By Alyssa Guzman
A retired Australian couple became the stars of the sea as they spent nearly 500 days cruising around the world after booking 51 back-to-back cruises.
Marty and Jess Ansen took off on their first cruise on June 16, 2022, after a long two years of strict COVID-19 lockdowns in Australia. They have yet to stop, booking a total of 51 trips so far.
The great-grandparents have stayed on board Princess Cruises’ 2,000-passenger Coral Princess for more than 450 days — longer than most of the crew, including the captains — and expect to stay onboard the ship for two years.
“Eventually, I said to my [travel] agent: ‘Look, what ever comes, just book it,’” Marty told A Current Affair.
The couple claim it’s cheaper to cruise around the world for two years than pay for a retirement home.
“It’s our lifestyle,” Jess told the outlet. The couple enjoyed cruises for decades prior to making it their full-time living situation.
Among the perks of the lifestyle are that there’s always something to do, from dancing to dinner, and it comes with a maid to clean your room.
“Where else can you go where you go for dinner, you go to a show, you go dancing?” Jess said. “Through the day, you have all these activities.”
Jess particularly enjoy the ballroom and hula dancing, while Marty enjoys making “lifelong friends.”
“Now, we don’t have to wash up anymore, or make the bed,” Marty excitedly said. “We don’t know how to make a because we haven’t done it for so long, so now we have to stay on board just to stay alive,” he joked.
They start each day playing ping pong, and enjoy cracking open a couple of beers to sit on their balcony and take in the views.
The fun couple have been an on-board family with the crew, who love to see the pair every time they board for another cruise. Even those just popping on for a single cruise have heard about the well-traveled pair and want to say hi.
“Everyone knows them around the ship, they’re basically celebrities onboard,” the ship’s hotel manager, Ren van Rooyen, said.
Their celebrity status will last another eight months before the couple disembarks.
But it won’t be the end of their world travels. They plan to hop on board the cruise line’s Crown Princess, an even bigger ship, for another year..
As for their family, they see them when they stop at ports near their homes.
“It’s a wonderful life,” Marty told the outlet.
