Tasmanian Ray King loves cruises, which is just as well, because he has taken 215 of them and spent at least 3000 days of his life aboard a cruise ship.
That almost certainly makes him Australia's most travelled cruise passenger. Admittedly, that's a long way behind American Lorraine Artz, who until her death in May this year, was the world record holder, having spent 5500 days (or 15 years) aboard Princess cruise ships.
"Now she's gone, I think we're number one in terms of those still cruising on Princess," the retired cattle breeder says. "I've never met anyone who has done more cruises than us."
Most of King's days afloat have been spent with his wife, Barbara, but he was already become a cruise convert before they married. Sure enough, they met on a cruise ship, the Fairstar, in 1975.
"Barbara walked past the swimming pool and I was on the deck above and saw her," he recalls. "She's a New Zealander and had boarded in Auckland, three days before I got on in Sydney. That was her first cruise, and we're still doing it."
The Kings might be fanatics, but they are not alone.
Australians are now among the most passionate cruisers in the world. According to CLIA, the Australian cruise industry association, a record 833,348 Australians took a cruise in 2013, with passenger numbers 20 per cent above the previous year. Insiders expect the benchmark of 1 million annual cruise passengers to be reached by 2016 - especially as a record 36 ships will cruise Australian waters between October 1, 2014, and April 30, 2015.
So, what lessons can would-be cruisers learn from the fanatics? We spoke to three of Australia's most committed cruisers.
THE CRUISEAHOLIC
Name: Cheryl Debenham, Maitland, NSW.
Total number of cruises: 59
First cruise: Himalaya, 1971, Fijian islands.
Current cruise: Pacific Jewel, departed December 11..
Favourite ship: Pacific Jewel ("It's a ship with a soul").
Favourite cruise line: P&O.
Of Cheryl Debenham's 59 cruises, 57 have been taken in the past four years. That's an average of 13 cruises a year. How does she do it? "A lot of them are three- or four-day cruises," the former cafe owner and divorcee says. "I worked very hard for many years to be able to afford it."
She was hooked after her first cruise in 1971. "I loved the motion of the ocean. The Himalaya was like riding a big dipper. It thrilled me. I always wanted to work on ships, but I married and had children."
Her life changed in 2010. Her dying father had told her she should follow her passion, and spend time at sea. "So I booked a cruise for the first anniversary of his death on the Pacific Jewel. When I walked on board, it was like coming home. My dad's name was Charlie, and there was a bar called 'Charlie's Bar'. I took it as a sign."
That same year, she set up a Facebook page called CruiseAholic Social Group. It now boasts 2500 "members" across the globe, posting details about the cruises they have just taken.
Several times a year, she organises group events, when fellow CruiseAholics travel together. "We had 32 of us travelling as a group to Hawaii for the Celebrity Solstice cruise in October, but we were joined on board by 70 CruiseAholics who travelled independently," she says. Her most recent cruise was a six-day Melbourne Cup cruise on the Pacific Pearl.
ADVICE FOR FIRST-TIME CRUISERS
1. Ask your travel agent to book you midship and on decks five or six - you'll experience less motion in your cabin.
2. Explore the ship and get to know it. Discover exactly what is on offer in the first day - particularly which dining options are free.
3. Don't be afraid to ask. The crew are there to help.
4. Don't be restricted by the ship's shore excursions. Research what else each port offers and find something that suits you.
5. Visit the medical room as soon as you experience any sign of seasickness.
THE ROUND-THE-WORLD CRUISER
Name: Helen McMaster, 70, Sydney, NSW.
Total number of cruises: 19, 15 of them with Cunard.
First cruise: Queen Elizabeth 2, 1996.
Next cruise: December 23, Queen Elizabeth back-to-back cruises, Southampton to Sydney (arrives March 3).
Favourite ship: Queen Mary 2.
Favourite cruise line: Cunard ("There's a Cunard style, which suits us").
No wonder Helen McMaster's favourite ship is the Queen Mary 2. That's where she met her Scottish husband, Andrew, on its maiden round-the-world voyage in 2007.
"I'd retired as principal of Engadine West Public School and this was a dream of mine, sailing round the world in around 80 days," she explains. The voyage began at Fort Lauderdale, and the couple met on the first day.
"We had been placed on the same table, 173. There were other guests there, but Andrew was travelling alone, having been widowed 11 years earlier, and I was on my own, too, so we got to know one another during the voyage."
They were married in Sydney a year later, arriving on the Queen Victoria's world cruise from Southampton. "You couldn't get married on the Queen Victoria in 2008, so a piper met us off the ship, we greeted our guests and walked round to Aria, where we were married on the terrace. The next day, we sailed off for our honeymoon, all the way back to Southampton."
They have now completed eight round-the-world voyages, five of them on the Queen Mary 2, and have just booked their favourite suite for the ship's 2016 world cruise. Of the 888 days McMaster has spent on cruise ships, 772 have been on Cunard ships. On December 23, she and her husband will join Queen Elizabeth in Southampton for back-to-back cruises, arriving in Sydney on March 3 before setting off 10 days later on a 12-cruise of New Zealand aboard the Queen Mary 2.
What do they love about Cunard ships? "It feels like coming home, like we are living on a ship, not just doing a cruise. We love the ports, but we love the sea days, too; the whole ambience of being at sea. And the staff know us. They'll have Andrew's preferred brand of whisky waiting for him."
Does a round-the-world voyage not become monotonous? "No, we have lots of friends from all over the world who we meet up with onboard. We enjoy that international flavour."
ADVICE FOR FIRST-TIME CRUISERS
1. Select the best ship for you. A guide such as Berlitz is a good way to find out what a ship offers. Is the dress code formal or casual? Is the dining set table or open sitting? Are there activities for children or not? Do the ports require tenders? What can you see or do at each port? How many sea days are there?
2. Start with a short cruise to start and find out whether the lifestyle suits you, before you plan a world voyage.
3. Enjoy the preparation. Plan the things you want to do, and pack the things you want with you on the cruise. Sort out mail, pets, bills and family, so you have no worries on board.
4. Choose a dining table of six or eight people: This way you can meet other people easily. Join in as many activities as you can to experience the full life of the ship.
5. Sail with the ideal companion, or by yourself: Going with someone you do not know well is risky, because tensions can arise. Check which ships offer single accommodation.
THE AUSTRALIAN RECORD HOLDER
Name: Ray King, 66, Hobart, Tasmania.
Total number of cruises: 165.
First cruise: Ocean Monarch, 1968, Sydney day trip.
Latest cruise: Just returned from a 13-night Melbourne/New Zealand/Melbourne cruise aboard Dawn Princess.
Favourite ship: Regal Princess (his wife prefers Diamond Princess).
Favourite cruise line: Princess Cruises.
In 1968, Ray King took a day's cruise around Sydney on the Ocean Monarch, which was testing a repaired engine. "That one day got me hooked," he says now. Three weeks later, he was on the same ship, cruising back to Sydney from Auckland. "I was 21, and I couldn't get enough of cruising after that."
Fortunately, his wife, Barbara, still loves cruising, too, although she suffered a massive stroke in 2000, 24 hours after they had sold their cattle stud. She still has problems with her speech and right arm. "That's the beauty of cruising," Ray King says. "The crew all know her and treat her like family. She was still in a wheelchair when we took our first cruise after her stroke on the Pacific Princess."
In 2012, they spent 324 days out of 365 on board a ship, including 197 days straight on the Diamond Princess. Surely they must get bored by the repetition? "No, on the Diamond Princess they never gave us a menu. Each day, the executive chef made us a different surprise meal."
His favourite places to cruise? "I like the South Pacific, the Med, Barbara has family in New Zealand, so we cruise there a lot, Mauritius, Hawaii, Alaska ... I just love cruising really."
ADVICE FOR FIRST-TIME CRUISERS:
1.Take a short cruise up Australia's east coast to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. You don't need a passport, or foreign currency, and you can get off if you don't like it and take a cheap flight home.
2. You get what you pay for. It's worth the extra for a balcony, if you can afford it.
3. Don't share a cabin with a stranger. We've met people who found cabin mates on the internet. It's always ended unhappily.
4. If you're not happy with something, tell your steward, waiter or appropriate member of staff. They'll do their best to fix it.
5. Don't let an annoying guest at your table ruin your holiday. Ask to be moved.
