This 86-year-old woman just lives on a luxury cruise ship, because she’s figured it all out
You guys, we have finally discovered a woman who is really living the dream. There’s an 86-year-old awesome lady whose permanent residence is onboard a luxury cruise ship. She just sails around the world, out on the high seas, enjoying the sighs of the world, and going wherever the wind may take her. OK, so the captain is actually steering the boat, but still. THE DREAM.
Mama Lee, as she’s known on the luxury ship, Crystal Serenity, has been living on the high seas for almost seven years. After her husband passed away, she sold off her home in Florida, packed up all of her belongings, and took to the ocean.
“My husband introduced me to cruising,” she told USA Today. “Mason was a banker and real estate appraiser and taught me to love cruising. During our 50-year marriage we did 89 cruises. I’ve done nearly a hundred more and 15 world cruises.” And now, she claims that she’s been to every country that has a port — and we believe her.
She doesn’t even bother getting off the boat anymore when it docks, because she’s already visited that location (imagine pulling into port and being like, “nah, been there done that”). Instead, she remains onboard, because, as she says, “it’s so quiet, and I have almost the whole ship for myself.”
This adventure comes with a price, roughly around $164,000 a year. But when you think about the fact that she isn’t paying anything like a mortgage, car insurance, or even for groceries (considering the all you can eat buffets, YES), the cost isn’t THAT outrageous. Besides, as Mama Lee stated herself, today she’s “living a stress-free, fairy-tale life.”
Her family visits as often as they can, and when the ship pulls into Miami, she hops off to pay them a visit. Otherwise, she keeps in touch with them online, talking to her sons and grandchildren every day. Besides, many of the crew members on the ship are basically her family members now since they’ve been together so long (she’s even been there longer than some of the crew).
And when she does come across a new friend, she’s got business cards ready for them that read: “Mama Lee — Dancing, Cruising, Enjoying Life.”
Most days Mama Lee can be found in one of the lounges, doing her needlepoint work. She also can be found hitting the dance floor on occasion.
Keep on being awesome, Mama Lee.
