Couple who ‘sold everything’ to live on cruise ship say it’s cheaper than living on land

A couple have spoken out after selling their house and most of what they own to spend the rest of their lives onboard cruise ships.

John and Melody Hennessee's whole lives used to be in Florida. They owned a house, a business and also had a motorhome to travel around in.

However, three years ago, the couple decided to up sticks and commit to a life at sea.

The couple had grown tired of driving, as well as keeping up with multiple payments which come with owning a house and car - from their mortgage to insurance.

And when they saw an advert for Royal Caribbean's 274-day cruise on Facebook, they didn't need any more persuading.

John tells Sky News: "We no longer have a mortgage or the expense of homes. We no longer have vehicle insurance, property insurance, or utility bills. The list goes on.

"[...] We now have a telephone bill, a ship bill, and a few credit card bills for when we go ashore, but that's it."

Facebook/ Melody Thor Hennessee

And the pair believe it's worked out 'cheaper' too, revealing at the moment they're paying 'probably close to half' of what they used to pay 'on land'.

However, that's not to say the cost of living onboard cruises is something we could all afford.

While the couple have currently been booking monthly cruises back-to-back, after December 2024, they'll be hopping aboard a residential cruise ship with Villa Vie.

And the 'all-inclusive cruise home' may offer more stability with a more permanent cruise lifestyle, but it doesn't come cheap, an inside villa costing $99,999 alongside a monthly fee of $3,499 for a double, or $2,499 for a single, according to Villa Vie's website.

Facebook/ Melody Thor Hennessee

If you want an Oceanview Villa, that'll set you back a cool $149,999, with monthly fees of $4,999 or $3,999 on top.

Oh, and if you want a balcony, you'll have to cough up a wallet-clutching $249,999 with monthly fees of $7,999 or $6,999.

So you definitely have to really commit to a life at sea if you're spending that amount of money and the Hennessees say they're ready for it - planning on spending 'a minimum of 15 years on the ship'.

With the ship still being built - currently set to open in May 2024 - Melody notes they 'wanted to buy a cabin so [they] can design it how [they] want'.

She resolves: "It's going to be home for us for probably a minimum of 15 years on the ship."

Topics: Travel, World News, US News, Money

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.