When images of the world's largest cruise ship went viral this summer, social media users described Icon of the Seas with less than flattering terms. Among them are "human lasagne," a "monstrosity," and "hell on water."
03.10.2023 - 18:57 / travelpulse.com / Rich Thomaselli / Cruises
Marty and Jess Ansen figured it was way less expensive and a lot more fun to remain on a cruise ship than to go into a home when they retired.
So they did.
The Australian couple has booked 51 consecutive cruises and expects to be at sea until the spring of 2024. They took their first cruise to start the streak on June 16, 2022. They now call Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess their home.
“Eventually, I said to my [travel] agent: ‘Look, whatever comes, just book it!’” Marty said.
And they kept on booking.
“It’s our lifestyle,” Jess said.
This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. The couple had taken many cruises together during their lifetime and fell in love with the aspect. And when they crunched the numbers and found it would be cheaper to take that many cruises than go into a retirement home or buy a home in their retirement, it was a done deal.
“Where else can you go where you go for dinner, you go to a show, you go dancing?” Jess said. “Through the day, you have all these activities.”
And housekeeping cleans your room, to boot. Marty quipped that he doesn’t even know how to make the bed anymore.
“Everyone knows them around the ship; they’re basically celebrities onboard,” the ship’s hotel manager, Ren van Rooyen, said.
“It’s a wonderful life,” Marty said.
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When images of the world's largest cruise ship went viral this summer, social media users described Icon of the Seas with less than flattering terms. Among them are "human lasagne," a "monstrosity," and "hell on water."
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“I went to Italy when I was 23. It was the first time I had left the country or traveled by myself. It was June 2008, and I had just finished doing Spring Awakening on Broadway for two years. Over a week, I visited Assisi, Siena, and Florence before meeting my brother in Rome, following the Rick Steves guidebook to the letter. On my last day alone, I went to see David at the Accademia Gallery. When you turn the corner, there are rows of other unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo. These figures are so constricted, like they're straining to be released from the marble and fighting for air. I ached just looking at them. But they lead up to this perfect, liberated form. I started crying and wondered, What is it about this naked man that makes me so emotional? Afterward, I sat in a piazza, journaling, thinking about how nobody here knew or cared about me, and I decided to come out to my brother—who is also named David—the next day. Only my roommate knew I was gay, because he was also my secret boyfriend. I took the train to Rome, and David and I spent the day as tourists. In the evening, we went to this restaurant called Saby's near our hotel, the Locarno. We were getting pasta, we were getting wine, and I knew that if I didn't tell him right then, I would never do it. My hands were shaking; my voice was hoarse from talking, because I hadn't spoken to anyone in seven days. But David also seemed nervous. He said, ‘Jonathan, there's something I need to talk to you about.’ He told me all about this girl that he was in love with, who is now his wife. It was like he was coming out to me, because we'd never talked about relationships or sex or love in our entire lives as brothers. He teed it up perfectly, and once he gave me all of the details, he said, ‘This is the first time I've ever felt this, and I'm wondering, What about you?’ And I shared everything with him. We just showed all of ourselves to each other. It never could have happened anywhere else.”
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This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ilana Schattauer, a 52 -year-old avid cruiser and cruise travel content creator. It has been edited for length and clarity.