Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI
After an amazing week at sea, many cruisers wish they could just move onto a ship permanently. Sisters Jo Johnston, 69, and Elaine Durham, 63, who are both single and retired, turned this fantasy into a reality.
"I kept taking cruises of longer lengths — 30 days, then 45, then 80, and learned I liked long stretches at sea," Johnston told Business Insider.
Although the sisters don't always travel together, they've collectively spent over 1,500 days at sea — many of them on Holland America Line ships.
They've also got big plans for 2025. Johnston has reserved her spot on Holland America Line's 124-day Grand World Voyage, and Durham has a room booked on Holland America Line's 133-day Grand Voyage: Pole to Pole.
Although they'll be cruising separately, they plan to briefly reunite when both ships dock in Barcelona at the same time in April.
Both women said they decided to fully commit to their new lifestyle by selling their homes — Johnston in 2014 and Durham in 2022.
"My children launched and wouldn't be returning to the area, so therefore, I no longer needed to maintain 'the homestead' when I really wanted to travel the world," Durham said.
Durham held an estate sale and sold about 98% of her belongings. She kept clothes and personal items with her and stored family photographs with her children.
Johnston gave away or sold most of her things over time and keeps essentials like financial records and a few sentimental items in a small storage unit.
Elaine Durham
They said the money they made from selling their homes — and the savings from not having to upkeep them — help fund their cruises.
After all, the lifestyle isn't cheap — rates for next year's 133-Day Grand Voyage: Pole to Pole start at $31,199 a person and rates for the 124-day Grand World Voyage start at $27,354 a person.
To be fair, these fares include essentials like food, housing, utilities, and entertainment — expenses the sisters would've had to budget for on land.
"At one time, I had a big house with a pool and three cars. Without all of that, I have a lot more money to spend on travel," Johnston told BI.
Johnston said it's hard to say if living on cruise ships is more cost-effective than maintaining a traditional home.
After all, if she wanted to cruise on a tighter budget, she could choose her sailings solely based on cost. This would mean doing a lot of the same short mega-cruises around the Caribbean — but she prefers smaller ships with long sailings.
Durham also said she's been able to make this lifestyle work because she's been debt-free for the last 20 years. When she decided to sell her house, she ran the numbers, set goals, lived on less, and created a five-year plan that she still reassesses and adjusts annually.
The sisters also stretch their budgets by earning and using loyalty perks — they've sailed with Holland America so much that they've gotten access to complimentary specialty dining and laundry.
Johnston said she also cuts back on her travel expenses "by choosing less-expensive staterooms, such as obstructed ocean view."
In 2023 alone, Johnston spent 300 days on cruises throughout Europe, Canada, and New England — that's a lot of time away from friends and family.
"I stay in touch with friends through email, social media and even calling over WiFi," she said. "Lately, I've used Zoom to join a book club with friends from high school. The biggest challenge has been the time difference some months."
For Johnston, one of the hardest parts of living at sea is stocking up on essential prescriptions, which she tries to do in between sailings.
"I frequently have breaks of a few weeks between cruises and can get 90-day supplies then," she said. "I use a mail service designed for full-time RV-ers."
Another challenge for the sisters is voting, as it can require a lot of planning to get absentee ballots while abroad in changing locations. But, Johnston said, they adjust and adapt to their new normal as needed.
"Long cruises become a way of life, not a vacation," said Johnston. "The ship is home."
