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We Tried Living on a Cruise Ship — Here’s What Nobody Tells You

Cruise Through Retirement - Videos
Cruise Through Retirement - Videos
🥉Knowledgeable
👁️ 46K views📅 4 months ago⏱️ 46:23
What This Creator Said
Creator Had Mixed FeelingsFull Ship Review🥉Knowledgeable Creator
❤️ Best for CoupleOther · 53 nightsVeteran Cruiser

Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.

Creator's Key Takeaways

We've been on a cruise ship for almost 6 and 1/2 months. We've done five different cruise lines and 10 different ships.

Living on a cruise ship is very different from vacationing on one.

When you're living on the cruise ship, that's not a huge possibility. No, you're on a fixed budget at that point in your life.

It gets a little repetitive. Okay, which is fine. At least you have entertainment.

Creator's Tips & Advice

Get rid of drink packages to save money.
Buy day passes for Wi-Fi instead of full packages.
Consider removing automatic gratuities and tipping specific crew directly.
Bring your own wine or drinks where allowed.
Stock up on medical supplies and toiletries before sailing.
Use credit cards with trip insurance instead of cruise line insurance.

🆕New to Cruising? This Creator Addresses:

Budget managementUnderstand that living on a cruise ship requires a fixed budget; you can't splurge like on a vacation.
RepetitivenessSwitch ships or cruise lines to keep experiences new and avoid boredom.
Social energy overloadFind quiet spaces or eat in dining rooms to avoid constant social interaction.
Losing land legsTake regular land breaks to maintain connection with land-based life.

Questions This Creator Answers

QWhat is it like to live on a cruise ship full-time?
QHow does living on a cruise ship differ from vacationing on one?
QWhat are the budget considerations for full-time cruising?
QHow do you handle health, Wi-Fi, and entertainment long-term?
QWhat are the best ways to save money while living on a cruise ship?

Topics Covered

Cruise Experience1 Happy BaconValue Pricing1½ Sad BaconWifi Connectivity2 Sad BaconEntertainment Shows1 Sad BaconService Crew2 Happy BaconLoyalty Program2½ Happy BaconDining Main1 Happy BaconItinerary Route2 Happy Bacon

Port Highlights

Antarctica
Florence
Rome
How to read the Trip Bacon Score
Happy Bacon — creators loved this aspect
Sad Bacon — creators took issue with this
Meh — no strong opinion either way

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 methodology
YouTube Video Description

Would you really want to LIVE on a cruise ship? 🚢 So many of us who love cruising dream about selling everything, stepping onboard, and never going home. And honestly… it sounds perfect. No cooking. No cleaning. New places every week. Ocean views. Built-in entertainment. A floating all-inclusive life. But after actually living this way full-time, we’ve learned something important: 👉 Living on a cruise ship is very different from vacationing on one. In this video, we break down: • What it’s REALLY like to live aboard • The things cruise lines don’t advertise • The emotional and practical realities • The hidden costs (and hidden savings) • Who this lifestyle is perfect for • Who should absolutely NOT do it • And how to test the idea before you commit We’ll also show you several real ways people structure cruise ship living, including: • Staying on one ship long-term • Rotating between multiple ships • Switching cruise lines • Mixing land stays and sea life (like we do) • And how to dramatically reduce costs while doing it If you’ve ever thought: “I wish I could just live on a cruise ship…” This video will help you decide if that dream fits your life — or if it would quietly turn into something very different. ⸻ 🔗 WATCH OUR FULL CRUISE & LAND LIFE -- SUBSCRIBE TO BOTH SO YOU DON'T MISS CROSSOVER CONTENT LIKE ANTARCTICA! Cruise Through Retirement (ships, tours, cruise lifestyle): 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@CruiseThroughRetirement Taste Life With Us (ports, food, daily life, and slow travel): 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@TasteLifeWithUs We split our content between Cruise Through Retirement (ships, itineraries, and cruise experience) and Taste Life With Us (ports, food, and daily life), so watching both gives you the full picture of what our full-time life looks like on land and at sea. ⸻ ☕👍 If you’ve enjoyed this free content, please feel free to buy us a coffee (or a glass of wine) ❤️ https://buymeacoffee.com/TasteLifeWithUs 🌍 FOLLOW OUR FULL-TIME TRAVEL LIFE Instagram – Cruise Through Retirement 👉 https://www.instagram.com/CruiseThroughRetirement Facebook – Cruise Through Retirement 👉 https://www.facebook.com/CruiseThroughRetirement Instagram – Taste Life With Us 👉 https://www.instagram.com/TasteLifeWithUs Facebook – Taste Life With Us 👉 https://www.facebook.com/TasteLifeWithUs ⸻ 📺 START HERE PLAYLISTS Start with Cruise Through Retirement: 👉 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2wV-KXCTQQBLp9JiBJnjNAwcV2h3WY71&si=bjrP67bS7y4z6hMZ Start with Taste Life With Us -- "Life Off The Ship": 👉 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaKrCcu1wb9MEhH5IhM1PwepNQzpWAKEx #cruiselife #CruiseLiving #LiveOnACruiseShip #cruisethroughretirement #CruiseLifestyle #FullTimeCruising #cruiseshiplife #CruiseDream #cruisetips #cruisevloggers #RetirementTravel #slowtravel #HiddenGemTravel #InternationalTravel #traveldreams #DigitalNomadLife #over50travel #RetirementLifestyle #worldtravel