Ever thought about leaving it all behind and living on a cruise ship?
Well 48-year-old Kevin Martin from Missouri did just that, and he’s shared a breakdown of his costs each month – as well as the good, bad, and the ugly when it comes to living on a ship.
The ex-military man and former lawyer decided to ditch the grind in 2019 and begin documenting his travels on YouTube. His latest videos have seen him spending an entire year living on cruises.
Having sailed with MSC, NCL, Princess and Royal Caribbean cruises, he’s been sharing just how ‘affordable’ it is to travel the world by breaking down his monthly expenses.
For example, during the month of March 2024, Kevin sailed to St Kitts, St Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Grand Cayman and Aruba, to name a few.
For the entire month on the ship, he spent a total of £1,615. To break it down, £1,080 of this was used on his accommodation and the inclusive buffet dinners on board the vessel.
In that time, he spent just £22 extra on meals that weren’t included in the above package.
He was savvy when he booked cruises, using deals, and he received on board credit to spend too, because he’s a veteran and he bought credit for future cruises.
Kevin’s other expenses included his phone bill, which is £85, insurance at £42 and health care, which costs him £19 per month.
He spent an entire year living this way and said he would absolutely do it again, but would this time only spend a month to three months on board. He’d also change up the ship he was on for different scenery.
‘About a month on a ship is the sweet spot, maybe a little bit more – 45 days or six weeks or so,’ Kevin adds.
‘I plan on integrating cruising into my travel plans in the future… I hate flights. I loved my year on cruise ships,’ he said.
He explained that if he had to do it again, he would vary the itinerary a bit more and see different places.
The behaviour on cruises was also amusing to Kevin, so if you’re planning on living on a cruise for a while, you need to brace yourself.
‘I saw a guy at the buffet taking shrimp – not fried shrimp, those peeled shrimp, frozen and you dip them in cocktail sauce,’ he says.
‘I saw a guy taking handfuls of those shrimp and putting them in the pockets of his cargo shorts. His pockets were bulging with these shrimp, then he left the buffet. I thought that was hilarious.’
He said that every now and then he would hear his neighbours in cabins next to his, but not often and it didn’t seem to bother him.
‘The only thing I hear is when people walk by my state room and they’ve been drinking at night and they’re talking really loud. That’s the only thing I really hear in my room,’ he explains.
The YouTuber’s favourite cruise he lived on was the Fire and Ice cruise, which went from Fort Lauderdale in Florida to Halifax, Canada. He also visited Icelandic destinations too.
If you’re looking to cruise for a year like Kevin, he has a couple of tips…
Firstly, make sure the cruise line you pick makes it easy for you to do laundry. You want self service laundry on board, rather than having to pay lots to send it out.
Next, look at the rewards programmes for the cruise lines, to make sure the perks like discounted wifi and free drinks suits you.
Bon voyage!
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