I had a friend write a book on motorcycle travels-- and it seems easy.--- but I am betting it is harder then I think it is :-)

 

I have felt pretty near to death the last three nights. During the day I felt pretty good.

 

Have we covered this topic yet?

https://www.northwesternmutual.com/l...their-spouses/

 

Actually you can leave money to certain kids and not spouses by forming a trust in the Childs name only-- A trust can be given in the Childs name and can be 100% safe from a divorce. but in a state where equiity can be split 50 50 the trust has to be made in a state that does not contain 50-50 laws. (Maryland for instance) A good trust has to have 3 board member to agree on the spending of the money--- Pic those people wisely.

 

I am going to leave all of my money split equally to my girls. I hope they spend that $10.00 wisely!

 

Calista will have a rousing .$38 to her name :-)

 

 

Those are all good points

 

Thats why you retire on cruise ships. They have on board medical staff at all times, all you can eat food, someone else cleans your room daily twice, there are elevators everywhere, and the scenery is far superior to that of a nursing home. (Plus it likely cost less per month)

 

Huh, I didn’t realize seniors did that! I’ve only been on a 3-day cruise and it felt claustrophobic onboard….

After enjoying a vacation cruise, the idea of retiring on a cruise ship may be tantalizing. Perhaps the fun could continue for years, and it might even be less expensive than a nursing home. But retirement on a ship isn’t easy to pull off and certainly isn’t the right choice for everyone. Here are 12 reality checks to consider if you are entertaining thoughts of calling a cruise ship “home” during your retirement.

1. Cost comparisons between cruise ships and nursing homes are flawed. Cruise ships do not provide the level of care required for assisted living or nursing homes. You should compare the cost of living on a cruise ship to the cost of living independently, whether that means your current home, a home in a 55+ active retirement community or independent living in a continuing care retirement community before additional expenses for assisted care or nursing care kick in.

2. The prices you see on cruise ship websites are only a portion of what you actually pay. On most cruise ships, you pay extra for alcoholic beverages and sodas. Internet service, which is a lifeline for most permanent cruisers to keep in touch with their land-based families and friends, is very expensive. Cell phone roaming charges will mount quickly. Most cruise ships charge for laundry service. Guided tours at ports are expensive, although you probably won’t avail yourself of those after your first couple visits to a port.

The prices that cruise lines quote are often per-person for double occupancy. If you’re single, there’s a hefty surcharge. Don’t count on a discount for continuous patronage or a senior discount. Since many cruise customers are seniors, it’s not advantageous for cruise lines to offer senior discounts except for sailings that are undersold.

3. You can only do this if you’re healthy. Medical care on cruise ships is expensive, and it is designed to deal with minor illnesses or injuries, not on-going care. While there is a doctor on board, he or she is not there to provide continuing care. If you incur a serious illness or injury, you will be hospitalized in the next port. If you require helicopter evacuation, that’s extremely expensive. If you contract a contagious illness, you’ll be quarantined in your room or kicked off the ship. While you are sailing around the globe it may be difficult to receive refills of medications you take regularly.

4. Your health insurance may not cover cruise ship medical care. Check with your carrier, but you might need to purchase travel insurance, which is an additional expense.

5. It’s difficult to develop long-term friendships. You will probably meet nice people on board during every cruise, but you won’t see them again after the end of that cruise. Everyone you meet will be a short-term acquaintance. The ship’s staff will be nice to you, but that’s what they are paid to do.

6. Cruise ship rooms are small. Standard rooms are usually about 170 square feet. Bathrooms are compact, and storage space is limited. You will be able to take very few personal possessions other than clothes with you. If you’re going to live on a cruise ship, you may prefer a larger room with a balcony, but of course those cost more.

7. You’ll need to plan for interruptions in service. Your ship may book charters, in which the entire ship is leased for a private tour. During these charter sailings, you’ll need to find somewhere else to stay. If the charter does not begin and end in the same port, you’ll need to travel to another city to rejoin your ship – or switch to a different ship.

8. After the first few times you visit a port, it will lose its appeal. There are a few people who have lived on a cruise ship long-term. They claim that they rarely go ashore, because they have already been to most ports several times. They enjoy the quiet times on the ship when everybody else goes ashore.

9. If you stay on the same ship, you will probably travel in the same parts of the world. Ships move to different parts of the world as the seasons change, but otherwise they usually repeat the same itineraries with only minor variations. However, a few cruise lines offer world cruises that take three to six months.

10. Most cruise ships have dress codes. Most ships have formal dinners on some nights, and they expect passengers to dress nicely for dinner and evening activities on the other nights. You should consider how getting dressed up every evening would fit in with your desired retirement lifestyle.

11. You’ll probably gain weight. Cruise ship food is delicious, but it’s not diet food. It’s readily available and plentiful throughout the ship. Once the novelty of cruising has worn off and you settle into a daily routine, you may be willing to forego the filet mignon in favor of a salad and skip dessert. But that takes will power, and if there is food in front of you, you may be tempted to eat it whether you’re hungry or not.

12. You’ll probably get tired of the entertainment. Cruise ship entertainers are talented, but you will soon grow tired of the same Broadway show tune revues, comedian’s jokes and piano bar crooner’s songs. If you rely upon the casino or bingo games for entertainment, those activities will add to the cost of your cruise ship experience.

If you’re still serious about full-time cruise living after processing all these considerations, the good news is that it’s easy to try it out before you fully commit. It’s not a long-term commitment like purchasing a home or signing an annual lease. You can try different cruise lines until you find one that suits you, and you can stop as soon as you get tired of it.

Dave Hughes is the founder of Retire Fabulously.

 

You've given this way too much thought, I was only joking. But its good to consider some of those things.

 

Would a row boat on Tuttle Lake quality? That is about all I can afford?

 

Fer me a cruise is somethin I have very little want to. Course a nursing home is the same. Both seem to be bunched up with a lot of other folks I have no say in ta who them folks are. Just sayin.

 

Does it come with room service? If so, I say go for it!

 

I've been on two cruises, and enjoyed both very much. With as many people as there were on the ships, I don't recall a time when I felt there were just too many people in the section we were in. The first ship was Liberty of the Seas which held about 3,634 people and about 1530 crew members. It had about 14 passenger decks if I remember correctly I'm not sure where everyone went once the boat took off, but I remember it feeling quite empty until I went up on the top levels where there were large crowds of people laying on chairs in the sun. It's easy to avoid the top levels, except that's where the free ice cream is, and I frequented that area often.
The second was Symphony of the Seas which was the worlds second largest ship, by about 1.5 foot in width. That ship had an occupancy of 6680 people, but again, there were few times when I didn't feel a little bit like we were on a ghost ship as its only passengers. (that is except for on boarding and off boarding. Then its a mad house.