A man who has spent over 20 years living on a cruise ship has revealed the consequences he's now facing because of it.
Mario Salcedo is a Cuban national who made the bold move to leave his stressful job as an international finance director at a mega-successful business in the US for a life sailing the seas.
The sea-lover has since visited countries and beaches across the world, while relaxing and experiencing different cultures.
But it seems the cruise ship veteran is now paying the price for his lifestyle choice, as he has started to suffer from a unique health issue.
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In the late 1990s, Mario decided that living on water was the way for him after getting sick of plane travel because of how much he had to do it for his 9-5 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.
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'.
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His extraordinary experience sealed his loyalty to Royal Caribbean and he has called the firm's array of different cruises home ever since - recently completing his 1,000th cruise with the company.
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.
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.
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That's because all those years at sea have seemingly 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 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."
And in an interview with All Things Cruise in 2021, he claimed: "I’m so used to being on ships that it feels more comfortable to me than being on land."
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Mario reckons the approximately £66,980 ($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 him scuba diving in stunning waters, throwing some shapes while ballroom dancing or unwinding with a cigar in the dedicated lounge.
What a life, eh?
Topics: Business, Cruise Ship, Health, Lifestyle, Travel, Royal Caribbean
Joshua Nair