Ex cruise ship employee reveals the "crazy stuff about cruise ships that you might not know about." Video / @laurentalkssmack
A young man from San Diego has purchased an apartment onboard a cruise ship and claims it’s cheaper than renting in his hometown.
Most 28 year olds, in light of the economic climate and challenge to get on the property ladder (lest we forget the exorbitant avocado consumption), are not buying houses very easily.
Or cruise ship cabins for that matter.
But Austin Wells is not like most 28 year olds.
The San Diego resident has recently bought an apartment onboard the MV Narrative cruise ship because it’s cheaper than living in Southern California.
Wells has purchased a 12-year lease on the ship for US$300,000 (NZ$476,000). That works out to $2100 per month: roughly the same as most San Diego rentals.
He’ll pay an extra $2100 a month for the all-inclusive lifestyle. We’re talking food, drinks, alcohol, gym membership and onboard entertainment, not forgetting more mundane necessities like laundry and healthcare.
That’s a total of $4200 per month. For everything. Including 24-hour room service.
Austin Wells is a clever man.
More and more people are choosing to live permanently on cruise ships. Photo / Getty Images
The cruise ship, which is currently being built in Croatia and due to set sail in 2025 will allow Wells to effortlessly travel the world.
Wells told CNBC “I’m going from this model where you want to go somewhere, you pack a bag, you get on a flight, you rent a room, to now my condo, my gym, my doctors and dentists, all of my grocery stores travel the world with me.”
Before you tell your landlord to relist your apartment and shell out $300k on a cruise suite, note that Wells’ job is fully remote. Working for Meta, he explains, “the thing that most excites me is I don’t have to upend my daily routine, in order to go see the world.”
Living on a cruise ship presents many opportunities to see the world. Photo / Tourism NT
Let’s hope Wells makes friends with the ship’s other permanent cruisers. According to CNBC, the MV Narrative is expected to home about 1000 residents, all living on board more or less permanently.
Because your land-based mates aren’t easily nipping over for a beer.
