Retirement on a cruise ship

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Retirement doesn't have to be all about bridge tournaments and shuffleboard at a "Shady Acres" village. One Central Florida man is taking twilight years to the high seas.

Mark Boyd is the president of Waterfront Lifestyles International of Cape Canaveral. He gave FOX 35 an exclusive tour of "Alegria," a cruise ship currently docked in Clay County, which Boyd is converting into a floating retirement city consisting of one hundred condominiums.

"You actually purchase a stateroom on a cruise ship," says Boyd.

Homeport will be based at Port Canaveral. So, when not at sea, the owners will have plenty of things to do.
Owners will also control 1/100th of the whole ship. "Not just the cabin that you're assigned," said Boyd. "So you have a voice in the decision making process of the ship," he added.

Decisions like onboard entertainment and the ship's itinerary could present a problem when trying to build consensus among one hundred people, so how will it be accompished? "By vote," said Boyd with a laugh.

The boat will take ten trips a year to the Bahamas and one big trip to the Caribbean or to Central America.

When you're thinking about retirement, Jan Cullinane, co-author of "The New Retirement said one should ask, "do you have enough? Have you had enough? And do you have enough to do?" She said the snug staterooms might be attractive to a different sector of retirees.

"Single women buy 22 percent of all residences. I think they're a neglected demographic. I think that's a good slant for this place," said Cullinane.

So what will be the going rate for a condominium aboard "Alegria?"

"Our prices run from $159,000 for a single state room on up to $399,000, with a monthly maintenance fee that covers everything," said Boyd. That includes crew costs, fuel, insurance, maintenance, housekeeping, and food.

Cullinane called it a good value. "It's about the same cost overall to live on a ship or to live in an assisted living facility," she suggested.

And if owners want to have guests, they can do so. There are twelve guest rooms on the ship, though they do not windows and they must be reserved.

The two most expensive suites each have a private walk-out deck. The rest of the ship is considered a common area.

So far, Boyd said he has had more than a quarter of the rooms reserved, and not all by seniors. "I had a 29 year old guy call me three days ago to say, 'I love it. What a great bachelor pad!'"

To learn more about Waterfront Lifestyles International or the condominium cruise ship Alegria, visit their website at www.condoships.com .