Can You Retire On a Cruise Ship?

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Can You Retire On a Cruise Ship?
By Laura Hill/ Retirement/ Livability/ MarketWatch/ marketwatch.com

"Considering the amenities, it could be your floating assisted living facility.

When it comes to retirement options, the idea of living out your golden years on a cruise ship could sound too good to be true. You may have seen stories about how retiring at sea could be practical and affordable. Sounds idyllic, right?

There you’d be, floating around the tropics, Antarctica or Europe, peering out at glaciers, palm-lined beaches or the Hong Kong skyline from your private stateroom. Daily maid service. Gourmet dining. Nightly entertainment. Your own concierge. And all for about what it costs to live on land, whether it’s in your own home or a senior living community.

But if this all sounds too good to be true, it may be. There are a verifiable few who have pulled up onshore stakes and settled permanently or semi-permanently on a cruise ship, and more who spend part of their time ensconced in shipboard digs, but they are few and far between, probably for good reason......"

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Richard

 

[Glynda]

Forget exploring exciting ports and seeing the world because I'd probably be spending all my port time doing laundry, getting prescriptions filled and shopping for other necessities. Medicare won't pay outside of the US so some sort of travel insurance would be necessary. Internet and phone service cost a fortune on a ship! Seeing a doctor onboard is certainly not free. I'd have to have an outside cabin, maybe even a veranda. As far as cabin space is concerned, I could live alone onboard. Storage is pretty good and wouldn't need as much. I don't get seasick and sea days are welcomed by me as I don't have to be on the go or entertained every day. I'm fine just kicking back with a good book. Hmmm...I wonder how much the cruise lines discount for a person who books by the year?

 

[Passepartout]

It would be for the well heeled, relatively healthy person. We dined in Blu with a woman who spends 'some time' she said. She preferred to sail alone. We are nearly at the 'free laundry' level, but medical care could be the big unknown- as Glynda said. I had occasion to visit the infirmary on Celebrity Equinox, and was told to see the doc was $135. The infirmary seemed well equipped as it took care of the crew's medical needs too. And I noted that this ship has a dialysis center. One would want to be covered by a darn good evacuation/repatriation insurance plan. The rescue nurse that brought us home from Europe said their company carries $1.5 million on their employees. They paid over $20,000 to get me & my DW home after my emergency heart procedures in Germany last Summer.

 

[DrQ]

I would NOT depend on a cruise ship for medical help.

 

[DaveNV]

Armed with enough money, this is the only cruise ship I'd consider retiring to:

https://aboardtheworld.com

Dave

 

[Glynda]

We are nearly at the 'free laundry' level<snip>

Ah, yes! I forgot that perk. However, I've just never trusted a ship's laundry. Dry cleaning I've had done. I'm very picky about what gets washed in cold water on delicate cycle and is hung to dry and what is washed in warm water and can be dried. I put very little in the dryer. I don't imagine they'd be hanging my clothing to air dry from lines in laundry rooms. Though I like the idea of items being pressed! Have been told that they put clothes in machine together from all passengers having laundry done at that time.

 

[Passepartout]

If you were entrusting your duds to shipboard laundry, you would quickly go to most of it being wash & wear. I have the hardest time convincing my wife that NOBODY takes that cruise to see how SHE dresses.

 

[VacationForever]

We had this conversation recently and realized that if one of us has a stroke or heart attack between ports or crosssing the Atlantic or Pacific, you are shit out of luck. Without timely intervention, prognosis from the effects of a stroke or heart attack is not good. I have a case of potential gallbladder issues last week and my doctor does not want me to go on a transatlantic cruise 2 days before we left. We have now gone a full 180 degrees from wanting to go on lots of cruise to let's do lots of timesharing instead.

 

[Passepartout]

I would NOT depend on a cruise ship for medical help.

You would if the only other option is NO medical help.

 

[pedro47]

I could retire on a cruise ship, if it’s was one of those small cruise ship that cruise around the world every year.

Cruising to every port in the world North and South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, Alaska, Hawaii, Australia and Cuba.

Three meals per day, laundry, no cable bills, and entertainment. Wow.

 

[Glynda]

If you were entrusting your duds to shipboard laundry, you would quickly go to most of it being wash & wear. I have the hardest time convincing my wife that NOBODY takes that cruise to see how SHE dresses.

I'm with your wife. Perching in a lounge with a drink in one's hand and people watching is most interesting and sometimes entertaining! I have a perfect clothesline purchased from Amazon that stretches across half the cabin.

 

[Passepartout]

I'm with your wife. Perching in a lounge with a drink in one's hand and people watching is most interesting and sometimes entertaining!

I think that you and my wife are kindred spirits. Said the guy in cargo shorts and polo shirt.

 

[DaveNV]

I think that you and my wife are kindred spirits. Said the guy in cargo shorts and polo shirt.

But are they pressed cargo shorts?

Dave

 

[Passepartout]

But are they pressed cargo shorts?

Surely you jest? No pressers here. Think of the wrinkles as 'patina'.

 

[bizaro86]

I could retire on a cruise ship, if it’s was one of those small cruise ship that cruise around the world every year.

Cruising to every port in the world North and South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, Alaska, Hawaii, Australia and Cuba.

Three meals per day, laundry, no cable bills, and entertainment. Wow.

Yeah, I think variety would be potentially a problem. There are a lot of ships that do the same three ports every week for months at a time. I like Nassau and St Thomas well enough, but once a week would be too often for a cruise ship stop.

 

[isisdave]

I looked into this a little. This group is trying to get something started, and the concept is good, but it's like $300 a day, each! Basically, you're leasing 3 to 12 months on a ship.

It's wrong to compare assisted living to cruising; you don't get assisted living service at sea. Just nice residential.

Doctors on cruise ships are licensed somewhere, and the quality is all over the place. They can do routine surgeries, usually, but if you blow an aneurysm, you're outta luck. Two of our five Transatlantic crossings were diverted, one to Madeira and one to Azores, for medical emergencies.

Some folks do this nearly-full-time, by cruising 3 weeks out of 4, or 3 months out of 4, or similar. A lot live near Miami for this purpose. They use the land time to see relatives, friends, and doctors. The problem with this is you either have to keep a land-home, or spend that week/month/whatever with relatives or in Extended Stay places. Or timeshares, maybe.

It's possible to find great deals almost any time of the year, someplace. It takes a bit of diligence and a good Internet connection, making it a little hard to do at sea. I would think there could be two possibilities to grow business out of this: First, some kind of deal with a cruise line (or lines, like Carnival has 9 or so): you agree to go anywhere they send you, in an agreed-on minimum cabin, for a flat daily rate. If you have to change ports, there'd be some cap on your expenses. Second, someone could make a specialty TA business out of arranging nearly back-to-back cruises.

 

[Passepartout]

If one were to give this a try, there could be several strategies to reduce the costs and try the lifestyle. If, for instance. one had some skill/interest to share. Like knowledge of pirates, shipwrecks, painting, improv comedy, world religions, movies, business expertise, tax preparation hair/makeup/yoga/fitness instruction etc. etc. Cruise lines are anxious to hire people to do lectures, classes, staff the spa etc. They often start these relationships by providing the cabin and meals (no pay) and depending on popularity and demand, it can morph into paid positions and moving from one ship or cruise line to another.

Another is to negotiate for a low cabin rate by taking last-minute vacancies. They would rather not have empty cabins. Using older, smaller European flagged lines with few ports (port charges add up for port-intensive cruises) are more negotiable than new, top line vessels going to 'jet-set' ports.

It's a lot like timehares that way. independent older, perhaps remodeled apartment building resorts are often lower in cost than the big, hotel branded high rises.

I haven't looked, but it wouldn't surprise me to find 'full timer' posts on www.cruisecritic.com/ outlining how it's done by those who've done it.

Jim

 

[moonstone]

On one of our Caribbean cruises we met an Asian woman who had retired to cruise full time. She told us her husband had passed away a couple of years previously and she had no money worries. They had taken a few cruises together, had no children and she said she did not enjoy living alone. The woman seemed to be in good health and got around on the ship quite well using a cane only when the ship was rocking. She took a few back to back cruises to start off with to see if she liked it, then went home to sell everything and book more cruises. She had already been cruising for about a year when we met her, having done most of Asia, down to Australia and New Zealand, up to Hawaii then over to the West coast of the USA up to Alaska and back down Mexico and through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean.

We sat with her for a few meals and she had some amazing stories to tell and tons of photos, it sounded like a wonderful adventure!


~Diane

 

[pedro47]

I feel this is possible if you cruise only in an inside cruise cabin. That is the lowest cruise cabin category on a ship.

In reality, I could only cruise from October to April. I need to see and the land of the USA and walked the land of our country.

 

[PigsDad]

But are they pressed cargo shorts?

Here's mine:

Kurt

 

[WinniWoman]

No. I can barely vacation on one! LOL!

 

[Glynda]

Yeah, I think variety would be potentially a problem. There are a lot of ships that do the same three ports every week for months at a time. I like Nassau and St Thomas well enough, but once a week would be too often for a cruise ship stop.

That would be the problem as the more affordable for retirement cruises would be those! Older, smaller, ships going to the Bahamas and cruise line private islands every three days to a week. Over and over and over again.

 

[bizaro86]

One thing that I am curious about is: does being on a cruise that travels round trip from a US port count as being in the USA for inmigration/tax purposes. I wouldn't mind snowbirding post retirement. I couldn't spend more than 6 months a year in the US for immigration reasons, and would want to keep that number well under that to avoid becoming a US tax resident and/or losing my Canadian medicare entitlement.

But a total of 7 months (4 months in FL interspersed with 3 months of cruises) sounds interesting to try. Could do last minute deals for multiple ships/lines/itineraries which would keep it more interesting, imo.

 

[Glynda]

... <snip>

But a total of 7 months (4 months in FL interspersed with 3 months of cruises) sounds interesting to try. Could do last minute deals for multiple ships/lines/itineraries which would keep it more interesting, imo.

I would not like to do the planning and coordination of multiple ships and itineraries to accomplish continuous retirement living aboard.

I'm not sure about how last minute Last Minute Cruising can be now due to regulations implemented after 9/11. We have a home Carnival ship here and have asked about last minute boarding deals. We were told there were none as there has to be a certain period of time for one's passport, etc. to be checked out. I think they said a month to three months. Yet I met a lady who was aboard a ship out of Cape Canaveral, FL, who said she does it from there.

Does anyone here cruise on really last minute deals? A week's notice? Two?

 

[pedro47]

I think Holland America Cruise Lines does a around the world cruise with over three (300) days of cruising.

We have friends that lives in the state of Florida that does last minutes cruises and those special Florida residents deep discount cruises