My love of cruises started thirty years ago when I took a seven-night Holland America Caribbean cruise out of Fort Lauderdale. After that, I frequently went on Thanksgiving cruises with my family, but I only recently started doing longer cruises. I was drawn to longer cruises because of Holland America’s Grand Voyages and World Cruises, which offer long itineraries. I did a 30-day, then 45-day cruise, and then just kept going longer. About two years ago, I started spending nine to 10 months a year on a cruise ship.
How I embraced a minimalist lifestyle to cruise year-round
I officially retired from AT&T in 2004, but I worked as a consultant for a number of companies, full-time until 2016 and part-time until 2020. I sold my house in Texas in 2014 and lived with my mother.
In the fall of 2022, I decided to cruise year-round, and I sold my car and the furniture in an estate sale. When I’m not sailing, I live with one of my sisters, and I have a small storage unit with a few sentimental things. Not having the expense of a house allows me the freedom to travel.
When we go to ports, people like to shop a lot, but because I don’t have a house, I’m not as interested in buying things. I limit myself to only buying what I would pack to take on a cruise, which is usually some sort of jewelry or clothing.
My favorite cruise stops
Last year, I spent about 300 days cruising, and I prefer Holland America because they have smaller ships and unique port stops. One of my favorite stops was Easter Island, not just because I got to see the Moai but because of the memories I made with my sister. On our way back from the port visit, there was a long line to take the tender back to the ship. She looked over and said “look, there’s a little bar up on that hill,” so we spent the afternoon drinking pisco sours and waiting for the line to get shorter.
Another favorite stop was Japan, which I’ve visited twice, and I love going to Northern Europe. When I cruise, I may repeat locations, but I try not to repeat experiences. Last year, we went to Singapore and had lunch at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago at the Marina Bay Sands hotel. I considered going back on my next cruise, but since I’ve already done that, I’m going to find something else to do. That’s part of how I keep things interesting.
How I stay busy
People ask if I get tired of cruising or get bored when we’re not in port, but actually, I’m drawn to cruises that have more sea days because I don’t need a lot of external entertainment. I spend a few hours each morning working on my blog, Writer on Deck, where I write about the ports I’ve been to, and I also enjoy sketching and watercolor painting.
The other thing that really draws me to long cruising is the community of people who do this. On the World Cruise in January, I knew nearly 100 of the 1,200 people on board from previous cruises. I’ll often spend my days just sitting in a coffee bar chatting with people.
The challenges of living on a cruise ship
I was always a huge sender of Christmas cards, and I used to get quite a few back, but I finally had to tell people not to send them. I do have mail service, but by the time I get them, it’s May. It also takes a lot of work to stay in touch with friends because I don’t have a home community of people.
As I get older, I have a few more prescriptions, and I have to work to make sure I have enough to go on each cruise. I do have breaks in between cruises, usually ten days to a few weeks, which is when I’ll do my doctor’s visits, dentist’s visits, or see my hairdresser. It can be a busy few weeks, and it takes a bit of planning.
How I support myself when I cruise
When I worked, I had a corporate job for a Fortune 500 company and a nice house with lots of bedrooms, but I was glad to give all that up and not have to take care of it. Though I don’t have to worry about the upkeep of a home or car, I probably spend more on full-time cruising than a traditional retirement. There are ways to cruise more economically, and I’ll sometimes save by booking an inside cabin or sharing a cabin with one of my sisters.
Advice to anyone who wants to try this
If you want to do this, you, of course, have to love cruising and be comfortable giving up most of your belongings. I was glad to adopt a minimalist lifestyle. But I visit friends who have lots of stuff in their homes, and they love it. They love having all their things, and I would never tell them to give that up if that’s what they love.
As far as finances go, I’ve always tracked what I spend, and whether I’m cruising or not, I know exactly how much I’ll be spending a month. I also would never have been able to do all this if I hadn’t been somewhat frugal and saved when I was working.
My future plans
I don’t know if I will do this forever. I’m 69 years old, so I hope I have a number of years left. I’ll probably never own a big house again; I’ll probably be more of an apartment person. I had a big home, and I enjoyed it at the time, but now I enjoy what I’m doing. I’ll keep cruising until I don’t enjoy it, and then I’ll do something different. I think of the seasons of life, and this is a season of life that I’m really enjoying right now.
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