'I live on a cruise ship for free - there's one thing I'm not allowed to do'

Whilst most of us head on a cruise for a relaxing holiday, one woman has been living on a cruise ship for many years. Cruise ship living has been part of Christine Kesteloo's and her husband's life for many years and the main perk is that it is completely free.

Christine and Pete who call the ship their home have opened up on all the advantages that come with living at sea. The mum, originally from the US, has ticked off an impressive 106 countries and seen some of the world’s most amazing sights. However, they do have to follow one rule that some may call bizarre.

Christine, who says she and her husband have a large room onboard with a big balcony, has opened up on the one restriction they have to follow.

She said: "I am not allowed to sit at a slot machine and play my heart 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."

Despite this one rule Christine, who previously worked on ships as a cruise director, spends half her year living onboard and the other half in The Netherlands. The cruising expert is able to get perks thanks to her husband, Pete, and his role as chief engineer - he has been cruising for over 30 years.

She also receives a 50% discount on extras such as fizzy drinks, alcoholic beverages, onboard shops and the spa. She also gets a discounted rate the internet.

Christine, who shares her cruise life on TikTok and boasts over 980,000 followers, has built up an impressive following from offering a sneak peek into her life in a cabin on a cruise ship.

Christine said: "We live on a cruise ship. 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."

Christine added that she gets access to all guest areas, and she can go in crew areas too - as long as she wears a badge. She said that crew get off the ship after guests. Christine said: "When we get into port usually the guest get off first and then the crew usually get off about an hour after the guests and so I abide by that, I get off the ship about an hour after the guests get off the ship."