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Cruise ships as old age homes?

The MS Balmoral sets sail for the Titanic memorial cruise from Southampton, England, Sunday, April 8, 2012. Nearly 100 years after the Titanic went down, a cruise with the same number of passengers aboard is setting sail to retrace the ship's voyage, including a visit to the location where it sank. The Titanic Memorial Cruise is set to depart Sunday from Southampton, where the Titanic left on its maiden voyage. The 12-night cruise will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the White Star liner. With 1,309 passengers aboard, the MS Balmoral will follow the same route as the Titanic. Organizers are trying to recreate the onboard experience minus the disaster from the food to a band playing music from that era. Organizers said people from 28 countries have booked passage, including relatives of some of the more than 1,500 people who died when the Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912. (Alastair Grant / Associated Press)
The MS Balmoral sets sail for the Titanic memorial cruise from Southampton, England, Sunday, April 8, 2012. Nearly 100 years after the Titanic went down, a cruise with the same number of passengers aboard is setting sail to retrace the ship's voyage, including a visit to the location where it sank. The Titanic Memorial Cruise is set to depart Sunday from Southampton, where the Titanic left on its maiden voyage. The 12-night cruise will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the White Star liner. With 1,309 passengers aboard, the MS Balmoral will follow the same route as the Titanic. Organizers are trying to recreate the onboard experience minus the disaster from the food to a band playing music from that era. Organizers said people from 28 countries have booked passage, including relatives of some of the more than 1,500 people who died when the Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912. (Alastair Grant / Associated Press)

My husband and I have never been on a cruise nor have we been tempted to try one.

After seeing the photos and hearing the stories by passengers aboard the stranded Carnival Cruise in the Gulf of Mexico, we felt even more sure we'd never be tempted. Feces in the hallways? Onion sandwiches? Yuk.

So if more potential travlers feel the same, look for a dip in the cruise business.

However, there has been some buzz in various media about retired folks living full-time on cruise ships. Two years ago, financial writer Brian Jaeger wrote about the six good reasons to consider living on a cruise ship after retiring.

Socialization, travel, good meals, entertainment, etc.

After going on a cruise himself, he crunched some numbers and wrote:

Our cruise cost us roughly $76 a day per person for the cruise ticket, port fees, taxes, and an automatic gratuity. You may want to add in an additional $10 to $15 per day for miscellaneous expenses. That cost is significantly less than some full-service retirement communities, which can easily cost more than $100 per day. Extreme cruisers might be able to live on board for less than $30,000 per year. 

Would you ever live on cruise ships year-round?

(S-R photo archives)

Spokesman-Review features writer Rebecca Nappi, along with writer Catherine Johnston of Olympia, Wash., discuss here issues facing aging boomers, seniors and those experiencing serious illness, dying, death and other forms of loss.