He rocked the boat.
A man named Mario Salcedo who has lived on cruise ships for the past 25 years revealed a bizarre health effect that he’s developed from being at sea for so long.
“I’ve lost my land legs. I’m swaying so much I can’t walk in a straight line,” the Cuban-born businessman told Conde Nast Traveler in a recent interview.
“I’m so used to being on ships that it feels more comfortable to me than being on land,” he added.
Salcedo, who is nicknamed “Super Mario” in cruise circles, recently did his 1,000th voyage with Royal Caribbean. The 11-night voyage was on the 3,286-passenger Explorer of the Sea which left Miami on Jan. 5 and traveled to Panama and the southern Caribbean.
Salcedo said he spends around $101,000 on cruises per year and only works about five hours a day, devoting the rest of his time to relaxing and having fun on the ship.
Elaine Warren, the founder and CEO of The Family Cruise Companion, spoke to the Daily Mail about Salcedo losing his “land legs” — a condition known as Mal de débarquement syndrome.
“Spending extended time on a cruise ship sounds like a dream for many families. The convenience, entertainment, and all-inclusive nature of the experience make it an attractive idea,” said Warren. “But when you shift from a vacation mindset to actually living at sea, a lot of unexpected things happen — especially to your body.”
“I’ve spent years helping families plan cruise vacations, and while short-term trips are one thing, staying on board long-term is a different experience entirely,” she continued. “The first adjustment is to constant motion. The body adapts to the ship’s movement over time, but that doesn’t always mean in a good way.”
Warren went on, “Many long-term cruisers find that they develop ‘sea legs,’ where they get so used to the ship’s slight sway that walking on land feels strange. I’ve spoken to people who lived at sea for months, and they say that stepping back onto solid ground can be disorienting — almost like the land itself is moving.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Mal de débarquement syndrome (MdDS) is a rare vestibular disorder that makes you feel like you’re moving even when you’re not.
MdDS symptoms go away within 24 hours, but in some cases, they can linger for months or even years.
Salcedo previously told Conde Naste Traveler that he went on his first cruise in 1997 and fell in love with life at sea.
“Nothing could lure me away from them, because I get treated like royalty,” he said about his journeys with Royal Caribbean. “The captains all know me.”
Salcedo only briefly moved back to land for 15 months due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
