If you love cruises, the idea of living on a cruise ship has probably crossed your mind. For most, this sounds like an unrealistic fantasy.
But there are people who really live on liners.
The record belongs to American pensioner Lee Wachtsetter, who has been traveling around the world on a cruise ship for 12 years.
They lived with their husband Mason for 50 happy years. Unfortunately, he died in 1997 from cancer. The couple were avid cruisers, having completed 89 cruises. They made the first one back in 1962. The day before he died, he told Lee: “Don’t stop going on cruises.” Therefore, when she was widowed, she continued to travel alone. In 2005, Lee sold her Florida home for $1 million and became a permanent resident on the Holland America Line’s Prinsendam.
She was 77 when she became a full-time cruiser, an age when many people become cautious. But it wasn’t a hard decision for her.
“I was in good health and could afford it financially, having already experienced sea travel 11 months a year. Now I didn’t have a big house to worry about. From then on, all the worries of everyday life – cooking, cleaning, shopping – not for me.
The ship offers exquisite cuisine, excellent service and almost constant entertainment. And most nights I fell asleep in one country and woke up the next morning in another. I do what I want, when I want, if I want,” says Lee Wachtsetter.
Many people would like to live on a cruise ship to see the whole world. But constant travel was not the main value for Mama Lee – this was the nickname given to her by one Filipino steward. Life on a ship for her is, first of all, an opportunity to dance. Some ships have a “gentleman hosts” service – men from the crew dance with single ladies. And as a widow, she needed partners to satisfy her insatiable passion for ballroom dancing. Even last year, she still danced every day.
Mama Lee spent her first 2 years on the Princedam, but when Holland America canceled its dance program in 2008, she moved to live on Crystal Cruises’ luxury liner Crystal Serenity. Annual living on this ship costs her $164,000.
But she doesn’t live like a movie star. Her home is a cabin with a window measuring 27 square meters. meters, in the middle part of the ship on the 7th deck.
And while it’s well located, it’s not a balcony stateroom or a suite. “I don’t need a butler, a Jacuzzi or extra space,” Ms. Wachtsetter says. “All I do in my room is sleep.”
In addition to dancing, Lee spends time doing her favorite crafts, watching movies in the living room, and taking various classes. She dines at a permanently reserved table for 8 so she can mingle with new passengers.
The team treats her like a queen. During this time, she went ashore in dozens of ports around the world, but now, when the ship calls at the next port, she mostly remains on board.
“I find that when we’re in port, I can see, without leaving the ship, 90 percent of what people see in port and on excursions,” says Mama Lee.
She keeps in touch with her three sons and six grandchildren through Facebook and visits them when Crystal Serenity docks at Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She also has friends who book cruises on the ship to spend time with her. On a ship full of people, she is rarely alone.
She has seen everything on this ship over the past 9 years. She sailed from Alaska to Antarctica, from Buenos Aires to the island of Bom Bom.
And of course Mama Li has amassed an impressive cruise portfolio. If there’s a passenger status beyond super-platinum, Mama Lee has it – she’s been on over 400 cruises, including 15 around the world tours, sailed through the Panama Canal 50 times, and seen places most people will never see in their lifetime.
For her, life on a ship is a fun and comfortable retirement. And fortunately, she never went to the ship’s doctor, remaining healthy for many years.
Last year, Lee even published a book called I May Be Homeless, But You Should See My Yacht, her memoir about what it was like to live on a cruise ship. If you’ve ever dreamed of life on a cruise ship or wondered what it’s like, this book will give you an insight into life at sea 365 days a year.
This is a thought-provoking story, especially if you are an avid cruiser. And Mama Lee isn’t the only one spending her retirement at sea. There are three other women living on Crystal Serenity. There are other cruise lovers who constantly sail around the world.
For example, Mario Salcedo, 67, has practically lived on cruise ships for the past 20 years and runs his online business from aboard. He’s been on 950 cruises. Mario has a house on the ocean in Miami. He uses it to store his belongings and as a home office.
Spouses Jack and Willie Ross from Vancouver sold their apartment so they could travel on cruises almost all year round.
In addition, there is a luxury ship for millionaires called The World, whose cabins are used as apartments that can be purchased. Cost from 2.7 to 9.1 million $.
Oceania Cruises recently introduced a “Snowbird In Residence” program for those who enjoy long stays on board. Caribbean cruises for those who want to avoid winter completely. Crystal has plans to build three new ships with 48 cabins “Crystal Residences” “, which can be rented as apartments. They should be commissioned in 2022.
All of this sounds idyllic, unless of course you are prone to seasickness. But how much does it cost? The price for Mama Lee’s life aboard Crystal Serenity is estimated at $164,000 per year, although she claims $100,000. Mario Salcedo says he spends about $70,000 a year. The cost depends on the ship and the chosen cabin, whether you will travel alone or as a couple, what discounts and benefits the cruise company will give you.
Of course, spending your retirement years on a cruise ship isn’t for everyone. To do this, you need to have good finances and an adventurous spirit, like Mama Lee. A lifelong desire to see new places and meet new people.
And there is a name for such people – they are called Travelers.
