A woman has opened up about what life is really like living on a cruise ships – and all the perks she gets.
Many of us love cruising holidays, but can you imagine calling a ship home? Many of us get a glimpse of living at sea on cruising shows like Below Deck or Disney Channel’s Suite Life on Deck, and one woman insists that it is as fun as it looks.
Christine Kesteloo has been lucky enough to visit a whopping 106 countries and see some of the most amazing parts of the world. She has become a viral sensation after sharing a glimpse into her life living in a cabin on a cruise ship.
The mum, originally from the US, has had access to free food and accommodation every day for over a decade. Christine, who previously worked on ships as a cruise director, spends half her year living onboard and the other half in The Netherlands. The cruising expert is able to get perks thanks to her husband, Pete, and his role as chief engineer – he has been cruising for over 30 years.
Christine, who shares her cruise life on TikTok and boasts over 980,000 followers, explained that the spouse of crew members are able to stay onboard for free. Plus, she gets 50% discount on extras like fizzy drinks, alcoholic beverages, onboard shops and the spa. She also gets a discounted rate on the internet.
Christine, who says she and her husband have a large room onboard with a big balcony, explained: “We live on a cruise ship. We always have the same cabin that is assigned to Pete’s position on the ship, and in my opinion, we have the best cabin in the whole entire ship.”
She added: “While I live on the cruise ship I live as a guest but also as crew,” she explained adding that she can do almost everything the crew and guests can do, except for a few things.
Christine, who loves life at sea, says she is not allowed to gamble while onboard. She said: “I am not allowed to sit at a slot machine and play my heart until I win because it would look a little weird if I, as the wife of the chief staff engineer, won like a big jackpot. So I am not allowed to gamble on the ship.”
Christine added that she gets access to all guest areas, and she can go in crew areas too – as long as she wears a badge. She said that crew get off the ship after guests. Christine said: “When we get into port usually the guest get off first and then the crew usually get off about an hour after the guests and so I abide by that, I get off the ship about an hour after the guests get off the ship.”
She also noted that she respects that she gets to enjoy all the ship’s amenities all the time, so she lets guests enjoy spaces like the pool, the gym, the spa and sunlongers before she does.
Christine explained: “I can use all of those guest amenities but I always play it with a rule of thumb. If the pool is packed, I make sure to get off and give the guests a seat, it’s just the right thing to do. I totally understand how to give guest the best time and I don’t think a crew member taking their seat is the right thing to do.”
Christine says she often gets asked if she feels strange “walking on land” when she gets off the ship. She said: “Pete has been at sea for 30 years and I’ve been at sea for 12 years and after all that time I literally don’t need to adjust to land legs vs sea legs, I don’t feel the difference. It doesn’t bother me anymore.”
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