Okay, I'm super jealous of these people. These two Aussies decided that instead of retiring to a retirement home they'd retire on a cruise — 51 back-to-back cruises in a row and counting, to be exact.
I did some digging, and it looks like a retirement home entry fee in Australia can cost up to $500,000 (not including monthly fees after that); a 14-day cruise varies, but $2,000-$3,000 for a couple is in the ballpark. Add those all up to make a year, and you've got, say, $50-65,000 per year to stay on the ship — meals, drinks, cleanup included. So yeah, it's plain to see that these two made the right choice.
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…
The couple claim it's cheaper to cruise around the world for two years than pay for a retirement home.
Seriously, I'm jealous.
These people just completed the life hacks of all life hacks. Like, why retire in some quiet neighborhood with a bunch of other old people when you can do this?
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.
Yeah, sounds like a great way to start the day.
Marty and Jess have become celebrities on the ship in their 500 days aboard. Crew members and even a few random newbies on the cruise know them by name.
The couple only has eight months left on the ship, but when they're done it sounds like they're going to hop aboard the Crown Princess, a little larger of a ship, for another year.
Here's the scoop from an Aussie news network:
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