Cost of living on a cruise ship

[NOSaints1]

I'm just wondering if anyone has thought about this compared to a retirement home, I mean I'm still young enough. How would this actually be cheaper?

 

 

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[kitt82078]

I have heard of this..... sounds ideal if you can afford it!

[onthelake]

And I have heard mention a "negotiated price", but would that include gratuities?

[NOSaints1]

I'm just wondering if anyone has done the math?

 

 

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[Lionesss]

Lets just say if you booked a repeating 7 night cruise on the Freedom of the Seas in the cheapest category............lets say

You would spend around $1000 a week, $4000 a month.

 

You would eliminate at home expenses such as

 

Food

Gas

Utilities

Insurance

Transportation

Home upkeep.

 

You would take on Laundry fees.

Unless your port days were at the laundramat:eek:

 

You would lose room for personal items

 

I dunno, cruising is great but.............don't know if I could do it

 

I think it would take the fun out of it.

 

Sea Ya

[NOSaints1]

Somebody told me this at work the other day, and it got me thinking about it.

 

 

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[JYD Hawkeye]

There is an article in RCCL website about Super Mario. He cruise 350+ days a year on Royal. Search Super Mario on here or RCCL.

[BND]

This comes up a couple of times of year here on CC. Someone always has heard a story of someone who does it. Some say it's cheaper than a senior living facility and while that's true, you aren't going to get the same level of care when you get to that point. Even someone like Super Mario who cruises for most of the year, has a home on land also.

 

There is a ship that is truly a residence, but you have to have several million dollars net worth in order to buy in. It's basically condos at sea. It's called "The World" and it's a 644 foot long cruise ship, although they do not call it a cruise ship. Just google "residential cruise ships" and you'll see what's out there.

[orville99]

"The average cost for a private one-bedroom apartment in an assisted living residence is $3,022 per month, according to research compiled by several nonprofit senior living organizations, including the Assisted Living Federation of America (2009 Overview of Assisted Living). Assisted living is of often less expensive than home health or nursing home care in the same geographic area."

[cmason]

Well, a cruise ship is NOT assisted living, and I suspect anyone in assisted living does not go on many cruises.

 

I have family in a retirement community, and his costs are about 3 grand, including meals.

[jamesr3939]

I have thought about it, but even if you could find a ship at $100 per day that's $3000 per month for one person, so $6000 a couple. Not counting bar tab. I have mom and dad who have been in a continuing care community for ten years. They paid $5000 per month for a two bedroom condo with one meal a day in the dining room. This is in San Diego and a very upscale complex. However, the kicker is dad was moved to the complex's skilled nursing facility last year and it costs us nothing extra. If/when mom has to move to assisted living or skilled nursing, again nothing extra.

[warbar]

Private residences on The Magellan range in price from $1.875 million

to $8 million for penthouses.

[asylum575]

On my last cruise, Explorer, there was a guy who booked the whole year.

I don't know the reason.

It's definitely a fun way to build up those C&A points.

 

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[goodycruising]

I have discussed this with friends also. Some cruises you can do for about $75 per day inside from what they researched, but you would need to not be paying the single supplement, so the cost for 2 of you would need to be compared to land.

 

Actually I just looked at a website and they list cheapest per day. Wow, there are some cruises for about $30 per day, on RCI. Category K L M N on Serenade 16 nighter in April. That sounds very cheap. Even when I looked direct on RCI Australia the cheapest was from about AUD$35 per day. You do have to multiply by 2 of us.

 

You would then also need to have a few relatives/friends to bunk with when peak season is on. You could be away for a fair bit of the year, but you would need to look at repositioning cruises etc and possibly airfares.

 

I think the trouble is you would be so happy and relaxed you might live too long and then you would run out of money!

[debshomespun]

So what happens when you need "skilled nursing" help? Do the room stewards step in and monitor your blood pressure, or make sure you have taken all your pills? It could get a little more complicated than it already is!! :eek: :eek:

 

And how many are in assisted living, 2 to a room?

[ATCMickey]

I've seen more than a few posts, in this forum, detailing passengers being asked to disembark because the line did not want to risk letting the person sail with health problems that arose. I'd want to be in really good health before I committed to a year's worth of consecutive bookings. At least the retirement home won't leave me on the pier watching my house sail away :-)

 

ATCMickey

[goodycruising]

Yes, I think you would need to be reasonably healthy, but...what if you are retired, compared to if you want to rent somewhere with better weather? The ships follow the summer seasons a lot.

[silvermcs]

I think you all have hit the next 'Big Thing' of retirement homes at sea. It might be a little more expensive than land based retirement but there must be a demand for such a concept. Sign me up! :rolleyes:

[xxHadleyxx]

I have discussed this with friends also. Some cruises you can do for about $75 per day inside from what they researched, but you would need to not be paying the single supplement, so the cost for 2 of you would need to be compared to land.

 

Actually I just looked at a website and they list cheapest per day. Wow, there are some cruises for about $30 per day, on RCI. Category K L M N on Serenade 16 nighter in April. That sounds very cheap. Even when I looked direct on RCI Australia the cheapest was from about AUD$35 per day. You do have to multiply by 2 of us.

 

You would then also need to have a few relatives/friends to bunk with when peak season is on. You could be away for a fair bit of the year, but you would need to look at repositioning cruises etc and possibly airfares.

 

I think the trouble is you would be so happy and relaxed you might live too long and then you would run out of money!

 

We have met a few people who do this over the years (we tend to sail the inexpensive, off season, dd routes, that draw these people as well).

 

Most recently, we have sailed with a couple from Australia (originally Germany). They do own a motorhome and live in it for some part of the year, but also do long term lets on vacation rentals in times when they are off the ship. I know they did a TA to Brazil shortly after we sailed with them, stayed on for the first few sailings there, then rented a vacation home for a couple of months (which included the high priced Christmas sailings--the home was not in an area that Christmas was high season; they were paying low season prices on that rental) and then got back on the ship for a few rounds before the next TA.

 

Renting vacation homes from time to time would work pretty well, and be cheaper than maintaining home, and nicer than mooching off of friends--but I am not sure how that works as far as a legal address, etc.

[Sparky74]

Yes, this topic seems to crop up every so often.

I think snopes.com gives a fairly definitive response:

 

...cost is but one of the elements to the choice of where to reside after retirement. Golden agers who decide to make their permanent homes on cruise ships sacrifice proximity to family and friends; their nearest and dearest are no longer just a short car ride away. Those devoted to their children and grandchildren might well deem that too high a price to pay, no matter what the spreadsheet says about the relative financial costs. Likewise, those who lack progeny but who are involved in their communities or who are part of a number of strong friendships may not want to opt for the vagabond life, because it would mean abandoning that which gives them joy.

 

Also, life on a cruise ship means one acquaintance after another, but no permanent ongoing connections of any depth. Fellow passengers disembark to return to their regular lives at the termination of their one- or two-week holidays, which means friendships struck up with them land in the "We'll keep in touch" bin very quickly. As for staff, while serial cruisers can strike up deeply affable relationships with some of the line's employees, these rapports are inherently limited by their very nature: no matter how close such associations appear to be, ships' employees are required to be deferential to paying passengers, so the friendship-critical element of honesty can never be part of such dealings. Making a cruise ship one's permanent address, therefore, will not be for everyone. While those at ease with a steady diet of the superficial will thrive, those who require the comfort of at least a few real friendships will likely feel lonely even though they live among crowds...

 

See http://www.snopes.com/travel/trap/retire.asp for the entire article.

 

 

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[Miamia65]

When we cruised on Oasis in December last year there were 3 passengers who were, at the time, living on RCI cruises ships.

 

The one I spoke to the most was a guy called Craig, he had cruises planned for the next year and had booked 3 months of cruises to come to Australia/NZ region. I met him at the consecutive cruises meeting and other C&A events. I got talking to him in a bar and he told me that he had accumulated enough points that he always books an inside room and most of the time gets an upgrade to a balcony. He gets military and Florida resident discount which meant that he was paying around $500 for 7 nights. He receives free drinks every night in the diamond lounge due to his C&A loyal level and all the other benefits including free internet (not for the entire cruise but enough to keep in touch).

 

He said that he was living on cruise ships because he had sold his house and hadn't decided where in the USA he wanted to live. Being a retired military person he was used to being at sea and wanted to see more of the world, hence cruising. He said to me that other cruises like Super Mario and a lady called Olga (who was on our B2B cruises) were also retired and used the cruises as a home and then went to stay with relatives when they needed time out of cruising.

 

These passengers also get invited to all of the top tier C&A events and have all of inside information.

 

One other guy, named Bill had a vest made out of rubber key rings branded by RCI. He'd made the vest by joining all the key rings together and wore it everyday whilst on the cruise on Oasis of the Seas. Quite a funny character.

 

All of these "live on cruise ship" passengers also participated in the trivia events which are held daily, you will spot them. They are also rewarded at the C&A Welcome Back Party, ie. Olga was given trophies and vases of flowers on both of the B2B cruises on Oasis.

 

I'm like other posters, not sure if I could live on a cruise ship, maybe the food would get boring!!!!

[trev71]

the cost id be my worried abouut my health. i would be eating non stop. :rolleyes:

 

I love crusing dont get me wrong i dont think i could live on a cruise ship though.

[Pomperaugrr]

I think you all have hit the next 'Big Thing' of retirement homes at sea. It might be a little more expensive than land based retirement but there must be a demand for such a concept. Sign me up! :rolleyes:

 

Ummm, excuse me waiter, there is a hair in my Soylent Green. :eek:

 

Eric

[TahoeBob]

I like to think that I live year round on a cruise ship, the only difference is that my port days tend to turn into years.

[LetsGetWet!]

Even someone like Super Mario who cruises for most of the year, has a home on land also.

Obviously if you choose to maintain a home on land also, the cost will be quite expensive. That's Mario's choice, and I admire what his creativity has managed to get him for lifestyle, so that's great.

 

On the other hand, its become fairly common for people - mostly retirees - to sell their homes, buy a nice motorhome and live in it exclusively as they travel the country throughout the year. You can easily have a PO Box somewhere for a permanent address and mail delivery, and there's entire forums for people living that lifestyle. So, if you sell your home and remove mortgage, taxes, utilities and other land-based expenses, cost of living on the ship would become a lot more "doable."