Many people love cruising the high seas, but US man Mario Salcedo, affectionately known as Super Mario after the fictional plumber in the Nintendo game series, has taken this love to new heights – living aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship for over 23 years.
“It’s the best lifestyle I can find. More than 9,000 nights cruising with Royal Caribbean, 52 weeks a year. Cruising never gets old,” he said.
His record did recently fall victim to COVID-19 – resulting in a 15-month stay on dry land – and he takes 10 days a year to stay in his condominium at Miami, Florida.
Now, he has Royal Caribbean cruises booked into April 2023.
“Some weeks, I have two cruises booked so I’ll have to decide which ones I want to take and cancel the others,” he said.
His love of cruise ships
Mario originally planned to become an attorney but was drawn to finance. He earned a lot of money as an adviser but after 21 years he decided to quit and enjoy life.
Seeing the cruise ships in port from his condo, the bachelor took his first cruise in 1997 and was hooked. Initially he tried many cruise lines but decided Royal Caribbean suits him best.
He now manages investment portfolios for private clients for around five hours a day from a taped-off open plan office on the pool deck.
Mario likes to swim in the pool after work, take salsa dancing in the evening, chat with passengers and crew and dine at one of the ship’s restaurants.
“I don’t eat like regular cruisers so I don’t gain weight. I skip one meal a day and eat healthy,” he said.
Given the size of the buffets on those ships, we’d say that’s a wise decision.
