Retired couple have booked 51 cruises back-to-back as 'it's cheaper' than living in retirement home

A retired couple have been living on back-to-back cruises for two years, and claim it's 'cheaper' than if they stayed in a nursing home in their retirement years.

Marty and Jess Ansen are a married couple hailing from Australia, and have gone on exactly 51 cruises in a row since June 2022.

They've stayed loyal to Princess Cruises along the way, trusting them with their retirement trips across the world.

The seasoned travellers had been on 31 cruises, which totalled over three years at sea.

They live on cruise ships. (The Today Show)

Speaking to PEOPLE, the couple said that their decision to live at sea for their retirement is attributed to the increase in cost of living, the good service onboard, and the cruise ships' calm environment.

In a joint statement via Princess Cruises, they revealed: “The cruise lifestyle is very efficient,

"You don’t have to worry about paying for rent or a mortgage, getting groceries or doing your laundry.

"We’re not young people, cruising is much cheaper than going to a nursing home and means we can continue to travel the world.”

They like the fact that no two days are the same, with ships travelling to new destinations and different cruises featuring their own activities - but they have still managed to form a routine around everything.

"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 said.

The Ansens are great-grandparents on land, but they consider the Princess Cruise staff and passengers as their own family onboard, and they seem to feel the same way, with Jess being through a recent surprise birthday party.

Speaking to A Current Affair, she explained: "We welcome the different captains on board."

"We're on board longer than anybody else, the wheels change over but we stay on board," Marty joked.

They have chosen to permanently live at sea, and it may have started a trend. (A Current Affair)

They're not the only elderly couple to ditch life on land for the sea though, as Grace and Jerry Grady, an American-Italian couple, decided to sell everything and travel the world for the next few years.

They will be onboard one of the most luxurious residential cruise ships running today, called the Villa Vie Odyssey.

The luxury cruise set off on 30 May from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and is set to dock at 425 ports in 147 different countries in all seven continents, ideal for anyone looking to stay off the grid for a while.

With the voyage set to last for around three-and-a-half years, you would imagine that it would cost a fortune to go on any kind of journey like that, but it turns out that it's more affordable than you'd think.

The 'pay-as-you-go' option costs £70 per day, and is for those that are only along for part of the trip, though long haul passengers can own a cabin from £78,300, less than a third of the average UK house price in 2024 (£264,500).