Thinking of retiring 4-6 months a year on ships, want to learn

[Go-Bucks!]

On 2/3/2019 at 2:28 AM, Expat Cruise said:

 

You're right I like to compare apples to apple and use facts. The average cost to cruise with extras in 2018 was about $213 dollars per day. Your World cruise is at least double if not triple this number.  If you would to check my facts here is the link: https://cruisemarketwatch.com/financial-breakdown-of-typical-cruiser/

 

So what I posted is absolutely correct I said "If you are interested in saving money do not look at a world cruise, the costs per day is two or three times the costs of regular cruises."

My statement was if you want to save money and that is true. He also is solo cruising for the added cost of that would be even more. If you want to take all the tours and use all the services maybe you could spend as much as a World Cruise. But a very big difference between a vacation and living on a ship for 4 to 5  months a year.

 

You stated the amenities  are worth about $22,000 dollars, only if you use them are they worth that price or any price. If you cruise single on a mainstream line you will very quickly more to a upper level and get many free peaks.  If you are looking for a high end cruise and you have the budget maybe look at World cruises but they do not save you money as the costs is two or three times the costs of many other cruises. 

 

I looked back at the entry prices for an inside cabin on the current 2019 Oceania world cruise that I'm on (in their brochure) and here is what's listed:

 

180 day (leaves from NYC)...$35,000, which is $194pp/day

 

161 day (leaves from Los Angeles)....$33,000, which is $205pp/day

 

And these prices include all the amenities I listed previously, with a value of at least $22,000. You said that maybe someone won't use them so they're really not as valuable, but most people will use most of them. On a long cruise, virtually everyone will fly to the embarkation port, will go a day early so as not to miss the sailing so need a hotel room, need transportation to the hotel and to the ship, will need clothes laundered, will want to stay in touch with their friends and family, may need medical care, will want to take tours in ports, will need more clothing and supplies to last for months (and baggage fees on planes keep getting steeper) so directly shipping them is economical, will need visas for numerous countries and they're expensive (not to mention a huge hassle to obtain on your own) and something to drink each day other than tap water.

 

The OP for this thread was asking about long trips...not a 7 or 14 day cruise. Heck, you can get a 5 day Carnival for $49pp/day...but that wasn't his question.  Long standard cruises or a long string of back-to-back cruises will rarely, if ever, beat the prices of a world cruise when the cost of the extra things you will have to pay for separately is included in the final calculation. 

 

This is beating a dead horse now, but I'm sure the OP will understand that a couple of us have actually done a world cruise and are not just getting some stats from a book or Google. 😊

Edited February 10, 2019 by Go-Bucks!

[Expat Cruise]

1 hour ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

I looked back at the entry prices for an inside cabin on the current 2019 Oceania world cruise that I'm on (in their brochure) and here is what's listed:

 

180 day (leaves from NYC)...$35,000, which is $194pp/day

 

161 day (leaves from Los Angeles)....$33,000, which is $205pp/day

 

And these prices include all the amenities I listed previously, with a value of at least $22,000. You said that maybe someone won't use them so they're really not as valuable, but most people will use most of them. On a long cruise, virtually everyone will fly to the embarkation port, will go a day early so as not to miss the sailing so need a hotel room, need transportation to the hotel and to the ship, will need clothes laundered, will want to stay in touch with their friends and family, may need medical care, will want to take tours in ports, will need more clothing and supplies to last for months (and baggage fees on planes keep getting steeper) so directly shipping them is economical, will need visas for numerous countries and they're expensive (not to mention a huge hassle to obtain on your own) and something to drink each day other than tap water.

 

The OP for this thread was asking about long trips...not a 7 or 14 day cruise. Heck, you can get a 5 day Carnival for $49pp/day...but that wasn't his question.  Long standard cruises or a long string of back-to-back cruises will rarely, if ever, beat the prices of a world cruise when the cost of the extra things you will have to pay for separately is included in the final calculation. 

 

This is beating a dead horse now, but I'm sure the OP will understand that a couple of us have actually done a world cruise and are not just getting some stats from a book or Google. 😊

And the stats are most people who live year round on cruise ships do not do World Cruises.... because they are not cost effective.... you are right your are beating a dead horse because you want to be right.... but that does not make you right. The readers here will read and form the opinion they want based upon all the facts. 

 

FYI: The person with most days cruising alive today, almost 20 years, does back to back cruises not World Cruises. He does not recommend them. Look him up if people want a real expert with 20 years plus living on cruise ships.  Mario Salcedo  

Edited February 10, 2019 by Expat Cruise

[Lois R]

Good morning, maybe I am just slow and getting very confused but I would have to agree with the previous poster.....re-reading some of the postings, I would think "living on a cruise ship"...totally living on one, all year round, would be different than taking a "World Cruise".

 

Personally, I would love to do both.....let me start with the regular cruise......after that, I would have to figure out the next steps going forward.

 

[Heidi13]

On 2/10/2019 at 3:25 AM, Expat Cruise said:

And the stats are most people who live year round on cruise ships do not do World Cruises.... because they are not cost effective.... you are right your are beating a dead horse because you want to be right.... but that does not make you right. The readers here will read and form the opinion they want based upon all the facts. 

 

FYI: The person with most days cruising alive today, almost 20 years, does back to back cruises not World Cruises. He does not recommend them. Look him up if people want a real expert with 20 years plus living on cruise ships.  Mario Salcedo  

Go-Bucks and I have provided current facts that dispute your assertion that World Cruises are not cost effective, compared to regular cruises, yet you continue to promote your misconception.

 

I note your opinion is based on 2nd hand information from a person with only 20 years sea time. Personally, I have almost 40 years at sea aboard passenger vessels, both working and as a passenger.

 

Please tell us how many World Cruise you have actually completed, since you allege to be an expert.

[Expat Cruise]

59 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Go-Bucks and I have provided current facts that dispute your assertion that World Cruises are not cost effective, compared to regular cruises, yet you continue to promote your misconception.

 

I note your opinion is based on 2nd hand information from a person with only 20 years sea time. Personally, I have almost 40 years at sea aboard passenger vessels, both working and as a passenger.

 

Please tell us how many World Cruise you have actually completed, since you allege to be an expert.

I have provide the facts it is clear for anyone to look and see the facts. If readers do not want to believe them then that is heir choice.   The truth is the truth.

[Heidi13]

On 2/10/2019 at 5:43 AM, Lois R said:

Good morning, maybe I am just slow and getting very confused but I would have to agree with the previous poster.....re-reading some of the postings, I would think "living on a cruise ship"...totally living on one, all year round, would be different than taking a "World Cruise".

 

Personally, I would love to do both.....let me start with the regular cruise......after that, I would have to figure out the next steps going forward.

 

Having actually lived aboard ships for up to 9 months at a time and also having completed 1 World Cruise, the differences are significant, especially if you are a passenger. So yes, they are different, but living on a B2B cruise ship is Not a better experience than a World Cruise.

 

World Cruises visit different ports and get multiple overnights in port. The duration of World Cruises can be as much as 245 days (Viking Ocean, 2019/20 Ultimate WC London R/T, departing Aug 2019). During this period you do not leave the ship, so no airfare costs and no inconvenience of "Turn-Around Ports. Yes, on World Cruises the menus may repeat, but it isn't exactly the same menu every week.

 

On B2B, especially if on a 7-day itinerary (or less) any prolonged period on the ship becomes boring - every week the menus are the same, you are in the same position every day of the week and even many of the activities are repeated. Note -this may not always be factual, but from my extensive experience (working & passenger), is very common. You can escape the repetitive  menus/itinerary by changing ships, but that also costs additional money with airfares, etc..

 

To summarise (from my experience), living on the same ship, doing B2B cruises, for an extended period is definitely different from a World Cruise, but having experienced both, my preference is definitely the variety provided by a longer cruise.

[Heidi13]

25 minutes ago, Expat Cruise said:

I have provide the facts it is clear for anyone to look and see the facts. If readers do not want to believe them then that is heir choice.   The truth is the truth.

Having reviewed all your posts, you provided a website that stated, it was based on an estimate of 2018 average cruise revenue. To be specific, let me quote the 2nd sentence, "Here is a breakdown of the ESTIMATED 2018 average cruise revenue and expense per passenger for all cruise lines world wide". 

 

This is not based on facts, it is an estimate. I further note the sources are listed as RCCL, Carnival & NCL, which is contrary to the statement that it is an average for ALL cruise lines world wide. They may be the big 3, but certainly are not ALL world wide cruise lines.

 

You also mention 2nd hand opinions from a seasoned cruiser. I regret, these are opinions and not facts.

 

Go-Bucks & I have provided current pricing for 3 cruise lines, which are posted online. These are actual facts and provide a selection of regular cruises that are more expensive (pp/day) than World Cruises. We have provided multiple examples where World Cruises are actually cheaper than regular cruises.

 

You can certainly find cheaper regular cruises, especially last minute deals, when they try to fill mega ships, but living full time on a regular ship you must consider average pricing and also transportation costs, if transferring between ships. 

 

 

 

[Expat Cruise]

Again I will let the facts stand as they are.  My sources quoted are all proven industry standards, not people making claims on a blind web set. I'm willing to leave the posts as stated and allow the reader to make a choice, for some reason a few want only their opinions here and are afraid  of opinions they do not agree with. Really very sad when some cannot provide real answers they want to attack others. Sorry cannot play that game. Several opinions have been posted now they readers can decide. 

 

[Go-Bucks!]

On 2/11/2019 at 10:09 PM, Expat Cruise said:

for some reason a few want only their opinions here and are afraid  of opinions they do not agree with. 

 

First, this thread has ended up beating a dead horse.  And no one is "afraid" of anything...many of us have done or are currently doing a world cruise so we know what we paid and the great value we got. Nothing can change that fact.

 

This world cruise board is a very good resource for those who are investigating doing a world cruise....they'll be able to get alot accurate information by reading numerous threads on it. 👍

 

 

[Uncle Tony]

I recently put up a question about the company, "CruiseRetirement". I sent for literature, nothing yet.

 

[Go-Bucks!]

On 2/13/2019 at 12:36 PM, Go-Bucks! said:

This world cruise board is a very good resource for those who are investigating doing a world cruise....they'll be able to get alot accurate information by reading numerous threads on it. 

 

I accidentally wrote "world cruise board" when I meant 55+ Cruisers.  Sorry for any confusion.