We Retired to Cruise for 6 Months — Our First Month Surprised Us!
San Juan PortPuerto Rico CountryCelebrity Cruises Cruise LineCrystal Cruise LineRoyal Caribbean Cruise LineRhapsody of the Seas Cruise Ship
We spent 28 days living on a cruise ship, and the experience surprised us in ways we never expected! After retiring, we decided to spend six months living mostly on cruise ships to find out whether this could become our new retirement lifestyle. One month into our adventure, we've already learned some surprising lessons. For our first month, we spent 28 consecutive days aboard Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas, sailing four back-to-back Caribbean cruises from San Juan, Puerto Rico. We changed cabins every week, visited beautiful Caribbean ports, and discovered that living aboard a cruise ship feels very different from taking a typical vacation. But our biggest surprise wasn't the ship, the food, or the destinations. It was the people. Over four weeks, we developed wonderful relationships with crew members, performers, and fellow passengers. Marshall even found himself dancing with the crew! We got to know the talented Royal Caribbean singers and dancers, formed special friendships, and experienced moments we'll never forget. In this one-month cruise living update, we're sharing: - Why 28 days aboard the same ship never got boring - How the crew made Rhapsody feel like a second home - The difference between vacationing and actually living aboard - Whether we stayed on track with our health and exercise goals - What we did during four consecutive Caribbean cruises - The friendships and experiences that made this month unforgettable - Why we're reconsidering our original plans for retirement cruising We're also sharing what's next: a Celebrity Cruises transatlantic sailing from Europe, followed by several different ships. Will we enjoy changing ships frequently, or will we miss the feeling of being part of one shipboard community? We're Crystal and Marshall, and we're spending six months testing what retirement looks like when we're cruising most of the time. Join us for honest experiences, practical cruise tips, ship tours, and real-life updates as we discover whether this lifestyle is right for us. If you've ever dreamed of living on a cruise ship or taking back-to-back cruises in retirement, we'd love to have you along for the adventure! **WATCH MORE:** Our retirement announcement: https://youtu.be/mEtCFs5sCd0 Our two-week cruise living update: https://youtu.be/o4H23FZTv00 Our Rhapsody cabin-changing experience: https://youtu.be/gZ0K_YU-BTc Our complete Rhapsody of the Seas ship tour: https://youtu.be/QRzm0gx9Jfc **QUESTION FOR YOU:** If you were cruising for an entire month, would you prefer staying on one ship or experiencing several different ships? Let us know in the comments! Subscribe to Cruising with Crystal and Marshall for cruise tips, ship tours, and our six-month retirement cruising adventure. #CruiseShipLiving #RetirementCruising #RhapsodyOfTheSeas