Couple sell home and buy $2.5 million cabin on cruise ship to live out their dream life

A couple have opened up about why they decided to sell their home and up sticks to a life on board a cruise for their retirement for $2.5 million.

When most of us think of hitting retirement age, well, some of us probably don't think about getting there in the first place and others probably think about a quiet cottage in the woods somewhere, sipping wine, reading books and going on strolls with the dog. But that certainly wasn't the plan for Mike and Barbara Soroker.

While the Sorokers have technically 'downsized' like many couples decide to do once they enter their retirement stage, they've not done so in quite the typical fashion.

Instead, in 2023, the pair decided to sell their house and splash the money on a $2.5 million cabin on a cruise liner to live out their retirement at sea, popping down a deposit for a spot on Storylines' MV Narrative ship which is currently set to set sail in 2026.

But what led the couple - aged 80 and 75 - to make such a drastic move and life choice?

Mike and Barbara Soroker. (Mike Soroker)

Well, the ship is set to be an enormous 18-deck cruise featuring over 450 crew members, three swimming pools, a helipad, and even a marina so it's not hard to see why it would appeal.

Mike told Business Insider a main motivation for the big move is how much he and Barbara love to travel and want to see other places in the world.

He said: "I'm most excited to see the Middle East. I worked in Israel for a little while and never got to see any other countries. I'd also like to get to Antarctica. That'd be crazy. My wife loves visiting Asia, so she'd love to get over there again."

And rather than operating the ship as a cruise liner in the traditional sense, the company is allowing people to buy cabins and suites on the vessel.

These can either be for their own use, like with Mike and Barbara, or even to rent out to people as a mobile holiday let. The lease on the cabins lasts for the life of the vessel.

A visual rendering of the ship. (Storylines)

Needless to say, it's not cheap. The starting price, repeat, the starting price, is $590,000 for an internal cabin - which means it doesn't have windows, oh, except for a 'virtual' window of course.

Prices go up to a whopping $10 million for the biggest suites, which suffice to say have all the amenities.

Despite the cruise not having actually been completed yet, Mike isn't worried about having purchased such an expensive cabin already.

He said: "Once a month, they have a Zoom meeting to update us on progress. [...] Some folks like myself who have already put money down, of course, want to know how secure that is.

"If it falls apart, I'm not worried. They basically said that, worst case, you get your money back."

And the pair are just really looking forward to travelling the world together.

Mike resolved: "Each year that goes by, I just feel younger. My wife and I have a great partnership. I feel like we can do almost anything. We enjoy dancing together. I'm very, very lucky."