This Year Changed EVERYTHING We Know About Cruising! 2025 Year Reflection and Upcoming News!

This past year, 2025, changed everything we know about cruising. Are we still living on cruise ships full time? In this video, we’re sitting down together to reflect on everything that changed for us in 2025 — and why our approach to cruising and travel is evolving in 2026. This past year took us across 11 U.S. states, 28 countries, and 11 cruises, plus road trips, home exchanges in Europe, and big life changes behind the scenes. We sailed on ships like Queen Anne, Norwegian Joy, Explora Journeys, Sky Princess, Norwegian Aqua, Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady (three times!), Azamara Journey, Regal Princess, and Brittany Ferries — and along the way, something shifted. After sailing on Azamara Journey, we realized that traditional cruising often doesn’t allow enough time in port. Longer stays, overnights, and deeper exploration showed us that we wanted more time in countries, not just more ports checked off. That realization led us to slow down, travel on land through Switzerland, Belgium, and France, and rethink how cruising fits into our long-term lifestyle. We’re still passionate about cruising — in fact, we already have 15 cruises booked — but we’re now blending cruise travel with longer stays on land, RV travel, hotels, and deeper cultural experiences. This evolution feels like a natural next chapter for KirktoriStory. We also talk honestly about travel costs, how we budget, why our spending intentionally fluctuates between luxury and low-cost travel, and why comparing travel costs person-to-person doesn’t really make sense. Finally, we share what’s coming next — including plans for a future group cruise — and ask for your input on where we should go together. If you enjoy honest cruise talk, money-saving travel tips, long-term cruising, and real conversations about how people actually afford this lifestyle, you’re in the right place. 👇 Let us know in the comments: Where should our group cruise go in 2026? ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 - KirkToriStory, Welcome To Our YouTube Video 0:32 – This Is Our Last Video of 2025 1:15 – 2025 Travel Stats (States, Cruises, Countries & Road Trips) 1:56 – Cruise Ships We Sailed This Year 4:00 – The Azamara Moment That Changed Everything 4:52 – Home Exchanges in Switzerland, Belgium & France 7:43 – Cruise Travel vs Land Travel: The Real Cost Difference 8:45– How We Think About Travel Budgets (And Why Ours Fluctuates) 12:22 – Real Life Behind the Scenes in 2025 12:44 – Why KirktoriStory Is Evolving 13:38 – What Travel Will Look Like for Us in 2026 15:00 – Let’s Plan a Group Cruise (Where Should We Go?) HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR JOURNEY! 🚢Watch Until The End. LIKE. COMMENT. ASK QUESTIONS. 🚢Share Our Content With Your Friends And Family, or ANYONE Who Likes Cruising 🚢Use The YouTube THANKS Button (Thank You!) LINKS: 🔗3 Common Questions That Cruisers Ask Us https://youtu.be/podZ7N-IuOM 🔗Playlist of Things To Do On A Cruise https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7vAI8bcMKDwk6WooixMC2BmkoUxQN5M 🔗How To Get FREE Stuff On A Cruise https://youtu.be/8rRHHR-gGZU 🔗How To Get FREE Spending Money On A Cruise https://youtu.be/lw0YqAGYTCA?si=i1Y1EVC4L50grRbF 🔗How To Pay Less For A Cruise https://youtu.be/FZMz1pKyzSo?si=P5FVzesbTY1MxR-T 🔗Get Elite Status In 19 Days https://youtu.be/a8R5W-v5Z6s?si=69Ph-NC5_VyQvxJw 🔗Last Minute Cruise Deal Website Search https://youtu.be/gky3UDoq9do ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT BOOKING YOUR FIRST CRUISE WITH PRINCESS? HERE IS A $25 BONUS FOR YOU! https://refer.princess.com/Victoria21!c92e68b1c1!a ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT BOOKING YOUR FIRST CRUISE WITH HOLLAND AMERICA? HERE IS A $50 BONUS FOR YOU! https://refer.hollandamerica.com/xfnbt ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT BOOKING YOUR FIRST CRUISE WITH CUNARD? HERE IS $100 https://refer.cunard.com/Kirk ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT BOOKING YOUR FIRST CRUISE WITH VIRGIN VOYAGES? Use my link and we both get $150 in free drinks! https://share.virginvoyages.com/vcarter!11ab187b26!n KIRK TORI STORY SOCIAL MEDIA 🔗Blog: https://www.KirkToriStory.com 🔗Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/KirkToriStory ABOUT KIRKTORISTORY: Kirk Tori Story is a channel about Kirk and Tori (their story) about how they sold their house in Canada to live a life of living on cruise ships. KirkTori Story offers great advice about cruising, including sharing experiences with Tips and Tricks, Budgeting for a cruise ideas, cabin tours, ship reviews, cruise port information and more. 🚢 Living the Dream 🚢 We sold our home and now live on a cruise ship! Join us on our journey around the world as we explore new destinations, share travel tips, and embrace life at sea. 🔔 Subscribe to KirkToriStory for more! Don't forget to subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/@kirktoristory?sub_confirmation=1 This Video was made for you by KirkToriStory