Woman Has Lived on Luxury Cruise Ship Almost 7 Years

[Monroe]

Interesting way of life ...

 

Florida widow has lived on same luxury cruise ship for nearly 7 years

 

Lee Wachtstetter, known aboard the Crystal Serenity as 'Mama Lee,' sold her Florida home and began her residence at sea after her husband passed away. She estimates that she will pay $164,000 this year for her cruise expenses.

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/florida-widow-lived-cruise-ship-years-article-1.2085442

 

She's just "cruising."

 

An 86-year-old Florida widow has been living on the same cruise ship for nearly seven years — and she's enjoying every minute of it, the Asbury Park Press reported.

 

Lee Wachtstetter, known affectionately aboard the Crystal Serenity as "Mama Lee," sold her Florida home and began her residence at sea after her husband passed away.

 

"My husband introduced me to cruising," she told the newspaper. "Mason was a banker and real estate appraiser and taught me to love cruising. During our 50-year marriage we did 89 cruises. I've done nearly a hundred more and 15 world cruises."

 

When asked how many countries she has visited, Wachtstetter told the paper: "I stopped counting after 100. Just say I've been to almost any country that has a port."

 

Her favorite stop is Turkey, where she can't get enough of the Grand Bazaar shopping center in Istanbul. For the most part, though, she's been there, done that.

 

"And when most everybody goes ashore it's so quiet, and I have almost the whole ship for myself," she told the Asbury Park Press.

 

 Mama Lee also manages to keep in close touch with her three sons and seven grandchildren despite being at sea most of the year, thanks to her laptop.

 

She estimates that she will pay $164,000 this year for her cruise expenses. The Crystal Cruise Line is highly regarded, but it's the dancing that separates her cruise from the rest of them, she said.

 

"I enjoy dancing, and this was the best of the remaining ships that still use dance hosts," she told the paper. "My husband didn't dance, just didn't like to, and encouraged me to dance with the hosts.

 

"Before coming aboard this ship I lived on a Holland America liner for three years," she continued. "The day they announced they were stopping the dance host program was the day I decided to leave."

 

Mama Lee has no plans to slow down. Luckily, thanks to what she calls a strong immune system, she rarely needs to go to the doctor's office.

 

"The day before my husband died of cancer in 1997, he told me, 'Don't stop cruising,'" she told the newspaper. "So here I am today living a stress-free, fairy-tale life."

...

[ZortMcGort11]

Whatever floats her boat :-)