A woman who walked out on her ‘toxic’ marriage and sold everything she owned to live permanently on a cruise ship reveals the murky truth about living in ‘paradise’
Sick of her normal life and craving the glitz and glamour she thought a cruise ship could offer, Lynelle, “left a toxic marriage” and “quit a toxic job”. She also sold her house to ditch dry land and take to the high seas for good. With just a suitcase and a backpack in her possession, she now travels the world on various large ocean liners.
However, Lynelle Lee, who retired at 53 to embark on her new journey, wants to warn anyone considering doing the same that the life changing decision has its downsides and there’s a darker side to life onboard. She shares her adventures on social media where one particular video reveals the often uncomfortable truth about her new world.
In an episode on her You Tube channel Poverty to Paradise, she begins by pointing out that the rooms she resides in these days are far from spacious. “Take your current bedroom, cut it in half, now squeeze a queen-sized bed, a couple of nightstands and everything you need to live into that half of a bedroom, that’s what your cabin is going to look like,” she warned, adding that the bathrooms are also tiny.
While showing an extremely compact shower cubicle wedged up next to a wash basin and toilet, she says to imagine an airplane toilet to get more of an idea. “Yeah, a lot of people have talked about how they have to parallel park when getting into the shower,” she laughs as she describes the effort it takes to manoeuvre in the minuscule area. “That space can definitely make you rethink living on a cruise ship alright,” she says.
Lynelle also warns anyone sensitive to noise that it’s not the place for them thanks to the “paper thin” cabin walls. Revealing that she’s had some awful nights in her cabin with a pillow over her head and earplugs in because of the noises coming from other rooms, she says: “I have heard so many things while in my cabin that were disturbing to me.”
As well as snoring, arguments and TV’s blaring Lynelle confirmed what you were no doubt already thinking – that she’s forced to listen to the “extracurricular activities” of her fellow guests in their cabins. If being forced to listen to the excitable exploits of others wasn’t bad enough, Lynelle says she’s often kept up by karaoke at 2am, the sound from the shows booming out of the theatre and chairs scraping along the deck in the early hours – all of which have led to nights of “insomnia”.
When it comes to spending time on your own, as Lynelle, who says she’s an “introvert” enjoys doing, well that too can be tricky on a cruise ship. Reading a book in a quiet corner or gazing pensively out to sea may not be possible too often. “People are going to talk to you. You’re going to be on elevators, you’re going to be in the dining room. Even if you get a private table, somebody’s going to come and say, ‘hey, how you doing?’ and strike up a conversation with you,” she warns.
The only way to avoid “that chatty couple”, she says, is to stay in your noisy room because you will see them at breakfast, lunch and dinner, in the hallways, on the deck and in the lift. “You cannot escape from them,” she chuckles.
It might seem like an obvious issue to consider if opting for life on a cruise ship but Lynelle says “the motion of the ocean” should be taken seriously because a lot of people get sea sick. The worst areas of the boat for feeling green tend to be at the front and back of the ship and nighttimes can also be problematic. However, Lynelle says: “If it’s really bad and if there’s a storm out there, forget it. You’re going to feel it no matter where you’re at.”
Another big drawback is the cost. Lynelle reckons it could set you back $100,000 (around £73.5k) or more to spend a year on a cruise ship and that’s just for the basics . If you get ill, you also have to pay for healthcare. Lynelle was charged $150 (£110) just to see a doctor, before any kind of medication or treatment was administered. So anyone with health issues should definitely think twice about leaving the medical security of life on land.
Other things to bear in mind apparently are the food choices, which can become “monotonous” because menus rotate on a schedule which is repeated. Keeping in contact with loved ones at home or updating your social media can be difficult too because of weak wifi, which is also costly.
Crucially, Lynelle has felt the emotional cost of life onboard. As guests come and go she says it’s hard to strike up lasting friendships. Although she’s met plenty of wonderful people, relationships tend to be “fleeting” in nature because they leave the ship after their break. Therefore she urges anyone who needs deep, meaningful connections to think twice because they could end up feeling lonely.
Despite only intending to take a 90 day cruise while she worked out what she was going to do with her life and although she is very aware of the disadvantages, Lynelle says she knows it’s “perfect” for her. “I absolutely love it and the pros far outweigh the cons for me,” she smiles.