A couple spent $118,000 on a nine-month cruise around the world – after realizing “life is too short”.
Andrew Kenney, 27, and his wife Ale, 29, set off on their epic cruise – visiting 150 ports in 65 countries – in December 2023.
The couple decided to embark on the big journey after both their fathers died – not wanting to wait until they were retired to travel.
So far, the couple have visited Australia, France, Greenland and the Bahamas on their “once in a lifetime” trip and say they have made lifelong friends on board.
But the pair aren’t letting their hair down completely – Andrew has been doing freelance video shoots and Ale has been filming their journey.
Ale, a pharmacy technician, from Panama City, Florida, USA, said: “Both our fathers died when they were very young and they couldn’t travel much.
“After my father died, we said we hoped to travel when we retired.
“But we thought one of us might die before we went on the trip, so we decided to travel the world together.”
Andrew, a videographer and photographer, added: “It’s been an incredible experience.
“If we can go now, then why not?
“After talking to friends and family about it, they said we have to do this, so here we are.”
Ale’s father, Lynn Ellenburg, died aged 57 in 2021 after a short illness, and Andrew’s father, Chris Kenney, then 30, died when he was two in 1999.
After her father’s death, Ale said she saw an ad for the Royal Caribbean Ultimate World cruise and showed it to Andrew.
She said: “I brought it up as a joke because I thought you’d have to be crazy to go on a nine-month cruise.
“But we started looking into it and the fact that it was a full world cruise where we were going to hit seven continents and see the wonders of the world that won us over.”
The couple set sail from Miami, Florida on December 10, 2023.
They say it was a “once in a lifetime trip” and hope to return to some of their favorite places in the future.
She said: “The things we’ve experienced are what we’ve read about or seen on TV.
“Like who can see the Great Wall of China or the Taj Mahal?
“We loved Japan, it was incredible the food was amazing and the people were super helpful and friendly.
“South Africa was beautiful and unlike anywhere we’ve ever been.
“French Polynesia is the most perfect place on the planet, we realized that this was an example of places we will return to.”
By the time the cruise ends, Andrew and Ale will have been on board for nine months.
They said they were “surprised” by the community they settled on the ship.
Ale said: “I didn’t expect the community on board, with us all forced into these different circumstances, we’ve made some lifelong friends.
“We have created a community of like-minded people who love to travel.
“It was a whole level that I didn’t anticipate.”
The couple paid $59,000 each for their room and said it was “worth it.”
Andrew said: “You get three loads of laundry every week, unlimited Wi-Fi, free food and drink and you get to see seven wonders of the world – all included in the price.
“They were really worth it, we knew if we had done all these trips individually it would have been more expensive.
“It’s like paying your rent in advance for nine months.”
Andrew added: “I’ve been able to work in the shop as a fitter and shoot for people who need it on board.
“There was a lot of preparation for us to come on board, we’ve managed to pack a lot of our travel into these nine months.
“We have our whole lives to work, so we wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Ale added: “I’m taking a break from work at the moment and doing more social media.
“I’m managing a few things at home, but we’re just enjoying our time together.”
Places they are visiting:
Seychelles
Mauritius
reunion
South Africa
Namibia
Angola
Ghana
Canary Islands
Gibraltar
Maltese
Bahamas
Montenegro
Maltese
France
Spain
Morocco
Portuguese
Ireland
Belgium
England
Denmark
Germany
Latvia
Estonia
finland
Sweden
Lithuania
Denmark
Norway
Australia
Indonesia
Philippines
China
Taiwan
Japan
South Korea
Vietnam
Malaysia
Sri Lanka
Indian
UAE
Greece
Ital
Slovenia
Croatia
Miami
Coco Cay
Cozumel
Aruba
Curacao
bonaire
Barbados
Grenada
Brazil
uruguay
Argentinian
Chile
PERU
Costa Rica
Guatemala
Mexico
French Polynesia
New Zealand
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