Living on a cruise ship

PamelaJ1

When you die they put you under the stage?
Sorry. (They did on the ship my nephew worked on anyway)

I always thought they put you in the deep freeze! Alexi Sayle says if they start giving out free ice cream it means some one has died and they need the space for the body!

When you die they put you under the stage?
Sorry. (They did on the ship my nephew worked on anyway)

Gingster I think that sounds great. I'm sure there was a documentary on tv a few years ago about a wealthy, elderly lady from the U.S. who, when she was widowed, decided to go from one cruise to another all year round. I think she sold her house to help pay for them but she was very happy.
Spice101, I'm sure that question was asked of the lady and she said the large cruise ships literaally have their own hospital (and a morgue if needed) and are able to deal with all emergencies, etc.

Would you still be paying the 'tips' that are included in what you pay for the cruises, like ordinary passengers?
Are there separate parts of the ship for actual residents, or would you still be near ordinary passengers?
If you really didn't like your immediate neighbours, would they give you different suites?
I couldn't do it as I like the freedom of seeing my family when they just pop-in, but I'm sure it works well for quite a few people!
How often would you sit at the captains table? Lol

I like the idea of cruising because I love the sea - but think about all the food (and human) waste from hundreds of people that is just dumped into the sea! That definitely puts me off.

Why would you do that? ?

i saw an article on tv years ago about an elderly lady (in her 80s) who sold her house in america and decided to spend the rest of her life cruising, i have never been on a cruise but i assumed she was going first class as she said things like, she could get breakfast in bed if she wanted, had someone to push her wheelchair and when she changed ships everything was done for her including someone taking her by wheelchair to her next cruise. she had no family and made lots of friends along the way, i think that would be better than rattling around a house on your own.

We have been on a few cruises, mostly in the Med but one to Iceland then Norway snd that was the only one when I got seasick. It was the Atlantic then the North Sea that did it. The ship provided tablets at no cost which did the trick.
I would thoroughly recommend cruising and there are a lot of misconceptions on this thread about cruise ships.
Firstly the smaller ships are still big ships so the chances of feeling cooped up in crowded places just needn’t happen. The huge ones you could easily get lost on till you learn your way around. There are plenty outdoor deck areas to relax on away from the pool decks with ranks of sun loungers. Not to mention the library, cinema, theatre, the gym, sauna, spa , shops etc. I met a lovely lady of about 75 boarding
One cruise abs she cruised a lot, always had a suite or balcony and took her easel and watercolours. My BIL on his first cruise bought a new digital camera and did classes on board learning how to use the camera and then download the pictures on to a computer etc. He loved it all.
Food is available 24/7 and you can easily have a very healthy diet as you choose your own food. Dressing up is optional and of course there is always room service. You can choose to walk up and down stairs or take lifts. Usually one deck is marked out for walking telling you how many laps to the mile. So again the option is yours to exercise or not. Of course not everything is free but I’ve cruised when we did a basic option and still had free drinks/ coffees and certain restaurants.
I wouldn’t like to live on a ship as I would miss family/pets/ my own garden but I’d be happy to cruise again in a year or two depending on how the pandemic goes. I do like the luxury of a balcony and nd I’d probably stick to the Med and circle it cruising Eastern and Western Med in turn visiting different cities as the fancy took me.
It certainly is a lovely thought at the end of a cold grey January day here in Angus.

I’ve only been on 1 Caribbean cruise. About 10 years ago. I’ve not been again cos I always seem to need my money for something else.I once went on holiday to Turkey on my own. In 10 days the only person I spoke to was the barman . I’m very antisocial so I really enjoyed it ?

DiscoDancer1975

No, I wouldn’t. Neighbours you’ve no chance of getting away from!?. I always think they’re such easy targets for just about everything. Terrorists....awful weather....viruses of course.

No, just firm land for me thank you.

Had a wonderfull half world cruise, a trip towards Oman nescessitated what to do if boarded by pirates. Lucky we never had to put it into practice, and apart from the experience of being in the path of a cyclone, it was uneventful and a great experience.

I have read about this in various forms, the conclusion i come to is its okay if the person residing onboard a cruise liner is healthy to the the point of not needing assistance of any description.

I think its an absolute perfect existence, i have been on cruises myself and boy oh boy they were 1st class, so it's a no brainer to me if they person is healthy BUT as with anyone the saying goes * Tomorrow is not our own.*

Well if it's a choice between that or a care home, then count me in!

We have been on several, a couple of luxury ones and a couple of more basic ones. All was well on our last one to Norway until I had an accident where a sheet of glass from a table on the balcony fell on my foot, causing a deep wound. The cruise ship medical centre did clean it every day, but offered no tetanus or antibiotics and no real compassion. I longed to get back to the UK for proper NHS care where the wound was cared for meticulously.

We would not go on a cruise again. I nearly lost all my toes! The accident was negligence as the glass table top was not fixed properly. I got small compensation, but the cruise company showed no caring at all. I still get pain in the foot.

Ooh I would LOVE to ...either that or a land based hotel ....less expensive than a care home and much better ! Just read a wonderful article about care and retirement village in Thailand ...only thing puts me off is you have to re apply for a visa to remain every 90 days.....otherwise, if they;d have me I;d be OFF ......care available for when you reach that stage ,,,,and all availabe=le, restaurant, club house pool, what;s not to like !!! ...different to a retirement flat near where I live starting at ,,£400,000 plus charges which are exhorbitant !

We’ve just had a few days at a Warners hotel and wondered if we should move in there. Wonder if they would do a deal?

My family have been on lots of cruises but as a means of transport to get from A to B. U.K.-HK. it took weeks and we were at sea for days on end.
On one of our trips home we went via Australia and NZ and came back via the Panama Canal on a ship that was on its last voyage. The engines kept cutting out so we were bobbing about without any paddles more than once.
We played a lot of bingo.
My sister had been counting down the days to her birthday and was very cross when we went over the date line and she had to wait an extra day.
I have been on 3 cruises over the last 10years and enjoyed them but a week or two is enough.

Well some of you certainly look on the bright side of life !!
I love cruising and would live on a ship if I could afford it.
We were on a cruise ship in November last year and felt perfectly safe. The ship was immaculate, the wonderful crew made sure of that. More germs in supermarkets I think.
Roll on May when I sail again. That’s assuming I don’t get Covid from being on dry land ??

I read in the paper a couple of years back about an older couple who are doing just that, in a Premier Inn……

Couldn't think of much worse - so superficial, massive carbon footprint, having to be sociable all the time. Did a cruise on the QE11 back in the 70's............never again. Give me mountains, coastal paths., woods and moors.........and my campervan!

Tried a week on a cruise my husband loved it Butlins on sea for me

Tried it for a week - never again!

Not for me either. I've only been on one cruise - it will be my last!

I've travelled the world in many ways, backpacking, car touring, package breaks and luxury hotel stays. I've now done 4 cruises - 2 luxury Ocean Cruises and 2 river cruises.

Much to my surprise I loved the cruises, maybe because they were so luxurious, no children, no vast Ocean liners and very less travelled destinations we preferred to be escorted around.
Knew there were people onboard that were doing World Tours, many months long. I thought that would be hell on wheels trying to 'see the world' in one long journey.

I have been to Cyprus once at the early part of the season to see lots of older people who had spent the whole winter there - they were missing the cold wet miserable winter and certainly all looked to be enjoying themselves in the rather nice hotel with everything to hand. Seemed a good idea if you have the need to escape.

We've been on several cruises, med, Asia, Caribbean, Scandinavia and Russia. You can get plenty of exercise from swimming pools, running tracks around the ship, ice rink, gym, climbing walls etc. Also go ashore most days for sightseeing, beaches, boat trips, sea swimming.
Food is fantastic with huge self-service restaurants, snack bars, or formal dining if you prefer.
Doctors nurses security all there for you and room attendants are excellent. Also a helipad to airlift serious cases to hospital and fly in cabaret entertainment stars.
Would not like to live on a cruise ship but love it for a holiday.
We went wit PO and Royal Caribbean. Definitely like marmite love it or hate it.

My idea of hell too. Wouldn't want to spend a week on one, far less anything more!

No, a cruise for a holiday would be lovely but not in these times. I definitely would not want to live on a cruise ship permanently.