A small flood, two deaths and a cabin fire: Our viral journey on a nine-month cruise

A couple who spent $200,000 on a nine-month world cruise say they loved the bucket-list holiday – but it was far too long.

Joe Martucci, 67, and his 60-year-old wife Audrey have just returned from their epic voyage on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas, visiting more than 150 destinations in 65 countries.

The couple, who met six years ago on a Disney dating site, found internet fame after setting up a TikTok account, @Cruisemum&dad, to catalogue their 80,000-mile journey.

But asked if they’d do it again, Joe answers: “You can’t do a once-in-a-lifetime adventure twice – and nine months on a cruise ship is too long. Four to five months is enough.”

Audrey, originally from Edinburgh, says it was a strain being away from the couple’s four children and four grandchildren. “Towards the end, I was thinking: ‘I need to get home, I want to see the kids.’

“Our first grandson was born in January, while we were in Chile. We didn’t get to see him until July when the ship docked in Cork and we flew to Scotland, missing the French segment, and rejoined the ship in Southampton.

“When we got the news he’d arrived, we were out on an excursion. I was crying so much, I was stumbling all over the place – and laughing too. The tour guide thought I was mad!”

The couple get asked a lot about their favourite destinations. “Antarctica was amazingly pure and untouched,” says Joe. “We were on our balcony the whole time watching icebergs float by and saying: ‘Wow, look at that!’”

Another favourite was the Iguazu Falls in South America where, for the first time in 90 years, the national park opened early so they could see the sunrise.

But other days were less impressive. Audrey recalls: “There were definitely some filler ports where we were asking: ‘Why are we here?’ One place we arrived on a Monday and everything was closed. We did six stops in Norway but didn’t go to Scotland, so that annoyed me. Joe and I also love Singapore, but we only spent six hours there.”

What about sea days? Joe answers: “At first we hated them, but towards the end we were begging for them. Sometimes we would visit 20 ports in 20 days, then have one sea day followed by 18 ports in 18 days. It was exhausting!”

The couple, who had to pack nine months’ worth of medicines for the cruise, were impressed by the onboard healthcare, including a medical team and a dentist.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing. They know of at least two people who died during the voyage – though they believe that various other dramas, which caused a stir on TikTok, were somewhat overplayed.

“We had a bit of a flood on the ship at one point, but it was just water overflowing a little,” says Joe. “We had calls from worried friends asking: ‘Is the ship sinking?’”

Audrey adds: “There was a small cabin fire that was dealt with super quickly – someone had left a phone charging on their bed.”

But what was life like onboard? The couple explains that they passed the time taking part in activities or relaxing in their cabin. Joe says: “I joined in cornhole tournaments where you throw bean bags into a wooden target. Audrey was in the book club, and did a knitting group for a while.”

“I took Spanish lessons,” adds Audrey. “There was even a choir.”

As for the cost, Joe says: “Altogether, about $200,000 [£150,000] with all the excursions and the souvenirs and so on, but it was definitely worth it. I wanted to kick off my retirement with a big adventure, and this absolutely checked that box.”

They have five more cruises planned, starting in January when they are taking their children, their partners, the grandchildren and Audrey’s mother on Icon of the Seas in the Caribbean.

For now, the Martuccis are getting used to being home in Florida – though readjusting to land-bound life has been more of a challenge than they had anticipated. “We miss not having to make our bed, do the laundry, cook our own meals or go out and pay for dinner,” says Joe.

When they booked the trip three years ago, Audrey had never been on a ship, and the longest Joe had cruised was 12 days. But living in a small cabin with piles of luggage didn’t strain their relationship.

“We didn’t kill each other, so call that a win,” Audrey laughs. “We took six cases and two backpacks but probably only used a third of our clothes. You get into a routine and wear comfy things because the ship becomes home. People weren’t wandering the corridors in their pyjamas, but it was close.”

Joe says they made “eight lifelong friends” among the 600 or so passengers who did the entire circumnavigation, including a TikToker called “Little Rat Brain” and her mother. “We had tea and cake with them at 3pm almost every day,” adds Audrey.

They even became social media stars themselves – though completely by accident. “We began by sending videos to our children,” explains Joe, “but they said their friends would like to see them too, so why not put them on TikTok?”

The couple created a TikTok account – using the name “spendingourkidsmoney” – and uploaded a video.

“It said: ‘Hey kids, remember you thought you had an inheritance? Well, Mum and I decided to go on a cruise and you don’t have one anymore!’,” says Joe. “It clocked up 1.6 million views, and before we knew it we had more than 90,000 followers.”

They vow to carry on documenting their future travels. Joe says: “We’ve had people saying: ‘I lost my dad two years ago, and you’re like a substitute for him.’ We were in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a woman told us: ‘I’ve had a really tough year and your TikToks bring me so much joy.’ That’s lovely to hear. We won’t be stopping yet.”