Woman who lives on a cruise ship reveals her rent and food is completely free

A woman who lives on a cruise ship has opened up about the incredible perks of her situation - along with the things she's banned from doing.

Christine Kestello gave a peek at her life at sea for six months of the year.

This includes not having to pay any rent, and even her food is free while she is on board.

She can even go on excursion free of charge - not bad at all!

Christine is based out of Vancouver at the moment, but for half the year is resident on a cruise ship.

In a video on TikTok she explained how her life at sea works.

While Christine can enjoy a lot of the facilities on board cruise ships there are a few caveats to her lifestyle.

Christine is not technically a full member of the crew, rather she is halfway between being a member of staff and a guest.

She explained: “My husband is Staff Chief Engineer, I'm a former Cruise Director, but now I'm a content creator and I'm travelling the world and telling you all about it.

“So one of the main things that you need to know is living on the ship with my husband, I am considered service staff - so I'm basically crew and guest at the same exact time and I can do anything that guests do, except for a couple things.”

Food is free on board, though some of the more high-end options are not included in that.

She also gets free shore excursions to see the sights at all the ports the ship docks at, though she does so in the capacity of hosting and looking after guests on the cruise ship.

Another expense which is not included is Wi-Fi. She also pays for bits and pieces in the shops (though often at a discounted rate), as well as tipping her room steward.

But things like housing and laundry are all included.

So what about the things which are absolute no-nos for Christine while she's on board?

Well, there's one thing in particular which Christine is barred from doing.

She said: “The first thing that I cannot do is gamble. No, that means bingo, I can't go to that either, because it would look a little weird if I did gamble.”

Christine went on to explain that she is also expected to give way to paying guests.

She explained: "Last contract, when I was on board, it was the last day of the cruise, and I had an appointment to get my hair done, but this lady desperately needed to get a haircut.

“So the hotel director called me, and he's like, ‘Chris, can you give up your appointment?’ and I'm like, ‘Absolutely’, because guests come first on the ship, always."