Author Topic: Retirement Housing - Holiday Inn or Cruise?  (Read 5240 times)

Owassogirl1

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Retirement Housing - Holiday Inn or Cruise?
« on: February 25, 2019, 10:19:14 AM »
First article on how to retire on a cruise ship. I've read something similar before. This particular article says you can do it for $30,000/year. Housing, food all paid for. I believe cruise ships also have an onboard doctor so at least for minor ailments you could have medical attention. It looks like at least that particular cruise line let the customer customize her state room, which is pretty neat. If a retired person had the $ they could even pay someone to travel with them for assistance (push the wheelchair, adminster meds etc). Basically pay for someone else's cruise. This would be $60k/year - still less than a nursing home AND the retired person would have dedicated one on one assistance. 2nd set of text is from a Facebook post. Basically comparing nursing home costs to Holiday Inn costs. Now of course not all retired folks would be in good enough health for either option. But if you were retired, liked to travel, don't want any upkeep on your home, want someone else to prepare all meals for you it seems like a pretty decent option. Is anyone planning on utilizing either of these when you retire? I'm way too much of a homebody but I did think it was interesting, especially if the alternative was a nursing home!


https://www.investopedia.com/articles/retirement/101416/how-retire-cruise-ship-less-1-million.asp

No nursing home for us. We'll be checking into a Holiday Inn!
With the average cost for a nursing home care costing $188.00 per day, there is a better way when we get old and too feeble.
I've already checked on reservations at the Holiday Inn. For a combined long term stay discount and senior discount, it's $59.23 per night.
Breakfast is included, and some have happy hours in the afternoon.
That leaves $128.77 a day for lunch and dinner in any restaurant we want, or room service, laundry, gratuities and special TV movies.
Plus, they provide a spa, swimming pool, a workout room, a lounge and washer-dryer, etc.
Most have free toothpaste and razors, and all have free shampoo and soap.
$5-worth of tips a day and you'll have the entire staff scrambling to help you.
They treat you like a customer, not a patient.
There's a city bus stop out front, and seniors ride free.
The handicap bus will also pick you up (if you fake a decent limp).
To meet other nice people, call a church bus on Sundays.
For a change of scenery, take the airport shuttle bus and eat at one of the nice restaurants there.
While you're at the airport, fly somewhere. Otherwise, the cash keeps building up.
It takes months to get into decent nursing homes. Holiday Inn will take your reservation today .

And you're not stuck in one place forever -- you can move from Inn to Inn, or even from city to city.
Want to see Hawaii ? They have Holiday Inn there too.
TV broken? Light bulbs need changing? Need a mattress replaced? No problem.. They fix everything, and apologize for the inconvenience.
The Inn has a night security person and daily room service. The maid checks to see if you are ok. If not, they'll call an ambulance . . . Or the undertaker.

If you fall and break a hip, Medicare will pay for the hip, and Holiday Inn will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.

And no worries about visits from family. They will always be glad to find you, and probably check in for a few days mini-vacation.
The grand-kids can use the pool.
What more could I ask for?

So, when I reach that golden age, I'll face it with a grin.

Sugaree

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Re: Retirement Housing - Holiday Inn or Cruise?
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2019, 10:54:25 AM »
My parents somewhat seriously looked into the cruise ship thing.  The problem is that yes, the on-board doctor can treat minor ailments.  But if something major happened, it's likely you will be medevac'd back to the States or you will be left on whatever your next port-of-call is that has a "hospital."  Neither is a great option.  And unless you live near a big port, you'll be doing the same 3-5 ports every week or two and doing the same on-board activities every week.  There are only so many hairy-chest competitions and ice-carving demonstrations you can watch before they get old.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Retirement Housing - Holiday Inn or Cruise?
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2019, 11:04:59 AM »
If you can live on a cruise ship or Holiday Inn, why not just live in your (hopefully paid off by then) house?

People who live in nursing homes don't move there just because they are old. They have a need that is fulfilled by the staff that would not be at Holiday Inn or on a cruise ship.

Hula Hoop

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Re: Retirement Housing - Holiday Inn or Cruise?
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2019, 12:54:21 PM »
People who live in nursing homes don't move there just because they are old. They have a need that is fulfilled by the staff that would not be at Holiday Inn or on a cruise ship.

Yes, this.  I think you're missing the fact that old people move to nursing homes because they need nursing care.  You don't get round the clock nursing care on a cruise ship or a holiday inn.  Even if you have a carer with you on the cruise ship, how could one person provide 24/7 nursing and medical care?

RetiredAt63

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Re: Retirement Housing - Holiday Inn or Cruise?
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2019, 09:39:43 AM »
People who live in nursing homes don't move there just because they are old. They have a need that is fulfilled by the staff that would not be at Holiday Inn or on a cruise ship.

Yes, this.  I think you're missing the fact that old people move to nursing homes because they need nursing care.  You don't get round the clock nursing care on a cruise ship or a holiday inn.  Even if you have a carer with you on the cruise ship, how could one person provide 24/7 nursing and medical care?

These aren't nursing homes, but they offer basically the same services as a retirement home/seniors' residence.  Nice furnished room, meals, housekeeping.  Lots of people move to a seniors' residence when they are still perfectly healthy, they just don't want the bother of doing it all for themselves any more.

A Fella from Stella

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Re: Retirement Housing - Holiday Inn or Cruise?
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2019, 01:37:45 PM »
Clark Howard's brother did this for a year - cruise ship. He liked it.

A guy I met rented his house for a year and RV'd around.