This Aussie couple have spent more 800 days at sea with Princess – Here’s how you can do it

• Aussie couple Marty and Jessica Ansen have spent over 800 days at sea since 2022.
• They’ve spread their time across Princess ships, on Coral Princess and Crown Princess.
• There is a rising number of options for those looking to be at sea full-time.

Marty and Jessica Ansen are a couple of keen Aussie cruisers who have begun embarking on an adventure that many cruisers can’t help but dream about. 

The couple, each aged 78, completed a remarkable 53 back-to-back voyages, spanning more than 800 days, across Coral Princess and Crown Princess.

What’s more, is that they are only just getting started.

Mr Ansen told The Telegraph: “We will rejoin Crown Princess on her return to Brisbane on January 4, 2026, and we have now booked Princess cruises right through to September 2, 2027.”

Mrs Ansen says the ships become a real place of community for them.

“Over the years we have met many crew members and have been blessed to be included as part of their family while on board. The crew continues to cross our paths on different voyages, which gives us a sense of belonging – it is like having continual family reunions.

“Many passengers have also become close friends. Some we met on their first voyage and others we see time and time again. We enjoy the get-togethers and the reminiscing of past adventures and we plan for future cruises together. The time we spend with other guests – sometimes for three months or more – is truly wonderful.”

Furthermore, the couple has family around Australia, meaning they can constantly pop in for visits to different towns.

“When our ship is in Australia, we visit the ports where our children live to spend precious time with them, our grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

“When our ship is visiting other countries, we catch up with family and the friends we have met at sea in places such as Ireland, Canada, Netherlands, Alaska, and New Zealand.”

It’s not as expensive as you might think…

The reality is that to do what the Ansen’s are doing would take a significant chunk out of your bank account, as Princess Cruises can prove fairly pricey if you’re looking to sail 800 days’ worth with them.

However, if you wanted to pursue a similar dream but instead opted for sailing on a budget line, such as Carnival Cruise Line Australia, you can actually get away with living at sea for cheaper than you might live in an Australian major city.

For example, a previous Cruise Passenger report calculated that living on Carnival Cruise Line ships out of Australia would cost around $96.50 a day for an interior cabin, $122 per day for an ocean view, and $163 for a balcony cabin.

Whereas the cost of living in Australia is estimated at $199 per year, according to Expatistan.

The most affordable way by far to be at sea long term is by booking back-to-back cruises on budget lines, however, there are other options emerging. 

The rise of residential cruising

Residential cruising has garnered a lot of interest over the last few years. MS The World has been circumnavigating the globe for many years, with passengers living full-time onboard. However, passengers have to part with millions and millions of dollars before they can even get onboard.

This set other budding cruise lines the challenge of creating a residential cruise option that was more accessible to the general cruiser, and many cruise lines fell short. Most notably, Life at Sea cruises left passengers almost $100,000 out of pocket after it failed to deliver on its promise of year-round residential cruising. 

Cruise line Ville Vie looked set to leave a similar legacy after facing many delays, but eventually made it out to sea, and has been sailing successfully for six months. 

Now, there is a key difference in what Ville Vie is offering, compared to what Life at Sea and some other companies aimed to realise, which is that if you want to get the best prices, you’ll have to outright buy your cabin, starting from USD$129,000.

If you and a partner were to do this, accounting for the monthly fees that need to be paid as well, this would come to $246.50 per day total or $123.25 each. 

The bonus of this is that monthly fees are locked in and the cabin would be owned by you, meaning that while rents and house prices likely increase significantly over the next 15 years, yours would stay solid.

You can take a look below at some of the couples who are at the start of their Ville Vie journey.