“Cheaper than a retirement home”: An elderly couple has been living on a cruise ship for 500 days

Marty and Jess Ansen are retired. But the Australian couple has no desire to have a retirement home. Instead, they’ve been cruising for over 500 days now – because it’s cheaper. There is no end in sight.

As the pandemic lockdown ends, Brisbane’s Marty and Jess Ansen want to treat themselves. It will ascend on June 16, 2022 Princess Coral – and have been living on the cruise ship ever since. They make 51 consecutive trips with no end in sight.

This means they have been on board longer than many crew members: “We give a warm welcome to the different captains on board,” Jess joked in an interview with Australian radio station 9Now.

Pensioners believe that living on board is cheaper than living in a retirement home: they cook for themselves every day and do not have to worry about cleaning. “It’s a lifestyle,” Jess says.

“This is what retirement should be like”

And more: “You can go out to eat, you can watch a show, you can go dancing. There are all these activities throughout the day. It’s a wonderful life.” The couple always starts their day at 5:30 a.m. when they play table tennis for an hour.

For husband Marty, long-term travel is “the perfect answer”: “You see the world, you meet these people, you make friends for life.” Is there a downside to her new life? “Yes, to say goodbye to the people I met,” says Jess. The other guests on the ship know them: “They’re basically celebrities on the ship,” says one crew member.

The couple wants to stay on the Coral Princess until August 2024. But after that we do not return to Earth: only the ship has changed. They will then continue their journey on board the Crown Princess. “This is what retirement should be like,” says Jess happily. ABC. “Assuming you don’t get seasick, of course,” Marty adds.