Retirement accommodation can be costly.  I have written about the cost of remaining at home with 24 hour care ( $35/hr on average in Canada), I have written about NORCs and sharing the caring and I have written about retirement residences and long term care homes. CTV News had an interesting story about retiring on  a cruise ship.

In the article, they list the pros, which include: traveling- seeing different places, having all your meals cooked, housekeeping included and socialization readily available.

Cons they list include: between cruises, one would need to pay for short term accommodations and flights, miscellaneous expenses (port fees, tipping), health care needs to be paid up front, difficult to see family and small spaces.  While the article identified most cruises are for 2 weeks, they did identify a 36 day cruise (from Montreal to Miami) at $7,559 pp.

Now more interesting, they also identified a three year trip from Istanbul (at $40,000 pp /annually) and home ownership ( and shared ownership) of a cruise ship- where yes- you can purchase your own cabin.  Storylines.com is offering a private residence cruise ship that circumnavigates the world every 3 years.  The shared scenario offers the opportunity for “4 residents to purchase fractional shares of 25 percent, allowing them to share residence on board the company’s inaugural vessel, MV Narrative”.  The introductory pricing for a 25% share is $1,275,000 for the lifetime of the vessel and $37,000 for quarterly all- inclusive fees.

If you are considering checking a world cruise off of your bucket list, I would suggest you consider it, while you are healthy.    For most of us, the journey starts with staying at home and then, if needed exploring a retirement residence.   While I don’t think cruising through retirement  is for me, I would love to hear if this is something you would consider.