The story of  86-year-old Bea Muller of Florida has been floating around the internet for a couple of years.  No one is quite sure if it is true, but it is said that Ms. Muller's husband died aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 while on a world cruise in 2001.   Faced with moving back home to live alone in a retirement home, Ms. Muller decided to sell everything she owned, including her house, and book herself onto the ship one year at a time.  She is said to still dance the nights away as she travels the world with a rotating group of new friends.  

In our opinion, if Ms. Muller at age 86 can retire on a cruise ship, then so can other seniors.

Two options exist for retiring at sea on a cruise ship.  Resident ships are a new concept and cater primarily to retirees.  They are, however, pricey.  The World, managed by ResidenSea, is a gorgeous, resident cruise ship that offers expensive, furnished studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments for sale, starting at a little more than $2 million, as well as rental units starting at $1,200 a night (rates vary according to the season).   Residents choose the itinerary, and the ship travels to the four corners of the earth; stays at local ports are usually longer than on the average ship (The World does not consider itself a cruise ship but rather a country club resort).   The Four Seasons, operated by the Four Seasons hotel chain and a Miami-based development group, is a soon-to-launch (2007) luxury, residential cruise ship that offers two bedroom and four bedroom apartments.  Residences begin at $4.2 million.   Timeshares are also being offered starting at $400,000.  

A more affordable and realistic way of retiring on a cruise ship is to travel as a passenger rather than as a resident and book voyages back to back, something many seasoned cruisers do, anyway.     Most cruises run from 3 to 21 days, and prices average about $150 per day based on double occupancy, depending on the size and location of the room (interior accommodations cost less than those with ocean views or suites), on the length of the cruise and on the cruise line itself (there are mid-priced lines and more expensive lines).   The average price of an independent living facility is $2,000 per month and about $3,000 per month for an assisted living facility (prices vary throughout the country), so on average cruising is still more expensive than the traditional retirement options.  That is on average.  It may be less than the cost of higher end facilities that can charge $6,000 a month or more, and shorter cruises can be found for around $100 per day, bringing them very close to the price of many assisted living facilities.   

For those planning to make a ship their home, though, longer cruises are probably the better choice because the same route is not repeated every 3 to 7 days as it is on shorter cruises.   One might choose one port of call and board cruises from there; time between sailings would be spent in a port hotel.   The majority of  lines do not offer single rates, so single seniors will pay 200% of the listed price.  Hence, it helps to retire with a companion.

Retiring on a Cruise Ship, Continued...

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