The open sea can give anyone a strong sense that there is an adventure waiting for them within the waves. For some, it can be very still and peaceful and they love the calm that they get. It is no wonder some people can not get enough of it.
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The sea is not for everybody. Not everyone gets why sailors love to be in the water. But Morton Jablin, a former Navy officer, does. And believe it or not, he is spending his last remaining years living on a luxury cruise ship.
Meet Morton
Before everything else, Morton was a Brooklyn Boy. He was born in 1924 and grew up in New York. Then, he joined the US Navy during the 1940s. It was during his time in the navy that he developed a strong love for the sea.
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During his service, Morton became part of the Office of the Naval Intelligence. As a Navy officer, he was able to spend time abroad. He returned to America at the end of his service in 1946.
Settling down
After serving in the navy, Morton started life anew and found work as a pharmacist. He then married his wife, Charlotte, who gave him two sons. With a family to feed, Morton wanted to start his own business.
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This is when Morton collaborated with a textile worker that he met overseas to get lace-making machines. With the machines, Morton was able to have his own lace-making business. The business was a success.
Retirement
Years have passed and Morton’s business stood the test of time. He was able to make a small fortune out of it which helped him raise his family well and allowed him to go on luxury cruises with Charlotte. When it was time for Morton to retire, Morton decided to leave the business to one of his grandsons.
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One of the things Morton and Charlotte bonded over was their mutual love for the ocean. They often preferred taking cruises during their vacation time and always chose ships as their mode of transportation when they had to travel.
Avid cruisers
Now that he was no longer running the business, Morton finds that he wanted more of the ocean. So, he and his wife spent years traveling on cruise ships during their vacation. The two always had fun and they have befriended a lot of fellow travelers.
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They always chose a new line every time to get different experiences. If you had trouble choosing which cruise to take, they were the excellent people to turn to for advice. As avid cruisers, they became familiar faces to different crew members and cruise captains.
A life-changing recommendation
One particular crew member eventually became good friends with Morton and Charlotte. When this crew member retired to work on a private yacht, he gave them a recommendation for their next cruise. He suggested the Regent Seven Sea Cruises.
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Morton and Charlotte took their friend’s advice. And they were glad they did. The couple enjoyed their time with the Regent Seven Sea Cruises so much that for the first time, they decided to stick to the liner for their travels.
Loyal passengers
Now that Morton was retired and the kids were all grown up, Charlotte and Morton spent their retirement on the different cruises with Regent Seven Sea Cruises. For five years, they had spent time on the Seven Seas Voyager and the Seven Seas Mariner.
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Then, the couple tried a cruise on the Seven Seas Navigator. It was the smallest ship on the line and it can only carry 500 passengers. They fell in love with it immediately. In fact, they loved it so much that they spent the next five years patronizing cruises on that ship.
All alone
But then, the unthinkable happened. Charlotte had passed away. With his partner gone, Morton did not know what to do. He had a condo in Florida where he housed his belongings and he used that condo as his permanent address.
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But things did not feel right living there. He tried staying in the condo and all his family was in Florida so they were close but he was not happy. It was then that he decided to spend the last years of his life living in the Seven Seas Navigator.
Health concerns
But now that he is of considerable old age, his excursions are very limited because of health restrictions. His weakening eyesight was a major concern that has everyone worried. But Morton thinks little of it.
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For one, he can no longer join the onshore exploration part of the cruise. But Morton does not mind. He had spent decades traveling the world with Charlotte and he has seen enough at this point. He is comfortable staying on the ship.
Life on routine
Onboard, Morton has a schedule that he faithfully follows. In the mornings, he usually takes his breakfast in bed. Before he would play puzzles like Sudoku but because his eyesight was weakening, he no longer does that.
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By now, Morton knows the ship very well. Despite his trouble with his eyesight, he can go around for his two-hour walk without any trouble. He would usually go visit the shopping areas or observe other passengers.
What he does on the ship
Morton takes his lunch and dinner in the main dining room. Then, he sticks around to can enjoy the night’s entertainment. Sometimes, Morton would go out and explore the nightclubs on the ship and have a drink.
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Morton knows the ship like the back of his hand. People who can’t find their way often ask for his help. But there was one area on the luxury cruise ship that Morton barely visits. And this was the casino. Morton was not a big fan of gambling.
A man of habit
For someone with Morton’s age and status, you would think he is free to do anything he wants. But Morton loves routine and he sticks with what he knows and love. As mentioned earlier, he follows a strict schedule.
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An example of this is his meal choice. In a luxury ship, the menu can be very diverse. But Morton happens to order the same thing every day. He loves the cruise’s Dover sole dish so much that he eats it for both lunch and dinner.
Special treatment
And the crew of the Seven Seas Navigator adores Morton. He has been a pleasant presence on the ship for many years. As their most loyal customer and resident, they do everything they can to accommodate his needs as he ages on the ship.
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It is no wonder that Morton receives special treatment. There is a table reserved only for him in the dining room and the table is set up the same way all the time so that Morton does not have a problem finding the right spices and utensils for his meal.
Favorite passenger
Aside from the special dining treatment, the crew installed hand railings in his personal cabin. They also increased the brightness of the lights so that he could see better. And he also has a special shaving mirror and kit so that he could groom himself easily.
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The crew adores Morton so much that they even have a special nickname for him – “The Captain.” The crew is very aware of Morton’s Navy experience and they also loved the authoritative air that he had around him. Even the ship’s captain calls him The Captain.
Family visits
Morton gets visits from his family onboard. Whenever the cruise ship docks in Miami, the entire family gathers and goes aboard to see Morton. With him not being able to go onshore, it gave them enough time to catch up with him and check on him.
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Morton is in his 90s now and his two sons are in their 60s, with their own children and grandchildren. It was a huge group and the crew would welcome the big family on their visits. They would often ask him if he wanted to stay on land with them but Morton would refuse every single time.
Better than a nursing home
There is no doubt that Morton loves his life on the cruise ship. Although his age is a concern, he boasts that the cruise ship is better than a nursing home. Plus the cost of living on the cruise ship is pretty much the same as living in a nursing home.
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If he needed medical help, a nurse or a doctor would be in his cabin in a few minutes. Even with his non-medical needs, he’s got crew members who can get to his cabin when he needs them.
Staying in touch
Morton gets to stay updated with the latest news thanks to his Amazon Echo. And of course, he has a smartphone that helps him stay in touch with his family. At his age, he is as connected as he can get to his family and the world around him even while he is in the middle of the sea.
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There is a downside though and that is when the cruise ship had to encounter risky weather conditions at sea. Of course, the open sea is not forever calm. But in the years that he spent living on the cruise ship, he always felt safe inside.
Fruits of hard work
Everyone who has met Morton admired his lifestyle. While most men his age would do whatever his family thinks is best for him, he insisted on living the last years of his life the way he wants. Morton is not only living on his own terms but he is literally living on a luxury cruise ship.
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Morton’s story has gained popularity over the years and he has done several interviews. As one admirer says, Morton is an example of a person who did his life right – he worked hard for his fortune and he was able to get the freedom to spend it and retire his own way later.
A different lifestyle
In an interview with Forbes about his strange lifestyle, Morton explained that he could not get this kind of lifestyle anywhere else. There was something about being out in the sea that he and his wife had loved and he realized he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing just that.
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In the Forbes interview, Morton also had strong praises for the crew of the Seven Seas Navigator who has been kind and gracious to him all these years. He felt truly at home and he had no doubt that the cruise ship was where he belonged.
No regrets
But of course, not everyone can copy his lifestyle. For one, Morton had a small fortune from his business so he had the financial backing to pull it off. Two, Morton is also lucky to have the support and love of the crew, which made his retirement on the ship very comfortable.
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For Morton, he has no regrets. He was happy spending his final years on a cruise ship. He worked hard to have a successful business. He raised a good family. He was able to travel the world with his wife. And now, he gets to enjoy his last years doing what he loves – cruising in the open sea.