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Thinking of retiring 4-6 months a year on ships, want to learn


RevCo0219
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I'm coming up on retirement and I'm thinking that I may like to share 4-6 months a year on ships and am wondering if there are others on this site that are doing that?  I'd love to learn from people how they manage it, vis-a-vis bookings, stay with one line, not another?  Just about anything people are willing to share, I'm open to learn.  Thank you.

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Have you taken any long cruises (30 days or longer) before? If not, I would suggest you do that on several different ships to get a sense of the length and ship culture before you decide. 

 

For 4-6 months, it might be more worthwhile to book a world cruise since the perks often include gratuities, medical care, airfare, hotels, transfers, OBC, beverage packages, excursions, unlimited internet, unlimited laundry, visa package, special events, or luggage delivery.  These are a great value for a long cruise.

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Last time I spent 6 months on a ships, they were paying me for being aboard. So do you have any skills such a lecturer, etc that are marketable to the cruise lines.

 

If as a passenger, as the previous reply, I would look at World Cruises, it is a great feeling to board, unpack and then not undo the process for 4 - 6 month. BTW - some cruise lines do have pax that stay on-board full time.

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A friend of our picks an area he wants to spend time, then books b2b2b... cruises in that area.  Last year spent 4 months doing cruises between BA and Santiago as well as the relocation cruise to get there.

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  • 1 month later...

I've considered longer cruises like 3 or 4 months but started to go nuts after only 30 days. It takes a special type of person to do such long trips. Too much of a good thing is definitely no the best idea some times. 

 

What a person can do day after day is beyond me. The food get monotonous, the shows are repetitive, the movies hardly ever change, trivia gets boring& how long can a person sit by the pool and do nothing? 

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My mother used to tell me that only boring people get bored. To me the most interesting aspects of a long cruise, is the never-ending variety of people you meet. The passenger list usually turns over every 14 days on a longer cruise. it's fascinating to meet new people. 

 

I don't consider meeting new people, visiting new ports, reading books, exercising in the fitness center and the like to be "doing nothing."

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On 12/26/2018 at 9:10 AM, floridalover5623 said:

I've considered longer cruises like 3 or 4 months but started to go nuts after only 30 days. It takes a special type of person to do such long trips. Too much of a good thing is definitely no the best idea some times. 

 

What a person can do day after day is beyond me. The food get monotonous, the shows are repetitive, the movies hardly ever change, trivia gets boring& how long can a person sit by the pool and do nothing? 

 

Are you bored at home? Most people don't lead exciting lives that change every day. For me, life on a ship is constant variety and fun....no matter how long. To each his own.....🤩

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18 hours ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

Are you bored at home? Most people don't lead exciting lives that change every day. For me, life on a ship is constant variety and fun....no matter how long. To each his own.....🤩

Not at all. I have my everyday chores & hobbies, etc that seem to occupy me, but on a ship you're limited to an extent. Even visiting some of the islands get to be boring especially after going there 20 or 30 times. 

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On 12/29/2018 at 7:48 AM, floridalover5623 said:

Not at all. I have my everyday chores & hobbies, etc that seem to occupy me, but on a ship you're limited to an extent. Even visiting some of the islands get to be boring especially after going there 20 or 30 times. 

 

Then go somewhere new! There's a big world out there.....no need to visit the same place 20-30 times.

 

 

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16 hours ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

Then go somewhere new! There's a big world out there.....no need to visit the same place 20-30 times.

 

 

Of course but the days on the ship can get extremely monotonous. Same shows, same movies, etc and continually eating. 

Even too much of a good thing can get boring that's why we take a break after so many days.   

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On 12/31/2018 at 9:13 AM, floridalover5623 said:

Of course but the days on the ship can get extremely monotonous. Same shows, same movies, etc and continually eating. 

Even too much of a good thing can get boring that's why we take a break after so many days.   

I respectfully disagree...no way I ever get bored and obviously millions of other cruisers don't either. On my upcoming world cruise, there'll be lots to do! My experience is that there's more stuff to do than time to do them....actuaIly, I have to be careful not to do too much and be sure to get enough relaxation time.

Edited by Go-Bucks!
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21 minutes ago, Go-Bucks! said:

I respectfully disagree...no way I ever get bored and obviously millions of other cruisers don't either. On my upcoming world cruise, there'll be lots to do! My experience is that there's more stuff to do than time to do them....actuaIly, I have to be careful not to do too much and be sure to get enough relaxation time.

What do people actually do day after day when at sea? Sleep? Read? Trivia? Swim?

Maybe I missed something. 🙄

There comes a point when even that can get boring. On our last 30 day trip I checked the patter each morning & could only circle 1 event worth attending. I can't imagine doing a longer cruise. Even the food gets monotonous for most people.  

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Yes, this is surely subjective.

On the Queen Mary, I did a round trip transatlantic. It was 16 days, with one port and a turn around day in South Hampton. I kept to a routine including walking , going to the gym, hydro pool and reading with maybe one lecture a day. Worked well, esp as I was recovering from a broken hip.

on the other hand I had 7 sea days on a small expedition ship with just over 140 passengers and despite my best efforts was going a bit mad by the end. The food and service was five star but it was a 21 day cruise so at the tail end of a marvelous trip. 

This is a case of your mileage may vary. I think a round the world cruise would hold my attention much better than doing a seven day Caribbean cruise over and over for the same length of time, as there would be a deadly amount of repetition. I think I would need to shoot out the speakers making announcements in my cabin.

On my 21 day cruise, not one menu repeated except for breakfast. Even lunch was themed and switched up. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks everyone for the continuing dialogue. I'm learning a lot and it's really helpful as I continue to think about this. 

 

I'm a big Cunarder (QM2) guy so I'd probably do a piece of the word cruise, maybe half.  A staff member that I've made friends with over the years on QM2 (just had his first baby, yeah!) whose done the World Cruise many times tells me it's actually not the best (his favorite is the Christmas cruise from NY to Caribbean) except in smaller bites. 

 

So that gave me pause about the whole World Cruise thing, though, having said that, it was really interesting to hear if you buy the whole thing you may get tips (I was wondering about that) and other expenses covered. When doing the cost analysis I'll make sure to factor that in and, wherever possible, bartar! LOL

Anyway, thanks again, I look forward to reading more of everyone's thoughts.

 

I'm a Myers-Briggs expert and have fantasized on actually providing coaching services to guests for room/board or something. "recovery crossings" is sort of the concept and as a professional coach it would be facilitating people's journeys, from what they're hoping to get out of it to hopefully facilitating a great experience, all while learning more about their and their spouses personality and, in some cases, helping folks use the journey as a deeper renewal and resolution of issue thing, eg. a spouse grieving over another needing to envision a new life, etc. (Think of me as the guy who would facilitate the Love Boat results!)

 

Anyway, you get the idea, it's coaching on the seas. I currently do that at nonprofits around the country and it would be truly enjoyable to do it for folks while they're cruising.

Edited by kasius11
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  • 2 weeks later...

I  saw a story on 60 Minutes (I think) about a retired woman who lives on a Crystal cruiseship.  I cannot remember the entire backstory but I remember her (I think she was in her 70's--80s) and she was very happy....had traveled around the world with them and when the ship drydocked she moved to the other ship.  I will google the topic and see if I can find it but I know she said she was not bored and I think the crew/staff treated her wonderfully.

Definitely different strokes for different folks....for me? I would LOVE to sail around the world for 4-5 months at a time. I would love to start with 30 days...…….and go from there. I travel solo and would just love it!...….I am hoping to retire in the next 2 years but would have to research big time that first long cruise...…..cruiseline, itinerary, and of course price.....but a world cruise sounds heavenly to me!:classic_biggrin: 

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Several people live on cruise ships full time and many more spend a good part of the year on cruise ships. A few things to consider, you really should pick one line and stay with it because of the rewards you will earn, If you are traveling alone after 3 to 4 months you will be top level in most programs, which give you extra benefits.

 

If you are interested in saving money do not look at a world cruise, the costs per day is two or three times the costs of regular cruises.  You may want to consider doing back to back cruises on the same ship.  Or you could follow a ship that was re-positioning  like from the United States to Asia or Europe.  Also do not just look at the ports, even if you repeat ports so many things to do on the ships, And really lets faces facts here the normal cruise ship stop does not allow you to really see and understand a port. So you could make several trips to the same port and not be bored. 

 

Google  Mario Salcedo  Royal Caribbean  Cruise Lines, this guy has lived on cruise ships for the last 20 years about 50 weeks per year, with over 7000 days on Royal. many news reports and story about him and a lot of interesting information that could be helpful.  I met him on a cruise about 15 years ago really nice guy, he lives on the ship like anyone would at their home. He doesn't act like a normal cruise passenger, for him it is just life. 

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I’d offer a different perspective.  People in their 70’s and 80’s use a cruise ship much as assisted living.

if I was to do this as a relatively young person who does not have  tight budget, I would not constrain myself to one cruiseline, especially at first. 

What is your motivation for this and why is it that you want to cruise?

That may help to inform your choices. I see repositioning cruises as a terrific opportunity to try some ships that you might not think about and see places that are a bit more offbeat. They are a huge value and you don’t have a lot of what I consider annoyances. They can also run more than 2 weeks at a time.

i think having to deal with a ship turning over every seven days with the same ports and announcements and menus to be Tiring. 

 But some people love repetitive experiences and find comfort in them. I still enjoy novelty especially within the cosseted confines of a cruiseship. 

I think it would be great if there were a board dedicated to repositioning cruises. They are long, a good value  and relaxing, even on a luxury line. And I bet that there wouldn’t be a single supplement on some lines, either.

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21 hours ago, Expat Cruise said:

If you are interested in saving money do not look at a world cruise, the costs per day is two or three times the costs of regular cruises. 

 

Not true....I'm on a world cruise right now and I did months of intense research before deciding to take this.  The basic cruisefare might look more expensive, but you have to deduct the value of all the amenities that you are given.  Cheaper world cruises do not include any amenities or just a few, but premium and luxury lines include alot...they are a better value.

 

I'm currently on the Oceania 6 month world cruise...they included things such as 36 shore excursions per person, unlimited free Internet, unlimited free laundry and pressing, free medical care, luxury hotel at port of embarkation, transfers to and from the hotel and airport, first class roundtrip airfare, luggage service for 2 bags per person sent directly to the ship, 5 shoreside events, free visa package,  free specialty restaurants, unlimited non-alcoholic beverages (including specialty coffees, teas, illy cremas, soda pop, juices, etc), mini fridge stocked with any of those previously mentioned drinks, gifts from the cruiseline, onboard parties, and more.  The amenities are worth about $22,000!  Deduct that from the cruisefare and your actual basic cruisefare is much lower.  Always be sure you're comparing apples-to-apples.  👍

Edited by Go-Bucks!
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43 minutes ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

Not true....I'm on a world cruise right now and I did months of intense research before deciding to take this.  The basic cruisefare might look more expensive, but you have to deduct the value of all the amenities that you are given.  Cheaper world cruises do not include any amenities or just a few, but premium and luxury lines include alot...they are a better value.

 

I'm currently on the Oceania 6 month world cruise...they included things such as 36 shore excursions per person, unlimited free Internet, unlimited free laundry and pressing, free medical care, luxury hotel at port of embarkation, transfers to and from the hotel and airport, first class roundtrip airfare, luggage service for 2 bags per person sent directly to the ship, 5 shoreside events, free visa package,  free specialty restaurants, unlimited non-alcoholic beverages (including specialty coffees, teas, illy cremas, soda pop, juices, etc), mini fridge stocked with any of those previously mentioned drinks, gifts from the cruiseline, onboard parties, and more.  The amenities are worth about $22,000!  Deduct that from the cruisefare and your actual basic cruisefare is much lower.  Always be sure you're comparing apples-to-apples.  👍

 

You're right I like to compare apples to apple and use facts. The average cost to cruise with extras in 2018 was about $213 dollars per day. Your World cruise is at least double if not triple this number.  If you would to check my facts here is the link: https://cruisemarketwatch.com/financial-breakdown-of-typical-cruiser/

 

So what I posted is absolutely correct I said "If you are interested in saving money do not look at a world cruise, the costs per day is two or three times the costs of regular cruises."

My statement was if you want to save money and that is true. He also is solo cruising for the added cost of that would be even more. If you want to take all the tours and use all the services maybe you could spend as much as a World Cruise. But a very big difference between a vacation and living on a ship for 4 to 5  months a year.

 

You stated the amenities  are worth about $22,000 dollars, only if you use them are they worth that price or any price. If you cruise single on a mainstream line you will very quickly more to a upper level and get many free peaks.  If you are looking for a high end cruise and you have the budget maybe look at World cruises but they do not save you money as the costs is two or three times the costs of many other cruises. 

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  You would still need to buy medical insurance, regardless of whether or not your onboard medical is included, so there is no savings there.  Any incident beyond a minor one will require hospital care. Many ships can do a good job with basic care and stabilize you until a next port.

 

Signed, a person who has been there and done that, from emergency helicopters to international medical jets.

 

That said, I do agree that your Oceania cruise sounds like a wonderful opportunity and that there is much imbedded value. The laundry, WiFi and shore excursions are nice! And the coffee would add up for me. 

 

 A lot of this is very personal and needs to be weighed by the customer as to how this aligns with what they value.

 

Edited by Jacqueline
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On 2/3/2019 at 3:28 AM, Expat Cruise said:

 

You're right I like to compare apples to apple and use facts. The average cost to cruise with extras in 2018 was about $213 dollars per day. Your World cruise is at least double if not triple this number.  If you would to check my facts here is the link: https://cruisemarketwatch.com/financial-breakdown-of-typical-cruiser/

 

So what I posted is absolutely correct I said "If you are interested in saving money do not look at a world cruise, the costs per day is two or three times the costs of regular cruises."

My statement was if you want to save money and that is true. He also is solo cruising for the added cost of that would be even more. If you want to take all the tours and use all the services maybe you could spend as much as a World Cruise. But a very big difference between a vacation and living on a ship for 4 to 5  months a year.

 

You stated the amenities  are worth about $22,000 dollars, only if you use them are they worth that price or any price. If you cruise single on a mainstream line you will very quickly more to a upper level and get many free peaks.  If you are looking for a high end cruise and you have the budget maybe look at World cruises but they do not save you money as the costs is two or three times the costs of many other cruises. 

Your quoted website is averages for the cruise industry, but under references it only quotes the big 3 mainstream cruise line holding companies.

 

To compare apples to apples, I have reviewed our preferred cruise line (Viking) website for current fares, to compare to our World Cruise next year. All prices are for the same cabin category(V1) and are base fares. It does not account for the additional benefits included with the world cruise, which are very similar to Go-Bucks. All pricing in Canadian $. All cruises are 2020.

 

World cruise (118 nights) - $506.77 pp/night

Alaska (10 nights) - $709.90 pp/night

N/Europe (14 nights) - $649.93 pp/night

T/Atlantic (14 nights) - $721.23 pp/night

Australia/NZ (14 nights) - $678.50 pp/night

 

Since all ships are identical, this is a true apples to apples comparison and as can be seen, with this company the World Cruise is certainly not 2 or 3 times more expensive than similar non- World Cruise cruises. With the small sample of cruises I selected the WC is actually the cheapest pp/night.

 

World cruises may incur a premium on some of the mega ship mainstream cruise lines, but it is not applicable to ALL cruise lines. 

 

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3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Your quoted website is averages for the cruise industry, but under references it only quotes the big 3 mainstream cruise line holding companies.

 

To compare apples to apples, I have reviewed our preferred cruise line (Viking) website for current fares, to compare to our World Cruise next year. All prices are for the same cabin category(V1) and are base fares. It does not account for the additional benefits included with the world cruise, which are very similar to Go-Bucks. All pricing in Canadian $. All cruises are 2020.

 

World cruise (118 nights) - $506.77 pp/night

Alaska (10 nights) - $709.90 pp/night

N/Europe (14 nights) - $649.93 pp/night

T/Atlantic (14 nights) - $721.23 pp/night

Australia/NZ (14 nights) - $678.50 pp/night

 

Since all ships are identical, this is a true apples to apples comparison and as can be seen, with this company the World Cruise is certainly not 2 or 3 times more expensive than similar non- World Cruise cruises. With the small sample of cruises I selected the WC is actually the cheapest pp/night.

 

World cruises may incur a premium on some of the mega ship mainstream cruise lines, but it is not applicable to ALL cruise lines. 

 

And again you are missing the point , you are quoting one line, which is overpriced to start with which offers many things that a long term passenger would not use. maybe it is a reading issue because the statement is true, the OP never said sailing on a premium line. 

 

 "If you are interested in saving money do not look at a world cruise, the costs per day is two or three times the costs of regular cruises."

 

For what you pay for your World Cruise others live year round on a cruise ship. Again look at Mario Salcedo, his total cruise budget for the year is much less than your 6 month World Cruise.

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Frankly, negative I am not missing the point, as your statement that World Cruises are 2 to 3 times the price of other cruises is clearly wrong.

 

Having already completed a WC with Princess and having a fully inclusive World Cruise booked with Viking, I think I am well aware of the base and total prices of World Cruises. Mainstream cruise lines are clearly cheaper to walk aboard, but by the time you disembark, the costs are virtually identical, in our experience.

 

Again to compare apples to apples, I have compared WC prices with regular cruises on Princess Cruises. Again the cabins are base level, inside cabins and pricing in Canadian $ and pp/night.

 

World Cruise - $198.05

 

Alaska  - $250.53

Meddy - $287.57

Japan - $203.58

SE Asia - $189.64

 

Based on the above pricing and the Viking Ocean prices in a previous post, how can you substantiate your statement that World Cruises are 2 to 3 times more expensive than regular cruises.

 

World Cruises are priced like any other cruise, which is based on supply and demand. With respect to Viking, which have already sold out most of their 2019 cruises and have 2020 selling well. Therefore, they do not have to offer discounts to fill the ship. However, since they are a new entrant into the WC market, they are still building this customer base, therefore they price the WC less than regular cruises.

 

When Princess started WC's from Sydney they did the same. I monitored pricing for about 3 years before our previous WC and initially prices were much lower. As the number of repeat passengers increases, the price has increased. However, as noted above, the daily rate is less than many other cruises in similar areas.

 

Yes, you can find cheaper regular cruises, but based on reading the WC Board, I also note cheaper WC's are also available.

 

 

 

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