Bernard & Janice Caffary, a couple from Lakeland, Florida, have just become the first guests to sail on 200 cruises with Carnival Cruise Line.
It has taken them just 15 years to achieve this incredible milestone, (even more impressive considering the duo completed their 100th trip just two years ago).
“It becomes friendly and warm and like family, and it stays with you,” Janice Caffary said in 2015 after the couple completed their 100th trip aboard the Carnival Sensation. “We really do like the crew… A lot of the crew members call us ‘Mom and Dad.’ ”
Here is their record in numbers:
15 – years of cruising
15 – average number of cruises a year
878 – days spent at sea (over 2 and half years!)
$175,000 – estimated cost of all their trips
The couple, happily retired since 2000, are definitely creatures of habit. During their 200 cruises, they claimed to have booked the same suite “about 90 percent of the time” whilst continuously expressing their love for the Carnival Cruise Line staff.
“We have completed our bucket list of travels. We no longer book to go places but to travel with crew. They are our family and we are in touch with many from hotel stewards to staff captains.”
Their record setting cruise did not go unnoticed by those at Carnival though, in fact they set out to make their 200th cruise a special one giving them VIP treatment from the second they arrived at Port Canaveral.
Vance Gulliksen, Carnival’s PR Manager stated: “To commemorate their 200-cruise milestone, the Carnival Liberty team rolled out the red carpet, going all out to make the Caffary’s cruise extra special and memorable.”
Signs welcomed the couple throughout the terminal as well as onboard the Carnival Liberty, giving them a number of commemorative gifts and unique onboard experiences.
Gulliksen told of how the Caffarys were “the guests of honour during special VIP celebrations held both in the ship’s atrium and the main show lounge attended by dozens of Carnival Liberty team members.”
Even after 200 cruises, the Caffarys are not showing any signs of slowing down, in fact they already have their next 30 Carnival cruise holidays booked. It seems they are on course to be the first to reach the 300 milestone and maybe even further.
“We are now booked on the Liberty until December 2018,” said the couple. “We hope to reach our 100th sailing on the Liberty just like we did on the Sensation.”
What do you think of the Caffary’s record? Could you spend 878 days at sea with one cruise line? Or do you think 200 cruises is far too much? Have your say in our poll…
Which cruise line did you pick? Why did you choose them? Which specific ships from the line would you choose to sail over 200 times with? Or is that simply too many times? Leave us your thoughts and comments below!
