Bon voyage!
Life on dry land at all times appeared to leave Mike Soroker, 80, thirsty for more.
And so, after taking just 4 cruises with wife Barbara, 75, and loving all of them, the restless retirees made a dramatic decision — to purchase a condo on a cruise ship and luxuriate in their final years sailing all over the world.
But the couple will probably be left to chill their heels on the dock for somewhat while, yet — their recent floating home, Storylines’ MV Narrative, is currently under construction, only to set sail in 2025, and that’s if all goes in keeping with plan.
Once accomplished, the 547-cabin ship is scheduled to spend three years slowly circling the globe, stopping regularly and allowing for multiple days at a time in every port.
“Relaxing adventure” is the vibe the open-minded octogenarian is after, he recently told Business Insider.
“We’re not going to be pressured to run to each place all over the world. But we would like the prospect to see these places, while we’re still alive and healthy enough to enjoy. That’s probably the primary thing we’re most looking forward to,” Soroker said.
The initial downpayment on the couple’s dream life was $60,000.
The payment secured the Sorokers a $2.5 million, 720-square-foot cabin on the 18-deck ship, with three pools, 20 restaurants, a microbrewery, and a ten,000-volume library.
According to Mike, they’ll find yourself paying roughly a further $130,000 annually in maintenance and repair fees.
“We worked all these years, constructing ourselves up,” he said. “It’s time to reap the rewards.”
Soroker said he’s most excited to get to know the Middle East and see Antarctica, while his wife is looking forward to visiting Asia, a spot she enjoyed spending time previously.
But beyond the actual travel, the opportunities to make recent friends — something he says they’ve experienced on previous voyages — is what interests them most.
“We find it irresistible. We are talkers,” he said. “We love sitting at a restaurant, turning to the table next to ours, and talking to them. We’ve made fast friends. When you’re on a ship, it’s the identical form of folks there for a similar reason.”
And while the couple has their family’s blessing — “They find it irresistible and wish to be sure that they will visit us on the ship,” Soroker said of his two fiftysomething children — there are definite hurdles to beat, especially on the couple’s age.
“We need to be sure that we will still get access to medications. So initially, we could be on land 30% of the time. I contacted my insurance firms to see how I can live to tell the tale the boat. I’ve been in contact with the doctor who’s going to be on the boat,” the go-go golden-ager told a reporter.
The couple will sell their New York apartment, and use their Boca Raton home as their temporary anchor. And while being at sea is “probably our long-term goal,” Soroker says, there’s no rush. The ship isn’t ready yet, and at all times there’s a probability something could go flawed within the meantime.
“Some folks like myself who’ve already put money down, in fact, need to know the way secure that’s. If it falls apart, I’m not nervous. [Storylines] principally said that worst case, you get your a reimbursement,” he said.
“When we built our dream house … it took us three years. So, I don’t worry about timelines. I just hope that I’m still alive.”
Not that he’s planning on going anywhere.
“Each 12 months that goes by, I just feel younger. My wife and I actually have an incredible partnership. I feel like we will do almost anything. I’m very, very lucky.”
