Gary Bembridge says cruise ship life is very hard (Image: Youtube/Tips for Travellers)
With the cost of living spiralling and many elderly people finding it ever more difficult to make their pensions cover basic expenses, there’s a growing trend of people selling up and spending their retirement on a cruise ship.
But the reality is far more difficult than most people imagine, says cruise expert Gary Bembridge: “That dream comes with some darker aspects, nightmare challenges, and unexpected problems.”
Those challenges come in several forms, he adds on his Tips for Travellers podcast, but the simple fact is that cruise ship operators actively discourage travellers from remaining on board for months or even years. He explained: “They don’t really want people living on the ships because that’s not what they’re designed for.”
Setting off on a lifelong cruise isn’t all it’s cracked up to be (Image: Getty)
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Boredom
The first—and for many people, most lasting—issue is how boring life on board can become. Cruise ships’ food menus and entertainment are geared towards passengers who remain aboard for a fortnight at most. Spend much more time than that, and the day-to-day existence can become depressingly repetitive.
Gary added that long-term cruisers can become very socially isolated: “When we go on a cruise, we love being surrounded by people. It’s very social, and we get to make new friends.
“However, when living on a cruise ship, when people are coming and going roughly every week, it’s difficult to build friendships and relationships.
“People living on ships are also far away from friends and family and missing out on being a part of family events or developments.”
Life on board can become very lonely, Gary says [stock image] (Image: Getty)
Isolation
We are social animals, and we like to stay in touch with family and friends. But it can be very expensive to call or email from a cruise ship, Gary says, with add-on Wi-Fi packages “dramatically” increasing the cost of life on the ocean wave.
He says that many of the “boat life” people he spoke to “spent quite a lot of time not connected,” and missed out on important family events.
Even simple things like following a favourite football team or soap opera are almost impossible without spending a huge amount on Wi-Fi bolt-ons.
Cruise ship cabins aren’t designed for long-term habitation [stock image] (Image: Getty)
Health
While most large cruise ships have basic medical facilities on board, they are geared towards minor ailments: “It’s important to consider that if you’re living on a cruise ship and have a major injury or a significant illness occur, you will be disembarked into medical care in the closest port, wherever in the world you are.”
He stressed that cruise ships do not make good retirement homes: “They’re not set up for people to live permanently, and they don’t really want people living on the ships because that’s not what they’re designed for.
“They’re not retirement homes and don’t have the medical care facilities or support.”
In particular, Gary added, cruise ships don’t have dentists—even a chipped tooth can see you dropped off in the next port for treatment.
Spending endless weeks on board can become very boring (Image: Getty)
Money
Added to concerns about health, Gary said that insurance could be a serious problem for people planning on spending the rest of their lives on board ship.
“Based on my experience,” Gary said, “most insurers only insure people for trips of around 60 days—some up to 90 days. And premiums are high.”
To get around this issue, many long-term cruisers break up their shipboard life with short periods on land—either staying with relatives or in an Airbnb.
Dealing with dental problems in a foreign port can be tricky (Image: Getty)
Stress
One way of getting around the issues of insurance and social isolation is to regularly switch from one cruise to another. But even finding your next berth can be tricky when you have limited access to Wi-Fi.
Even so, booking the most economical fares can leave you cooped up in small inside cabins with no balcony. And regularly moving from ship to ship can soon become exhausting, Gary says. “Everybody living on regular cruise ships keeps jumping ships to chase the best fares,” he explains.
“Most were jumping ships up to 25, 30 or more times a year. All of them talk about how it can be a bit tiring.
“There is regular packing and unpacking, and you need to travel with limited clothes and possessions—both because there’s limited storage and to have less to lug around every week or so.”
The unique ‘The World’ liner is one of very few ships set up for long-term living (Image: The World, Residences at Sea)
Laundry
It may seem like a minor issue, but even keeping clean can be a challenge when you’re living on a cruise ship.
Sending all your dirty clothes to the ship’s laundry can be pricey, and many people who have opted for life at sea save up their washing until they can find a laundrette in one of the ports the ship visits.
There are one or two ships specifically geared to resolve all these problems—such as the privately owned mega yacht The World—but with only 165 onboard residences, it remains very much the exception rather than the rule.