I live on a cruise ship for free. Here's what it's like being a 'wife on board,' plus what I spend each week.

• I'm a "wife on board" — I live on a cruise ship for half of the year while my husband works on it.
• There are a lot of perks, like free laundry, food, and room service.

Hi, my name is Christine and I live half of my year on a cruise ship.

Some would say I live like I'm on vacation every day — and I do. Every day, I'm in a new place and my biggest decisions are if I want to go to tea time, lie in the sun, or do a wine tasting.

Here's some backstory — I'm a former cruise and travel director and my husband is a staff chief engineer. I've been sailing on and off for nearly 12 years and he's been doing so for 30.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, I lost my career due to organizational shifts and now sail with my husband as a "wife on board," also known as a WOB. When we aren't living on a cruise ship, we call Vlissingen, Netherlands home.

Not all crew members can have their partners sail for free — it's a privilege often reserved for high-ranking officers. Before the pandemic, my husband took advantage of this perk as a "husband on board" while I worked 12-hour days.

Here's what my week looks like and what I spend:

I pay $20 a week for internet access

As I write this, I'm looking out over the ocean as we sail off the coast of California.

Crew members on board — including my husband — can use Whatsapp for free but I pay for unlimited internet access.

I need internet at all times since I write and share our world on my TikTok, @Dutchworld_Americangirl.

$10 a week goes to tipping our room steward

I try to keep our room tidy, but we also have a wonderful room steward who comes by each day. He vacuums, changes the sheets, dusts, cleans our small bathroom, and leaves us fresh towels.

A room steward is a perk for high-ranking officers on the ship, and we choose to always leave a tip.

Typically, we give him $10 per week. Sometimes we'll pick him up items in port or toss him an extra $20 if he's going ashore for lunch.

Tipping culture is pretty different on ships. I'd say my husband and I are considered great tippers when we are crew tipping our fellow crew, especially since many don't "believe" in tipping.

Our laundry is done each day for free

Another perk is having our laundry done each day for free.

Every morning around 7:30 a.m., after my husband has left for work, our room steward checks if we have anything that needs to be washed. I simply put soiled clothes in a cloth bag and list what's inside on a slip of paper.

There's also a place to wash personal items and a free laundry area for crew members.

Meals are free, but we spend extra on specialty restaurants and room service

The majority of our food on board is free and I'm well-fed. There's a wide selection including a buffet, pizza, hamburgers, hotdogs, ice cream, sushi, and basically anything you can dream of.

@dutchworld_americangirl #cruiseship #livingatsea #wifeonboard #eggbenedict #hollandaisesauce #bananabread #hollandamericaline #breakfast ♬ Can't Help Falling in Love - Haley Reinhart

We only pay for food if we decide to dine at one of the ship's specialty restaurants, which usually costs between $20 and $50 per person. We usually tip between $5 and $10.

Room service is free to order on the ship, and we usually tip between $2 and $5 each time.

In total, a typical week of this lifestyle costs us under $100

Usually, we spend $20 on internet access, about $27 on tips, and $40 on speciality dining for a total of $87.