A man who has lived on cruise ships for the past 25 years has revealed a bizarre health effect of spending so much time at sea – he’s lost his land legs.

Mario Salcedo, who recently clocked up his 1,000th voyage with Royal Caribbean and is known as ‘Super Mario’ in cruise circles, told Conde Nast Traveler: ‘I’ve lost my land legs. I’m swaying so much I can’t walk in a straight line. I’m so used to being on ships that it feels more comfortable to me than being on land.’

Elaine Warren, the founder and CEO of The Family Cruise Companion, remarked that losing ‘land legs’ – known as mal de débarquement syndrome – is common among long-term cruisers.

She told MailOnline Travel: ‘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.

‘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.

Mario Salcedo (above), who has lived on cruise ships for the past 25 years, told Conde Nast Traveler: ‘I’ve lost my land legs. I’m swaying so much I can’t walk in a straight line’

‘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.

‘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.

‘For kids, this can be especially unsettling when they first disembark after a long voyage.’

Mr Salcedo revealed that he spends around $101,000/£81,000 on cruises per year for a cabin with a balcony, funding his ocean-going lifestyle through investment management work.

His stature with Royal Caribbean is such that on some ships crew have created makeshift offices for him on deck – complete with cordoned-off tables and chairs and signs reading ‘Super Mario’s Office’.

Mario recently clocked up his 1,000th voyage with Royal Caribbean. He’s pictured above in 2021

Mario’s 1,000th cruise was on the 3,286-passenger Explorer of the Seas (above in 2023), which departed Miami on January 5 for an 11-night voyage to Panama and the southern Caribbean

Mario, who is not on social media, told Jackie Sheckler Finch at allthingscruise.com: ‘Cruising never gets old.’

The full-time cruiser told allthingscruise.com that he took to the high seas permanently after ‘tiring of the suit-and-tie business world and the long flights to international clients’.

After going on his first cruise in 1997, the Cuban-born businessman was hooked.

He sea-trialled a few cruise lines, but settled on Royal Caribbean as the company with the ships that he liked best.

He’s been living on Royal Caribbean ships almost continuously since the year 2000, spending only a few days a year on land and pausing for 15 months during Covid.

His 1,000th cruise was on the 3,286-passenger Explorer of the Seas, which departed Miami on January 5 for an 11-night voyage to Panama and the southern Caribbean.

Mario said he spends about five hours a day working and ‘has fun’ for the rest of the time.

‘It’s zero stress,’ he said. ‘The best lifestyle I can find.’

Thanks to allthingscruise.com for kind permission to publish its photographs of Mr Salcedo.