I live on a cruise ship – my rent & food are free and I get to do all of the excursions too, but Bingo’s off the cards
A WOMAN has revealed that she lives on a cruise ship and as a result, gets all of her food for free.
Not only this, but Christine Kestello, who is currently based in Vancouver, also doesn’t have to pay a single penny in rent either.
On top of this, Christine explained that she even gets to do the excursions without paying anything.
But despite this, there are some things that Christine can’t do – and Bingo is definitely off the cards.
Christine took to social media to share an insight into her life at sea, as she said: “Get ready with me as I tell you what I can and cannot do while living on a cruise ship.
“For those new here, my name is Christine. I live on a cruise ship half of the year.
“My husband is Staff Chief Engineer, I’m a former Cruise Director, but now I’m a content creator and I’m travelling the world and telling you all about it.”
Chrstine revealed the things that she gets for free as a result of living on a ship, as she explained: “First off, yes, my food is free unless I go to a specialty dining.
“My housing on the ship is free.
“Getting my laundry done on the ship is free.”
Despite this, Christine revealed that she does pay for Wi-fi, as she continued: “The things that I do pay for would be Wi Fi, I tip my room steward and then anything I buy in the shops or pops or drinks, I pretty much pay either discounted rate or like 50% off.
“So one of the main things that you need to know is living on the ship with my husband, I am considered service staff – so I’m basically crew and guest at the same exact time and I can do anything that guests do, except for a couple things.”
The blonde beauty revealed that she is able to do all of the excursions for free, as she beamed: “The second thing that I’ve never, ever talked about is excursions – some of you might not know that I can sign up to take free excursions.
“Back when I was Cruise Director and I was on a very small ship over in Europe, I used to sign up for all of the tours. I saw all of Norway and England and Scotland and Ireland, all on free tours.
Guests always come first
Christine Kestello
“So basically, I can sign up to host a tour. I would go down to the crew area, and they have a sign up sheet and I would basically escort that tour, so I would be there to answer any questions or help any of the guests out, but I can take free tours.”
Despite this, Christine shared that gambling is strictly off the cards, as she added: “The first thing that I cannot do is gamble.
“No, that means Bingo, I can’t go to that either, because it would look a little weird if I did gamble.”
Pros and cons of going on a cruise ship
Whether you're considering a long holiday, working remotely or even living on board a cruise ship for a few months or years, here are the pros and cons from a former cruise shipper.
Pros
- Travel the world, learn and experience new cultures
- Meet new people
- Don’t have to think or worry about room cleaning, or food
Cons
- Internet connection can be painfully slow and expensive
- Limited luggage allowance so have to wear the same clothes on rotation
- Having no control of where the ship would go next and the possibility of visiting the same ports
- Having the same onboard entertainment, on-demand movies, and little choice of TV channels
- No fresh newspapers or new books unless someone adds them to the library
- Relatively the same food week after week unless major menu changes occur seasonally.
- Occasional rough seas, bad weather and viral outbreaks while inboard.
As well as no gambling, Christine shared that she has to put guests first, as she highlighted: “Guests always come first, paying guests.
“So last contract, when I was on board, it was the last day of the cruise, and I had an appointment to get my hair done, but this lady desperately needed to get a haircut.
“So the hotel director called me, and he’s like, ‘Chris, can you give up your appointment?’ and I’m like, ‘absolutely’, because guests come first on the ship, always.
“Also when I’m out at the pool, which isn’t very often, but if I’m in a seat that’s a desired seat for a guest, I will always give up my seat so that a guest can sit down.
“That also goes with the showroom as well.”
SOCIAL MEDIA USERS REACT
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @dutchworld_americangirl, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as in just five days, it has quickly gone viral and has since racked up a whopping 2.2 million views.
I’d love to live on a cruise ship
TikTok user
Social media users were impressed with Christine’s video and many took to the comments to express this.
One person said: “I genuinely love all of your content. Love it, love you and love cruising!”
Another added: “Love watching your videos! I hope you have the best time.”
A third commented: “I’d love to live on a cruise ship.”
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