We paid $4 million for a cabin on a cruise ship

[Kennywood]

We paid $4 million for a cabin on a cruise ship that will sail the world year-round. We want to travel in total comfort, without the 'bag drag' from place to place.​

by jpandy@insider.com (Jordan Pandy)

• Myle Hammond reserved a two-bedroom cabin that cost $4 million on Storylines' MV Narrative.
• His family vacations often and the ship's annual fee will be on par with their former travel budget.
• Hammond has yet to decide whether he'll live at sea full-time, but he isn't ruling it out.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Myle Hammond, 50, about his decision to reserve a cabin on Storylines' MV Narrative, a luxury residential cruise ship that will circumnavigate the globe every three years. The company anticipates a 2025 launch date. Hammond's cabin will have a roughly $132,000 annual fee that includes most food and beverages on the ship, WiFi, and housekeeping, among other perks. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I retired from the Marine Corps after 23 years in 2014. Since then, I've been a financial trader and I work from home.

In the Marine Corps, I spent over a year living at sea. Originally I had no desire to take a vacation on a cruise ship, because I thought it was going to feel like being at work. If you're a secretary, you don't want to go on vacation and take notes.

But I really enjoyed my first cruise. I've cruised with a number of different lines — enough to figure out the things that we like and the things that we could do without.

We love to travel, but doing the bag drag from destination to destination can get tiring.

When I saw the opportunity to buy aboard the Narrative, it was one of those things where it's the best of both worlds: the ability to essentially purchase a second home, or something that might eventually become a primary home, that's sitting on the water — but not just sitting on the water, sitting on the water with a view that changes on a daily basis.

We purchased a two-bedroom, two-bathroom for the life of the ship. It was $4 million. We figured it gives us enough room that we won't feel like we're stuck on top of one another. It's got a living room area and a small kitchenette.

It's large enough that if we wanted to have guests come and stay with us, they could. If we don't have guests, there's room to spread out and work. I can really work from anywhere and this offers the ability to truly see the world and still have the connectivity that I need.

They provide furnishings for you, but you do get a selection of things you can upgrade, like the type of mattress. And once that's done, you're ultimately responsible for your own furnishings.

The thought of being able to bring all those important things with me, while still being able to see the world, is attractive.

The annual fee is about the same as our yearly travel budget​

Every unit has its annual fee that, for the most part, should cover everything. It's a significant fee. We did the calculations on how much we spent on vacations a year. And if we were to up that by just a little bit, we're kind of hitting that target zone.

We've got a nice home, but when we travel, I don't want to spend my vacation time in something that is not as nice as my home. Because we've done pretty well, we like to go to nicer places and stay in nicer places.

When I was looking at the cost, one of the questions I asked myself was, "How much would you be willing to spend for a condo that was overlooking the water?" This is one of those things that checked all the boxes that we were looking for.

I love to travel with the family. I have two teenagers that are currently in high school, but in the next couple of years they're going to be heading off to college.

Once the kids get older, we're leaving options open. We're not planning on selling the house right now. The plan is keeping both and part of it is just getting a feel for what kind of balance we would have.

Life is too short to not go for what you want, because this is something that I want to succeed and that I can be a part of. It's something that I'm willing to put my money behind.

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/ti...1&cvid=83cc3965138a4965a45d59dd398a7123&ei=74

 

[RoseGold]

This story makes zero sense. The one thing you absolutely have to have as a daytrader is reliable Internet.

And what rich person pulls their kids out of high school for a whole year? How does that make sense at all?

 

[Kwami]

What about medical care and medicines? Does he plan to come home every now and then to handle that stuff, then meet the ship somewhere else? I guess he could since it's "his" cabin now, but that all seems like too much of a hassle...

 

[DLgal]

This story makes zero sense. The one thing you absolutely have to have as a daytrader is reliable Internet.

And what rich person pulls their kids out of high school for a whole year? How does that make sense at all?

Where did the $4M come from to purchase the cabin? He retired from the USMC in 2014 and works as a trader? HOW DOES HE LEGITIMATELY HAVE $4M? There has to be something missing from this story.

 

[DLgal]

What about medical care and medicines? Does he plan to come home every now and then to handle that stuff, then meet the ship somewhere else? I guess he could since it's "his" cabin now, but that all seems like too much of a hassle...

He and his family have Tricare Retired. It covers you no matter where you are in the world. Prescriptions are done via mail order. He can also access any military base anywhere in the world for care if needed.

 

[RoseGold]

Hey kids, time for your 3:30AM Zoom call for Calculus.

But hey, at least dad has a nice mattress.

 

[Sykes]

This story makes zero sense. The one thing you absolutely have to have as a daytrader is reliable Internet.

And what rich person pulls their kids out of high school for a whole year? How does that make sense at all?

"Financial trader" doesn't necessarily mean daytrader. It's entirely possible that his work isn't as time-sensitive as that. On several cruise lines that aren't Disney I've generally found the Internet to be reliable enough for work, including Zoom calls.

When I sailed on the Celebrity Edge I met a guy who basically lived on the ship full time with two (younger) kids. They home-schooled.

What about medical care and medicines? Does he plan to come home every now and then to handle that stuff, then meet the ship somewhere else? I guess he could since it's "his" cabin now, but that all seems like too much of a hassle...

I know of a few people that have "retired" to cruise ships less formally. They generally have a doctor at one of the more common ports like Fort Lauderdale and do routine medical care there. Mail forwarding can take care of medications. There is also dirt cheap (and high quality) healthcare available at many of the port cities during a trip as well. (In other countries far more medicines are OTC or prescribable by a pharmacist.)

 

[Calantha]

I wish I had $130,000 to spend per year on vacations. There would actually be a few concierge sailings then.

 

[Kwami]

He and his family have Tricare Retired. It covers you no matter where you are in the world. Prescriptions are done via mail order. He can also access any military base anywhere in the world for care if needed.

Yeah, sure, but that's not the same as having a doctor and regular visits. Who wants a new, unknown doctor every time? And what if you have a problem that requires multiple visits, but the ship isn't staying anywhere long enough to make that work out? I had a dental implant put in last year and the total time from tooth extraction to final crown was about a year! There's no way to make that work without going back to the same place many times.

 

[DLgal]

Yeah, sure, but that's not the same as having a doctor and regular visits. Who wants a new, unknown doctor every time? And what if you have a problem that requires multiple visits, but the ship isn't staying anywhere long enough to make that work out? I had a dental implant put in last year and the total time from tooth extraction to final crown was about a year! There's no way to make that work without going back to the same place many times.

I would guess they are all healthy if they chose to do this. And LOL, but as a military family, most of the time you are seeing a new doctor every time, if you are using base medical. Staff don't stick around long at bases. People are constantly being shuffled around. My husband had 4 different primary care doctors in the last 2 years of active duty. He has had 3 psychiatrists and 2 different therapists.

 

[Kwami]

When I sailed on the Celebrity Edge I met a guy who basically lived on the ship full time with two (younger) kids. They home-schooled.

Ugh. Even if we ignore the effectiveness of "home schooling", how are those kids going to make any friends with new passengers every few days? Are they going to stay on the ship through middle school and high school? They'll miss out on sports, band, and all of those other school activities. What about dating? I wouldn't want to be those kids...

 

[Kwami]

I would guess they are all healthy if they chose to do this. And LOL, but as a military family, most of the time you are seeing a new doctor every time, if you are using base medical. Staff don't stick around long at bases. People are constantly being shuffled around. My husband had 4 different primary care doctors in the last 2 years of active duty. He has had 3 psychiatrists and 2 different therapists.

Well, but it's still the same clinic, though. You don't have one surgeon ordering an implant guide and having it shipped to some other country, where they fit the guide and order the implants, which get sent to yet another country, where they actually do the implants, then send you to another country for follow up care, then yet another country to get the crown fittings, then yet another country to have the crowns installed. That's just not practical.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I read it as this is their second home, not a fulltime home. They said they are keeping their "regular" house. Assuming they can fly in and board at any port along the way, as could their guests, and their stuff stays on the ship at all times, like a vacation home. Medical stuff wouldn't be an issue, they have the means to fly home if needed just like anyone else who does extended vacations at a second home somewhere else.

My guess is they already travel a lot, since he works from anywhere, and this gives them a moving vacation home.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I think in the article it said that the kids were heading to college soon? The brochure is interesting. They have a microbrew on board as well as a wellness center, business center, etc. https://www.storylines.com/our-brochure There is also a tab on the main website about school. They have "shared" ownership interests as well, but it looked as if they were a two-year lease. Those seemed even more expensive. I think it's actually pretty interesting. I think it would be an amazing experience for the right kids/family. Looks like you can rent it out when not on board, too, so potential rental income. I'd be more worried about sea pirates in certain parts of the world with a luxury ship like that.

 

[Sykes]

Well, but it's still the same clinic, though. You don't have one surgeon ordering an implant guide and having it shipped to some other country, where they fit the guide and order the implants, which get sent to yet another country, where they actually do the implants, then send you to another country for follow up care, then yet another country to get the crown fittings, then yet another country to have the crowns installed. That's just not practical.

There is already an entire cottage industry of medical professionals that specifically cater to people that travel 9+ months out of the year, and medical tourism is a thing in and of itself. But the truth is that 1/3 of all Americans don't have a primary care doctor at all, and 20% of American's haven't seen a doctor in the last 5 years (and more than half see one less often than once a year). For the vast majority of people, medical care isn't of particular concern as long as emergency services are available when they need it.

Aside from the fact that they're doing it with a family (albeit with children that are almost adults), I don't see this much different than the several of my friends who have given up a primary residence and live out of hotel rooms and Airbnbs. These friends still have a generally "home base" for mail, medical care, etc., but just go visit 3 days or a week at a time.

 

[soniam]

Where did the $4M come from to purchase the cabin? He retired from the USMC in 2014 and works as a trader? HOW DOES HE LEGITIMATELY HAVE $4M? There has to be something missing from this story.

That's not really outrageous at all. He could have invested in Tesla, or any other booming stock, at the right time and be worth more than that. With Tesla stock, he could have done it in less time than since he has been retired.

"Financial trader" doesn't necessarily mean daytrader. It's entirely possible that his work isn't as time-sensitive as that. On several cruise lines that aren't Disney I've generally found the Internet to be reliable enough for work, including Zoom calls.

When I sailed on the Celebrity Edge I met a guy who basically lived on the ship full time with two (younger) kids. They home-schooled.

I think so many people on these boards are used to the terrible DCL wifi that they can't imagine better wifi. I have heard that Starlink on some of the newer Celebrity ships is pretty awesome. I know my husband did some work last summer on Fantasy, before wifi upgrade, when we had to quarantine due to covid. Hopefully this new ship installs Starlink or something comparable.

 

[RedHead0186]

I think so many people on these boards are used to the terrible DCL wifi that they can't imagine better wifi. I have heard that Starlink on some of the newer Celebrity ships is pretty awesome. I know my husband did some work last summer on Fantasy, before wifi upgrade, when we had to quarantine due to covid. Hopefully this new ship installs Starlink or something comparable.

Agreed. There is much better ship wifi out there than DCL. I was on Princess in late 2021 and met someone who told me she was a university professor who still did online teaching from the ship, live lectures and everything. She said she had no issues so it worked out they could cruise more and she could still teach online classes.

 

[MomOTwins]

You know, lots of people skeptical on how this would work for doctors, school etc., but let's be real, if you had this kind of travel/vacation home budget and Disney offered this for its concierge cabins, would any of us say no?

 

[Calantha]

You know, lots of people skeptical on how this would work for doctors, school etc., but let's be real, if you had this kind of travel/vacation home budget and Disney offered this for its concierge cabins, would any of us say no?

Nope. If I win the lottery tonight, everyone will be posting about me next.

 

[kiford]

Where did the $4M come from to purchase the cabin? He retired from the USMC in 2014 and works as a trader? HOW DOES HE LEGITIMATELY HAVE $4M? There has to be something missing from this story.

Financed probably. His "annual" fees may include not only the fees on the ship but the financing/mortgage payment. it doesn't necessarily mean he's bought it outright with cash on hand. He mentions that he considers this equivalent to buying a condo on the beach (presumably as a second property as he seems to indicate he's keeping his house although perhaps he's sold that).