With their 24-hour service, all-you-can-eat buffets and stress-free accessibility, cruise ships have long been a popular vacation choice for retirees.
But given the rising costs of care homes in Britain, could a permanent cruise become a viable alternative to supported living on land?
Recently, Marty and Jess Ansen, a retired couple from Australia, made headlines around the world after revealing that they had taken 51 consecutive cruises.
“It’s much more affordable than a nursing home and we can continue to travel the world,” says Marty.
In fact, a seven-day cruise can cost as little as £500, while care homes in Britain cost an average of £1,160 per week – and they won’t stop in the Caribbean.
A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows that living on a cruise ship offers a better quality of life and may be more cost-effective for older adults who need help living independently.
“People over age 65 who enjoy traveling, have good cognitive function but need some assistance with daily life are ideal candidates for care on a cruise ship,” said Dr. Lee Lindquist, a geriatrician who led the study.
“Both cruise ships and residential care centers offer one-bedroom apartments with private bathrooms, easy access showers and entertainment. Cruise ships often have a higher employee-to-passenger ratio than assisted living facilities.”
Seeing the world from a floating retirement home certainly sounds like realizing the dream of later life. When Cruise Critic, a cruise ship comparison website, posted a survey on Twitter asking, “Would you retire at sea?” 43 percent voted: “Yes, sign me up!” and 33 percent voted, “Maybe, if it’s feasible.”
“It’s definitely caught fire lately when it comes to people looking at this as a prospect,” said Colleen McDaniel, editor of Cruise Critic. “We’ve heard of a number of people doing it over the years, and we’re hearing more and more [of it]. It’s certainly ambitious. It is attractive to see the world from your home, where you have all your meals provided, great service and things like laundry on board.”
As a result of this demand, many major cruise lines are creating longer and longer voyages, with several offering three-year cruises. But if that’s not long enough, you can consider a houseboat, where you can buy cabins directly. For one per center there is The World – 165 super luxury apartments that can be renovated to the owners’ taste. This ship is shrouded in secrecy and purchasing an apartment on board is only possible by invitation. It is said that a net worth of at least £8 million is mandatory.
For a more affordable option, the Villa Vie Odyssey set sail from Belfast in May, carrying no passengers, but ‘residents’ who had purchased cabins costing between £78,730 and £708,590 – plus monthly fees – for the ship’s 15-year lifespan.
Grace and Jerry Grady, a retired couple in their seventies, rent a cabin at the Villa Vie Odyssey for £34,160 a year, which is cheaper than the average cost of living in Britain (£36,000 a year). They sold their house and most of their belongings to pay for it.
Their life at sea is certainly more luxurious than at home, with unlimited food and drinks, alcoholic drinks at dinner, free Wi-Fi, regular medical checks, weekly cleaning, 24/7 room service and a fortnightly laundry service.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to see the world,” says Jerry. “We have traveled a lot. I’m not worried about anything.”
Kevin Price, 48, a retired Navy commander who runs the YouTube channel “30 And A Wake Up,” lived on 13 different cruise ships for a year in 2023. “I met many older couples who spent 10 months on cruise ships and a few months with family as an alternative to moving to a retirement village,” he says. “I definitely see the appeal. I loved waking up in a different place every morning, never having to think about housework and being able to have a meal at any time of the day.”
Price says he used cost comparison website CruisePlum to find the best deals and found living on a cruise ship cost him significantly less than living on land. “The longer you stay, the better benefits you get, because all the major airlines have loyalty programs,” he says. “It’s actually a lot more affordable to live on a cruise ship year-round than people might think. I was spending about £1,500 a month.”
Although cost is a big factor, for many people the social life on board a floating retirement home is the big draw. Angelyn Burk, 54, an accountant from Seattle, convinced her husband, Richard, 53, to spend their retirement on endless cruises in 2021. “We have movie screenings, comedy performances and arts and crafts classes,” says Angelyn. “We have a beautiful living room, an absolutely beautiful dining room and a hot tub that never needs maintenance. Living on the water means you don’t hear ambulances, sirens, screams and shouts. It’s just a quieter existence.”
But there are a few considerations if you’re considering spending your golden years on the high seas, not just the fact that you might be piling on the pounds at the buffet. Living on a cruise ship while being generally fit and healthy (and at most only needing wheelchair access) is one thing, but if you have advanced needs that require nursing care – such as assistance with bathing, dressing, memory loss or incontinence – it would not be a suitable option.
Although most large ships have a dentist, doctor and nurses on board (not to mention a morgue in case the worst happens), medical treatment at sea is limited, notoriously expensive and not included in your cruise price. Onboard treatments are often not covered by health insurance and passengers may be encouraged to visit doctors in port instead. “There’s only so much they can handle on board,” McDaniel said. “It is important to have evacuation insurance and health care options on land should you need medical care while sailing.”
Older people with existing health problems may find that insurance for a long trip costs more than the trip itself, or may not be offered at all. And you’ll need a backup plan if your health prevents you from staying on the ship at any time.
Pets are not allowed on board and of course you will be away from friends and family. But thanks to the free Wi-Fi, you can always FaceTime them, or they can drop by. “All three of our daughters have already looked at the itinerary and thought about when they can visit us,” says Jerry Grady.
But before you sell your trip and book that around-the-world cruise, McDaniel suggests taking a shorter Grand Voyage (usually about 30 to 40 days long) to “dip your toes” in marine life and immerse yourself in can be built into longer journeys. “There is a real link between people who want to spend more than a hundred nights on a ship and people who consider it a real convenience to retire on a ship,” she says.
For Jerry Grady, all the challenges of building a new life at sea are worth it.
“The most important thing is the willingness to do this,” he says. “It’s the adventure of a lifetime.”