Let’s face it, when most of us look into the cost of retirement living, we end up trawling through the same old government guidelines and retirement calculators – and they are all so boringly predictable. Whether it’s a no frills couples approach (around $41,000 a year) or a choices lifestyle for two (which comes in at around $56,000), there’s not a lot to get excited about. That’s why, as part of our ‘Home Sweet Home’ series, we thought we’d take you cruising. Yes, we’re talking about full time retirement aboard a cruise ship (or ships). Sound impossible? It all depends on how determined you are to make it happen, and whether (gulp) you want a window!
Currently, we estimate the cheapest, but by no means the most convenient, way to cruise through retirement is to line up as many consecutive budget cruises as possible. We tracked one down, starting right here in Aoteoroa, and cruising for 10 nights for just $153 per person a night. When you arrive at your destination, you haven’t gone further than Auz, but let’s look at things more positively. Because $153 is less than the cost of a double room in a Queenstown backpackers, and the cruise ship option comes with meals and drinks (mind you, the backpacker’s offer a window – the cabin does not). But who’s complaining when you’ve got an ocean view, someone to do the housekeeping for you, and there’s an onboard swimming pool and evening entertainment! Multiply the nightly cost of this cruise by 364 days, and you’re looking at around $55,500 a year for a roof over your head and ever changing scenery. There’s never a dull moment when you can people-watch to your heart’s content and find company round every corner. Now, to the ins and outs of making it happen and, yes, the fine print …
To line up your budget cruises, you’ll first have to get yourself to your ports of departure. That’s manageable when you’re already on a major continent although you’ll still have to shell out for overland transport. If you’re still down under, you’ll need to factor in international flights, and there’s bound to be filler-nights when you’ll need accommodation on land. Then there’s the tricky problem of insurance. For some reason, and we can only guess why (a mid-Atlantic medical evacuation, perhaps?), travel insurance for cruise passengers commands an extra premium. If one of your cruises doesn’t get you back to New Zealand within 26 weeks of your leaving the country, you will almost certainly find your pension payments stop. But let’s not get too hung up on details, not when it’s possible to purchase a cabin, rather than just a ticket!
A selection of cruise liners now offer discerning retirees the option of buying their onboard accommodation. Some of the more modest cabins we discovered (and they do boast a window!) come in at around $430,000 for lifetime use (that’s exclusive of maintenance fees). The kids and grandies can cruise with you (they’ll get a 30% discount on their cabins) and there’s no need to leave moggy behind. Our cruise ship welcomes cats on board as long as they’re under 9kg. But be warned, you will have to stock up on cat food – cruise kitchen chefs don’t cater for felines.
Seriously, though, setting up your retirement home onboard a cruise ship is not as crazy as it sounds. And it brings with it all the incentive in the world to downsize – because, there’s only so much stuff you can fit in a cabin!
