Most people feel lucky to go on one cruise in their lifetime. Jess and Marty Ansen, an Australian couple and great-grandparents, have taken it several steps further.
They booked 51 back-to-back cruises and have already spent over 15 months aboard the Coral Princess.
According to them, it’s not just a dream lifestyle, it’s a more affordable one.
The couple began their epic voyage on June 16, 2022, departing from their home port in Brisbane. By late 2023, they had already spent 455 consecutive days aboard the Coral Princess, with plans to continue for another eight months.
After that, they were scheduled to board the Crown Princess for an additional year at sea.
“455 days joining the 16th of June last year” Marty told A Current Affair.
A Lifestyle at Sea
Their decision wasn’t spontaneous, but it wasn’t part of some long-term plan either.
The COVID-19 lockdowns kept them from cruising for two years, and when restrictions lifted, they decided to make up for lost time.
“It was more to do with the two years without cruising,” Jess said.
“I suppose I’m catching up on the cruises I’ve missed.”
Rather than booking a single vacation, they told their travel agent to keep adding trips.
That’s how they ended up with 51 consecutive voyages. And they insist it actually makes more financial sense than staying in a retirement home.
All their meals are taken care of, and their room is cleaned daily, they said. “It’s a lifestyle. Where else can you go, you go for dinner, you go to a show, you go dancing?,” Jess explained.
The couple says there are endless activities throughout the day. Jess especially enjoys hula and ballroom dancing.
The ship offers everything they want at this stage in life: entertainment, social interaction, and comfort.
Cruise Ship Celebrities
After spending so long on board, Jess and Marty have become celebrities in their own right. Even the ship’s staff joke that they’ve been around longer than some captains.
“We welcome the different captains on board,” Jess said.
Ren van Ruen, the Coral Princess hotel general manager, said the couple are now a draw for other passengers.
“They’re basically celebrities on board,” he said.
“Everyone knows them around the ship. Even the guests know about them when they come on board.”
Jess and Marty have also built strong relationships with the crew, who even threw Jess a surprise party for her birthday.
Van Ruen joked, “I go away and I come back and it’s like coming to see my family and my mom and dad again.”
A Simple Routine
Despite the glamorous-sounding lifestyle, the couple keeps a steady routine. Every morning, they wake up around 5:30 a.m. to walk laps around the ship.
“We do it together and we have a lot of fun,” Jess said. “And plus I do a lot of that sort of thing to help the abs.”
They don’t take many pictures of their travels. Jess says she stores the memories in her head and knows they’ll visit those places again soon.
“It’s always a moving picture, isn’t it? You sit on your balcony and you have a glass of wine and you look out, but it’s moving all the time,” she said.
No Plans to Return
When asked if they miss home or their family, the couple said they keep in touch regularly but prefer this stage of life to be about enjoyment.
“Do you miss your family? No,” Jess said.
“They’re busy. I talk to them, I email them, they email us.”
Their family even meets them at ports when the ship sails nearby. But Jess and Marty admit they’ve forgotten how to do some basic chores.
“We don’t know how to wash up anymore,” Marty said. “We don’t know how to make a bed because we haven’t done it for so long. So now we’ve got to stay on board just to stay alive.”
Looking ahead, the couple is preparing for a round-trip voyage to Hawaii, followed by an around-the-world cruise. And even after all this time at sea, they show no signs of slowing down.
“I would do this for the rest of my life,” Marty said.
For Jess and Marty, cruising isn’t just a long holiday, it’s become their version of home, routine, and retirement all rolled into one.