American woman living permanently on cruise ship reveals ‘dark truth’ of how much her cabin costs per year

An American woman who has taken her life from poverty to paradise has been living permanently on a cruise ship, but it’s not all cocktails on deck, as she has revealed the ‘dark truth’ of how much her cabin costs per year.

Lynnelle, 53, has gone all in on life at sea after selling up on land and documenting the reality on her YouTube channel.

The vibe is all beaches and buffets, but she explained that the fine print hits hard when you live on board every single day.

Her biggest warning was simple: the price tag is real, and cabin life is smaller and louder than people expect.

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It’s not all sunshine and coconuts

It’s not quite the superyacht life, but 53-year-old American Lynnelle decided to sell up on land and move permanently onto a cruise ship.

While her life seems pretty idyllic and far better than the one she had on land, there are downsides to moving permanently into cruise life.

With that in mind, she decided to share the highs and lows with her YouTube followers who might be thinking of doing the same.

According to Lynnelle, living full-time on cruises in a solo inside cabin runs at about $88,000 per year.

In her breakdown, she said a full 365 days at sea, including fare, taxes, and tips, comes to roughly $88,200.

The number climbs fast for anyone seeking more space or fresh air, and she explained that switching to a balcony cabin would have pushed the annual cost to around $103,000, before factoring in additional onboard spending.

Those extra costs are where cruise living quietly becomes more expensive, especially with specialty dining, photos, souvenirs, Wi-Fi packages, and impulse buys, just an elevator ride away.

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Living permanently on a cruise ship is not just cabin costs

Money is only part of the story, and Lynnelle said daily life onboard came with trade-offs that seemed small at first, then felt much bigger over time.

Cabins are tight, like squeezing your life into half a bedroom, and bathrooms feel closer to airplane size than apartment living.

She described the walls as ‘paper-thin’, saying she hears neighbors, late-night karaoke, theater shows, scraping deck chairs, snoring, arguments, and even televisions through the walls.

She also spoke about the motion of the ocean, especially at night, explaining that storms make the movement unavoidable, no matter where a cabin is located.

When discussing Caribbean sailings, she specifically mentioned hurricane season and suggested that anyone considering full-time cruise life should try voyages during different seasons, including hurricane season, before committing.

For introverts, she said, the social intensity could be draining because the same chatty passengers appear in elevators, dining rooms, hallways, and pool decks, and there is little escape unless you stay inside your (small) cabin.

She also highlighted patchy internet and the emotional side of constantly forming short-term friendships, as passengers regularly disembark while she stays aboard.

And when health issues arise, she noted that onboard medical care is available but expensive, revealing she once paid $150 to see a doctor for an ear infection.

It seems that cruise ships have a captive audience when it comes to their passengers, which makes it a lot more difficult if you want to save money.

It seems that even paradise comes with a hefty price tag.

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