I live on cruise ships for FREE for half of the year, enjoying the same perks as passengers - but there is an annoying catch

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A woman has shared a glimpse into her glamorous life onboard a cruise ship, where she spends half of every year on holiday.

Christine Kesteloo, 44, from the US, has explored over 108 countries and spent time in some of the world's most stunning destinations over the past 12 years.

How does she do it? Simply by being married to Pete, a cruise ship chief engineer. The self-styled 'wife on board' stays for free on a variety of cruise ships, thanks to her husband's job.

The couple spend half of their year travelling to different corners of the globe, with Pete working for three months on board before he has three months off while the pair remaining at sea.

Over the course of the time travelling, Christine and Pete have stopped at dozens of bucket list destinations like the Amazon river, Alaska and French Polynesia. 

And when they're not enjoying life on the ocean waves, the couple spend the rest of the year residing at their home in the Dutch beach town of Vlissingen.

While travelling, there's no worries about cooking or cleaning and they say they have free access to nearly all the ship's amenities. 

While there are many perks to the lifestyle, Christine has acknowledged one major drawback in the modern world - internet access isn’t free and can sometimes be unreliable. 

The Dutchwoman regularly shares updates from her and Pete’s cruise adventures on TikTok, where she boasts an impressive 986,800 followers. 

The self-described 'wife on board', spends six months of every year living for free onboard a cruise ships thanks to her husband, Pete, who works as a chief engineer on cruise liners (Christine and Pete pictured)

Sharing details of their unconventional way of life, she explained to her followers that the partners and spouses of onboard crew are able to live alongside them for free.

The pair share a cabin for the three months at a time that they are on each liner, an arrangement that she is happy to embrace.

When they are away on cruises, the couple - who have been married for four years - will share 'very close quarters' in a small cabin room, which Christine said has only brought the pair closer. 

Christine previously worked on ships as a cruise director and now works on social media full-time. 

Speaking to Business Insider, she said one of the 'huge perks' of living on board a cruise was that all their meals were prepared for them and that she doesn't have to do any washing up. 

She explained: 'I have sit-down meals in the ship's dining room for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

If I don't feel like doing that, I can go to the buffet or get pizza or hamburgers and fries whenever my heart desires,' she said, adding that she does have to pay for drinks but gets a 50 per cent discount. 

Though their board and lodgings are free, internet access is not and Christine must pay to use the WiFi onboard - which can pose problems for the full-time blogger. 

Christine does receive a discount for internet access but said the reception is sometimes poor and that she had once spent eight days unable to use WiFi at all. 

Each day on the cruise ship, Christine is able to order her meals to their cabin for free and enjoy them alongside beautiful views from the couple's bed

Does cabin fever exist in such small confines? Apparently not. 

'We are together every single day. Where most husbands and wives will go to work and come home and they're only together a couple of hours a day - Pete and I are together all the time,' she said in TikTok video.

 'We absolutely love it because we are best friends,' she added. 

'But ask me that same question in 20 years because maybe it will change,' she joked. 'Probably not though because he is a sweetheart.'  

In another video, she explained how the two find out where they're staying for three months when they first get on board.

'We always have the same cabin that is assigned to Pete's position on the ship, and in my opinion, we have the best cabin in the whole entire ship. 

'While I live on the cruise ship I live as a guest but also as crew,' she explained, adding that she enjoys both the same privileges as guests and onboard workers.

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Room service is even possible. Each day on the cruise ship, Christine is able to order her meals to their cabin for free and enjoy them alongside beautiful views from their bedroom.

On other days, she chooses to dine for free in the restaurant. 

She has access to all areas designated for guests and can enter crew zones too, provided she wears a badge. 

While she acknowledged that she's able to enjoy the best of both worlds onboard, Christine said she tends to abide by 'one rule of thumb' when it comes to accessing the guest facilities.  

'If the pool is packed, I make sure to get off and give the guests a seat, it's just the right thing to do. I totally understand how to give guests the best time and I don't think a crew member taking their seat is the right thing to do.' 

One thing she isn't allowed to do onboard is to gamble. 'I am not allowed to sit at a slot machine and play until I win because it would look a little weird if I, as the wife of the chief staff engineer, won like a big jackpot. So I am not allowed to gamble on the ship.'

Although she has spent half her life living on boats for the last 12 years, the social media influencer said she no longer notices any differences being on cruises compared to being on land.

She said: 'Pete has been at sea for 30 years and I've been at sea for 12 years and after all that time I literally don't need to adjust to land legs vs sea legs, I don't feel the difference. It doesn't bother me anymore.'

For Christine, cruises are just places she has lived, but where she became 'internally strong' and a 'girl boss'.

'Ships have brought out the best in me and they have brought out the worst in me,' she said in one video as she listed the plethora of life experiences she has had while living on cruises for more than a decade.