London24NEWS

Woman residing on cruise ships for 13 years reveals one factor she’s ‘banned’ from doing

Christine Streets-Kesteloo became a cruise director 13 years ago and has been living on ships ever since with her husband Pieter – she now has over 1 million TikTok followers

A content creator has shared how she has lived rent-free in luxury for 13 years. Christine Streets-Kesteloo discovered she could cut costs and travel the world by becoming a cruise director – but there’s one thing she’s not allowed to do.

Christine chose to abandon her landlubbing lifestyle to sail the world’s seas – and doesn’t have to worry about paying rent or a mortgage, instead earning her crust as she voyages across the globe.

The 44-year-old, originally from the USA, even met her husband whilst on board, and is blissfully wedded to staff chief engineer Pieter, who shares her passion for cruise vessels.

Christine has stepped back from her cruise director role, but is allowed to live on board as her husband’s guest. She now dedicates her time to being a full-time content creator, documenting her adventures on the world’s oceans.

Over one million viewers follow her daily routine vlogs on TikTok, with fans asking about her unconventional way of life, reports the Mirror.

Christine said: “Living and working on a cruise ship is its own world that many do not understand. People are fascinated by cruise ships, that’s why when any incident happens it makes the news. Cruise ship life is very mysterious and the inner workings are very interesting.”

There are numerous advantages that come with living aboard the ship. For starters, as the spouse of a crewmate, she can gain entry to both staff and passenger zones. She can also enjoy the leisure facilities such as the swimming pool, spa and dining establishments. And she gets to experience the world when the vessel docks at port.

Contrary to widespread misconceptions, life aboard ship is remarkably secure. Whilst some harbour concerns about maritime health risks, Christine hasn’t encountered any difficulties.

She explained: “There are over 260 cruise ships on the water every single day owned by over 60 different cruise lines. Incidents on cruise ships are actually very rare with hundreds of thousands of people being at sea every single day.

“Also, people like to say that cruise ships are a floating petri dish. With that said, my husband has been at sea for 34 years and has only been sick once. That’s thousands and thousands and thousands of days it all comes down to washing your hands.”

Christine appears to be thoroughly embracing her maritime lifestyle. Nevertheless, there’s one things she can’t do as a crew member’s partner – and that’s have a flutter.

She revealed: “The ship is my floating home. The only thing I can’t do on the ship is gamble. I also refrain from filming guests or crew members in my videos. If you see a guest or a crew member in my video, I have asked them permission to film them. Unlike many other creators, I respect the privacy of other people and their vacation and personal time.”

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

Article continues below