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’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).