When John and Melody Hennessee retired, they hoped to travel the world. Lucky for them, the perfect home to pull it off had just popped up for sale.

That home is on Storylines’ MV Narrative, a luxury residential cruise liner set to launch in 2027.

After spotting a Facebook ad announcing that the ship’s 530 cabins were available for purchase, John and Melody made a $10,000 deposit on unit RU-3. The one-bedroom, 1.5-bath apartment with a balcony is priced at $2.7 million.

Though the Hennessees’ home state of Florida offered a wide range of upscale, active 55-plus communities like The Villages and Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL, life on land didn’t appeal to them.

“We’d never live in a retirement community,” says Melody, 65, a former real estate agent. “We’re kids at heart. We don’t realize our age.”

After selling their art gallery in Stuart, FL, in 2021, they explored the U.S. full time in a motorhome. But 18 months later, John, 76, a retired doctor, was exhausted by all the driving.

“The constant maintenance, fueling, and planning,” he recalls with a sigh.

So they mulled over what would allow them to continuously travel with lower maintenance than an RV. Both were experienced boaters who loved the water, so one day John said, “Let’s cruise the world.”

In March 2021, the pair began to cruise hop, booking long stays on one ship and then another. They loved waking up every few mornings to a completely new place—Bora Bora, Santorini, and Croatia were cherished spots.

But they longed for a more permanent arrangement, and the MV Narrative seemed to fill that bill.

“It seemed to be the perfect fit,” John says of the luxury liner.

The ship’s 530 furnished apartments range from 237 to 1,970 square feet and start at $1 million for a studio and up to $8 million for a split-level four-bedroom. Should the price tag give you pause, Storylines offers a limited number of residences for shared purchase, allowing up to four owners per unit.

An additional annual fee of $65,000 to $225,000 per unit (based on double occupancy) covers everything from meals to laundry to activities.

Residents will vote on where the ship goes. The couple signed up for the founders’ club—similar to a condo board—to make certain they’re involved in the many decisions that will undoubtedly come with living in their new home.

The new retirement home for today’s retiree

Every day, 12,000 people in the U.S. turn 65, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2030, all baby boomers—approximately 73 million—will be over this milestone age and likely good and ready to retire.

Yet gone are the days when retirement meant a quiet life of gardening, book clubs, and bingo. Many of today’s retirees are healthier, wealthier, and more adventurous than ever.

“Baby boomers don’t like the word ‘retirement,’” says Lisa McCracken, head of research and analytics at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care. “They like to call it ‘moving onto the third act.’”

Residential ships, says McCracken, could be an attractive alternative to the typical retirement village.

“Cruise ships have always served an older demographic, so they know that customer base,” she says. “For certain individuals, it’s a very viable option.”

There is already one ship dedicated to this lifestyle: The World, a highly secretive residential yacht that set sail in 2002. Reportedly, residents must be worth at least $10 million to gain entry and be sponsored by someone already living aboard.

In addition to the MV Narrative, a handful of residential yachts and cruise ships are in the works, including the 948-foot superyacht Njord, scheduled for completion in 2026. Here, yet again, only the uber-rich need apply, with rooms ranging in price from $8 million to $70 million.

Yet more affordable options are available, too.

Not wanting to wait years for a place to call home, John and Melody have also bought an apartment on the Villa Vie, where units start at $100,000.

Set to launch on May 15, the ship plans a 3.5-year itinerary to visit 147 countries. The Hennessees will stay there until they can switch to the more luxe MV Narrative.

What mostly drew John and Melody to the MV Narrative was its planned focus on holistic living and cultivating longevity for its residents.

The ship will have two organic, solar-powered, hydroponic gardens for growing fruits and vegetables. There will also be a 10,000-square-foot health center, plus “meticulous monitoring of participants’ diet, health, and lifestyle,” according to the website.

The cruise liner also aims to be the most sustainable one in existence, with a farmers market, sustainable seafood, a ban on single-use plastics, and even a dedicated environmental officer. Additionally, the ship will burn liquid natural gas, which Storylines claims is the “cleanest burning fossil fuel.”

The logistics of living on a cruise liner

Cruises offer many amenities that appeal to globe-hopping retirees: multiple restaurants, live entertainment, pools, gyms, educational and hobby classes, a community of like-minded people, little fear of crime, plus an attentive staff.

“I haven’t cooked, cleaned, or done laundry in two years,” crows Melody.

Yet, many might have logistical concerns about living life in the middle of the ocean. For one, what about infectious diseases?

After all, it was only four years ago that cruise ships the world over were being evacuated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many were denied port and stayed adrift for days or even weeks, seeking refuge. But that seems to be a dim memory as affluent retirees plunk down significant portions of their savings to live on a cruise ship. Should they all forget so fast?

Due to their close living quarters, passenger ships can be petri dishes for disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were a record 13 norovirus outbreaks in the first half of 2023. Also last year, passengers won a class-action lawsuit against Carnival (and its subsidiary Princess Cruises) for negligence and breach of customer care.

During the early days of the pandemic, 662 people aboard the Ruby Princess contracted COVID-19 and 28 died. Another Carnival ship, Diamond Princess, was linked to 700 cases.

“In the case of something like a pandemic, we will adjust the itinerary to avoid countries or regions with confirmed cases [and] enact procedures to keep residents safe,” Storylines CEO Alister D. Punton tells Realtor.com.

These safety procedures would include “lowering touch points between people on board, restricting movement on and off the ship, increasing cleaning, and making vaccines available on board as soon as they can be acquired.”

Additionally, each apartment will have an HVAC unit to prevent recirculating contaminated air, along with continuous filtration and sterilization of all air in common areas of the ship. (In case you were looking forward to all-you-can-eat buffets, those will not be available since they are a common way germs are spread.

Residents will also have in-room sensors and wearable health monitors that measure body temperature, blood pressure, and other levels. If a resident falls, the monitor will alert staff. There will also be an infection control area to house patients and prevent the spread of disease.

Furthermore, Storylines’ medical facility will have most equipment found in a modern hospital, including dialysis machines, ICUs for cardiac emergencies, CPAP machines, electronic infusion devices, and mechanical ventilators. An onboard medical team will include a full-time licensed general practitioner with ER training, preventative medicine physician, nutritionist, acupuncturist, physical therapist, dental hygienist and dentist, and more.

Are condos on cruise ships a good investment?

Melody, a former real estate agent, is convinced that their new residence on the water will be a good investment.

“Prices will double once people start to hear about this lifestyle,” she says. But others disagree.

“This is an interesting concept and certainly unique—like buying into a luxury hotel except it sails around the world,” says Cara Ameer, a real estate agent licensed in Florida and California.

However, she adds, “It would not appreciate the way a single-family home would that sits on land, as this is more like buying a luxury living experience—the ‘land’ is the sea, but it is not part of what you own the way land adds a significant value to your home.”

Another factor that could affect appreciation is the cruise line’s various fees.

“The fee structure is quite involved for all that you get, which can affect appreciation. We see this in luxury condos where the monthly fees are quite high, but the prices don’t tend to appreciate as rapidly as a single-family home,” Ameer explains. “The appreciation would depend on how fast the units sell out. Just like a condominium project or even a new-home community, the prices go up with each release of units. The premium ones like a top-floor unit or corner would command top dollar and interest.”

However, she warns, “You run the risk of the developer lowering the price below what you and others may have paid to attract interest. There is a price to pay for a turnkey lifestyle where you don’t have to lift a finger, but there is a tremendous amount of risk associated with it as well.”

And even if real estate values and health concerns aren’t deal breakers, one has to wonder if life on a cruise ship might be limiting.

Peter Antonucci, a retired lawyer who spent six years living on The World cruise ship, sold his $1.6 million condo in 2019.

In an interview with CNN Travel in February, he said the ship was far from a sleepy place for retirees.

In fact, he said, “There are a lot of wealthy people doing playful things, sometimes naughty things, sometimes scandalous things.”

Eventually, though, it was boredom that made him want to leave, he said. “Once you’ve circumnavigated the globe a few times, you’ve seen it. I had seen what I wanted to see, I was ready to do something new.”

The Hennessees are forging ahead, undeterred. They aren’t worried they’ll run out of places to see. Their bucket list still includes Africa, the Galapagos Islands, and the Amazon rainforest.

“The world is so big,” says Melody.

“We’re going to live out the rest of our lives on ships,” says John. “And I plan on living until 120.”

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