Woman Spends Over £100K Per Year To Live On A Cruise Ship

The day before Lee Wachtstetter's husband died from cancer in 1997, he had one piece of key advice for her: "Don't stop cruising."

And she's certainly taken his words on board. (Excuse the pun.)

The 86-year-old from Florida has been living as a permanent resident on a luxury cruise ship for almost seven years.

Wachtstetter, who is known on the ship as Mama Lee, pays $164,000 (approximately £108,000) per year to live on the 1,070 passenger vessel Crystal Serenity.

"My husband introduced me to cruising," she said. "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."

Wachtstetter sold her five bedroom home on 10 acres of land to raise the funds needed for her cruising. She said it was her late daughter who first gave her the idea to sell the property.

The rest of her family - three sons and seven grandchildren - are supportive of her decision to live aboard the ship.

Although she sometimes misses her family, Wachtstetter has got to know the ship's 655 crew members well and stays in touch with those back home over the internet.

She sees her children whenever the ship docks in Miami, roughly five times a year.

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"When my children were all young, I took them on cruises many times. Now they have families of their own and do what's right for them," she said.

The globe-trotter said she's lost count of how many countries she visited, but thinks she's probably been to almost every country that has a port.

She loves the glitz and glamour of life on the cruise and enjoys the dancing and decadent dinners the most.

She has no intention to bed down on dry land anytime soon. We don't blame her.

H/T: usatoday.com

When to Cruise Where

South + Central America(01 of07)

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When To Go: January through March, for low humidity and blue skiesMost Cape Horn sailings begin and end in Chile or Argentina, but Oceania Cruises’ February 3 itinerary on the Regatta (19 nights from $6,199, with airfare) starts in Lima, Peru—which gives you time to visit Machu Picchu before cruising Patagonia’s dramatic fjords.Leaving from Rio de Janeiro, the February 7 sailing (12 nights from $1,799, all- inclusive) on the Azamara Journey includes two additional nights in Rio mid-cruise during Carnival.Windstar Cruises’ 148- passenger Wind Spirit has trips (seven nights from $2,499) through the Panama Canal with stops in Costa Rica’s national parks.

Photo courtesy of Oceania Cruises

Southeast Asia(02 of07)

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When To Go: January through March, the least muggy monthsCrystal Symphony’s February 24 voyage (13 nights from $5,295, all-inclusive) visits Malaysia and “it” destination Myanmar. The highlight: two nights in Yangon, with an optional overnight excursion to the 1,000-year-old temples of Bagan.For a more immersive experience in Myanmar, AmaWaterways’ new AmaPura sails to or from Mandalay (12 nights from $4,899, including drinks), with trips to Salay’s monasteries and the Mahamuni Buddha.Leaving from Hong Kong, Silversea’s March 10 voyage (nine nights from $4,350, all-inclusive) is Vietnam 101: the 296-passenger Silver Wind docks in Ha Long Bay, Chan May, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Photo: iStockphoto

The Netherlands + Belgium(03 of07)

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When To Go: April—prime time to see tulipsTour operator Cox & Kings recently launched river cruises on Scenic Cruises’ upscale ships. The April 27 sailing (seven nights from $2,585, including drinks), round-trip from Amsterdam, calls at Keukenhof, the world’s second-largest flower garden, open only during the spring, and Bruges.Viking follows a similar itinerary on its new Longships with its Tulips and Windmills sailings (nine nights from $3,072, including drinks).

Photo courtesy of Cox & Kings

The Mediterranean + The Greek Isles(04 of07)

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When To Go: May and early June, before the summer rushA benefit of SeaDream Yacht Club: its twin 112-passenger yachts can stop in smaller ports. The May 30 sailing, round-trip from Civitavecchia, Italy (seven nights from $5,299, all-inclusive), on the SeaDream II, features three days on the Amalfi Coast.Oceania Cruises’ May 20 voyage from Istanbul to Lisbon (10 nights from $4,199 with airfare) on the 684-passenger Nautica incorporates destinations rarely found in the same itinerary, including Tunis, Tunisia, and Málaga, Spain.Seabourn Odyssey hits popular Greek isles (Mykonos, Santorini) on its May 16 sailing from Venice to Istanbul (13 nights from $7,699, all-inclusive).

Photo courtesy of Seabourn Cruise Line

Alaska(05 of07)

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When To Go: Mid-May and June, for fewer crowds and more affordable faresPrincess offers voyages along the Inside Passage (seven nights from $799) on the 3,082-passenger Crown Princess and Ruby Princess. You’ll stop at Glacier Bay National Park, where regulations limit ship traffic.Consider adding a land tour: Holland America Line’s itineraries combine a cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage on the 1,432- passenger Zaandam with a rail trip to Denali National Park (12 nights from $1,699).Ponant’s small, luxurious ships are often chartered by tour operators like Abercrombie & Kent. It makes its Alaska debut with L’Austral sailing the Inside Passage (seven nights from $3,700, all-inclusive).

Photo: America / Alamy

Northern Europe + Iceland(06 of07)

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When To Go: July and August, for the white nightsRegent Seven Seas Cruises’ Viking Odyssey itinerary, leaving July 6, combines the Norwegian fjords with a trip to the Arctic Circle on the 700-passenger Seven Seas Voyager (20 nights from $17,599, all-inclusive, with airfare).The August 13 journey on the Azamara Quest (12 nights from $4,799, all-inclusive) visits traditional Baltic ports (St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tallinn, Estonia), and includes two nights each in Stockholm and Amsterdam.Tauck is one of the few companies to offer Iceland-specific cruises. Explore Grimsey Island and the Snæfellsnes peninsula on a round-trip voyage from Reykjavík (seven nights from $6,690, all-inclusive) on Ponant’s upscale ships.

Photo: Danica Jorge

The Transatlantic Crossing(07 of07)

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When To Go: July and August, so you can soak up the sun on the pool deckCunard helped pioneer transatlantic cruising—and its fleet is the only one to offer regular seven- and eight-night sailings across the pond. On July 2, the Queen Mary 2 (12 nights from $2,813) will make a commemorative voyage from Southampton, England, to New York, nearly 175 years to the day after Cunard’s first ship, Britannia, made its maiden voyage. The QM2 then returns across the Atlantic to Southampton on July 14 (eight nights from $1,735) and offers more sailings throughout July and August.

Photo courtesy of Cunard

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