Mario Salcedo lives and breathes cruising – hence why he has spent the entirety of the last 23 years living on one.
The sea-loving Cuban has been sailing his way through life for more than two decades after ditching his demanding job as an international finance director at a multinational corporation on dry land in the US.
Although it might sound like Mario fulfilling his wish to be beside the seaside each and every day is all fun and games, he has been left suffering with some strange health consequences due to his lifestyle choice.
He first bid bon voyage to dry land back in the late 90s, after deciding to embark on an array of cruises as he had grown tired of plane travel due to constantly jetting off for his high-flying job.
Mario had lived in hotel rooms for longer than he lived in his Miami home, so he handed in his notice at the age of 47 and set out on the voyage of a lifetime.
Over the next few years, he embarked on more than 100 back-to-back cruises before falling in love with one special ship – Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean Blog
Describing the vessel as ‘revolutionary’, Mario was firmly under the spell of the ship thanks to it boasting ‘so many elements that took cruising to another dimension’.
His extraordinary experience sealed his loyalty to Royal Caribbean and he has called the firm’s array of different cruises home ever since.
By 2016, Mario had spent more than £1 million on his holiday-come-home habit.
As you can imagine, he has become part of the furniture and counts the staff onboard various ships as his pals – so much so, that they gave him the nickname ‘Super Mario’, which has firmly stuck.
Luckily, he has free internet access thanks to him rising up the ranks to the top of Royal Caribbean’s loyalty tier and can run his investment management business remotely while satisfying his craving for cruising.
All Things Cruise
Mario reckons the approximately £64,945 ($82,000) a year he spends on keeping up his unusual lifestyle is worth every penny seen as though he can work from a pool deckchair with an ocean view each day.
If he’s not busily working away, you can find Mario scuba diving in stunning waters, throwing some shapes while ballroom dancing or unwinding with a cigar in the dedicated lounge.
What a life, eh?
Apart from a 15-day break each year and a 15-month hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic, the bloke has spent the best part of 23 years at sea.
Mario does still have an apartment in Miami, but he now dubs this his ‘hotel’ due to the fact he spends barely any time there – and when the time does arise to abandon ship, it isn’t exactly enjoyable.
Royal Caribbean Blog
That’s because all those years at sea have really caught up with his body… so although he can handle seasickness like a champ, he isn’t that great at being on dry land anymore.
Mario is literally like a fish out of water when he’s stood on the Earth’s surface, as he’s accidentally earned himself a permanent set of sea legs after acclimatising a bit too well to life on a cruise.
Discussing the bizarre physical side effect, the cruise connoisseur told Condé Nast Traveller: “I’ve lost my land legs, so when I’m swaying so much I can’t walk in a straight line.
“I’m so used to being on ships that it feels more comfortable to me than being on land.”