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Woman who lives half her life on cruise ship explains how she’s able to do so for free
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@dutchworld_americangirl

Woman who lives half her life on cruise ship explains how she’s able to do so for free

Christine Kesteloo has lived 'on and off' cruise ships since 2012 and has managed to do all that free of charge.

If you've ever wondered what life is like living on a cruise ship, one woman has explained the perks of life onboard - as well as how she is able to do all of that for free.

Living on a cruise ship seems like the idyllic life doesn't it?

But it might just remain a dream for a lot of us as we battle the struggles of life and all that comes with it.

But it appears like some are making it their reality - with one San Diego man even buying an apartment on a ship.

And Christine Kesteloo, who spends half her life onboard, says she has been 'on and off' ships since 2012.

And funnily enough, Kesteloo's husband is a staff chief engineer for the Holland America Line cruise company, where he manages the the whole engineering department.

Speaking to Newsweek, the 42-year-old former cruise director said: "In 2020, I stopped working for the cruise lines and started working for myself.

"So in 2021, I started sailing as wife on board with my husband and we are on the ship three months and then off the ship for three months."

Her most recent trip saw her living onboard for three months, which she documented on her popular TikTok channel.

Kesteloo with her husband.
Instagram/@christinekesteloo

In one viral video, Kesteloo says that she travels on the cruise for 'free'.

She further told the outlet: "I don't make my bed or clean or have to do my laundry or pay for food or usual household utilities."

The food onboard the ship is free, however, the content creator pays 50 percent of the cost on any sodas or other drinks.

In another TikTok, Kesteloo also said that she gets discounted internet access, as well as cut prices in the ship's shop and spa areas.

Speaking further to Newsweek, she says she gets access to many crew facilities, including the crew bar, gym and the main crew areas due to being the wife of a crew member.

While it all sounds rather luxurious, there are some rules that Kesteloo must abide to while onboard.

A free life on a cruise ship is certainly a life.
Getty Stock Photo

She can’t gamble on board, so she’s not allowed to go sit at a slot machine and ‘play my heart out until I win’.

In a TikTok clip, she explained: "Because it would look a little weird if I, as the wife of the staff chief engineer, won a big jackpot.”

A big one is a pretty strict rule and is usually the same for guests too, ‘not allowed to be late to the cruise ship’.

“No, they will not wait for us,” she says.

And the same goes for her husband as if they ‘miss ship, someone else will take over the role’.

Topics: TikTok, Life, Viral