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Joy

Passenger on historic '9-month cruise' reveals the one word you can't say on the ship

"Utensils dropped, waiters gasped. It's dead silent."

via Mattew Barra/Pexels

There's one word you can't say on a cruise ship.

On December 10, Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas set sail on the Ultimate World Cruise—a 274-day global trek that visits 11 world wonders and over 60 countries. This incredible trip covers the Americas, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Mediterranean and Europe with a ticket price that ranges from $53,999 to $117,599 per passenger.

Aboard the Serenade to the Seas is popular TikToker Marc Sebastian, who has been sharing his experience on the platform.

In a recent video with over 4.3 million views, he revealed what he’s learned over his first few weeks aboard the ship; the biggest was the one word you’re not allowed to say: Titanic.

“Who knew that? I didn’t,” Sebastian said. “I brought it up to an entire room of people having lunch that our ship is only 100 feet longer than the Titanic — when I tell you that utensils dropped. Waiters gasped. It’s dead silent.”

@marcsebastianf

someone get whoopi on the line girl i have some goss for her #ultimateworldcruise #worldcruise #serenadeoftheseas #cruisetok #cruise #9monthcruise #titanic

After the unexpected reaction, his cruise friend told him, “You’re not allowed to talk about the Titanic.” It makes sense. Who wants to be reminded of the tragedy that killed around 1,500 people while sinking one of the most impressive engineering feats of the era? "When I went on a cruise, my mom told me saying Titanic was equivalent to screaming ‘bomb’ at an airport," Mikayla wrote in the comments.

Later in the video, Sebastian admits he was surprised to learn that cruise ships have godmothers and that the pools are filled with seawater.


This article originally appeared on 1.25.24

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Joy

Couple lives permanently on cruise ships because it costs ‘half’ the price of life on land

"We now have a telephone bill, a ship bill and a few credit card bills for when we go ashore, but that's it.”

via George Desirpis/Pexels

A white cruise ship crosses the sea.

Given the rapidly changing cost of living in the United States, lifestyle options that once seemed luxurious are now starting to look like good deals. A growing trend is that retirees are choosing to spend their golden years on cruise ships instead of living in a retirement community.

The latest examples of this trend are John, 76, and Melody Hennessee, 64. Before retiring, John was a doctor and the couple also owned an art gallery in Stuart, Florida. In 2021, the couple sold everything and purchased an RV to see the country, but after a few years, they were exhausted.

“The constant maintenance, fueling, and planning,” he told Realtor.com.

So, instead, the couple, who had extensive boating experience, decided to cruise the world. In March 2021, they began boat hopping, moving from one cruise ship to another. “I've been a sailor all my life, and we love cruising and traveling,” John told The Daily Mail.

Every day, they wake up in a new location. According to Realtor.com, their favorite spots are Bora Bora, Santorini and Croatia.

The couple even found that it was cheaper to cruise-ship hop than live on land.

"We now have a telephone bill, a ship bill, and a few credit card bills for when we go ashore, but that's it," John told SkyNews. "We no longer have a mortgage or the expense of homes. We no longer have vehicle insurance, property insurance, or utility bills. The list goes on. We are certain cruising is cheaper."

"Right now, it is probably close to half of what it was when we lived on land,” he added. The couple is currently booked on cruises through December 2024, and in 2027, they will embark on the cruise of a lifetime. They have purchased a $2.9 million 600-square-foot cabin on the MV Narrative, a residential cruise ship. They will own the cabin as long as the ship is afloat.

Single 225-square-foot studio residencies on the boat start as low as $597,000.

The ship boasts 20 dining and bar concepts, a theater, 18 decks, laundry service, gyms, and hobby areas and it has a doctor and dentist on hand for emergencies.

The couple loves the hassle-free convenience of living on a cruise ship and they also get to see the world as well. “[The MV Narrative] is gonna take three and a half years to go around the world and every stop, they'll spend at least three to five days, which on a cruise ship you have just a few hours. We really love that concept,” John said.

Life is easy for residents of the NV Narrative because it’s all-inclusive. You never have to pull out your wallet, except for the occasional special meal. The all-inclusive fees start at around $2500 per month per adult.

“We're so excited. We just love the idea of having our own residence on a residential ship,” Melody told The Daily Mail. We are beside ourselves. We're really, really looking forward to it because, like we said, we're cruising now; we have 45 more cruises booked.”

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Joy

Cruise ship lawyer shares the one 'secret' code word you never want to hear on a ship

It gets called a few times a month.

via Matthew Barra/Pexels

A beautiful cruise ship crossing the seas.

Going on a cruise can be an incredible getaway from the stresses of life on the mainland. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an element of danger when living on a ship 200-plus feet high, traveling up to 35 miles per hour and subject to the whims of the sea.

An average of about 19 people go overboard every year, and only around 28% survive. Cruise ship lawyer Spencer Aronfeld explained the phenomenon in a viral TikTok video, in which he also revealed the secret code the crew uses when tragedy happens.

"Here's a secret most cruise lines don't want you to know," Aronfeld begins his video. "About 1 to 2 passengers a month are reported as missing or, man overboard, major cruise lines." He adds that even though ships have radar systems that can detect when something has fallen off the boat there are a lot of false alarms caused by garbage, luggage and even deckchairs that people have thrown off the ship.

@cruiseshiplawyer

#cruiseship #cruisecrew #passenger #cruising #maritime #lawyersoftiktok #lawyer #manoverboard

Further, after someone goes over the rail, the ship continues to move, so it is nearly impossible to find the overboard passenger who is probably seriously injured from the fall. "The truth is that by the time a passenger is reported missing and has gone overboard, there is likely no chance that passenger will survive and no chance that the ship will ever find them," Aronfeld says.

Aronfeld concluded the video by sharing the secret code that cruise lines use when someone has gone overboard. "Code Oscar. Code Oscar. That's how you know that a passenger has been reported as having gone overboard," Aronfeld said.

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Health

Psychologist breaks down why cruises are good for our mental health

Popularity has surged since the pandemic. There's a reason why.

Canva

Not a phone in sight. So beautiful.

Cruise life might have taken a hiatus in 2020 (along with everything else), but post-pandemic business is booming. There are more people embarking on cruises than even in 2019, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (TIME). And with overall prices that are lower than a lot of mortgages and rents, many folks opt to cruise full-time.

So…is it just the competitive prices calling us to sea? The promise of adventure, perhaps? Or is it simply the 24-hour buffet that makes it so intriguing?

A psychologist and cruise enthusiast has some compelling thoughts.

In her essay written for Psychology Today, Mary McNaughton-Cassill, PhD, argues that while cruises “may not be for everyone,” they do provide many psychological benefits that improve our mental health.

For one thing, cruises offer the luxury of pure leisure time, which McNaughton-Cassill says “Americans are starved for.”
mental health

You can hear the silence in this picture.

Canva

And she has a point. When was the last time you didn’t have to use up precious mental energy wondering how dinner was going to be taken care of, who would watch the kids, whether or not anything needs to be cleaned, etc., etc. Even on our regular “days off,” many of us just spend it catching up on ignored chores (aka “housework). In a world where burnout and errand paralysis are very, very real, it’s no wonder why having everything taken care of is a grand fantasy.

Second, McNaughton-Cassill explained that going on a cruise all but forces someone to be without their phone for a bit, which helps ease feelings of loneliness.

happy people on a cruise

It's nice not to be lonely.

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Loneliness might have been an issue exacerbated by the pandemic, but it certainly existed before that—and has been on the rise since the 1970s. We know that technology is a double-edged sword in this arena, offering us constant contact through endless pings and social media but often very little community.

But while out at sea, where wi-fi is hardly worth the high price, you can put the phone away without a second thought, and instead enjoy the simple pleasure of connecting with new people. Everyone from the staff to the servers to your fellow travelers get to know you by name, which is a stark contrast to the social cut-off-edness of “real life.”

And for the introverts for whom this scenario sounds like a nightmare, you have the permission to bask in the sweetness of your own thoughts during your social media detox…which honestly could probably still help with the loneliness thing.

Lastly, McNaughton-Cassill notes that going on cruises exposes us to two very therapeutic things most of us get too little of—music and nature. We know that both are good for our physical and mental well-being, and cruise travelers, as they soak up the sun, enjoy the ocean waves, listen to live bands and maybe even dance a little, are certainly exposed to all kinds of these natural remedies.

cruise life

Sunbathe by day, dancing by night.

Canva

It makes sense that in our busy, jam-packed lives, the thought of getting multiple needs met all in one go would be attractive to many people. But even if that sweet cruise life isn’t the right fit for you, finding ways to actually relax, unplug and nourish the soul are so very important. Hopefully if reading this didn’t inspire you to buy a ticket, it at least reminded you to book that overdue massage or slip back in that favorite book for a few hours.

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