During a recent outing, several of us got to talking about the activities we liked to do and looked forward to. Every so often someone would ask if Randy would do a particular activity. Generally the answer was “no,” but not always. One person asked, with a bit of incredulity, why he is even on this cruise.
I laughed and replied, because this is our home.
Why Residential Cruising Appealed to Us
This concept of our living on a cruise ship started as a “some day” idea for retirement. The joke is that we don’t plan on retiring from our work, just from household chores. We love traveling, except for the airline and TSA hassles. So, cruising around the world, one way or another, caught our attention nine years ago as an ideal opportunity. It’s why “Travel the World, Go Home Every Night®” immediately came to mind as the slogan for this site.
When I returned from my walking Pilgrimage in Italy in May 2023, I was startled by Randy’s lethargy: he was very ill. He had enough energy to get his work done, at least the newsletters, but that was about it.
Fortunately my problem-solving mind figured out the real problem and devised a solution. I’m still very proud of the moment I walked up to Randy and said, “It’s time to enact the Retirement Plan” in the calmest of voices. His response, with the perkiest posture and voice I’d heard in months, of “Really? When? Now?!” told me all I needed to know.
One month later the house was on the market. Two months after that, we were under contract to sell.
Switching Modes
Now we could quit spending time shopping for food, preparing for meals, cooking them, cleaning up after them, and starting again. We would get straight to the best part of food — eating it.
I could quit chasing dust bunnies around and making weak attempts to clean. Inviting friends for dinner wasn’t even enough to get us to clean well. If they are friends they’ll deal with our dust and mess. Right?
The monthly laundry project could go away. We’d collected enough clothes to get us through a month of not doing laundry. Sweet! And sweeter still is we could give away the bulk of our clothing collection and let someone else deal with our laundry. All we have to do is put the clothes away when they come back clean.
Repairing and maintaining things that start going wrong with a 20-year-old house could go by the wayside. And since the bulk of management effort fell on me, I was thrilled at this prospect of handing it all over to someone else.
We’d been yearning for community closer than our remote location allowed for. I love my friends, and between busy lives and travel distance I didn’t get to see enough of them. Maybe living within a few hundred feet of a group of people could give us our fill of friends and activity buddies.
We had delays early on, and then a lengthy pause in Belfast before we got going. But the thing is, we got going!
Settled In
All we had looked forward has become reality. When things need repair it’s a simple request to Resident Services that got them handled. Going to meals at the buffet or dining room is a treat; we see friends and are taken care of by the staff with joy, and we choose between eating inside or out. Entertainment by bands, local dance or song ensembles, movies, and your usual quiz sessions is abundant. We can choose from any number of exercise classes, gym machines, dance classes, a choir, pickleball, ping pong — and more.
For intellectual stimulation, I started a speaker series: the Residents have a lot of expertise, and it hasn’t been hard to fill the slots as they’re given to us on the ship’s calendar: people are already booked into January. Randy gave one about his career in EMS that was very well received. His energy is definitely coming back as he heals.
The ship moves to a different port every night or three, introducing us to new places to explore at our whim. Some of the residents actively pursue tours, new beaches, and a variety of activities. We find that while we get off the ship in most locations, we didn’t at every port. When I was asked why we were on the ship, I was a bit taken aback and had to think about the difference between our approach and that of others.
Realization
What I realized is that for us, “chasing the fun” is exhausting. We aren’t on a vacation whose purpose is to explore and learn. We are living our lives and can enjoy different scenery from the ship without leaving it, and then choose to go out when something looks especially interesting. Ours is clearly a different mentality, one that works for us. We get to hear about the different fun everyone had and see their pictures while we pursue the different things we enjoy.
Other Residents feel it too. Mostly, we’ve gone from one port to the next between dinner and breakfast. When we finally have a day at sea because the next port is quite a bit farther, it’s common to hear other Residents say, “It’s so good to get a break!”
My activities include reading, listening to podcasts, and talking with my neighbors and friends. Randy continues to pursue his passion for writing and publishing, and all that it entails. And when we do get off the ship to explore, we love that break in the routine.
Essentially, we continue living our lives on a home that moves around, slowly making its way around the world. It’s perfect for us, just as taking tours and exploring new sights is perfect for others. The “adventure” is our lifestyle — seeing the world on our terms.
Why are we here?
Because it really is our home.
Last Updated December 7, 2024 Originally Published December 5, 2024
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I find it rather odd that someone would even ask.
Like many of your followers, I enjoy living vicariously through your posts. I do not care to give up the peaceful and bucolic lifestyle that I have here, but I do enjoy following your adventures both on and off the ship. I look forward to every installment.
Robert, I totally get that everyone has different reasons for being on Odyssey. The person who asked me is onboard to access all the playgrounds (kayak, scuba, hikes, etc) they can. They can’t put themselves in my shoes, which is fine. I used it as a reminder that we too have different reasons for being onboard and that I don’t even have to get off the ship at every stop; nad that’s ok. 🙂
Kit and Randy, and your cast of hundreds (thousands?), your lifestyle is SO wonderfully unique! I am envious, and wish I was doing the same thing. Writing a novel while “at sea” sounds heavenly — and not having to deal with the political tides on land has GOT to be a plus.
Please keep sending us your adventures!
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I assume you mean you are (or would like to be) writing a novel. I’ve got too much to write that I have no plans for fiction! But indeed a writer’s group has already started here. I’m officially a member, but have too much to do to attend meetings. -rc
James, I was already pretty good at ignoring the political tides, having practiced for decades. Being in this new adventure lifestyle makes it even easier.
So, you think I should write a novel? Hhhmmm…. Fun idea! 😉
It definitely sounds like you haven’t gotten bored yet, nor are you likely to soon.
Frankly I’m more than a little jealous.
I had no idea that Colorado was trying to kill you, and I am glad that escaping it appears to be the cure.
Jeff, bored is not in our DNA nor vocabulary. I’m so grateful that Randy seems to be off death’s doorstep and thriving in this experience.
You can continue to live through our experiences as long as you want. Enjoy!
There are many different perspectives as to “Why we are here”. Yours is right for you and it’s your “happy place”. May everyone be so lucky as to find their “happy place”.
Marti, thanks for your beautiful pearls. I think most, if not all, have found their happy place here. That adds joy to our happy place.
Lovely. I think the exploration could easily become a problem if you felt obliged to do it. Going exploring when you want to is great.
I would probably need a rule midway between those approaches — I tend to hide in my room a lot wherever I am. Perhaps a similar rule would work to what I do at home — at least get off the ship/out of the house and say hello to the sun, if I don’t feel up to more. (I don’t always do that, but I try.)
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We also try to take at least one walk on the deck together every day. -rc
Lenore, you nailed my attitude. Walking on the Promenade Deck daily is wonderful. It might not be as good as walking my trails at my former home, but it’s better than not walking. And, after I finish this comment, I’ll be heading to the pool deck to read and write. 🙂 That’s a great opportunity, too.
Love hearing your perspective, Kit. Yours would be my own attitude, and I’m most intrigued by this journey you are on. As an Air Force dependent (or BRAT) we moved 27 times by the time I was 14. In life, change is the only constant and you have embraced it fully. I would love to be in your shoes! Keep living your lives and writing about it for those of us who yearn to be there, too.
Teri, I didn’t recognize change in my life early on. And once I started seeing it I started relishing in it. Change is a constant in everyone’s lives. It’s all how they look at it and accept it that impacts your joy level.
I am sure you both will not tire of this life soon. I know that were I there I would often want to stay longer at some of your ports. You took advantage of the time in Belfast I note. So there is the possibility to stay somewhere for a week or two and then fly to “catch up” with “home”.
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And just to be clear, we can do just that in many, but not all, countries. In Brazil, for instance, you cannot get off the ship in one port and get back on in another: you have to fly or drive out and catch the ship in another country. Bottom line is you must research and plan carefully. -rc
Nimrod, right now we’re just going with the flow. After we’ve been around the world once, we’ll know which ports we want to spend more time in and plan accordingly. I’m amused that I miss the sea days because of the peace they seem to bring to the days. Hhhmmm, maybe my ideal would be fewer ports (my choice) for longer and then more sea days. LOL! There are lots of ways to slice and dice this lifestyle. 😀
#ThisIsTheCorrectAnswer
LOL!
It’s the correct answer for us, that’s for sure.
I’m so very happy to see this post!!! It gives me deeper insight into two people I love and consider family: Both of you!
Glad Randy’s feeling better, and you’re both finding your new groove.
Amy, I’m glad sharing my thougths gave you more insight into us. That’s how family gets closer. 🙂
You and I both are glad Randy’s feeling better. The new groove is undoubtedly helping.
I love these posts *about* residential cruising, keep ’em coming! It sound like for some folks, they take a break when the ship has sea days, whereas when you need a break, you go ashore and explore. Bravo!
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As you see, we will do articles as we have time and energy. Meanwhile, many LOVE the Ports of Call column. The best part of the free email notifications is you know what the post is before you click, so if you aren’t interested in one or the other, you can skip those. -rc
You make a compelling case in your set of reasons to consider Residential Cruising. Our lives are similar, particularly during the non-ski season. I would love it but unfortunately my husband has less than zero desire to cruise.
Barbara, if cruising isn’t in your future, please continue doing so vicariously through us and our posts. It’s nice to have you “aboard”.
So glad about not having to prepare meals & wash dishes all the time, and to have time to read, read, read while living at sea. Also relieved Randy is better — there’s a gleam in his eye that bodes well! Thank you for sharing your special life changes & thoughts!
Artemis, you’re spot on with that gleam in Randy’s eye being a good sign he’s healing. He loves what he does and I don’t expect to see that change any time soon. So for him, it’s write, write, write while living at sea. 🙂
I’m very happy Randy is better (or at least getting there) & I’m very happy that you’re both enjoying this so much. While I don’t enjoy traveling at all anymore, I absolutely *LOVE* living your adventures vicariously through both you & your guest writers/commentators. I hope things continue to go amazing well for all of you.
Thanks, Mike. You keep sailing with us as you wish. Please do keep the snoring down, though. You’re competing with me and that disturbs Randy’s much-needed rest. 😀
In addition to appreciating all you mention here, I think of all the noise you don’t have to deal with. When I was living in LA … it was nonstop. Helicopters. Trash trucks. Leaf blowers. Car alarms. Muscle cars. Motorcycles. Police cars. Firetrucks. Airplanes. Buses. Barking dogs. Gunshots.
One of the things I like about where I currently live is it is generally very quiet. It is also one of my favorite memories of staying at your house: so impressively quiet.
I imagine being on a cruise ship with so many people there is noise … but likely it is mostly the inviting sounds of people milling about, food being served, a concert, etc.
Is your cabin quiet? I treasure quiet.
Side note: In spite of my absurd sensitivity to noise I have to say there is one sound I deeply appreciate: the sound of a child laughing.
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The best is when we’re at sea, and on the balcony. All we can hear is the sound of the ship pushing through the water. Inside, there is a constant, low(ish)-level sound: the engines, the HVAC system, maybe some creaking if the seas are up a bit. Our door is solid enough that with those sounds, we don’t hear other people when we’re in the cabin, but plenty of life around when we’re out and about, including in my office since the walls aren’t fully solid. -rc
It is a quiet life, Tom. The dining rooms are the noisest spaces we encounter, generally. Sure, we can go into the bars and clubs if we want more noise, but those aren’t part of our regular lives. It’s a peaceful place to be.
Thanks for the reminder that Residents, no matter their reasons for becoming Residents, are not required to explore every port and can certainly exercise free will in their (admittedly somewhat limited) available choices of how to spend their time.
When I finally become a (more or less) full-time Resident, I hope I have the sense to choose wisely.
I’m not surprised to see that both of you Cassinghams are deeply involved in various ways of improving the lives of all involved in the Villa Vie environment, probably in more ways than I could list. Executive, VVR and subcontracted staff both onboard and ashore, current and future Residents — and maybe others as well.
I suspect the situation is more a case of FOMO that has lots of the Residents going to as many sights as they can. We’ll all settle into a pattern that suits us in time. We are a work in progress. 🙂
Joanne and I wish you a wonderful holiday on board or in port. Sadly since you are no longer here in the Centennial state we will not be able to send you a box of truffles for Christmas. You will just have to do with our good wishes.
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Dang! Joanne makes great truffles! But yeah, I know how high postage is these days even for domestic shipping. Unless, of course, you’re a big company or China, and you can pay pennies on the dollar compared to us regular people….
And Seasons Greetings back at you. -rc
Michael, I thought Joanne took us off the list to help me not gain any more weight! 🙂 Her truffles are fabulous. And I miss you more than I miss the truffles.
Happy holidays!
I think I would love living on a ship. I enjoy travel. I have 2 issues to overcome. The first is sea sickness. The second is income. However I can also work remotely. I would just have to keep working. Which would limit the exploring but I am starting to look into it.
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As I recall, the U.S. Navy has documented that new sailors who get really seasick generally get over it within a month — and Navy ships are not stabilized so much as cruise ships are. I’ve only heard of one person on this ship with a significant problem, and word went out they were looking for an anti-nausea wristband. Someone had one, and I saw the person the next day, looking fine (and not even wearing the band anymore). I’m unclear whether it was the $1 pressure-point kind * or the electronic kind, but I notice the cheap one actually gets better ratings on Amazon! -rc