Financial Reasons Living On A Cruise Ship Is Harder Than You Think

Living on a cruise ship year-round may sound appealing. Not only do you get to travel to fascinating destinations, but if you're not paying rent or you've already sold your home, your housing expenses will be covered by the cruise package. When living on a ship year-round, you could get also by without a car; you won't have to shop for groceries; and your living quarters will be maintained by housekeeping services. Fraser, a content creator on the YouTube channel Fraser at Sea, took a year off from working in the tech industry to spend time regularly ship-hopping. When cruise-planning site Cruise Mummy followed up on his experience, Fraser said that, in some instances, he found budget trips for as low as $50 per day with meals included.

But giving up life ashore isn't always that simple and affordable. Besides the cost of the cruise package, add-on costs like internet fees, upgrades from tight cabins, doctor's fees, and more can add up to make the shipboard lifestyle harder than you think.  All Things Cruise spoke with Mario Salcedo, a man who has lived this lifestyle for 25 years. He works about five hours a day as an investment manager, which provides the whopping $101,000 he spends on Royal Caribbean cruises each year. To compare his estimate with others, cruise-reporting site Cruzely.com determined that it would cost two people an average of $194,000 a year to live on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship, breaking down to $97,000 per person — close to Salcedo's costs. An unforeseen event, like a medical emergency, can easily inflate this figure further. 

Although cruise ships have medical professionals on board, they don't have the kind of full-service hospitals that exist ashore, and the close quarters on ship can facilitate infectious disease spread (as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic). Lynnelle, who has lived full-time on a cruise ship, told CruiseGalore that just seeing the ship's doctor for an earache cost $150, and lab tests are typically pricier. People with chronic or more serious diseases wouldn't have ready access to their medical professionals. It can be challenging, too, for people on dietary restrictions, who would have to pay extra to get custom meals made just for them. Also factor in tipping costs. Cruzely.com listed 2025 gratuities for major cruise lines, which range from $16 to $27.25 per day per person — that works out to between $6,000 and $10,000 per year. 

Space wise, a standard cruise cabin ranges in size from 140 to 190 square feet; for context, an average living room is 200 to 220 square feet. So, when living on a cruise ship, you would either need to cram all your belongings into a tiny ship cabin or upgrade to a suite, which comes with much higher costs. Life Well Cruised shared the experience of one passenger who upgraded from a mini suite to one with two bedrooms by paying $3,500 more. Since customers typically bid on these upgrades before the voyage, upgrading if you're feeling claustrophobic in your cabin while already at sea isn't always a possibility. 

Travel site The Points Guy shared information about alcoholic drinks packages on cruise ships. For example, Holland America's Elite Beverage Package cost $65.95 per day per adult (plus an 18% gratuity) and was only valid for drinks worth $15 or less. If one adult in a cabin buys a drinks package, every adult must. Plus, drinks from in-room minibars or room service are not included in the package. 

Internet is another "extra" expense that can increase your cost of living on board, especially if you're planning to work remotely. Mobile data site Gig Sky listed internet package prices as starting at $16 daily for an individual device and climbing to more than $40. Weekly packages can start at around $120 and go beyond $400. Other activities that may incur extra costs include speciality dining meals, spa centers, activities during trips on shore, and cruise photos. If you're planning to ship-hop between cruise lines, you may have to pay additional land or air transportation costs. 

Getting a guarantee cabin can save you plenty of money on a cruise ship. A "guarantee cabin" means that the cruise line picks your quarters for you based on what you've paid. Repositioning cruises can be more cost-effective, too. This term refers to cruising on a ship that's relocating for the season, so you end up going wherever the ship goes. Other money-saving strategies include booking early (which takes finagling and some ship-hopping), choosing the cheaper inside cabins (with no exterior window), and selecting older ships. Also, you can save money doing laundry on the cruise by waiting for the end of the voyage to take advantage of better prices.