Would You Retire to Live on a Cruise Ship?

For the past forty-three days, I have been living on a cruise ship. All my meals are prepared for me and I can choose what I want to eat and when I want to eat it. I can go to the gym, swim in one of pools, take classes on writing, crafts or bridge, listen to lectures by a variety of speakers, learn about other cultures, and visit great sites. But I can also meet interesting people and I have. But would I want to live like this full time?I am on a world cruise which pretty much guarantees that most of the passengers will be retired or living well enough to afford extended vacations. We attended a talk about repositioning cruises Those are the cruises between cruises, when the ship repositions itself for the next cruise. This cruise ends in London in May, which means the next repositioning cruise is right after this one, extending the onboard time even longer.

When I signed up for this cruise I expected everyone would be on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to places they had never been before that is how I saw this cruise for me I felt I may never be able to do this again having survived two cancers in two years and suffered the loss of my wife of 32 years, this was to be my swan song I would spend the days at sea writing on my balcony and I would visit many cities and villages in 29 countries I would then return home, my next novel pretty much completed and I would live out my years glad that I took the time to do this

That was the plan

The idea of spending my final years on a cruise ship never crossed my mind A funny thing happened on my way around the world I have found that I feel younger, more alive I have made new friends and I have gotten involved

Today is Sunday February 1 here in Wellington, New Zealand back home, it is Saturday, January 31. Tonight I will be leading Sunday service for the third time in as many weeks and this coming Tuesday, I will lead a memorial service for the many passengers who had lost loved ones I have also taken over the writing group Twenty of us have signed up for Sky Writers, the writers’ workshop on our ship, the Viking Sky.

With satellite access, I have somewhat reliable internet connections so I can continue remote video calls with my grief group, a writing group, and the @Signal Builders group run by Kristin McTernan. The time difference is a challenge but I can remain connected, just as I was at home

So, why not pick up and go?

There are over 80 people on board for whom this is not their first world cruise Yes, I know, that’s a lot of money I have heard some people say they are spending their children’s inheritance and one person plans to spend everything before they die Selfish? Maybe Lonely?

That may be the real reason people choose to sell everything and buy a room onboarding a ship. There are 85 solo travelers onboard. I am one of them Most of us had families back home. They have their lives to live and the time spent together may not be a lot The way some see it, living on a cruise ship is not

Much different from living in another state or territory The can visit family on holidays or meet them at ports around the globe For most of us, that lifestyle is not an option There is a big difference having family a few hours away and being half way around the world in a completely different time zone and maybe a different day as well

It takes some getting used to. Would I do it if I could afford it?

I don’t know. I will have a better idea at the end of this cruise when my new friends leave and we all go back to our homes . I have met a couple of people who have been traveling for years without returning home and they seem lonely it’s a bit ironic They travel because they lead lonely lives at home and find a new form of loneliness onboard.

Spending four and a half months with a group of people you have come to know and then finding yourself alone again may not be as painful as losing a loved one, but it can still leave a hole. I am looking forward to seeing my family again in May when this adventure ends. Then I will start a new adventure in 2027 when I cruise from the Arctic to the Antarctic on an expedition ship Wish me luck