New Market for Regent???

[Travelcat2]

There are some of us that think retiring on a cruise ship is a tempting idea.  This cruise line is going to offer a retirement ship https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/20255-cruise-retirement-startup-promises-new-experience-at-sea.html

 

While this ship does not look great, it could be the start of a trend.  The first thing that came to my mind was Navigator (don't jump all over me, Regent would likely never consider making her a retirement ship).   Wondering what others think of retirement ships and what you feel they could charge per year to live on one.  If this idea takes off, there will likely be levels of retirement ships.

 

Anyway, it just caught my eye this morning.  

[Portolan]

Well, the World has been at this for many years:

The World

 

It's much more upscale and, in effect, a condo, whereas the operation TC2 cites appears to be more of an apartment.

 

Translation for non-US (since I've learned that our usage of "condo" versus "apartment" differs): condo means actual ownership of the suite on the ship and proportional ownership of the ship, itself, whereas apartment implies rental of the space, but no ownership of actual property.

 

And, of course, there have been numerous and verified reports of people who have retired to cruise ships, Regent included.

[Travelcat2]

17 minutes ago, Portolan said:

Well, the World has been at this for many years:

The World

 

It's much more upscale and, in effect, a condo, whereas the operation TC2 cites appears to be more of an apartment.

 

Translation for non-US (since I've learned that our usage of "condo" versus "apartment" differs): condo means actual ownership of the suite on the ship and proportional ownership of the ship, itself, whereas apartment implies rental of the space, but no ownership of actual property.

 

And, of course, there have been numerous and verified reports of people who have retired to cruise ships, Regent included.

 

Agree but what if a ship was built to be a retirement community?  If I remember correctly, on The World, you bring your own furniture, etc. and their condos/apartments I envision a ship where your suite/condo is furnished, and you dine in a restaurant - just like a normal ship.  The biggest expense I see is the need for a more comprehensive medical facility onboard.  The ship would likely not do itineraries where the nearest port with a hospital is 2 days away (like the Cape Town to Rio facility).  

 

In any case - just thinking that a cruise line could do better than The World.

[JMARINER]

This Article is about the remodeled ship "Delphin" built in 1975. It is a smaller vessel about 500 feet and 16,000 GRT. It started life as a Russian (Soviet) cruise ferry.  No balconies as far as I can tell. I would imagine the cabin would be tiny.

 

AFAIK there are less than a dozen permanent residents between all the lux lines. 

 

Since the "The World" has been around for about 15 years now, the concept doesn't seem to have taken off.  Seem like an idea that is not ready for prime time, if it ever will be.

 

J

[Silver Sweethearts]

3 hours ago, JMARINER said:

Since the "The World" has been around for about 15 years now, the concept doesn't seem to have taken off.  Seem like an idea that is not ready for prime time, if it ever will be.

 

Perhaps the fact you need a minimum net worth of ten million dollars to even be considered for The World has something to do with that. 

[Gcto]

While retiring on a cruise ship might seem like a good idea and there are a few who have done this (just think of the "Captain" on Regent), I don't think it is really for most people. When you retire, you decide to scale down (maybe), enjoy life, etc., but you also don't want to be removed from your family, your kids, your friends etc.. Cruising the seven seas and be far removed at times from your family is something most people would not like. Costs are another issue (Silver Sweethearts mentions the 10 Mill) you would need to even buy something, unless you want to spend the 150 a day on Carnival and call it a day :-). 

I saw a report on "The World" 2 years back where over 2/3 of the people who had purchased a "condo" and had planned to sail the world, moved back on land because they wanted to be closer to family, health issues, etc. Those condos are now rented to people who would like to try it out, spend a month or so on "The World" etc., and it's causing big issues with the original people who still stay on board. Was very interesting to watch. 

So for me....cruising yes, but living on a ship all year, nope. 

[Travelcat2]

Really good points - thanks!  If there were a ship that we were comfortable with, it would be a consideration.  We already live 1200 from our family and could easily fly to see them.  Or, if the suite is large enough, we could invite them to sail with us for a while.  The only stumbling block we have is our cats.

Edited January 25, 2019 by Travelcat2

[Gcto]

10 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

Really good points - thanks!  If there were a ship that we were comfortable with, it would be a consideration.  We already live 1200 from our family and could easily fly to see them.  Or, if the suite is large enough, we could invite them to sail with us for a while.  The only stumbling block we have is our cats.

1200 miles in the US is not unusual, but that's a 2 1/2 hour flight (plus airport time) and can be done quickly.  We are in a similar situation, but Facetime, skype or phone calls help. Now if the retirement cruise ship has top notch internet …..:-)

 

[Travelcat2]

6 minutes ago, Gcto said:

1200 miles in the US is not unusual, but that's a 2 1/2 hour flight (plus airport time) and can be done quickly.  We are in a similar situation, but Facetime, skype or phone calls help. Now if the retirement cruise ship has top notch internet …..:-)

 

 

Exactly!  FaceTime and Skype has really changed the world.  Agree 100% about the internet.  In terms of phone calls, we have several hours of included phone time on Regent and would need to have that on a ship that we lived on.

[Dolebludger]

As an old retired man (75), I doubt the market for a cruise ship/retirement community. It would be difficult for a ship to offer what would be needed in medical care, medicine, and equipment. Also, it would be difficult for a ship to offer large enough living facilities at a price even well off retirees would consider. Of course, a ship might be able to attract billionaire retirees. But there aren’t many of those.

[RachelG]

I would love to retire on a cruise ship.  When my current kitty passes (she is 11), I am not going to get any more pets.  And if internet is good, I am set. 

[BarbarianPaul]

12 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

There are some of us that think retiring on a cruise ship is a tempting idea.  This cruise line is going to offer a retirement ship https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/20255-cruise-retirement-startup-promises-new-experience-at-sea.html

 

While this ship does not look great, it could be the start of a trend.  The first thing that came to my mind was Navigator (don't jump all over me, Regent would likely never consider making her a retirement ship).   Wondering what others think of retirement ships and what you feel they could charge per year to live on one.  If this idea takes off, there will likely be levels of retirement ships.

 

Anyway, it just caught my eye this morning.  

Interesting to think about! For any line considering it, though, the price point would be an issue. Just to match the quality of the dining on Regent, or other competing luxury lines, and the accommodations, would be no small or even reasonably priced task. For anyone considering such an option, it might be easier to just negotiate a deal to stay aboard a ship on the line where you’re already comfortable. Crystal gave some sort of discount to that woman who took up permanent residence on the Serenity.

 

So maybe there’s a suite on the Splendour with your name on it! 🙂

[Hambagahle]

There is the gentleman "The Captain" who lives on, I think, the Voyager ??   Seems he has found his ideal in terms of retirement homes.

 

For me - no way.  I want to be close to my daughter and her children and how could I do that if they were in Switzerland and I was sailing on the high seas?  Not practical I think!!

[Brownie54]

The Captain lives on the Navigator. There was an article earlier this year posted on CC about him, from I think Forbes. We have sailed a couple of times with him.

[alainciao]

550 guests, 210 crew.  This is about twice the Regent passenger to crew ratio.  And you get to eat in the buffet every night with an a la carte restaurant for those "special occasions".  Portholes.  Yikes!!

[1982CruzStart]

16 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Exactly!  FaceTime and Skype has really changed the world.  Agree 100% about the internet.  In terms of phone calls, we have several hours of included phone time on Regent and would need to have that on a ship that we lived on.

Our 3 hours of free phone calls on our Explorer cruise last month were useless. I tried repeatedly to call my Mom and could not get through once the entire 24 days. I was able to make 1 call on the day we boarded to wish my sister a happy birthday and had no success after that. 

[Travelcat2]

Dolebludger - size would not be too much of an issue for us.  As long as there are 1 1/2 bathrooms, a small living room, dining table and chairs and a bedroom we would be fine.  There are plenty of spaces on most ships to hang out.

 

Paul - you are so funny!  The odds of me being able have a "home"/suite on Splendor or any other Regent ship is about the same as me winning the lottery twice (but if I did win a huge lottery, I would be tempted ...... except we cannot leave out kitties). I understand where Regent is coming from in terms of her cat.  Our cats are 7 (two of them) and 4 so either a cruise line would have to allow cats or this is all just a pipe dream.

 

1982CruzStart - what ship were you on?  We rarely use our phone hours but have always been able to get through (not necessarily at the hours we want but we do get through.  I've seen passengers use FaceTime onboard as well.  

[1982CruzStart]

22 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Dolebludger - size would not be too much of an issue for us.  As long as there are 1 1/2 bathrooms, a small living room, dining table and chairs and a bedroom we would be fine.  There are plenty of spaces on most ships to hang out.

 

Paul - you are so funny!  The odds of me being able have a "home"/suite on Splendor or any other Regent ship is about the same as me winning the lottery twice (but if I did win a huge lottery, I would be tempted ...... except we cannot leave out kitties). I understand where Regent is coming from in terms of her cat.  Our cats are 7 (two of them) and 4 so either a cruise line would have to allow cats or this is all just a pipe dream.

 

1982CruzStart - what ship were you on?  We rarely use our phone hours but have always been able to get through (not necessarily at the hours we want but we do get through.  I've seen passengers use FaceTime onboard as well.  

We were on Explorer. Just got off in Dec. 

[JMARINER]

On 1/24/2019 at 3:52 PM, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

Perhaps the fact you need a minimum net worth of ten million dollars to even be considered for The World has something to do with that. 

When the ship was first selling back about 15 years ago, a Studio Apartment was only $90,000 USD.

J

[Travelcat2]

22 minutes ago, JMARINER said:

When the ship was first selling back about 15 years ago, a Studio Apartment was only $90,000 USD.

J

 

That is quite a good price.  We heard that apartments started $1M.  Aside from that, what I've read about the World does not sound as good as traveling the "world" on something that more resembles a typical cruise ship.  Many/most of the World's apartments are rented out which makes many of the "guests" quite transient. 

 

Even when visiting the website, it is difficult to determine what, if anything, is included (like the 6 restaurants - if you have a kitchen in your apartment, one might assume that the restaurants come with a cost).  And what about maintenance?  What are the monthly fees?

 

Perhaps, if one has enough money, just staying on a cruise ship may be the best plan.  I was thinking about how nice it would be to live on a cruise ship without the worries that one has on land.  If it were a ship like Regent, the cost may be high but you are not paying for food, utilities, cars, car insurance, maintenance, etc.  Not a bad way to live.

 

In terms of posters saying that they would miss their families, that is true if you live near your families.  For those of us that do not, the ship would likely be near the U.S. two or three times a year.  A passenger could fairly easily fly "home"  or have them sail with them for a week or two.  On the other hand, having grandchildren/great grandchildren may not be the environment that retirees are looking for.  

[Dolebludger]

Way back when The World was new, I did some research on it, just out of curiosity. As I recall, restaurants are at cost for residents — but not for cruisers. There are periodic maintenance and operation fees. There is, I think, an onboard grocery store for residents. But I think I found prices there to be quite high. I don’t know if there are other sorts of stores that carry other products that retirees need. My basic impression was that I would be better off staying in my paid-for home, and hiring help as needed.

[MalbecWine]

We know three ladies who live aboard another luxury line even one wrote a book she is known as Mama Lee.  You can find it on Amazon.  All their needs are taken care of and none of them are billionaires I would say millionaires.  Some reside in suites I can think of only one but as one told us this is far better than a nursing home and they remain on the ship until dry dock.  Medical is not an issue unless they need to be evacuated if they would keep their suite or stateroom until they were able to return.  People who live onboard are given special rates. No, you don’t have to be a billionaire but you should have a few million in the bank for sure.

[BarbarianPaul]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

That is quite a good price.  We heard that apartments started $1M.  Aside from that, what I've read about the World does not sound as good as traveling the "world" on something that more resembles a typical cruise ship.  Many/most of the World's apartments are rented out which makes many of the "guests" quite transient. 

 

Even when visiting the website, it is difficult to determine what, if anything, is included (like the 6 restaurants - if you have a kitchen in your apartment, one might assume that the restaurants come with a cost).  And what about maintenance?  What are the monthly fees?

 

Perhaps, if one has enough money, just staying on a cruise ship may be the best plan.  I was thinking about how nice it would be to live on a cruise ship without the worries that one has on land.  If it were a ship like Regent, the cost may be high but you are not paying for food, utilities, cars, car insurance, maintenance, etc.  Not a bad way to live.

 

In terms of posters saying that they would miss their families, that is true if you live near your families.  For those of us that do not, the ship would likely be near the U.S. two or three times a year.  A passenger could fairly easily fly "home"  or have them sail with them for a week or two.  On the other hand, having grandchildren/great grandchildren may not be the environment that retirees are looking for.  

Found this...

 

Annual maintenance charges are about $167.00 per square foot. The commercial maintenance, which is paid quarterly covers the entire cost of running a 43,000 ton ship ie: fuel, port charges, wages of the crew, stevedoring, daily housekeeping, insurance policies on the ship and includes an accrual for dry dock where the ship is refurbished. On top of the commercial maintenance is an annual Food & Beverage charge which is $33,180. This can be spent in the restaurants, room service, take out from the restaurants, in the deli, for private parties etc. So if we look at the current apartments for sale at say an 'A' apartment (1106 square feet), the total annual charge is $220,596.

 

That’s a hefty annual charge, over and above the cost of the unit. In an article in USA Today four years ago, that woman who lived on the Serenity was said to be paying $164,000 a year, which in comparison is a total bargain! Not sure, though, what kind of a cabin she had, or if she’s still onboard.

 

One other thing to keep in mind. You can generally count on a real estate investment to increase in value over the years. It’s something real, tangible, and relatively permanent. But as the ship gets older, no matter how well it’s kept up, it’s going to start losing value and very possibly be sold for scrap in 20-30 years, no? So, even if it exceeds our lifetimes, it’s still ultimately a worthless investment, which just psychologically would be an issue for me. 

 

For me, it would be better to just use that annual fee for a bunch of great cruises! And if you moved from luxury to premium plus, I bet you could come close to living onboard.

 

 

[Travelcat2]

Paul - thank you for the great information!  All I can say about the costs for The World is "WOW" - very pricey!

[MalbecWine]

One unit owner on the World has about 5,000 sq feet.  Several owners are trying to sell their condos as the ship is aging out. Not to mention the owners pay for fuel increases as well in their fees.

 

We toured the World several years ago and they had a $700.00 PP offer for their suites which was a bargain at the time. We booked and our cruise was canceled coming from Asia due to the bird flu and we were refunded our money.  

 

We have a dear friend that lives on the World and told us we would be bored to death as it is nothing like the luxury lines and very sedate.  The owners do not like guests at all and we have been invited by our friend but decided to decline the invitation as she was leaving the ship for two months and not be able to have much interaction with owners or guests.  Glad we declined that one.