issues that you need even temporary assistance.

The downside of this is the myth that the crew will serve as aides should something happen.

Huh. I didn't even know that was a myth!

But, to the OP: it can be done on any cruise line, and you may be able to get a B-B-B-B-B....... discount, depending on the line; ask your travel agent contact them about it.

Condos on The World don't come up for sale very often ;)

The downside of this is the myth that the crew will serve as aides should something happen. They won't, no matter how attached you have become to them. The medical staff will have you disembarked should there be any medical issues that you need even temporary assistance.

As with any medical staff on any ship and any passenger, they can only provide service for which they are capable. With anything other than minor issues, the intent is only to stabilize a passenger until proper care can be provided on shore. I believe the port agent in the port of discharge would assist the passenger.

You could always book a world cruise that could be up to 6 mths & see if you would like being on a ship that long

You need to consider where you want to go and if you will be happy repeating the same ports every few weeks or even more often.

Google Mario Salcedo he has been living on RCCL for over 20 years over 7000 days. He spends about 10 days a year not on ships.

Often they can negotiate a price that is even better then back to backs.

Keith

You will have to go somewhere when the ship is in dry dock or chartered.

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Often they can negotiate a price that is even better then back to backs.

 

Keith

Just to clarify, not all cruise lines discount B2B's. And others have discounted or free staterooms built into their higher tier loyalty programs, for which a "resident" cruiser would ultimately qualify.

Not saying you're not correct and just curious, but I wonder why, with so many cruise ships sailing full on most itineraries, any would offer a long term cruiser a discount on a stateroom that would other wise likely be booked at a full rate?

I assume you've already solved the problems of where to have your mail delivered, how you'll pay your bills and taxes, how you'll make doctor/dental/optometrist appointments, full time out of country health insurance etc.

I assume you've already solved the problems of where to have your mail delivered, how you'll pay your bills and taxes, how you'll make doctor/dental/optometrist appointments, full time out of country health insurance etc.

The internet. You can not just email, but make WiFi phone calls too. There's very little mail these days, except for some things that still require an in-person, notarized signature. Banking and health-care appointments could be taken care of in a common port city, on those few days the ship is idle. Health insurance is probably the only real sticking point.

The internet. You can not just email, but make WiFi phone calls too. There's very little mail these days, except for some things that still require an in-person, notarized signature. Banking and health-care appointments could be taken care of in a common port city, on those few days the ship is idle. Health insurance is probably the only real sticking point.

Interesting. But don't most people/ companies/ agencies etc still require an actual physical address (place of residence) from you?

Interesting. But don't most people/ companies/ agencies etc still require an actual physical address (place of residence) from you?

You could use a post office box; no one needs to know where you actually reside. I know of a few people who don't ever use their home address for any mail or deliveries - even their electricity bill is delivered to their post office box. You could use a business address, but in this case, there's no regular office location.

Interesting. But don't most people/ companies/ agencies etc still require an actual physical address (place of residence) from you?

It can be done. The individual referred to in a previous post who has spent the past 20 years on board RCI ships not only obviously lives on board but also runs a business via his computer. He leaves the ship for about two weeks each year to a residence he maintains near one of the US ports, but the other 50 weeks are on board.

I mentioned this in another post- the 2 lots of people we've met doing this have apartments at the turn around port, and go there during the daytime, and back on the ship in the evening...sorting out mail, medicals, dentist etc.

I mentioned this in another post- the 2 lots of people we've met doing this have apartments at the turn around port, and go there during the daytime, and back on the ship in the evening...sorting out mail, medicals, dentist etc.

I wouldn't maintain an apartment if I was going to be living on a ship, like that 50 weeks a year -- that's rent, taxes, insurance, furnishings that I wouldn't ever really need; for those times when I need to be off the ship for a night or two, it would be cheaper to stay in a hotel.

Huh. I didn't even know that was a myth!

 

But, to the OP: it can be done on any cruise line, and you may be able to get a B-B-B-B-B....... discount, depending on the line; ask your travel agent contact them about it.

 

Condos on The World don't come up for sale very often ;)

Yes, it isn't unusual for crew to be asked to assist elderly cruisers for physical tasks like getting out of bed. People have even asked on these boards if crew will help them since they were planning on cruising alone and they need an aide but don't want to pay for them.