Aussie couple’s ‘life-changing’ $80,000 cruise holiday
An Aussie couple who spent $80,000 on a 110-day trip say it was worth every cent, revealing they were waited on hand and foot.
An Aussie couple who spent $80,000 on a 110-day cruise say it was worth every cent, with the holiday being the big break they needed.
Sue Ann and Tom Thorogood, from Southern Highlands in NSW, had no intention on going on a three-month holiday, let alone at sea.
However, over the past two years the couple have faced serious hardships with the death of two family members, health problems with their granddaughter suffering a brain tumour and Tom having to learn to walk again after spinal surgery.
“It has been a very stressful time and we just wanted to get away and heal,” Sue, 75, told news.com.au.
The pair had done cruises before, for six week stints, but never for over 100 days.
But when the opportunity presented itself to jump on-board Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess ship, they thought “why not?” and happily agreed to spend the roughly $80,000 in total, on what they called a “life-changing” experience.
They visited 47 destinations, 32 countries, six continents, all across 110 days. It was a trip Sue says wouldn’t have been possible (or within their budget) had they travelled by air.
“We couldn’t have done all this if it was air travel – not that many countries,” Sue said after docking back in Sydney on Monday.
Princess Cruises is the only brand operating in Australia that offers an end-to-end world cruise, giving guests an opportunity to explore destinations while only unpacking once – something that was a massive draw-card for the couple.
“Our luggage was taken from car boot to ship – we did the 110 days and when it was over we left our bags outside our room … and they were ready to be picked up once we got off,” Sue said.
“We had full winter and summer outfits through all those climates too — there was just no way we could have dragged our luggage across all those countries.”
Sue said there was no end to the things to do on the ship. She enjoyed meeting like-minded people every morning in the auditorium over a cuppa while socialising and quilting.
“There was carpet bowls, tai chi, line dancing, ukulele, you name it, it was all happening. You can do as much or as little as you like.”
As for Tom, a single photo of him enjoying a cocktail overlooking the ocean from their balcony summed up his experience.
“We were living the dream — every morning I would sit in bed with my coffee watching the most magical sunrises and sunsets (every night).
“I thought Tom was going to find it a chore but everything was just so easy. It was the perfect holiday for us.
“It was money well spent, no question about it. I actually asked Tom if he had any regrets and he said ‘no way’.”
Sue said a standout was sailing into the White Cliffs of Dover in the UK. From housing prisoners in the 19th century to protecting England during the Second World War, the history of the White Cliffs is peppered with fascinating stories – many of which Sue fondly remembers from conversations with her parents.
“My parents would talk about the war and when we sailed into it I got tears in my eyes,” she said.
Other standout locations for the pair included South Africa and Morocco.
When asked if she was keen to do another cruise, she said the pair had already booked one for March 2026, sailing throughout Australia.
“This is definitely the biggest holiday I have ever done and the people who do these cruises are amazing — they just keep saying on the ship that they plan their life around it.”
Aussies are among the biggest cruise travellers per capita in the world.
According to Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), it’s been one of the fastest sectors of travel to rebound post pandemic with 1.25 million Aussies having cruised in 2023, up on 1.24 million in 2019.
And while Sue joked that her ship was an “older person cruise”, she wasn’t surprised to see young families on-board, given the sector is booming.
Cruising is booming
According to the recent CLIA report, cruising has a much broader appeal than people realise with Millennials the most enthusiastic about planning a cruise holiday.
The data also showed the average age of a cruiser is down to 46 with 36 per cent of cruisers under the age of 40.
“Those aged in their 20s currently make up about eight per cent of cruise guests, and we can expect this to increase in coming years as this generation begins to travel more,” CLIA managing director in Australasia Joel Katz recently told news.com.au.
“CLIA’s consumer research shows that of people who have cruises previously, Millennials are the most likely cruise again. 88 per cent of Millennials say they will cruise again, followed by Gen-Xers at 86 per cent.”
As for Boomers going on these extended cruises, Sue said they feel they have earned their right to “have these beautiful luxurious cruises” where they are “waited on hand and foot”.
“It was just the perfect holiday for us. It was life-changing for me personally,” she said.
On the back of this year’s World Cruise success, next year’s Princess World Cruise will be roughly 50 per cent larger with more than 3000 guests.
Stretched over 113 days it will visit 25 countries, five continents, 40 destinations all while unpacking just once.
Island you can only visit one day a year
An island that was abandoned after a disease outbreak in the 19th century is only available for visits one day of the year.
Hostie lifts lid on big flight question
A flight attendant has lifted the lid on what it takes to get to the pointy end of the plane — with millions tuning in for the cheeky travel hack.
Outrage over $50 credit for cancelled cruise
Passengers who paid up to $6000 for a South Pacific cruise have voiced their outrage after they were offered a $50 on-board credit after a huge itinerary change, which effectively cancelled the trip.