A retired couple have revealed how they saved money – by spending a year and a half on a cruise instead of paying for a retirement home.
Marty and Jess Ansen from Australia have booked 51 consecutive cruises, meaning they can go on holiday and save money on rent at the same time, according to A Current Affair.
The couple say they missed being on the water when the Covid virus brought the cruise industry to a standstill.
Since then, they have spent most of their time on board a cruise ship, preferring this to life on dry land.
Marty and Jess revealed to A Current Affair that they have been on board the Coral Princess ship since June 2022.
Marty and Jess (pictured) saved money on a retirement home by living on cruise ships
According to Marty, “I finally told my agent, ‘Look, whatever comes, book it,’ and that’s how it became such a long cruise.”
He continued, “We have been on board longer than anyone else. The wheels are changing, but we stay on board.’
They now have a routine on board the cruise ship, including a daily hour of table tennis. According to Jess: ‘We do it together and we have a lot of fun.’
Thanks to the buffet on board, they don’t have to go shopping, because that is included in the price of the cruise.
Moreover, cleaning is part of the price, so many of their chores are taken care of.
As Marty said, “We don’t know how to do dishes anymore, we don’t know how to make a bed because we haven’t done it in so long.”
He joked that as a result, the couple now has to “stay on board to stay alive.”
Now they are so well known aboard the ship that the crew surprised Jess when she celebrated her birthday last month.
Marty (pictured, left) said the couple has been on board for so long that “the wheels are changing, but we stay on board.”
The couple says they welcome captains on board the ships (pictured) and not the other way around because they have been on board for so long
And Jess added that the couple “welcomes the different captains” when they come aboard the ship because they have been on the ship for so long.
The ship’s hotel manager, Ren van Rooyen, has also been on board the Coral Princess for a shorter time than Jess and Marty.
He said: ‘We always joke that I leave and come back, and it’s like I’m coming back to see my family, my mom and dad. They are like my second father and mother on board.’
The couple, who have eight months left on board the Coral Princess, are considering another round-the-world trip before disembarking.
Just a few months later, they embark on a year-long cruise, this time aboard the Crown Princess.