When thinking about living conditions and lifestyles, living on cruise ships might sound ideal. Though there are several people with this way of life, this person took it to a whole new level.  Sometimes, people love their lifestyles but come into some issues which  cause them to realize the effects on their body. This is what happened to a person named Mario. For the last 25 years, he has been living off of cruise ships. Due to this, he has lost his “land legs” and has developed a condition called Mal de débarquement syndrome.

While he has been on 1000 voyages, he sailed on the Explorer of the Sea; which is a ship with a capacity of 3, 286 people.  The ship departed for Panama and other parts of the southern Caribbean.  The cruise, which was 11 days long, took place a few years ago with the departure being on January 5th. Mario has quite a budget when it comes to his life on cruise ships, he spends $101, 000 a year. Because of this, he works only around 5 hours a day. Mario, also known by some as  "Super Mario" in cruise circles, has not regretted this way of life at all. He is claimed to have been treated on board like “the king” of all of the Royal Caribbean cruises. The captains all recognize him and are friendly to him.

When an expert was asked about this lifestyle and changes, she noted that being constantly swayed in a ship can cause one to feel like the land is constantly swaying as well. This expert, Elaine Warren, noted that although it can sound ideal, having a constant movement in one’s lifestyle can be a lot to get used to. The experience on a ship with constant movement can go from a good feeling to a terrible feeling when in transition to land.

Mal de débarquement syndrome is characterized as a rare vestibular disorder which causes a person to feel like they are swaying and constant motion when they are not. This syndrome is one that the person would have to get used to or to not get used to when transitioning to land.

Mario admitted that he had to leave the sea life briefly, from the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 for 15 months when he moved back to land. . In cases of Mal de débarquement syndrome, the symptoms typically go away in 24 hours. These cases are not the norm though, they can last for quite a long time, months or even years. Mario is a man who just found out he would not be able to have the lifestyle, when it came time to move back to land.

Mario said that he has never regretted leaving land to be on ships, though he is a success story when it comes to not being able to walk the land.  It is noted that one should think about the long term effects of anything that is not natural to the body.

Sea Life: The Unusual Impact of 25 Years at Sea

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