Oceanic Retirement Communities of America (ORCA) has started taking reservations for a programme that will allow seniors to own a condo on a private residential cruise ship that also provides both independent and assisted living accommodations typically found in land-based facilities.
The ORCA Lifestyle Cruising Programme will provide healthcare aspects of traditional retirement facilities on private resident-owned cruise ships to be home ported in various coastal Florida cities.
Seniors would enter the programme just as they would a typical Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) with a nominal entrance fee and subsequent monthly residents' care fees, but would live aboard the cruise ship until eventually health issues would necessitate their moving into a skilled nursing facility ashore.
Unlike a CCRC, on an ORCA ship, a senior citizen would actually own the residence like a condo. Upon passing, it reverts to his or her estate. The heirs can sell the stateroom or keep it for their own use by renting it out until they are 55 and ready to retire and move aboard themselves.
The first ship will enter service late this northern summer or early fall and will take frequent cruises to the Bahamas and Central America.
