“We Have To Stay On Board Just To Stay Alive”: Pensioners Book 51 Back-To-Back Cruises To Save Money
While many newlywed couples decide to book a cruise trip as a relaxing honeymoon adventure, Marty and Jessica Ansen have taken things one step further by turning a cruise ship into their home.
The Aussie couple have booked 51 back-to-back cruises after realizing that living on the Seven Seas was less costly than staying in a retirement home.
Marty and Jess have been a fan of cruising for over 40 years. To them, the pandemic was a mere two-year break from their favorite vacation.
Jess and Marty Ansen have been living on the Coral Princess cruise since June 2022
Image credits: A Current Affair
Image credits: A Current Affair
“Cruising is what we do. Once COVID-19 came, we couldn’t cruise, so we booked as many as we could once it started again,” Marty explained to Today.
“Eventually I said to my agent, ‘Look, whatever comes, book it’ and that’s how it got to be such a long cruise.”
The couple embarked on their lengthy trip aboard the Coral Princess in June 2022. They were recently docked in Sydney to restock the ship and are currently sailing towards Hawaii.
The great-grandparents say that cruise life is less costly than a retirement home
Image credits: A Current Affair
“You have all your meals prepared, you don’t have to cook, you go to a show every evening and go dancing after the show, then you go for supper and head back to your cabin,” Jess said.
Once their current trip comes to an end, they’ll hop on the Crown Princess for another round-the-world cruise.
To this point, it’s no surprise that the great-grandparents have become celebrities on board, with several passengers asking to have their pictures taken with them.
“We don’t know how to make a bed or wash up because we haven’t done it for so long”
Image credits: A Current Affair
Image credits: A Current Affair
Marty and Jess jokingly say that they welcome the new captains instead of being welcomed like every other passenger. The retirees have also welcomed the cruise’s new hotel manager, Ren van Rooyen, with whom they’ve formed a special bond.
“We always make a joke that I go away and I come back and it’s like coming to see my family—my mum and dad again—they’re like my second mum and dad on board,” van Rooyen said.
After exploring Hawaii, the married duo will embark on the Crown Princess for a round-the-world trip
Image credits: A Current Affair
The hotel manager isn’t the only one to feel this way. Many other crew members treat the Ansens like family and surprised Jess for her birthday last month.
As the married pair have explained, they’ve worked out a routine to avoid boredom and dodge cabin fever.
After beginning their day with an hour-long ping-pong session, Marty goes to the deck to practice sports, and Jess goes downstairs to entertain herself with quizzes and bingo.
The cruise’s manager has described the retirees as his “second mom and dad”
Image credits: A Current Affair
Image credits: A Current Affair
“We only live in a cabin at night. So we can go away and do our own thing—we don’t have to be joined at the hip,” Marty shared.
Sometimes, they even spend whole days without seeing each other.
The thought of their idyllic sea life coming to an end sooner or later doesn’t cross their minds. Eventually, they’ll be faced with the tedious chores they took care of before setting foot on the ship. But that’s for another time.
“We don’t know how to wash up anymore. We don’t know how to make a bed because we haven’t done it for so long. So now we have to stay on board just to stay alive,” Marty joked to A Current Affair.
The couple jokingly say they welcome the captain on board instead of being welcomed by him
Image credits: A Current Affair
Image credits: A Current Affair
For now, they prefer to occupy their minds with ballroom dancing and bingo games.
“We’re in a state of our lives when we just want to enjoy ourselves,” Jess said.
“We are in a state of our lives when we just want to enjoy ourselves,” Jess said
Image credits: A Current Affair
Image credits: A Current Affair
The couple aren’t alone in their unique experience. IT engineer Ryan Gutridge decided to book a Royal Caribbean cruise trip in 2021 after financial calculations made him realize that the cost of working on the sea was equivalent to that of working on land.
By 2025, he says, he’d like to sell his apartment to chase after a “stress-free” life.
You can watch Jess and Marty’s unique lifestyle below
Furthermore, influencer Christine Kesteloo enjoys accompanying her husband, the staff chief engineer of a cruise, on board and living life with minimal expenses for six months.
The worst part of cruise life is, she said, the reduced spaces. Still, she takes full advantage of the opportunity to explore different corners of the world and has visited 148 countries by the age of 40.
People in the comments reacted to the couple’s fascinating lifestyle
This is such a false comparison. They're perfectly fit and active, so would have no need whatsoever to move to a retirement home.
Agreed, care homes are for those with age related health problems causing limited mobility and requiring high level health care and personal care.
Load More Replies...
My concern as I'm getting older would be healthcare. I know ships have doctors, but they are a bit limited. My mom had an eye issue while on a cruise, we ended up taking her to a doctor at the next port as the ship doctor didn't have a lot of experience treating eyes. You'd have to have insurance that would cover treatments as well.
This is such a false comparison. They're perfectly fit and active, so would have no need whatsoever to move to a retirement home.
Agreed, care homes are for those with age related health problems causing limited mobility and requiring high level health care and personal care.
Load More Replies... My concern as I'm getting older would be healthcare. I know ships have doctors, but they are a bit limited. My mom had an eye issue while on a cruise, we ended up taking her to a doctor at the next port as the ship doctor didn't have a lot of experience treating eyes. You'd have to have insurance that would cover treatments as well.
70
33