Have you pictured your vision in life as early as your 20s? This is the reality and inspiring story of a cruise connoisseur who already established his vision in life in his 20s – to work hard for 20 years and quit at 45 to travel the world.
Mario Salcedo embarked on more than 100 cruise ships before he settled in Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas in 2000. He was the most loyal passenger of the Royal Caribbean and garnered the title “The Happiest Guy in the World” in 2018.
With his 23 years of life at sea, he became popular in the cruise industry to the point that a Caribbean cruise captain named him “Super Mario” and people did not forget this name since then.
In his interview with Alanna Zingano, Mario revealed the real costs per year of living permanently on board based on his decades of experience.
Mario’s average cruise fare per day is $100. This amount is the average as rates may vary depending on seasons. However, the $100 amount will increase as Mario considers the inevitable additional costs.
“Super Mario” is the Royal Caribbean’s No. 1 Loyal Passenger (Royal Cariibean)
The first additional cost lies in the loyalty schemes. Royal Caribbean offers a perk that if you are in the top row of the loyalty program, you will pay 150% of the fare which is the case for Mario. And if you’re not at the top of the loyalty program, you will pay 200%.
On top of the $150, Mario will also pay taxes and tips. Adding the average tax of $20 and the average tip of $14.50 will make the fare $185. This is the basic package for Mario without adding discretionary costs like shore excursions, liquors, specialty restaurants, spas, internet, and casino.
Doing the math by multiplying $185 with 365 days suited Mario’s minimum budget of $72,000 per year. This is the annual estimate of Mario when he booked an inside cabin with no window rather than a junior suite or grand suite.
The cruise resident shared that choosing the type of cabin is another critical decision next to choosing between a luxury cruise line or a contemporary cruise line. A room with a balcony would cost around $101,258 and a junior suite would cost around $136,000 per year which can be expensive.
These are all the calculations of Mario for one person only per year. He also shared that the $72,000 for living on a cruise with an inside cabin is cheaper than the cost of independent living or assisted living on land which is around $100,000 for a year.
Mario Salcedo on his documentary film “The Happiest Guy in the World” (Lance Oppenheim)
For Mario, living on a cruise is like living in a hotel. The only difference is it is a floating hotel. He compared the two options, saying the cruise ship rates are cheaper than the real hotels.
Mario is living his vision of traveling the world on a cruise ship and admits that he is happy. However, living in the sea for more than 20 years may also come with a cost in the form of bizarre side effects.
Living in a cruise ship for years might be fun, but you become unfamiliar with the life of humans on land. Mario became so used on the sea that it feels more comfortable to him than being on land.
