All Aboard: You Can Retire on a Ship
Category: Travel
August 15, 2015 — Note: This article by our frequent contributor Jan Cullinane was originally published by US News & World Report.
Retirees can live anywhere they want to, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a single place. Some retirees choose a life at sea, constantly moving from place to place on a cruise ship.
For example, Beatrice Muller lived on the Queen Elizabeth 2 from 2000 to 2008, when the ship retired from service. Muller was 82 when she began living aboard full time. Another retiree, Claire MacBeth, sailed on back-to-back Cunard cruises for more than a dozen years. And Lee Wachtstetter, 86, ditched her
Comments on "All Aboard: You Can Retire on a Ship"
Linda says:
Right, these are great options if you have boatloads of money. Most of us don't have the kind of money needed to support that lifestyle.
Marianne says:
What a useless article! Who has money like this!!! Certainly not the intended audience of the article.
Kay says:
I enjoyed the article and learned from it. $500,000 for a condo on a ship is still less expensive than a median priced house in Sebastopol, CA. It is a matter of choice and knowing what the full range of choices are.
Marty says:
I have always wondered about his lifestyle. Very interesting! Thanks researching and posting the information.
John H says:
What a great way to retire. There ARE those who can afford this way of life.
Fionna says:
What a great lifestyle if one can afford it. Price is one thing, but HOA fee on top of that - yikes! Maybe one can work on the ship in exchange for a small cabin and food? (ha ha). Nice to have "basic" medical care, but I'm wondering if there is an emergency then what happens? Stabilize the patient and then dock at the next port for hospitalization (if needed)?
Louise says:
I have read about retiring in a hotel and thought it was quite interesting!
http://bestplacestoretireintheus.com/where_to_retire_cheap/hotel_retirement
This article give examples of prices but the hotel price seems quite low. If you should go from one Holiday Inn to another would the negotiated price remain the same? Somehow I doubt it! If you were renting a hotel room in Michigan and then travelled to Hawaii for example, I doubt you'd get the same price per night!
http://www.greatretirementspots.com/article-5-reasons-to-retire-in-a-hotel.htm
Elaine C. says:
Usually I like this author's work, but once I began to read, I stopped because I'll decided to use my time better reading something else. It had no connection to my reality, and besides, I would be bored to tears on a cruise ship even for vacation. No thanks.
Sallie says:
Having recently sold the house I lived in for 50 years, I no longer want to own anything. Are those residential ship cabins available for rent? I enjoy being at sea, & would like to rent for a month or two a year (if I can get WIFI). Was on Semester at Sea for 1st 42 days of the Spring semester last year, and loved it. Not so sure I would have still loved it if I'd stayed the entire 100 days semester.
Vic says:
Sounds great, but too expensive for us. Maybe a part time work program would help cut the cost. Traveling would be awesome think 6 months would be cool not sure if would like it to be a permanent situation. We have pets so that would also be a downer as they would not be able to come with us. If money was no object it would be a tough decision. But since we don't have that kind of money and our kitties are like our children. It's a no for us.