Shirene Thomas has been on 17 cruises in one year as she waits to board a residential cruise ship.Shirene ThomasShirene Thomas has been on 17 cruises from October 2023 to September 2024.She plans to eventually move onto Villa Vie's residential ship.She has 9 tips for first-time, solo, and budget cruisers, from buying WiFi to selecting ships.According to the trade group Cruise Lines International Association, 10% of cruisers go on three to five vacations at sea a year.Or, if you're like Shirene Thomas, you go on 17 a year.Thomas, a retired social worker and actor in her 50s, told Business Insider that she calls herself "homeless all over the world." And for good reason — in late September 2023, Thomas "gave up everything" and uprooted her life in Wilmington, North Carolina, to move onto a residential cruise ship.She had initially committed to Life at Sea Cruises' three-year sailing, then scheduled to depart in November 2023.