Anyone dreaming about living on a cruise ship?

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

You do know this forum is about sailing right?

Most here would cringe at the idea of being on a cruise ship.

Actually is is a forum for “small” boat cruising. While powerboaters are a little light on the ground here there are some.

I put “small” in quotes because small ends at about 27’ for me and big starts at about 40’ or so but most people would skew larger on those definitions.

[Cadence]

I have no idea of the cost and have asked. Do the naysayers ever consider maybe people get to old to sail. It might beat the hell out of and older folks home with assisted living.

[SeaStory]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I have no idea of the cost and have asked. Do the naysayers ever consider maybe people get to old to sail. It might beat the hell out of and older folks home with assisted living.

You can't compare the two. If you require assisted living, the cruise ship isn't going to be appropriate. No one is going to help you bathe or pay your bills. The cruise ship compares to the independent living in a CCRC or other senior living arrangement, but without access to a kitchen. Whether one is better than the other is going to depend on the individual options available, as well as the preferences of the individual doing the living.

[Lepke]

I spent years on ships. They're too crowded. Even if it was free, I wouldn't live on a cruise ship.

[Wckoek]

I have seen some of the very smallest cruise ship asking for not very much money.
I calculated the running cost per displacement and decide it was not worthwhile for an individual to run it.


Even the lightest and smallest cruise ship that is less than 1000 tonnes would cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars per hour on fuel alone.
There are superyacht that cost the same, if not cheaper, but requires far less money to run, with quite the same amenities as well.
I would pick a superyacht, or big yacht that is slightly less than superyacht anytime.


If you don't intend to run, there are cruise ships that functioned as floating hotels, still expensive to run and keep afloat but doable for a billionaire.

[billgewater]

Kitsch casino styling as well. Also, incubators for just about any airborne bug.
However what put my spouse and self off ever venturing onto a cruise ship again (we did a 2 week trip in 2019) was being surrounded by the type of people who thought it was wonderful.

[AKA-None]

Well to be contrarian there are small cruise ships that circumnavigate and have less than about 200 guests

[captlloyd]

I’d eat myself to death within a month

[miketo]

My wife and I are travelers. We go off the beaten path, flex our schedule at a whim, and get us deeper into the people and places we visit.

Cruise ships are filled with tourists: people who bring their cultural expectations with them, want pre-approved, sanitized experiences in other places, and have the adventuring curiosity of a box of rocks. We've been on two cruises: Alaska and Norway. Both were filled with tourists. It's not our bag, baby.

I don't think I'll spend any more time on a cruise ship in my active years. I sure as hell don't want to be trapped on one in my retirement years.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by bjp447

There have been articles about seniors, usually older women who do or have done this. Their point was it was cheaper than senior living apartments, the food and service was better, lots of activities and there was a Doctor on call.
Maybe they just got too old to sail anymore and wanted to stay on the water.

Yep, I remember reading about this a good decade or more ago. One woman had enough income to spend 12 months of the year on around the world cruise on the QE II and/or Queen Mary. It was expensive but no more so than if she was in a good quality retirement home. The advantages were numerous:

• She got to see the world
• There was plenty to do on the ship
• New places to see in each port
• Food was prepared for her and she had a variety to eat
• She got to know the crew and they got to know her
• She always had someone new to talk too
• Health care, though somewhat limited, on the ship.

We have never been on a cruise ship, and the one's most people go on, are NOT something we would do, but some of the higher end cruise lines did look interesting and I could see the attraction.

Later,
Dan

[sailingabe41ds]

only if i am one step from living in a nursing home. ill bring the nurse with me to help with all my needs.

abe

[Sunsetrider]

Put aside the implied comparison of cruise ships vs. your own sailing/cruising vessel, and consider the options available to a single or couple retired persons on a small pension, not owning their own home, let alone their own live aboard vessel. What to do? Well, one option is to travel the world in relative luxury in a well appointed room, all meals and entertainment included, as well as swimming pools and a wide variety of meal choices, for roughly $24,000 per year. Actually a dream life for many. And well within reach - disease outbreaks aside . . .

[belizesailor]

Ive watched what the cruise ship industry has done to Belize and other places in the Caribbean. I dont care to support that.

The guests dont "see the world", they see private venues fabricated by the cruise ship industry where they can sequester their guests, extract more money, and provide little to no benefit for the locals of the host country.

They have created several such venues in Belize and trashed some formally pristine locations.

The locals who benefit the most are the crooked politicians they pay off.

[CaptTom]

OK, maybe the OP was a troll, but y'all filled two pages with responses, so here goes...

Disregarding environmental and societal issues, I think for some people it could be a viable alternative to a retirement community, especially for an aging single person.

Yes, these mega-ships are set up for lemmings. Everyone rushes to the pool deck first thing in the morning to secure their spot in the sun. After sundown, the rush reverses to the bars and casino. Shore excursions are pure theater. Don't get me started on the spa treatments and art auctions.

But you don't have to follow the crowd. You have the whole deck largely to yourself after dark. Enjoy the stars and the cool breeze. During the day, you have the run of all the indoor spaces. You don't need spa treatments or overpriced souvenirs. You don't have to drink yourself silly or gamble away your retirement fund.

I think the obstacles are more subtle. For one thing, it would be more expensive than you'd think. You can't just take the advertised weekly rate for an inside cabin and multiply it by 52. Those are not always available, and there are fees and add-ons. There may be health or mobility requirements which keep out some who would use this instead of a nursing home. And not many of us could live in a tiny inside cabin very long.

I wouldn't count on good health care aboard. Yes, there's a doctor or medic of some kind, but they're not your family physician. Nor are they specialists in all the various ailments which befall us as we age.

It's a nice dream. I'd consider it if I were too old to cruise on my own boat. Not sure what folks who had been living aboard ships did for the past year though.

[CruiseWorld]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

1. Cruise ships are counter to how almost everyone on this forum wants to live.

2. Efficient?!?! In what regard? Burning tons of heavy fuel for opulence? Transporting concentrated trash or sewage to various ports? Living in a petting dish?

Oh damn, I'm sorry. I read this article about a ship being environmental friendly and I thought it applies to all cruise ships. Link here

Also this one. Apparently it recycles waste as energy or what not. Link here

Peace