by Watching sunrises over open laptops, answering emails in the spa and taking lunch breaks in the pool are just some of the bonuses of the new trend of working remotely from a cruise ship while sailing the world.
But this is no ordinary sailing – struggling with a weak signal, high Wi-Fi bills and searching for power sockets can all have their drawbacks.
Travel agent Walter Biscardi, 58, from Florida, is one of the business owners who prefer to have an office at sea – he spent seven weeks during the winter working online from six ships.
He says: “You get a lot of funny looks from people when you’re sitting in the same place for eight hours at a time, with a laptop open. They say: ‘You’re on holiday, what are you doing?’
“When I tell them that most every cruise is working for me now, they are usually amazed at what I can do on a ship. Everyone knows you can post on social media, stream videos – sometimes – and use browsers, but running an entire company? That’s always a great conversation starter.”
As to why he chooses a floating office over having a stationary office, Mr Biscardi replied: “Why wouldn’t you choose to work from the sea? Breakfast, lunch and dinner are just a short walk in almost any direction.
“There are pools and coffee shops – and at the end of the working day there are shows and other entertainment waiting for me. The staff takes care of every need 24/7. A cruise ship is the ultimate ‘remote workplace’.”
But he admits there are also downsides. “Connectivity is always an issue when you’re floating steel in the middle of a large body of water that relies on satellites. Heavy cloud cover or rain can disrupt the signal until the weather clears. There is nothing we can do about that.
“I always look for the Wi-Fi repeaters in the ceilings, walls or wherever they are, and park myself as close to one of those as possible.”
Working remotely at sea has become much easier since cruise lines started installing Elon Musk’s Starlink technology – which means ships are connected directly to a network of high-powered satellites.
On the back of this, one line – Virgin Voyages – has introduced packages encouraging executives to book a month of back-to-back cruises in the Med so they can mix business with pleasure.
The first tranche, on the first Scarlet Lady ship, sold so quickly – even at a cost of just under $10,000 for a two-person cabin – that the offer was extended to another in the fleet, Resilient Lady.
The founder of the cruise line Sir Richard Branson, who came up with the idea, says: “When I started the Virgin Empire in the 1970s, I was working from a houseboat. I’ve never thought of work and play as two different things, it’s just living.”
Tom Henry, an accountant for a limo company in Richmond, Virginia, has taken up to 33 cruises since 2012 but it’s even better to start his work day early on board.
He says: “I’m up at 5am when the internet is better and most of the passengers are asleep – it’s amazing to look up and see the sunrise. Later in the day I started taking a tablet-sized laptop to the thermal spa, where I work poolside.”
Mr Henry, 64, often travels with his wife, Cyndi. “My flexible work schedule has allowed us to travel a lot over the past two years to fill many bucket list itineraries. Fortunately, I’ve never had a problem with Wi-Fi on Norway, which is our main cruise line. Last August I was on Norwegian Pearl, which had Starlink, and I couldn’t believe the internet was so good.”
Hospitality consultant Paul Mooney, from Southampton, likes sailing with Viking, which offers free Wi-Fi, or Celebrity Cruises, but found the best connectivity on the new Sun Princess.
He says: “I work in my cabin or lounges – it’s not great but you adapt to every situation and online is always expensive. If I need to send larger files I wait until a port day when most guests are off the vessel and more bandwidth is available.
“Working remotely from a cruise ship allows me to have a work-life balance while enriching myself with different countries and ports.”
Steve Jones, director of fundraising for the Orca whale charity, spends up to eight weeks a year on ships – some of it lecturing and speaking to guests, although he does a lot of remote office work or training.
The 38-year-old from Portsmouth said: “A cruise ship is a great space to work independently and without distractions. Having the ocean around me is such a peaceful and relaxing environment that I work more efficiently.”
The ‘work from sea’ trend is fueling the increase in demand for residential ships with passengers living on board. The original, The World, has carried millionaires since 2002, and the company Storylines plans to launch a ship called Narrative in 2027, although construction has yet to begin.
Two people who signed up are private equity firm partner Misty Frost and software engineer Dean Brederson, from Arizona. The couple have chosen a one-bedroom residence on the ship, which will feature 20 dining and bar venues, a microbrewery, a marina, three swimming pools and a business centre.
Regarding her working arrangements, Ms Frost says: “Obviously the first challenge will be the different time zones but I like the idea of getting off the ship and seeing the sights of Tuscany, for example, and then going back to get a ride. work call.”
