A woman who lives on cruises full-time has revealed why she thinks the industry is headed for the dumps.
Lynelle is an American online creator known for sharing her cruise-related content with her tens of thousands of followers.
The YouTuber has made videos in the past about her unorthodox lifestyle, even revealing how much she splashes out on expenses each month while living at sea.
While she chose to retire at just 53, Lynelle shares a number of helpful tips and tricks on how you can save money and even live aboard cruise ships on a low income.
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The woman behind the Poverty to Paradise YouTube channel has recently spoken about some of the negatives behind living on ships nowadays, in comparison to how it used to be.
In a video titled 'Cruising Is Going Down the Drain… Here’s the Ugly Truth', the retiree highlighted the main 'issues' with luxury cruises in 2025, and why passengers are getting 'fed up'.
Speaking about how cruising used to feel like a unique experience in itself, Lynelle suggested that the standards have dropped in recent years in a number of specific categories.
Food quality
Lynelle spoke specifically about the midnight buffet, which would feature 'a good vibe with really good food and ice carvings', a selection that she and her family would always look forward to.
"Nowadays, it's scrawny servings of chicken nuggets, stale nachos, and leftover cookies," she claimed.
The cruise connoisseur even showed a video of a club sandwich which she got onboard one of the ships, though when she sat down to eat it, she noted that the 'bread was wet and it looked and tasted like slop'.
That's not exactly what you'd call appetising.
Maintenance issues
Lynelle shared a video taken onboard one of the ships she was on, revealing a makeshift job done by the cruise company when it came to a broken glass panel along the ship's railing.
Noting that she'd never seen it before, a flip of the camera revealed that an entire glass panel had been covered in duct tape.
A closer look showed that part of it appeared to be missing underneath, but Lynelle pointed out: "The only thing between you and the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean, or the Caribbean, or the Pacific, is a bunch of duct tape."
The most surprising part is that she actually disembarked for a couple of weeks before getting back on the ship two weeks later, which Lynelle claims is enough time to get it fixed as it would have docked at least two more times.
Hidden fees
Claiming that the onboard experience is 'no longer comfortable', Lynelle admitted that something else that irks her is the cruise pricing.
She spoke of the headaches that come from 'hidden fees, gratuities and optional services', when once upon a time, you'd get an all-inclusive package when you paid up.
Things such as parking in cruise terminals have become extortionate according to the expert, as Lynelle criticised the sharp drop in cruise quality, with things as small as perks becoming less and less for new cruisers.
Topics: Cruise Ship, Travel, YouTube, Lifestyle
Joshua Nair