# Would you consider living on a cruise ship for three years? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [March 3, 2023, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649 "2023-03-03T13:23:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/341 "2023-11-24T18:19:03Z")
Who are you going to sue? Once the money is reimbursed, there’s nothing left. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/342 "2023-11-24T18:27:50Z")
I’ll be absolutely amazed if the deposits actually get refunded. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/343 "2023-11-24T18:45:24Z")
How long was it between taking deposits from people and realizing they couldn’t buy a ship? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/344 "2023-11-24T18:48:44Z")
Honestly, I’m not very sympathetic to anyone who actually sold their house in anticipation of this, given the risks involved. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/345 "2023-11-24T19:01:24Z")
Once, on the radio, they interviewed a couple who sold their apartment, purchased a yacht, and spent the next however many years sailing around and around the world. However, that takes actual work, not just lying on a deck chair getting hammered. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/346 "2023-11-24T19:31:59Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Honestly, I’m not very sympathetic to anyone who actually sold their house in anticipation of this, given the risks involved. Yeah, I have to agree. > [@DPRK](#): > > Once, on the radio, they interviewed a couple who sold their apartment, purchased a yacht, and spent the next however many years sailing around and around the world. However, that takes actual work, not just lying on a deck chair getting hammered. And it takes a HELL of a lot more than work. Knowledge, perseverance and the ability to abstain from creature comforts and live in a small hectic place with another person for a long time. I don’t really believe in ‘luck’ but you will also need a good dollop of luck. See knowledge above so you don’t have to depend on luck. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/347 "2023-11-24T19:58:35Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > I’ll be absolutely amazed if the deposits actually get refunded. that … they took money … and incurred cost for quite some time (salaries for x managers, office, travel, etc…) now they need to repay 100% of the money and on top of that pay for flights, accomodations and lawsuits, etc… unless somebody adds a couple of wheelbarrows full of $20ies thats not going to happen (at least in full) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/348 "2023-11-24T22:02:45Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > unless somebody adds a couple of wheelbarrows full of $20ies thats not going to happen (at least in full) Presumably they had investors or angels in addition to just taking deposits to fund the creation & operation of the business. Those people are gonna get bupkiss back. I’d bet folks who put down ticket deposits will get oh, 5 or 7 cents on the dollar. Tops. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/349 "2023-11-24T23:27:05Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > “YOYONA” pronounced like the “yo-yo” toy plus “Naah” sounding like “Naah, you shouldn’t do that”. Emphasis on the “na” syllable. Like Yoyo ma? ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/350 "2023-11-25T12:48:31Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > sold their apartment, purchased a yacht, and spent … years sailing But they still had control over all their money. And they owned a real boat , not a theoretical room in a theoretical boat. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/351 "2023-11-26T20:06:49Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Most have spent tens of thousands of dollars on what was meant to be the experience of a lifetime Now they are homeless and broke in Türkiye. Mission accomplished! ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/352 "2023-12-03T18:03:16Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I’m wondering if the _idea_ makes sense, why wouldn’t an existing cruise ship operator (Carnival, Norwegian, etc.) just do it, using one of their older ships (perhaps one that they were about to sell off)? They already know the ships’ running costs and have access to staff and supplies. On the other hand, if cruise ships are like passenger airliners, they’re getting rid of the older ones because the newer ones are cheaper to operate. > > Though upthread someone mentioned Semester at Sea, which is a shorter-form version of this idea, as are those round-the-world cruises. The “genius” of this operation is they were getting the customers to finance it in advance. So theirreturn on investment could be huge even if its barely profitable. While the big lines are normal big businesses with good access to credit and reputations to preserve and calculate profitabilty of each ship in a normal kind of way. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/353 "2023-12-03T18:18:33Z")
> [@nicky](#): > > The “genius” of this operation is they were getting the customers to finance it in advance. So theirreturn on investment could be huge even if its barely profitable. I’m sure that was part of the thinking, but the way I read the numbers (granted they always talked about how cheap the cheap options were, not the higher/regular options) I didn’t see anyway they’d cover their operating costs, purchase/refurb costs, and the medical (even after they started dialing down the expectations). I know cruise ships are masters at nickel-and-diming (more like fivers and tenners) every little minor need, but I was guessing that they were going to plan for a loss for part/all of the first 3 year cycle and then see major price increases. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/354 "2023-12-03T18:57:19Z")
Is there any information on how the sponsor of this project was capitalized? Until I see credible reports that all or most of the money has been refunded, I’m going to suspect this was an audacious scam from the get go. Collect tens of millions in deposits spend most of it on payments to “affiliates” then fail to deliver anything and say that the money was spent on “startup costs” ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/355 "2023-12-04T01:34:21Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Once, on the radio, they interviewed a couple who sold their apartment, purchased a yacht, and spent the next however many years sailing around and around the world. I thought you were going to reference [this couple](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/2), whose boat sank two days into the trip. I guess they at least _had_ a boat. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/356 "2023-12-04T02:30:43Z")
When it was over they said > We’re gonna need a less-sinky boat! ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/357 "2023-12-04T04:36:44Z")
Last night’s _Saturday Night Live_ had a story on the Weekend Update segment. Colin Jost read the news that the trip was canceled because they couldn’t find a ship. His reply was along the lines, “They could have asked me”, showing a picture of the old Staten Island ferry that he and Pete Davidson bought a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/358 "2023-12-06T19:19:36Z")
Ah! I get it now. Knowing nothing about that, I figured it was a regular ol’ SI ferry and he was going to point them to the ticket office or something. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/359 "2023-12-13T18:17:14Z")
I am not sure if I need to start a new thread “Would you consider living on a cruise ship for 3 and a half years”? [https://us.cnn.com/travel/three-and-a-half-year-cruise-villa-vie-residences/index.html](https://us.cnn.com/travel/three-and-a-half-year-cruise-villa-vie-residences/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/360 "2023-12-13T23:19:57Z")
Well they actually have a ship, which puts them a few steps ahead of the other guys. “Buying” a cabin is pretty wild. You have to drop a shitload of money and all that gets you is a **discount** on your monthly rates. Spend a quarter million to “buy” a balcony cabin and you’re paying 48k a year instead of 72k a year for the privilege of cruising. With discounts like that, you can’t afford _not_ to buy! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649.md?page=19)