How Much Does it Cost to Live on a Cruise Ship? The Answer Will Surprise You!
Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.
Creator's Key Takeaways
Super Mario has been living on Royal Caribbean cruise ships for 20 years in interior cabins mostly on itineraries in the Caribbean through the line's loyalty program he only pays 150% of the cruise Fair as a Solo Traveler
Mama Lee who lives on a Crystal Cruises ship said she spent about $450 per day accounting for inflation that would be somewhere around $580 per day in 2023
expect to pay around $1 to $150 per person for an interior cabin at $125 per night that's $91,200 per year for a couple
world cruises are months long with some reaching duration of 6 months across many continents it gives you a chance to make a temporary home on board
Creator's Tips & Advice
🆕New to Cruising? This Creator Addresses:
Questions This Creator Answers
Topics Covered
Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.
About our Bacon Score methodologyYouTube Video Description↓
If you have dreamed about living on a cruise ship, this video is for you. We break down all the options and hidden fees to get at the REAL cost of living on a cruise ship. Subscribe to the Eat Sleep Cruise YouTube Channel if you love to travel and cruise the world! https://www.youtube.com/c/EatSleepCruise1 How Much Does it Cost to Live on a Cruise Ship 0:00 Introduction 0:58 Booking Back-to-Back Cruises 3:03 Picking the Right Cruise Ship 4:06 Selecting The Right Stateroom 5:43 Additional Port Taxes and Fees 6:30 Daily Service Charges 7:16 Internet 8:23 Budgeting for Additional Costs 9:28 A World Cruise 10:30 Residential Cruise Ships 12:26 Semester at Sea HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO LIVE ON A CRUISE SHIP When most individuals think about living on a cruise ship full time, odds are they are thinking about cruisers like Super Mario. He has been living on Royal Caribbean Cruise ships for over 20 years. To do this, he strings back-to-back cruises together, staying on the same ship for months. If this is your plan for living on a cruise ship, you should contact the cruise line. With this arrangement, you will quickly reach the cruise line's highest loyalty program tier. Depending on the cruise line, this can entitle you to perks like free drinks, internet, laundry services, or other benefits. These benefits can significantly reduce the overall cost of living on a cruise ship. Once you pick the cruise line, you need to pick a stateroom category. The cheapest stateroom category will be an inside stateroom. Picking this type of cabin will seriously reduce the cost of living on a cruise ship. Beware of the single supplement. This is a charge given to cruisers sailing solo. If you don't strike a deal with the cruise line, you might have to pay double for your cruise fare. Depending on the stateroom category, the cruise fare will likely range from $125 to $175 a person or 250 to 350 a night for a cabin. This is based on sailing year-round in the Caribbean. Thus, cruise fares alone can vary anywhere from $90,000 to $over $127,000 for a cabin per year. When calculating the cost of living on a cruise ship full-time, you must remember several additional amenities. There are the daily gratuities, which are about $15 dollars a person per day. Odds are you will want WIFI access while onboard. Then there is additional spending money for experiences like tours and excursions, specialty dining, or spa services. All of these add-ons will quickly increase the cost of living on a cruise ship for a year by tens of thousands of dollars. Luckily, one benefit of living on a cruise ship is that most meals, non-alcoholic beverages, entertainment, and activities are covered in the cruise fare. When adding all of the different budget items, we estimate that stringing back-to-back cruises will most likely cost around $125,000 to over $160,000 a year. But this is not the only option. Cruisers can also book a world cruise. These cruises often last 3-6 months in length. Here you can visit multiple places over the span and have the same cabin. The benefit is you are surrounded by like-minded travelers. Or, if you have the means, there are residential cruise ships. These function like a condo where you purchase a cabin on a ship. Currently, the World is the only residential cruise ship. Cabins here cost between 1 million to 8 million to owe, plus yearly dues. A second ship, the MS Narrative, is set to debut in 2026, cove cabins at similar price points. While these are perhaps the easiest options for living on a cruise ship, they have a hefty price tag. READ ALL ABOUT THE COST OF LIVING ON A CRUISE SHIP ON THE BLOG https://eatsleepcruise.com/cost-to-live-on-a-cruise-ship/ ------TRENDING VIDEOS FROM EAT SLEEP CRUISE------ This Was Our Most Expensive Cruise: https://youtu.be/Z3SL0IL3wvY We Tested the 9 Newest Cruise Ships: https://youtu.be/XdoagV5JtMw 31 Cruise Embarkation Day Mistakes: https://youtu.be/6MHk9_3YbmM Expert Princess Cruises Tips: https://youtu.be/L74OfxUlX-w SUBSCRIBE to our channel for the latest cruise tips, cruise reviews, packing guides, port guides, travel tips, and more. Join us on Social Media as we “Sea the World, One Port at a Time.” Instagram: https://instagram.com/EatSleepCruise Facebook: https://facebook.com/EatSleepCruise Twitter: https://twitter.com/EatSleepCruise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@eatsleepcruise Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/EatSleepCruise Some promotional videos courtesy of Celebrity Cruises Royalty-Free Music Courtesy: https://www.epidemicsound.com/ #cruise #costlivingonacruise #eatsleepcruise