JENN McKINLAY: Hi, Kids! Welcome to my latest rabbit hole. How did I end up searching apartment rentals on cruises? Well, I was listening to the audio book Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan (our Debs recommended it and she's right, it's fabulous) and there's a character in the book who lives in an apartment on a cruise ship. I had no idea this was a thing!
And so I began searching apartments on cruise ships because now I know what I want to do with that 401K! Just kidding, I don't have a 401K. But still, I found the entire idea of living aboard a ship - permanently - absolutely fascinating. Here's a ship that features 165 residences from studio to three bedroom: https://aboardtheworld.com/residences/
One of the ships I saw even had pet exercise areas, so you can bring the furry ones with you!
I also stumbled upon this blog post: https://judedeveraux.com/travel/
from the amazing Jude Deveraux where she talked about going on four-month-long world cruises every year from January-May for YEARS. And the most interesting part (to me) was that she said she got massive amounts of writing done. With no cooking or cleaning, or errands to run, well, of course she did! It's a brilliant plan, I tell ya!
Now I've only been on one cruise and since I was (surprise!) newly pregnant, I slept through most of it. I was three months along and the exhaustion was unreal. My memories are seriously of sleeping in a lounger poolside and then sleeping in my bed, snuggled up to my towel which had been magically folded into the shape of a frog (awwww) and that's about it.
I imagine because you're traveling the world and surrounded by history, wildlife, geography, and because you wake up to a different incredible view every day, there's loads of inspiration everywhere you look (unless you're pregnant and sleep through it). Also, living on a floating village I'll bet your fellow passengers will give you plenty of writing material - good and bad. Bwa ha ha.
Now if only I could talk my publisher into letting me set a mystery series on board on of these ships...hmmm.
How about you, Reds and Readers, any interest in living on a ship permanently? If you were to cruise, where would you go?
Wow . . . who knew? Obviously, not me . . . .
ReplyDeleteA cruise might be fun, especially with all those ever-changing, incredible views . . . and I’ve heard that cruising to Alaska is absolutely amazing [so it might be fun to check that out] . . . but permanently living aboard ship? No, thank you.
I've heard the same about the Alaska cruise. It's definitely on my list.
DeleteI've never really been interested in an ocean cruise. Being on a gigantic ship in the middle of an ocean just doesn't appeal to me. I need an escape route. I don't like being somewhere that I can't get out of. Oddly enough, I can overcome that dislike when I'm in an airplane. Probably because I know that at some point in the near future I will be landing and escape the captive environment. You might think this is claustrophobia, and it might be some sort of it, but I don't have a heightened fear of being in a small space, as long as I know I will at some point be out of it.
ReplyDeleteNow, river cruises is another deal all together. I'm actually looking at some of those overseas. Smaller boat, 2 or 3 decks, and being on a river not far from land. Joan mentioned an Alaska cruise, and I also think that would be a great trip, again on a smaller ship.
So, it's no to living for extended periods or permanently on an ocean liner. I do recall reading somewhere that a woman was going to do that when she retired because it would be cheaper than her rent and living on land.
Oh, and another reason not to go on an ocean cruise is the horror stories of people getting sick in large numbers, resulting in a crisis on board and bathrooms out of service and all the other horrible problems that go with that. I just know it would happen on my cruise.
DeleteI had heard some people find it cheaper to live on a boat.
DeleteI've been on several cruises and what I like most if landing in a port where there is a ground below my feet. So going on a cruise, yes, living on a ship, No.
ReplyDeleteLOL!
DeleteElisabeth here. Just No,not ever in a confined space with no road off. Especially a confined space that would move up and down, up and down — mal de mer and claustrophobia.
ReplyDeleteHub gets seasick so I doubt it's in my future unless I go solo.
DeleteAs a writing retreat, that does sound alluring, Jenn. I'm right with you - imagine what one could get done with zero obligations.
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of cruise ship apartments, except somewhere I read of people selling their houses and retiring to live permanently on a cruise ship. I think I might freak out at not being able to leave when I wanted to. I'd have to be rich enough to keep a private helicopter on board!
I've never been on a cruise and giant cruise ships give me the willies. But as Kathy mentioned, river cruises on small boats or that Alaska birding cruise Hallie and Jerry took? Those sound fabulous. Now to get over my fear of entering a COVID factory...
Writer's retreat. I think you're onto something, Edith!
DeleteThat is fascinating, Jenn! I've heard of people living in little houseboats on rivers or on yachts moored at St. Tropez, but I had no idea it was possible to live in an apartment on a cruise ship. I've never been on any kind of ocean cruise, and it does appeal, but I'd say two months would be my maximum. I'd miss my friends! Besides, if you lived on a cruise ship full of residents, how would the group decide where the ship was going to cruise to? Take a vote once a year? Imagine all the arguments! I think a great cruise would be along the western coast of South America, from Colombia to Chile and then down the Chilean coast until it got too cold! A visit to the Galápagos Islands along the way would be a must. Might take longer than two months, though.
ReplyDeleteKim, there is a limit to the size of ships that cruise through the Galapagos Islands. 100 passengers is the limit. Most of the cruises there have less than 50 passengers, like the 20 person cruise Karen went on. Those huge apartment ships would not be welcome.
DeleteI definitely prefer the smaller ship idea, unless we're crossing the ocean. Eek.
DeleteHmmm, those luxury cruise apartments do look nice but it's not for me, either.
ReplyDeleteSure, I love to travel but I've never been on an ocean cruise. It looks great in these nice weather photos but what is like during stormy weather? I have been motion sick/seasick on tinier boats and it's no fun!
And what happens it you can't get along with your cabin neighbours? Or if another pandemic happens, ports around the world won't let the ship dock & allow passengers on shore?
Ack! I never thought of the possibility of being stuck on a ship because of a pandemic - oh, there's definitely a thriller book in there.
DeleteWhile I can be IN the water to the point I might rival Aquaman or Prince Namor, being ON the water is impossible. I get terrible seasickness. An IV drip of Dramamine wouldn't help me.
ReplyDeleteSo I just don't do boats. So I have no interest in living on a boat, whether temporarily or permanently.
If however, I could stomach a boat trip, I don't know that I have a particular destination in mind. Rather, I'd go on the Monsters of Rock cruise. It's a weeklong(?) trip filled with tons of rock and metal bands putting on shows. I've got a bunch of music friends that have gone on these cruises and they have a blast. Between seeing all the bands, they get to meet them all as well.
Now that would be an incredible kind of trip for me.
We have friends who have similarly gone on jazz cruises and met their musician idols. Our friend, the jazz maven, was in heaven!
DeleteThat would be a blast!
DeleteSounds intriguing. But, is it affordable?
ReplyDeleteI've seen several of these ships featured in online articles, which are tax dodges for really, really rich people. They can be stateless by living at sea, thus avoiding paying any kind of taxes. Of course, the cruise lines make a potful of money by catering to this kind of passenger/resident.
ReplyDeleteThere is actually a mystery series set on a cruise ship, where the amateur sleuth accidentally lives in the penthouse cabin. Which comes with her own butler, fitness instructor, chef, etc. They travel from port of call to port of call, and she becomes friends with the crew and some of the passengers. Similar to Love Boat, the other cast of characters rotates with each port and the guests leaving and arriving to the ship. Steve Higgs wrote the series, and Patricia Fisher is the sleuth.
The virtual reality drone "footage" in that video is amazing, isn't it? But that deck that opens right out to open water? A hard "NO" for me. EEEK. I'm afraid I'm like Kathy Reel, don't fence me in, with no escape. The one time I've been on an ocean cruise was in the Galapagos, on a 20-passenger "small ship". The food was great, and we snorkeled every day around the islands, but I was hideously seasick when the meds wore off, and I couldn't imagine subjecting myself to that again. However, one day we passed between a National Geographic Explorer cruise ship and a pontoon boat moored in a quiet cove. The pontoon was covered, with curtains tied at each corner, and on the boat were a guest lying on a massage table (at least partially naked), getting what had to be the most hedonistic massage ever. A tiny glimpse at the kind of luxury only the very wealthy can afford.
Coincidentally, my youngest daughter and her husband embark today on a three-week cruise from CapeTown South Africa all the way up the eastern coast of Africa, terminating in Dubai. Roughly 5,000 nautical miles, which I have no idea how that translates to land miles. When we were visiting them they were making plans for excursions at different ports of call, and trying to decide on various packages of outrageously pricey special services (couples massage in your cabin, anyone?). I can't wait to hear about the trip, especially when they stop at Madagascar.
Nautical miles to regular miles is 5000 nautical = 5753.897. You are welcome.
DeleteWhy thank you!
DeleteDarn it. I've been scooped. I hope your daughter and son-in-law have an amazing trip.
DeleteThanks, Jenn!
DeleteHiggs has been at this cruise ship gig so long he has three separate, related series with the same character, going back and forth between the ship and England.
My hub took a tour of one of the apartment cruise ships and said it was quite astonishing. All the owners vote on what the itinerary should be--I could imagine a murder happening over that! But Jenn, you have A LOT OF ANIMALS. Just sayin'...
ReplyDeleteOh, wow, like and HOA meeting - it could get tetchy.
DeleteI have a relative who worked for Holland America. She has wonderful stories about travel, passengers and best of all the lovely Scot that she is now married to. On the other hand, there is this video - one of many that might give one pause https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UHgshcjNSw.
ReplyDeleteI once earned a cruise when I worked at the airline. All went well until we were awakened in the wee small hours. "Attention! This is the captain speaking we have a fire in the incinerator, prepare to move to the lifeboats." I sleepily thought, "but isn't that where the fires are supposed to be?" It was a tense hour and the fire was put out... and yet. all that water around us and going down due to a fire?
Irony friends, irony no?
However the chocolate buffet did almost make up for the previous night.
Oh, my. Adventure on the high seas. That would terrify me. Thank goodness for chocolate fountains.
DeleteI've never been on a cruise and probably won't go on one. However, I did own a 31 ft sailboat with my sister and her boyfriend when I was young and foolish. We bought it in the Seattle area and sailed it to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands where we kept it for several years. I went on a few sailing vacations--definitely no luxury--we would dock at places where we used stacks of quarters to operate the showers as well as to do laundry. There was incredible beauty all around us though, including porpoises and orcas. One year in October, we decided to bring our Compañera to Portland. We spent a couple of weeks sailing in Canada and then left Victoria for the day and a half trip to Astoria. We had perfect weather, but unfortunately the captain (Doug, my sister's boyfriend) and one other crew member (Diane our friend) were very sick so my sister and I stayed up all night doing the sailing. We were so glad to see the green buoy in the rolling gray sea and rolling gray fog and to follow a tugboat across the bar. So when I hear about life aboard, this is what comes to mind. Luxury at sea would be very different, but limited in similar ways--how many laps around deck to walk 4 miles?
ReplyDeleteOmigosh, Gillian, what an adventure that must have been!
DeleteMy gardening partner, Jeff, was a Merchant Marine, and lived in Alaska for decades while he worked on the pipeline. He and one of his wives owned a sailboat for a time, and they lived on it when Jeff was off-duty (three weeks on, three weeks off). They had big plans to sail down the west coast, then off to other lands. Unfortunately, their marriage went bust and he sold the boat. Now he's living in landlocked Cincinnati, and his new girlfriend gets seasick. Go figure.
Well I hope he gets a chance to sail again! I have friends with a boat and I hope to go out with them this summer.. just an easy sail on the river, no scary oceans!
DeleteThat is incredible. You're a warrior, Gillian.
DeleteA hard no. Just the sheer volume of waste of resources bothers me for regular cruises, not to mention apartment living on a cruise ship. Small river cruise, possibly, or the Alaskan or similar cruise, maybe. But those monster-sized ships? Nah.
ReplyDeleteI agree on the waste. On our cruise we heard the captain say that they just went in a big circle at night instead of docking. WHY? All that fuel. It boggles.
DeleteHow intriguing! I could go either way on this, I think… But if it were great, it would be really great. And knowing you, darling, Jenn , you probably have book one of the cruise ship series already underway. It’s definitely a doable thing, sort of a moving locked-room mystery every time. With the same main character but in each book, new people who come aboard, and new locations… I think you should do it ! The “mysteries at sea” series. Bon voyage!
ReplyDeleteLOL! Maybe someday. For now, it goes on the pile of potentials.
DeleteHow intriguing! I could go either way on this, I think… But if it were great, it would be really great. And knowing you, darling, Jenn , you probably have book one of the cruise ship series already underway. It’s definitely a doable thing, sort of a moving locked-room mystery every time. With the same main character but in each book, new people who come aboard, and new locations… I think you should do it ! The “mysteries at sea” series. Bon voyage!
ReplyDeleteIn the Before Times, I remember seeing different "writer retreat cruises" offered, making the ship a floating conference Hilton. I dunno about living on board a ship All The Time. I'd have to chip in with Edith for that helicopter.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Yes, a helicopter is a must.
DeleteI have been on several cruises. The first one was from Athens, through the Greek Islands to Istanbul and back. I was 20, traveling with my soon to be step mother and step sister. It was educational in so many ways!
ReplyDeleteIrwin and I went on an Alaska adventure, a week on land culminating with an Inside Passage cruise. I wanted a small ship, like Cruise West but it would have been twice as much $$$ as the luxury line, Silver Sea, and they only offered separate beds, as opposed to our king suite with butler, all meals and liquor included on Silver Sea. We did fun things in each port, but you see much more of a place when you stay on land or cruise on tiny expedition ships.
Since then, we have cruised 2 more times with Silver Sea. They have a 100 passenger expedition ship that goes to the Galapagos and that was amazing! We snokeled, hiked, kayaked and visited 1/2 the islands. It was terrific.
We will definitely cruise with them again. Their cruise ships max out at about 350 passengers. They really take care of you!
We were planning an expedition on a converted crab ship in Alaska this summer to visit the Katmai Penninsula, to see the grizzly 🐻 bears. Health concerns may keep us from going. Maximum 8 passengers on that one!
Those trips sound amazing.
DeleteI’ve never been on a cruise, and ever since the pandemic, and the nightmares experienced by passengers and crews on some ships, I don’t have much interest in going on even a short cruise. Almost everyone I know who has been on a cruise since things opened up again has returned home with Covid. And never mind Covid: I’m at the age where I don’t want to be any place where decent emergency medical care isn’t readily available!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Doc from the Love Boat did not instill a lot of confidence. :^/
DeleteI'm like Jay. I would have to have a permanently attached IV Dramamine drip and even then one look at the horizon and I would be running for the rails. No thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat's my Hub. Brutal seasickness.
DeleteFrom Celia: I am awed by your research and imagination Jenn, and you are heading into empty nest land so what better way to garner new ideas I loved Jude’s blog, what great pics. Cruising not so far, but sailing? Yes! My travel life began before commercial air travel. Yes there was air travel but not zip zip like today. So 1948 the Constable family board the ship SS Cotica (I think, I was 4) for Trinidad. I have a very fetching photo of me on board wearing a two piece bathing suit with braided hair looped up with bows. My mum, always the fashionista. From Trinidad we sailed to Ceylon via England, and back and so on until sail gave way to air. So I am all in for a three or four month yearly cruise. Perhaps I might find that inner author I keep trying to discover.
ReplyDeleteHappy to spark your adventure, Celia! Go for it!
DeleteI’ve never been on a cruise so I have no idea if living on a ship would be ideal for me. Would it be cheaper than a senior living facility on land? It seems I have seen a meme on social media about that. Would one be inundated with people wanting to be houseguests?
ReplyDeleteJenn, I was once on a riverboat casino with a buffet and I just kept inhaling food. Only time in my life I ate my money’s worth at a buffet. Turns out I was pregnant.
Brenda, a friend, who shared the article about seniors living on a cruise ship, mentioned the possibility of the cruise living being cheaper than senior living facility.
DeleteDiana
That's what I was referring to earlier, Diana.
DeleteOh, yes, I did enjoy the buffet while pregnant. LOL.
DeleteSeveral years ago a friend posted an article on her Facebook wall about living on a cruise ship permanently.
ReplyDeleteTo be a senior citizen living on a cruise ship, it meant access to doctors and health care, someone to clean your apartment for you, meals anytime you want and lots of good stuff. And less expensive than buying a house?
While she and I were talking about this, it sounded like a great idea. However, we both like being on land.
Personally, I once took a ship from England to Norway with my family. Often took the ferry from San Francisco to the islands as a child. Went on a boat tour on the Thames when we visited London. Took the ferry from Seattle to the Islands. My Mom said when I was a young child and always running around, it was easier to take me on a boat.
Despite my likes for short boat trips, I cannot see myself on a cruise ship. Maybe a river cruise on the Danube. I worry that if a cruise ship sinks, we would be on lifeboats too far away from land. On a river, if the cruise sinks, we will not be too far away from land?
Easy to see how this became a rabbit hole. This was the first time I heard of apartments on a cruise ship, though. The story about senior citizens on a cruise ship was in reference to vacations. Take a vacation to one place, then a vacation to another place, and so on. Always on a cruise ship though to different locations.
Diana
It was a rabbit hole! It's amazing the things people do that we don't even know about until we trip across the thread and then pull :)
DeleteRhys: I’ve been on several cruises. I find them totally relaxing, having everything done for me. In fact we are sailing the southern Caribbean in two weeks! I saw an ad for a Cunard round the world and told John I’d like to do it. But then I thought that we are not young. What if we needed a hospital and it was the middle if an ocean? So I decided to stick to smaller segments. And yes, I will be writing while on board
ReplyDeleteOf course you'll be writing, Rhys! You'll have to report back and let me know how it goes.
DeleteI would love to live on the water. But not with a huge bunch of other people. I've never wanted to go on a cruise for that reason although I would like to travel via one of the great ships. Sounds contradictory, I suppose, but the idea of cruising around from island to island, as opposed to going to a particular destination, is not for me. Was it back in the Fifties when that was almost the only way to travel to Europe?
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a mystery taking place on a rental cruise community like the one you described. I hope you will write it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement. I might just... :)
DeleteRight, Jenn! Like going to Paris or to Ireland to research a book. So first, you will have to rent one of those apartments and travel that way for a bit so you can describe that experience in your story. 4 months? Six months? What do you think?
DeleteI've heard of seniors taking cruises, one after the other, on the same ship because it is cheaper than living in a seniors community. I believe it! But it is not for me. We've been on several cruises (my mother-in-law was a travel agent) in the Caribbean and the first one was magic, but after that, not so much. Now the river cruises look much more appealing to me and I keep hoping to sail on the Nile one of these years. I have no desire to live on a luxury liner sailing from port to port like the Flying Dutchman.
ReplyDeleteI think the bigger ships would get tiring. I don't want to walk that far to get to stuff, you know?
DeleteI'll pass on the cruise, thanks, but do like the idea of no responsibilities and lots of writing time. Sign me up for that...on land!
ReplyDeleteYes, on liand it would be ideal as well. LOL.
DeleteI'll join you, Jenn - in adjoining cabins, so we don't interfere with our writing schedules.
ReplyDeleteDespite the well-publicized stories of swaths of passengers falling sick, I'm increasingly drawn to the idea of cruising. I love water, I love messing about on boats, and I REALLY love the idea of having everything I want to do laid out in front of me - you don't even have to travel to the on-shore excursions, they, in effect, come to you. I don't know, maybe it's the cumulative effect of years of vacationing with kids, where, and mother will tell you, you do just as much work as you would at home?
I don't know about a mystery series, Jenn, but a cruise ship strikes me as the ideal place for a Rom-Com. There's a reason The Love Boat had a run of nine years (and five movies/specials!)
Yay! Where should we go first?
DeleteSounds like a lot of fun! I've heard of this before, but only for the uber rich, nice to know it's available to the rest of us :). Right on the bucket list since they accept pets .....
ReplyDeleteI think my pets would need their own apartment. LOL.
DeleteGlad to have inspired you, Jenn! But I think no to the life on board--I can get seasick on San Francisco Bay. My brother and sister-in-law lived on board their sailboat for years and made several trans-ocean crossings in a 52 ft. catamaran. Obviously my brother had the adventurous genes in the family. I would LOVE the uninterrupted writing time with someone to wait on me, however!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Marcia Talley set a mystery on the Queen Mary. It's called Dark Passage.
Oh, I have to look for that one! And, wow, your bro and sil - incredible!
DeleteI’ve been following Jude D. For a while and I love seeing her photos and hearing her stories of being aboard ship for four months. But an apartment? Well now, that’s worth looking into!
ReplyDeleteI just love the idea of not having to think about anything but writing and if i want to go ashore. *sigh*
Delete
ReplyDeleteI cannot say that living on a cruise ship appeals to me. I get seasick. Easily. Remember how much of the cruise ship population got wiped out by early covid? Passengers stranded at sea when their ships couldn't dock...
Hallie, did you also get seasick on the Alaska trip?
DeletePuking would diminish the ROI :)
DeleteIn the early 1970's I spent one semester of college on Chapman College World Campus Afloat. 300 students, older Holland American liner. Just imagine how much fun it was. New York to England,
ReplyDeleteRotterdam, through the Mediterranean,
Sierra Leone, Brazil, Caribbean , Columbia, Panama canal, Acapulco to
Los Angeles. And we got college credit.
Life changing
We are just back from a cruise (we like seeing historical sites, and a cruise is an easy way to do that) and we met a surprising number of people whose Florida homes were destroyed by a recent hurricane. Many are jumping from long cruise to longer cruise while they figure out what to do about their next living situation. They wait until the last minute when ships are essentially giving away staterooms.
ReplyDeleteNancy M
DeletePs. My husband came home with Covid.
DeleteFunny, when this post went up, I was on a cruise ship. :)
ReplyDelete