Monday, September 12, 2005

Cruisin'

This post has nothing to do with me, I am far too young to worry about it... but it's an idea for Old Horsetail Snake, and it came via my email box this week:



NO NURSING HOME FOR ME!

About two years ago my wife and I were on a cruise through the western Mediterranean aboard a Princess liner. At dinner we noticed an elderly lady sitting alone along the rail of the grand stairway in the main dining room. I noticed that all the staff, ship officers, waiters, busboys, etc. all seemed very familiar with this lady. I asked our waiter who the lady was, expecting to be told she owned the line, but he said he only knew that she had been on board for the last four cruises, back to back.

As we left the dining room one evening, I caught her eye and stopped to say hello. We chatted and I said, "I understand you've been on this ship for the last four cruises."

She replied, "Yes,that's true. It's cheaper than a nursing home."

So, there will be no nursing home in my future. When I get old and feeble, I am going to get on a Princess cruise ship. The average cost for a nursing home is $200 a day. I have checked on reservations at Princess and I can get a long term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day. That leaves $65 a day for:

1. Gratuities which will only be $10 per day.

2. I will have as many as 10 meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant or I can have room service (which means I can have breakfast in bed every day of the week.)

3. Princess has as many as three swimming pools, a workout room, free washers and dryers and shows every night.

4. They have free toothpaste, razors, soap and shampoo.

5. They will even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have the entire staff scrambling to help you.

6. I will get to meet new people every 7 to 14 days.

7. TV broken? Light bulb need changing? Need to have the mattress replaced? No problem! They will fix everything and apologize for your inconvenience.

8. Clean sheets and towels every day and you don't even have to ask for them.

9. If you fall in the nursing home and break a hip, you are on Medicare. If you fall and break a hip on the Princess ship, they will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.

Do you want to see South America, the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, etc? Princess will have a ship ready to go.

So don't look for me in a nursing home, just call shore to ship.

P. S. And don't forget, when you die, they just dump you over the side at no charge!

7 comments:

Lee Ann said...

No nursing home for me either.....that is an awesome idea!

... said...

What a perfect plan...

Spinning Girl said...

I can't wait to try this! You are full of great ideas!

Kristi said...

I have to honestly say that this is the way to go!! Wait until I tell my husband!

Weary Hag said...

I remember reading this some years ago and thought it would be a fine idea as long as there are enough drugs on board to keep me from the paranoia of seasickness.

OldHorsetailSnake said...

Yeah, I saw this somewhere. Leaving on Christmas.

Chris Cope said...

I have actually thought of doing this. There's that one boat that sells condos -- it seems like a fantastic way to spend retirement. My wife says there is no way in hell she would allow me to do this. I have several decades to change her mind.