The comparison was between cruise ships and assisted living facilities, which are a lower level of care. Nursing homes have more medical care; assisted living is more "someone cooks and cleans for you, but you can still go to the bathroom and get dressed on your own."
Still, the basic point that a cruise ship has better amenities and personal services than many "independent living" assisted-living retirement homes that cost more does highlight how ridiculously expensive senior care, even less acute senior care, has become in America.
