Life aboard a ship? (Long-term)

[SKL]

Just saw this story and it got me thinking.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/21/ship-that-travels-the-world-full-time-heres-how-much-it-costs.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

While the purchase price of residences on the linked ship start at $2.4M (then add maintenance fees), I'll bet [relatively] affordable options could be possible within our lifetimes.  And of course, one would sell the residence back for a similar price later, theoretically, so this would be an investment rather than a big fat waste of money.  😛

If I ever retire, and if I'm in decent health, I'd love to spend the majority of my time traveling, at least for a while.  Especially if I had someone to travel with, but maybe even if I didn't.  I'd like to do it fairly leisurely, vs. the way most of my [hectic] past travels have been.

Who wants to dream with me?  What am I not considering?

(Honestly I don't even know if I'll ever retire before I die, but it's fun to think about it.)

[Indigo Blue]

I’m not a good one to ask. I’ll just let this really awesome cover speak for how I feel. 😑

 

 

[knitgrl]

Dh fantasizes about this via youtube channels. One downside, apart from living on the sea (I am very much a land lubber, lol) there is the constant maintenance and having to fix things all the time. And you are entirely reliant on yourself and whatever plans you have made for the unexpected. Because there are lots of times there is no one there to help you. But dh, finds all this terribly desirable and "fun." To each his own.

[knitgrl]

The channels are kind of fun to watch. And it is interesting to see how problems are solved. And I am glad there are people in the world who want to do these things, but I am not one of them.

[regentrude]

Quote

For starters, on this ship, the owners call many of the shots.

“It’s a democratic society on board,” said Residential Director Eddie Wong. “They vote on things like the itinerary, they vote for refurbishments on the ship,” as well as its board of directors.

Sounds like the worst possible kind of HOA. 

 

Edited August 23 by regentrude

[regentrude]

6 minutes ago, knitgrl said:

One downside, apart from living on the sea (I am very much a land lubber, lol) there is the constant maintenance and having to fix things all the time. And you are entirely reliant on yourself and whatever plans you have made for the unexpected. Because there are lots of times there is no one there to help you. 

what OP linked is a ship that contains 165 apartments. 

[TechWife]

1 hour ago, Indigo Blue said:

I’m not a good one to ask. I’ll just let this really awesome cover speak for how I feel. 😑

 

 

That is fabulous! 

[Indigo Blue]

1 minute ago, TechWife said:

That is fabulous! 

Right?

[Laura Corin]

11 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Sounds like the worst possible kind of HOA. 

 

Yes. A flat with nowhere to walk away to except when the HOA decides you should dock.

[knitgrl]

12 minutes ago, regentrude said:

what OP linked is a ship that contains 165 apartments. 

Thanks for the correction. I have heard so much about life in a sailboat, that is where my mind immediately went.

[Lecka]

I don’t think I would like the bathrooms.  Maybe the bathrooms would exceed my expectations, though!

[Ginevra]

SKL, I will dream with you. I think this would be completely fabulous, assuming I was in good enough health to fully experience the ports. I had heard before of some lady who lived full time on a regular cruise ship and thought even that was fascinating. Also, I have a deep fascination with traveling to places off the beaten path and cruising to Antarctica or Easter Islands is very high on my Ultra-Fantasy Bucket List. Even within my more realistic dream plans, I want to go to Lafoten Islands and Svalbard, Norway. The only issue with this trip plan at the moment is that I have no takers who want to do this too. The only people I currently know who want to go to Norway only want to go in July and don’t want to head north. 

[Clemsondana]

4 hours ago, SKL said:

 

Who wants to dream with me?  What am I not considering?

(Honestly I don't even know if I'll ever retire before I die, but it's fun to think about it.)

I always wonder how it affects people mentally to not be in a position to serve a community.  A lot of retirees that I know seem to find purpose in doing some sort of service work - building Habitat Houses, working in the nursery at church, tutoring at an afterschool program, delivering Meals on Wheels.  They enjoy their retirement, perhaps traveling or only volunteering a day or 2 each week, but I think that for many it's meaningful to give to their communities in some way as long as they are able.  I've always thought that's the biggest reason why I'd struggle with something like this, or thinking I'd retire to a carefree life on a beach.  I could move to the beach, but I'd likely then want to do the same volunteer things that make my life busy here.  So, I can totally imagine a life where I take trips (whether cruises or going to the beach or traveling the country sightseeing or spending a few weeks at a time in a second home cottage) but I'm not sure I can imagine a life surrounded only by others cruising.  I don't know what choices my own kids would make, but I know that not seeing the grandkids or other young relatives would also have been a deterrent for many retirees in my orbit.  

[regentrude]

To me, the entire setup sounds dreadful. A travel schedule dictated by someone else, a limited pool of people to socialize with, an artificial bubble containing rich retirees who are catered to by a separate class of servants... not appealing.

I like travel, but on my own terms, with my own schedule. And I like to be surrounded by people of different ages who are doing interesting things contributing to their community.

Edited August 23 by regentrude

[Frances]

14 minutes ago, regentrude said:

To me, the entire setup sounds dreadful. A travel schedule dictated by someone else, a limited pool of people to socialize with, an artificial bubble containing rich retirees who are catered to by a separate class of servants... not appealing.

I like travel, but on my own terms, with my own schedule. And I like to be surrounded by people of different ages who are doing interesting things contributing to their community.

So much this. It sounds about appealing to me as a resort vacation which has zero appeal.

[marbel]

It appeals to a very small part of me - the part that longs to be able to read, walk, and sew all day without having to break for any chores or other responsibilities. And then get off the ship to explore new places, that's be so great! 

But then I remember a cruise I took in 1988 that I hated, though some of that may have been incompatibility with my companion. And that I would miss puttering in the yard, pretending to have a flower garden. (I mean, I do have flowers growing, but I can't take much credit for them.)  I would miss my kids (I assume my husband would go along). Also, I don't like hanging around with retired people, even though I am retired myself. 

So, nope for me! Though I would try another cruise again with a different companion and a different vibe (I was on the "fun ship" in 1988 and I didn't like their kind of fun). 

[Clarita]

I would totally dream this if not for my seasickness. I get horrendously seasick even on a giant cruise ship with drugs and the wristband.

[madteaparty]

That sounds like some sort of nightmare to me. I will also spend retirement travelling god willing but this is not the way lol. Everytime I’ve “lived aboard” a ship is so I could get to places inaccessible otherwise (Komodo dragon National park and related remote islands in Indonesia, etc). It’s just not a way to get anywhere fast. DH had a sail boat, I know 😉 

PS I have never been on a cruise either, they freak me out. Honestly so does flying in a tin box however I do a lot of the latter as I don’t feel like I have a choice. 

Edited August 23 by madteaparty

[Scarlett]

Before I read the article I thought no way.  However the  ship in the article is very different than a cruise ship to me.  I have no desire to spend that much time away from friends and family but I can definitely see the appeal.  It is not much different than snowbirds who spend 3-6 months in warm weather at their second home.  
 

 

[regentrude]

1 hour ago, Scarlett said:

It is not much different than snowbirds who spend 3-6 months in warm weather at their second home.  

I think it's fundamentally different because the snowbird can always decide to hop in the car and go somewhere. On a ship, your freedom of motion is completely at the mercy of someone else.

[Scarlett]

37 minutes ago, regentrude said:

I think it's fundamentally different because the snowbird can always decide to hop in the car and go somewhere. On a ship, your freedom of motion is completely at the mercy of someone else.

True, but 2-5 days per port is pretty cool.  And there were some fantastic ports  mentioned.  And they could leave those ports and fly home.  

Edited August 24 by Scarlett

[SKL]

2 hours ago, regentrude said:

I think it's fundamentally different because the snowbird can always decide to hop in the car and go somewhere. On a ship, your freedom of motion is completely at the mercy of someone else.

Not really - you can always fly anywhere you want from any of the ports, and apparently the residents do exactly that.

[SKL]

3 hours ago, Scarlett said:

Before I read the article I thought no way.  However the  ship in the article is very different than a cruise ship to me.  I have no desire to spend that much time away from friends and family but I can definitely see the appeal.  It is not much different than snowbirds who spend 3-6 months in warm weather at their second home. 

Yeah, because the community isn't thousands of people.  I just got off a cruise.  I love the way cruises are basically a moving hotel, so you can see lots of places without hotel hopping and taking a gazillion flights.  But the "social" aspect of a cruise - at least the ones I've been on - is not for me.  I assume there must be at least one "residential travel ship" that does have a more tolerable social arrangement for me.

[SKL]

I hear the point about serving communities.  I've always done that and would continue to do so as long as I have sufficient mental and physical capacity.  I don't think it's wrong to take a break from it, though, to learn more about the world.  I do think that learning about the world is pro-human.  And there's nothing like immersion learning.

Maybe there is, or should be, a "service" version of travel ship.  A "mission ship"?  There are so many projects that could be both interesting and helpful to local communities ... communities that frankly need help a lot more than most of the communities we live in.

[Frances]

29 minutes ago, SKL said:

I hear the point about serving communities.  I've always done that and would continue to do so as long as I have sufficient mental and physical capacity.  I don't think it's wrong to take a break from it, though, to learn more about the world.  I do think that learning about the world is pro-human.  And there's nothing like immersion learning.

Maybe there is, or should be, a "service" version of travel ship.  A "mission ship"?  There are so many projects that could be both interesting and helpful to local communities ... communities that frankly need help a lot more than most of the communities we live in.

While more immersive than just reading about or watching shows about different places, I’m not sure I would consider docking in various ports for 3-5 days as immersive learning, especially if one is returning to the luxurious ship each night. While certainly one could see a great deal of the world by making many such short port calls, it all seems pretty superficial to me. For me, immersive learning would be spending a minimum of one month and more like three months in one location in a residential neighborhood (not a hotel) with an occasional day trip to other nearby spots.

I think there are some traveling medical missionary trips, although I don’t think their range is nearly as wide as the ship in the article.

Edited August 24 by Frances

[Frances]

4 hours ago, Scarlett said:

Before I read the article I thought no way.  However the  ship in the article is very different than a cruise ship to me.  I have no desire to spend that much time away from friends and family but I can definitely see the appeal.  It is not much different than snowbirds who spend 3-6 months in warm weather at their second home.  
 

 

It seems very different to me because those snowbirds are often part of the community where they live, not just stopping by for 2-5 days. Granted, there is the ship community, but traveling with such a homogenous group of people has zero appeal to me. And they are not becoming part of the communities they visit, as they are only there for 2-5 days. Maybe that’s a lot compared to regular cruises? I’ve never been on one, as they don’t appeal to me. When people talk about them on this board, it just reinforces that it sounds very unappealing to me with the possible exception of an Alaskan cruise.

[prairiewindmomma]

I’d rather sail on a 44’ catamaran with dh full-time than be on a perpetual cruise ship. I value my privacy and silence. 44’ catamarans cost more than my current house, though, so no cost savings there.

[SKL]

It's interesting to see people thinking that folks who would do this sort of thing are a "homogeneous" group.  Other than presumably all enjoying travel, I don't know why that is assumed.

[SKL]

1 hour ago, Frances said:

While certainly one could see a great deal of the world by making many such short port calls, it all seems pretty superficial to me. For me, immersive learning would be spending a minimum of one month and more like three months in one location in a residential neighborhood (not a hotel) with an occasional day trip to other nearby spots.

I think there are some traveling medical missionary trips, although I don’t think their range is nearly as wide as the ship in the article.

Well most people won't have time in their lives to really live in a true variety of places, unless they start fairly young.  It's a big world.  I've been to a lot of countries, but there are many more that I haven't been to.  I still have a private bucket list.  😛

Besides which, like it or not, it wouldn't be safe for us to go and live in an average residential neighborhood in many countries.

While the boat linked in the OP is expensive to live on, I don't know that all of the apartments are "luxurious."  The smallest apartment is only 290sf.  For a long-term residence, that doesn't sound very fancy.  Though I would probably still hold out for something cheaper.  😛

I did google "mission ship" and found the "Mercy Ship" site.  It sounds interesting, but since I'm not a medical professional, and since I won't be super spry by the time I retire, I don't see that as a realistic option for me.

[wathe]

1 hour ago, SKL said:

It's interesting to see people thinking that folks who would do this sort of thing are a "homogeneous" group.  Other than presumably all enjoying travel, I don't know why that is assumed.

 One must be nominated and approved by existing residents in order to buy in.   Apartments cost 2.4 -15 million dollars, with annual maintenance fees approx 10% of purchase cost.   So minimum $250 000  to $1.5 million per year just in maintenance fees.   And that's for a vacation residence; apparently most residents do not live on board full time and maintain a primary residence elsewhere.   It's an exclusive floating luxury private club-house for very rich people.   The opposite of diverse.

[Ginevra]

15 hours ago, Clemsondana said:

always wonder how it affects people mentally to not be in a position to serve a community

That is one reason why I have fantasized about volunteering about the African Mercy ship. When I opened this thread, I thought it was going to be about that. 

[Scarlett]

7 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I’d rather sail on a 44’ catamaran with dh full-time than be on a perpetual cruise ship. I value my privacy and silence. 44’ catamarans cost more than my current house, though, so no cost savings there.

It isn’t a cruise ship though.  It is a luxury ship with private apartments.  It is nothing I could ever afford nor would I really want to because I have a huge community of people in my life, but it does not sound like a cruise ship.  They can cook in their apartments, decorate with their own furnishings etc.  

[Scarlett]

17 hours ago, Clemsondana said:

I always wonder how it affects people mentally to not be in a position to serve a community.  A lot of retirees that I know seem to find purpose in doing some sort of service work - building Habitat Houses, working in the nursery at church, tutoring at an afterschool program, delivering Meals on Wheels.  They enjoy their retirement, perhaps traveling or only volunteering a day or 2 each week, but I think that for many it's meaningful to give to their communities in some way as long as they are able.  I've always thought that's the biggest reason why I'd struggle with something like this, or thinking I'd retire to a carefree life on a beach.  I could move to the beach, but I'd likely then want to do the same volunteer things that make my life busy here.  So, I can totally imagine a life where I take trips (whether cruises or going to the beach or traveling the country sightseeing or spending a few weeks at a time in a second home cottage) but I'm not sure I can imagine a life surrounded only by others cruising.  I don't know what choices my own kids would make, but I know that not seeing the grandkids or other young relatives would also have been a deterrent for many retirees in my orbit.  

There are many many people who never do any sort of service to their community.  

[SKL]

5 hours ago, wathe said:

 One must be nominated and approved by existing residents in order to buy in.   Apartments cost 2.4 -15 million dollars, with annual maintenance fees approx 10% of purchase cost.   So minimum $250 000  to $1.5 million per year just in maintenance fees.   And that's for a vacation residence; apparently most residents do not live on board full time and maintain a primary residence elsewhere.   It's an exclusive floating luxury private club-house for very rich people.   The opposite of diverse.

Well I do agree that that particular boat is only accessible to the "very rich."  (Though it isn't necessarily a vacation home ... it sounds like many people sell their earth-bound homes etc. before embarking.)

But I have to say that my friends who would be considered high wealth are diverse.  Diverse in terms of race, national origin, religion, politics, education / career, hobbies, charitable interests, intellectual interests, family history, geography, and more.  Certainly diverse enough to have many enjoyable conversations.

[wathe]

I will add that this ship is for people who are very rich, not just simply wealthy.  Minimum net worth of $10M.   And who are content to live a lifestyle of full-time recreation.  That is going to attract  a certain type; not the kind of diversity that I would find personally interesting I don't think.   

Another article with some different details contributed by an ex-resident.

[DawnM]

The smallest apartment is 290 sq. ft and the prices start at 2.4M.  I am assuming that 290 sq. ft apt is the $2.4M.   They range up to $15M.   

And it says the maintenance fees are about 10% per year, so that $2.4M would be 240,000 in maintenance fees.

Wow.   I mean, it kind of sounds cool in some ways, but that price point is just too high for 99% of the population.

The article also says that most live on the ship a few weeks to a few months of the year, not full time.

I have read of people just living on a cruise ship, which makes sense cost wise.   They need more of a cruise ship type option.   Maybe a "time share cruise ship" where you have a cabin for say 2 months designated and share with 5 other couples or something.   

[SKL]

Sounds like the annual "maintenance fees" include all sorts of things besides maintenance ... I could be reading it wrong, but from the article linked by Wathe, it sounds like those fees include activities, certain excursions, classes, food, and so on.

I think people who travel the world easily spend six (or more) figures over the course of their lifelong travels.  Might make sense to concentrate it into a shorter time period, without the hassle of separate trips.

I wouldn't do it for many years, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't do it on that particular ship, but I would be interested in hearing about other options.

What are other reasonable options for doing a serious amount of world travel after retirement?  (I mean going to many different places, not just a few recurring mission trips.)

I think it's pretty easy to do in Europe ... we did a relatively thrifty trip through 13 countries, mostly by train, when my kids were 7.  But in most of the world, transportation from place to place isn't that simple.

[regentrude]

18 minutes ago, SKL said:

What are other reasonable options for doing a serious amount of world travel after retirement? 

Get a vehicle suitable for rugged travel on unpaved roads and for sleeping in it. My friends rigged an old land cruiser, shipped it to South America,  and spent three years traveling all over the place.

Then they shipped it back to Europe and are now regularly traveling with it in Asia. 

Edited August 24 by regentrude

[Halftime Hope]

14 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Get a vehicle suitable for rugged travel on unpaved roads and for sleeping in it. My friends rigged an old land cruiser, shipped it to South America,  and spent three years traveling all over the place.

Then they shipped it back to Europe and are now regularly traveling with it in Asia. 

On my bucket list is spending a month in Kazahkstan.

[Laura Corin]

27 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Get a vehicle suitable for rugged travel on unpaved roads and for sleeping in it. My friends rigged an old land cruiser, shipped it to South America,  and spent three years traveling all over the place.

Then they shipped it back to Europe and are now regularly traveling with it in Asia. 

@SKL We plan on pet/house-sitting all over the world when our dog dies. Other options are travelling on local buses and Interrailing.

I'm 61 and my last trip was a self-planned Airbnb/public transport trip to Malta. Husband did similar trips to Nice and Barcelona, aged 67.

Edited August 24 by Laura Corin

[Pawz4me]

36 minutes ago, SKL said:

What are other reasonable options for doing a serious amount of world travel after retirement?  (I mean going to many different places, not just a few recurring mission trips.)

Certainly if one has enough money to consider buying into a ship like in the article you posted it would very easily be possible to do a LOT of traveling for the same (and in all likelihood a whole lot less) money. I know a young couple who are taking a year off from their jobs to travel the world. They're seeing a lot of places and staying in some beautiful AirBnBs and I'm positive they're not spending anywhere near $240k (one year of the minimum ship maintenance fee).

As for the ship -- I'm sure some people love that type of lifestyle. It's kind of my idea of hell. But I'm a homebody, and someone who definitely prefers keeping her feet on solid ground. So take my opinion FWIW.

[Frances]

1 hour ago, SKL said:

Sounds like the annual "maintenance fees" include all sorts of things besides maintenance ... I could be reading it wrong, but from the article linked by Wathe, it sounds like those fees include activities, certain excursions, classes, food, and so on.

I think people who travel the world easily spend six (or more) figures over the course of their lifelong travels.  Might make sense to concentrate it into a shorter time period, without the hassle of separate trips.

I wouldn't do it for many years, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't do it on that particular ship, but I would be interested in hearing about other options.

What are other reasonable options for doing a serious amount of world travel after retirement?  (I mean going to many different places, not just a few recurring mission trips.)

I think it's pretty easy to do in Europe ... we did a relatively thrifty trip through 13 countries, mostly by train, when my kids were 7.  But in most of the world, transportation from place to place isn't that simple.

I think you also need to decide whether you want quality or quantity in your travels. Do you want to see as many countries and places as possible, no matter how superficially (e.g. 13 European countries on one short trip) or do you really want to experience a smaller number of places. 

[Frances]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

Get a vehicle suitable for rugged travel on unpaved roads and for sleeping in it. My friends rigged an old land cruiser, shipped it to South America,  and spent three years traveling all over the place.

Then they shipped it back to Europe and are now regularly traveling with it in Asia. 

Now this is immersive travel!

[SKL]

10 minutes ago, Frances said:

I think you also need to decide whether you want quality or quantity in your travels. Do you want to see as many countries and places as possible, no matter how superficially (e.g. 13 European countries on one short trip) or do you really want to experience a smaller number of places. 

Probably a combination.  😛  Like, we read both articles and books, right?

[PaxEtLux]

3 hours ago, SKL said:

What are other reasonable options for doing a serious amount of world travel after retirement?  (I mean going to many different places, not just a few recurring mission trips.)

Several decades ago, I talked to a British couple who, after retirement, came to the US, learned to drive a semi, and worked driving moving trucks across the country.  Whenever they delivered a load in an interesting place, they took a break from driving for a few days to explore, then drove their truck to the next destination.  I got the feeling they were of modest means, and this was a good way to fund their desire to travel and see the United States.

I'm curious if this is still possible to do, but I know that I don't have it in me to drive an 18 wheel truck.