“I’m Too Old for Residential Cruising”

Kit and I have heard this many times: the contention that someone is “too old” to live on a ship traveling the entire world — or even to travel at all.

In our opinion, “too old” is nothing but an excuse.

It’s not our contention that Residential Cruising is for “everyone.” It isn’t, just like living in a house isn’t for everyone, or an apartment, or an R.V. But “too old” is not a disqualifier.

Not a Care Home

One doesn’t have to be elderly to live in a nursing facility, and to be sure, this isn’t one. While there is a doctor (and two nurses) onboard, they’re here for acute illnesses and injuries for residents and crew, and for fairly basic ongoing care, even some blood tests and such. But there is no one to help you get out of bed in the morning and get you dressed. If you need that help, you need to bring it with you. This is not a care home.

If you need to visit whatever specialist every 6 months or something, you won’t find that onboard either. We had a resident couple and one had a heart condition who was in great shape, and “did it all” while here, but needed to go back to the U.S. now and then for a checkup, medication tuning, and refills. They knew that was part of the plan when boarding, and they did fine. As I recall, their plan was to be here for a year, and they were, and then returned to their land home with no medical incidents that I know of.

Another resident felt they needed a full-time “in-home” care assistant, bought the cabin next door, and hired someone to live there and be on-call. Obviously, that costs money, but that’s what worked for them, and ship management was absolutely fine with it.

The point is, the ship and its lifestyle is pretty flexible. It’s about needs and whether they can be accommodated, not age. And of course, the funds to make it happen.

Age Isn’t the Determining Factor

Jean was well known on the ship: a lovely woman who made easy friends. She had a background in theater, and lent her talents to the residents: she put on a couple of plays while she was here. She chose which plays to put on, did the casting call and selected actors, and then directed and produced the plays for residents by residents. (I think her plan was also to stay about a year, but I don’t know exact details.)

The best part: another resident studied under her during that year, and is keeping the resident play tradition going.

While Jean was here, we celebrated her 92nd birthday. Again, it is not about age. Really.

Yet even at 92, Jean is definitely not the record-holder.

Then There’s Proletta

Proletta has come and gone a few times: she loves it here, but she also loves her retirement community, where she heads a writing group. So she’ll come aboard for a few months, then go to her main home in the U.S. for some months. Then repeat. We’re in our 22nd month of the voyage, and she just came back for her fourth visit to the ship.

She doesn’t have a care-giver per se, but her son, Ben — a retired attorney — has a cabin on the ship and is here more than she is. When she’s ready to visit, he flies to her, and accompanies her to the ship. She has her own cabin, which she rents out to others when she is away. (That is one way to visit the ship: renting, and there’s one good example of why you can find cabins available for even months-long visits.)

They have a wonderful relationship. While the dining room staff has been happy to get food for Proletta at the buffet, and she does prefer the buffet, she mostly gets her own food.

Shortly after coming back most recently (this month), there was a party for her to celebrate her birthday. Her 100th birthday. A century old, and still counting, still traveling, still enjoying seeing new things. And why not?

Yes, she uses a walker to get around, and this trip she let Ben buy her a wheelchair so they can move more quickly while on shore, but that’s OK: she’s still flying around the world at 100. She’s an adventurer: she doesn’t just want to sit on the ship all the time, she goes to shore to see the sights, including when we’re at anchor and have to get to shore on a tender, as you can see in the photo.

It’s not about age, and never was: it’s about ability, health, and attitude. If you have that, age doesn’t matter. Don’t use it as an excuse.

There are many residents onboard in their 70s and 80s. There have been residents in their 90s …and one (so far!) in their 100s. It really is not about age.

Pretty much, Residential Cruising is the easiest way to see the world. It’s why I came up with the slogan for this site for the header: Travel the World, Go Home Every Night®. You don’t have to get off and walk around at every port, just the ones you want to. And then sleep in your own bed, and get up when you want.

That is the lifestyle we wanted. We got it, and have new views out our window every few days, and have seen 62 countries …so far.

Meet Proletta

Nah, I’m not going to say if you want to meet her you have to buy a cabin. You can get to know her a bit more right here: Kit interviewed her for Speakers Corner, in that program’s newish “Beyond the Name Tag” interview series.

It’s just over an hour, and well worth the time. Enjoy!

Speaking to Longevity, Proletta thinks Community is critical. “So I figure all of you have a good chance for having good long lives, because you’re living a very stimulating experience, and therefore I think you have done something right in committing to being world travelers, and just seeing so much of the world and being able to be a Community at the same time.”

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Randy Cassingham

Randy is the co-founder of Residential Cruising, and is best known as the founder of the oldest entertainment feature on the Internet, This is True. He and his wife, Kit, live full-time on the Residential Cruising ship Villa Vie Odyssey, where they are “Digital Nomads” — continuing their work while living aboard the ship.

• "I'm Too Old for Residential Cruising"
• Video Tours of Our Ship Food Service
• Melbourne
• London Times on Affordability
• How’s the Internet, Really? (Part 2)