Retired couple decided to live on cruise ship by booking 51 back-to-back cruises because it was much cheaper than a retirement home

This retired Aussie couple decided to ditch the idea of a ‘normal’ retirement plan and booked 51 back-to-back cruises instead.

They did the math, and this seemingly luxurious lifestyle turned out to be actually more cost-effective than living in a home.

They’ve been living at sea for about three years at this point.

And there’s another element that makes their story quite interesting.

Retiring was just the start

After retiring, Aussie couple Marty and Jess Ansen realized they had no reason to just spend their days on a couch in their native country of Australia.

They weren’t interested in routines and so they made a decision: in June 2023, they bought a one-way ticket on board the Coral Princess, a massive cruise ship.

Three years later, they’re still at sea.

Their strategy is simple: as soon as the cruise is over, they book a new one.

So far, they’ve booked 51 back-to-back cruises – and they’ve travelled on 130 in total over the years.

Ironically, they are now more familiar with the ship than than the captain.

“They welcome the captains rather than the other way round,” ship manager Ren van Rooyen told A Current Affair when the TV show covered the story of this Aussie couple.

The great-grandparents said that the crew have become like family and there’s plenty of on board activities to keep them entertained.

Jess said: “It’s our lifestyle. You go for dinner, you go to a show, you go dancing. Through the day you have all these activities and I love the Hula dancing and the ballroom dancing.”

Back-to-back cruises have cost the couple less than a retirement home

They aren’t the first couple to confirm that living on a cruise is cheaper than living in a home.

It might sound counter-intuitive, but it isn’t.

The thing is, whether you’re paying rent or taxes on the home you already own, living in a house is constantly costing you money.

Even in the best of circumstances, at the very least you have to pay for food, transport to go get food, and so on.

On a cruise ship, none of that matters.

Things like food and laundry services are almost always included.

Also, depending on how you ‘spec’ your journey, you could also opt for the all-inclusive package, which includes literally everything from gym sessions to beauty salon access and even cocktails.

Speaking to Supercar Blondie, Irene Vivaldi, a beautician who worked and live on cruise ships for around four years, revealed that this is far common than we think.

“There are actually quite a few [people who live on cruises]. Working in the cruise ship spa, I’ve personally met four or five single, mostly retired women who would just hop from one ship to the next without going home for months. They’d easily spend five months straight at sea,” she told Supercar Blondie.

“And I’ve also met several retired, usually childless couples who genuinely choose to live on cruise ships,” she added.

“They do everything from the four-and-a-half-month world cruises to itineraries covering all of Northern Europe for the entire summer.”