Couple booked 51 back-to-back cruises because ‘it’s cheaper’ than a retirement home

One retired couple have been living life on back-to-back cruises for two years now – and they say it was cheaper than moving to a nursing home.
Marty and Jess Ansen, a married couple from Australia, have embarked on 51 back-to-back Princess Cruises since June 2022.
Prior to embarking on the retirement journey, the couple had taken more than 31 cruises, amounting to almost 1,200 days at sea. They tribute their decision to live out retirement on a boat because of living costs, the service, and the cruise ships’ relaxing environment.
“The cruise lifestyle is very efficient,” the Ansens told PEOPLE in a joint statement, via Princess Cruises. “You don’t have to worry about paying for rent or a mortgage, getting groceries or doing your laundry.
“We’re not young people,” they add. “Cruising is much cheaper than going to a nursing home and means we can continue to travel the world.”
Although each day is different on a cruise, with new destinations and scheduled activities, the couple share that they have a routine.
“We have a daily program of things that happen on the ship which changes, but some things are constant — like our daily habit of playing table tennis,” they told PEOPLE.
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Although the couple are great-grandparents, they say they consider the Princess Cruise staff — and other cruise passengers — to be like family.
“We welcome the different captains on board,” Jess told A Current Affair, noting that the staff recent threw her a surprise birthday party.
“We’re on board longer than anybody else,” the husband joked. “The wheels change over but we stay on board.”
Earlier this year, another major cruise line decided to market an adventure similar to the Ansens’ lifestyle.
On March 1, guests could book a world cruise through Life at Sea Cruises, via Miray International’s MV Gemini ship. In only a month, it’s going to set sail on a three-year voyage hitting seven continents, 135 countries, and 375 ports.
Costs start at $29,999 a year and go up to $109,000 per year, depending on what kind of rooms and services you’re looking for.
The ship will embark on its three-year voyage on Nov. 1. It will start in Istanbul, Turkey, and stop in Barcelona, Spain, as well as Miami, Florida.