Couple Achieves Cruising Milestone with Carnival

Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Liberty.

Two-hundred of anything is a lot. So if practice makes perfect, Bernard and Janice Caffary are getting pretty good at this cruise thing.

According to Fox News, Carnival Cruise Line "rolled out the red carpet" for the Lakeland, Florida couple earlier this month after they completed their 200th voyage with the cruise line.

The retired couple achieved the record feat in just 15 years, averaging more than a dozen cruises per year.

The Caffarys completed their 100th sailing aboard the Carnival Sensation in 2015 and are now eyeing the same milestone aboard the Carnival Liberty.

"We love the crewmembers," the couple told Fox News. "We have completed our bucket list of travels. We no longer book to go places but to travel with the crew. They are our family and we are in touch with many from hotel stewards to staff captains."

Carnival pulled out all the stops to recognize the Caffarys' remarkable accomplishment and reward them for their loyalty. Fox News reported the cruise line greeted them with signs at the terminal and onboard. Plus, the couple was celebrated with commemorative gifts and special onboard experiences. 

"[The Caffarys] were also the guests of honor during special VIP celebrations held both in the ship's atrium and the main show lounge attended by dozens of Carnival Liberty team members," Carnival PR Manager Vance Gulliksen told Fox News.

Despite having spent more than $175,000 on their previous trips, the couple has no plans to slow down. The Caffarys have already booked their next 30 Carnival cruises and will at the very least be frequenting the Carnival Liberty through the end of next year.

"We are now booked on the Liberty until December 2018," the couple told Fox News. "We hope to reach [our 100th] sailing on the Liberty just like we did on the Sensation."

The 2,974-passenger Carnival Liberty sails out of Port Canaveral, Florida year-round, offering three- and four-day roundtrip voyages to the Bahamas.

The next step for the Caffarys may be to move in. 

"It's not so unusual for men, women or couples who love cruising to take up residence on their favorite ship," said Telegraph Travel's cruise expert Jane Archer. "Princess Cruises once told me there were more than 100 passengers living on their ships."