Cruise Ship CCRCs Sound Great, But This Idea Isn’t Quite Ready To Float
If you have been in the field of senior living more than two weeks, you have probably heard the term “cruise ship on land,” or a version of it. It’s a common phrase to describe an amenities-rich community that caters to every need of its residents. Now, I have heard both sides of the debate on whether or not this is actually an appropriate and compelling description for any senior living community, but that’s not the subject of this blog.
No, today we can literally have a debate about the attractiveness of a cruise ship retirement community. Last week Oceanic Retirement Communities of America announced it has begun taking reservations for independent and assisted living accommodations on its residential cruise ships. These will be floating CCRCs. The ships will have home ports in Florida, but plan regular cruises through the Caribbean and to Central America.
It will be interesting to see how this concept fares as it will mostly likely be only the first of many different community models created and marketed to the Baby Boomer mentality. And that’s what struck me when I read the press release about a cruise ship retirement community – they were talking about Boomers.
Lots of senior living professionals are talking about Boomers, but here’s the thing: the Boomers aren’t talking about retirement communities. That’s because the Boomers aren’t ready for a retirement community — even if it floats.
With the average move-in age for CCRCs above 80 years old, the Boomers won’t be in the picture for years. At best, their influence can be seen on the drawing board for future communities that need to anticipate market demand ten or twenty years from now. So sure, it’s fun to think about the community of the future, and maybe it will float. But for now, I think I’ll still talk to prospects about safety, security and peace of mind that comes from moving to a CCRC – even the ones that are landlocked.
Thank you so much for writing this and reminding folks that Baby Boomers are not the target market for today’s retirement communities. I’m so tired of everyone over 55 being lumped into one group when the differences between someone at 55 and 65 and 75 and 85 and 95 are tremendous – especially when it comes to feelings and ideas about housing.
Sue,thanks for your comment. As you point out there are tremendous differences within the 65+ age group. At a recent conference, the speaker was sharing designations beginning to be used within the gerontological community as young-old, old, and old-old. Now you might take issue with the labels, but it’s nice to see the medical community is recognizing that there are significant differences within the older adult population as it relates to health issues. In the age of marketing, we should be doing the same.
There have been instances in Florida where older folks who need assistance –that can be handled by porters and waiters on board a cruise ship — actually perpetually cruise and have no home on land. Why? Almost always it’s cost. Cruising is cheaper than AL. Definitely, these people are older than boomers.