Passenger shares what it’s REALLY like to live on cruise ships for an entire year, after spending just $2,000 a month on his adventures

A man who lived on cruise ships for a year shares what it was really like – from his monthly living expenses to the strangest things he saw on board.

Kevin Martin48, from Missouri, spent 20 years in the military and worked as a corporate lawyer before becoming a full-time YouTube creator and focusing on travel.

For his latest experiment, he tested a series of cruises for twelve months with MSC, NCL, Princess and Royal Caribbean as his favorite companies.

Every month, he said he spent about $1,300 on cheap cruise deals, with additional costs like his phone bill, insurance, health care and dining out bringing the total to somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,000.

In his latest YouTube clip, Kevin shares some of the “realities” of life on the high seas, starting off by saying that he wouldn’t want to live another “year straight.” He admits that 45 days to six weeks is the “ideal period.”

Kevin Martin, 48, from Missouri, served 20 years in the military and worked as a corporate lawyer before becoming a full-time YouTube creator focused on travel

For his latest experiment, he spent 12 months testing a series of cruises with his favorite companies: MSC, NCL, Princess and Royal Caribbean.

When one of his fans asked him about the strangest thing he’d seen during his time on cruise ships, Kevin told the story of a passenger who filled his cargo short pockets with “handfuls” of cold, peeled shrimp.

He added: ‘I mean, his pockets were bulging with shrimp. Then he just left the buffet… I thought that was hilarious.’

Speaking of food, Kevin says it’s “dangerous” to be constantly fed on ships to stay in shape.

Of the lavish culinary selections he witnessed, he said, “You have as much food as your heart desires.

‘In the large dining room you can enjoy an elegant dinner. You can go to the buffet and just choose what you want, as much as you want.

‘You can go to all specialty restaurants. You can go to a great steak dinner, you can go to an Italian restaurant, a sushi bar… and things like that.

‘It’s just really cool. You have an unlimited amount of food. You can eat healthy if you want, there are many healthy options. You can eat all the cake you want if all you want to eat is dessert.

“There are so many dining options on a cruise ship.”

In his latest YouTube clip, Kevin shares some ‘realities’ of life on the high seas. He said he loved that he never had to do chores

In an effort to keep his weight under control, Kevin watches what he eats and works hard to keep track of his daily step count.

This even enabled him to lose weight while cruising.

The avid traveler revealed: ‘So… when I started my 100 days on the Ruby Princess, I wanted to lose 35 pounds.

‘That worked out to about a pound every three days and I achieved that target. I lost 35 pounds [and] went from 210 pounds to 175 pounds. That’s where I am now, I’m 175 pounds. I’m super happy with the results.’

Over the course of the year, Kevin traveled the world to various destinations.

He said his favorite port was Tallinn in Estonia because it is “beautiful” with “cobbled walkways [and] old buildings.’

Meanwhile, the “Fire and Ice” trip with Princess was the best itinerary.

Kevin explained the route, saying, “It left from Fort Lauderdale and went to Halifax, Canada, and then we sailed around Iceland and went to three different Icelandic ports and because I was on a small ship, the Island Princess, we were able to go to some places that the bigger ships can’t go.

“These little towns of about 600 people, deep in these Icelandic fjords. It was amazing… it was breathtaking.”

Each month he spent about $1,300 on cheap cruise deals with added expenses including his phone bill and dining out, bringing the total to somewhere around $2,000.

On the subject of food and drink, Kevin says it is ‘dangerous’ to be constantly fed on the ships when it comes to staying in shape

After his cruise ship experience, Kevin says he plans to ‘integrate’ cruising into his travel plans so he can hop between places without flying

During the cruise, Kevin said he had no problems other than contracting the norovirus on board the Caribbean Princess, which made him ‘severely’ ill for more than four days.

Some fans asked him if the cabins were that noisy, but he said all he really heard were loud people walking by drunk.

Kevin says he liked them all, but the MSC had the best private island and the Princess had the best ‘soft mattresses’.

Besides the large amounts of food and visiting different places, Kevin said the biggest advantage of cruising was that you never had to do any chores.

He told his viewers: ‘No cooking, no cleaning.

“I don’t have to make my bed. I don’t have to clean the shower or the toilet. It’s all done for me. I can just relax and enjoy the cruise.”

When it came to his favorite travel items, Kevin says his phone wallet was very useful, allowing him to keep his room card, money, and phone all in one place.

Conversely, his least favorite item in his carry-on was his sports jacket, as it was bulky and not really necessary.

After his experience on a cruise ship, Kevin says he plans to “integrate” cruising into his travel plans so he can travel between places without having to fly.

Summing up his year at sea, he concludes: ‘I have no regrets, I absolutely enjoyed my year on cruise ships.

“Everyone gets along, everyone has this shared experience of cruising and they bond over it. It’s really beautiful. I wish the rest of the world would learn from this.”