# Would you consider living on a cruise ship for three years?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649>\
**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:** 6

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**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/101 "2023-03-03T22:20:28Z")

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She said it’s a service dog - some lines do accept those. There was a large dog on a recent cruise which I assume was a service dog because they stopped accepting emotional support animals.

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**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/102 "2023-03-03T22:21:55Z")

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Legally, they’d have to. I’ve never seen one, though.

ETA: Looks like Beck’s all set!

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/103 "2023-03-03T22:25:53Z")

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I’m assuming this is 13 feet square, not 13 square feet. Even those Japanese pod hotels are bigger than that.

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**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/104 "2023-03-03T22:30:36Z")

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> [@susan](#):
>
> Legally, they’d have to. I’ve never seen one, though.

Doesn’t that depend on what flag the ship flies?

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**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/105 "2023-03-03T22:30:40Z")

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I’ve never seen a cabin that small on a standard cruise vessel. The modest cabin I was just in was in a class that runs 105-130 square feet.

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**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/106 "2023-03-03T22:31:38Z")

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That’s actually what the website for this one says. - 130 sq ft

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**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/107 "2023-03-03T22:33:01Z")

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Looks like itinerary may matter more than where they’re flagged. The major lines all allow service dogs (which makes sense, but I haven’t encountered one).

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/108 "2023-03-03T22:35:16Z")

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Did you mean “full ventilation”?

I know a woman who worked on a cruise ship for 2 years, as an IT technician, maintaining their satellite dish, Internet access (this was before wi-fi), etc. She said it was a fantastic experience, but knew it definitely wasn’t for everybody.

And she was paid, not paying for the privilege.

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/109 "2023-03-03T22:42:52Z")

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It’s probably not covered by Medicare or Medicaid because it’s not being performed on U.S. soil. A program with a name like “Dialysis At Sea” would probably also serve a renal-friendly diet during that period as well.

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**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/110 "2023-03-03T22:46:29Z")

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I can’t afford it, but if I could, I definitely would. Sounds like heaven to me.

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**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/111 "2023-03-03T22:54:12Z")

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Not surprisingly, the website says Medicare and Medicaid wont cover it , maybe private insurance will pay some but they don’t deal with the insurance company. However, it might be less expensive that it seems - its kind of a charter and you book through the company so it’s not like one person is paying for the staff and equipment

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**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/112 "2023-03-03T23:06:48Z")

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Not interested, for a couple of reasons:

- Having such a small area for my personal space (the 130 square foot cabin), with no external light, for three years, would wear on my nerves, even if I was spending much of each day away from my cabin.
- I tend to suffer from motion sickness easily, and the one time I went on a cruise, even moderate waves made me pretty miserable.

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**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/113 "2023-03-03T23:08:56Z")

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There are lots of misconceptions about cruises. We have been on several as well as a European river cruise. It’s not a cheap holiday, especially as we have to have an outside balcony (yes there are inside balconies) and prefer the smaller ships with \<2k passengers.

Our first cruise was around the Mediterranean and coincided with the Arab Spring. We became friendly with two elderly American ladies who had been on the ship since Australia and they maintained that it was better and cheaper than assisted living back home. Neither of them had left the ship at any of the ports. They just enjoyed the experience.

I have watched an episode of a current TV programme on cruising. They feature a Virgin ship sailing from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean and back weekly. It looks like a version of hell to me.

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**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/114 "2023-03-03T23:13:50Z")

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I’m just going to say no. If I was in one of those small, windowless cabins I would go psycho and start killing people with my bare hands. I haven’t decided if I would be a clever serial killer and stretch my victims out over three years or go out in a blaze of glory in the main dining room. Decisions, decisions.

How often do they change entertainment on these long cruises? Cuz repeating the same band/magician/comedian would be a real snooze.

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**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:** [March 3, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/115 "2023-03-03T23:34:01Z")

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Hell no. I love where I live. I love going to (good) live music three to four times a week. I can’t imagine that there would be opportunities for friends with benefits. I’d be giving everything I live for. Maybe when I’m 90.

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2023, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/116 "2023-03-03T23:54:31Z")

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I’ve seen Deep Rising. No way.

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/117 "2023-03-04T00:05:28Z")

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I wonder if the “tiny inside cabin, real cheap” is a loss leader to attract attention to the more expensive cabins you might want to live in for an extended period?

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**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/118 "2023-03-04T00:58:26Z")

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> [@Larry\_Borgia](#):
>
> I’ve seen Deep Rising. No way.

And how about the opening scene of _Ghost Ship_?

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**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/119 "2023-03-04T01:17:10Z")

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1. the typo of 13 square feet still allows for a spacious hammock
2. can I stock the library?

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2023, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-living-on-a-cruise-ship-for-three-years/980649/120 "2023-03-04T02:58:35Z")

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Imagine all the souvenirs from all the countries you will visit in three years!

No imagine where you will put them in a 130 sq ft room.

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