OAPs book back-to-back cruises for 18 months – because it’s cheaper than paying for a retirement home

A retired couple has revealed how they’ve saved money – by spending a year-and-a-half on a cruise rather than paying for a retirement home.

Marty and Jess Ansen, from Australia, have booked 51 back-to-back cruises, meaning they can 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 cruising industry to a standstill.

Since then, they have spent the majority of their time aboard a cruise ship, choosing it above life on dry land.

Marty and Jess revealed to A Current Affair that they have been aboard the Coral Princess ship since June 2022.

Marty and Jess (pictured) have been saving money on a retirement home – by living on cruise ships

According to Marty: ‘Eventually I said to my agent, “Look, whatever comes, book it”, and that’s how it got to be such a long cruise.’

He continued: ‘We’re on board longer than anybody else. The wheels change over but we stay on board.’

They now have a routine aboard the cruise ship, which includes a daily hour of table tennis. According to Jess: ‘We do it together and we have a lot of fun.’

Because of the buffet spreads on board, they don’t have to shop for food, as that is included in the price of the cruise.

In addition, housekeeping is part of the price, which means a lot of their chores are taken care of.

As Marty said: ‘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.’

He joked that the couple now has to ‘stay on board just to stay alive’ as a result.

Now, they are so known onboard the ship that the crew surprised Jess as she celebrated her birthday last month.

Marty (pictured, left) said that the couple have been aboard so long that ‘the wheels change over but we stay on board’

The couple says they welcome captains aboard the vessels (pictured) and not the other way round, as they have been aboard so long

And Jess added that the couple ‘welcomes the different captains’ when they come aboard the vessel, as 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 less time than Jess and Marty.

He said: ‘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.’

The couple, who have eight months left on board the Coral Princess, are looking at doing another round the world trip before disembarking.

Then just a few months after that, they will embark on a year-long cruise, this time aboard the Crown Princess.