If you get sea sick, you might want to avoid this article. Actually no, please keep reading.
A week or two on a cruise might sound like the ideal holiday for some but have you ever considered spending 350 days a year at sea? Well, that's the lifestyle for Mario Salcedo, or Super Mario, as he's known in the cruising community. Although it's more Princess Beach than Princess Peach for the Cuban-born businessman.
He first got hooked back in 1997 which means he's basically been on holiday since I was born. I can only dream.
Mario clearly hasn't been put off by the 'terrifying reality' of what a cruise ship is like at night as he rarely ever comes back to land, and for good reason after nearly 30 years living on the sea. God only knows what he did during his 15-month break during the pandemic.
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Now spending so much time at sea can have some bad consequences and not just financially, with the Royal Caribbean trips reportedly setting Mario back around £81,000 ($104,000) a year.
Despite spending much of his time on board walking and dancing to keep his fitness up, he admitted that he finds it difficult to walk in a straight line because he has 'lost his land legs'.
He told CNTraveller: "I do lots of dancing and walking. I only put on a couple of pounds when I'm on land eating at McDonald's and Burger King."
While the ships are in port, he prefers to go scuba diving rather than venturing on land, which makes sense given he is clearly part mermaid at this point.
During the 15 days he spends on land each year, he'll sort out errands like visiting the doctor or the bank, or spends them flying between ports to board his next cruise.
He tends to avoid having days on land consecutively and bizarrely never stays overnight at his apartment in Miami.
Mario, who recently travelled on his 1000th cruise, also finds time to socialise on board the ships. He added: "I go dancing in the lounges, or enjoy a nice cigar after dinner with a cognac, watching basketball or football games on TV. Everything I do on the ship provides an opportunity to socialise."
In another interview with allthingscruise.com, Mario added: "Cruising never gets old. I'm so used to being on ships that it feels more comfortable to me than being on land."
He also said he spends about five hours a day working and 'has fun' for the rest of the time. Which sounds like the sort of work life balance we should be striving for to be honest.
"It's zero stress," he says. "The best lifestyle I can find."
Brb just Googling cheapest cruises near me.
Topics: Holiday, Lifestyle, Travel, Cruise Ship, Royal Caribbean
James Moorhouse