Every once in a while we hear stories of people who live on cruise ships and call the sea their home.  No, not the crew who do so as their job; people who may have found life at sea works very well for them, and why not?  If no cooking, cleaning or work to speak of sounds good for a week, how about for months?  That’s exactly what occurred recently as one passenger sailed the same ship 33 times.

Mark Fosselman of Diamond Head, Mississippi recently disembarked Carnival Elation after racking up a total of 270 days at sea on 33 consecutive voyages  Believed to be the longest streak of consecutive cruise days in Carnival Cruise Lines’ 42-year history, Fosselman boarded Carnival Elation in New Orleans for his first cruise in April and sailed 32 additional four- and five-day cruises, visiting the Mexican ports of Cozumel and Progreso dozens of times during that period.

Why Carnival Elation?  Fosselman and his wife Becky had sailed on the ship a number of times in the last few years, even after she became ill and was not able to walk or talk.  After Becky passed away in April, Fosselman chose the ship that had brought them so many wonderful memories and believes that cruising was very therapeutic following his wife’s passing.  Carnival Elation’s staff went above and beyond the call of duty in providing much-needed support and assistance during this challenging period in his life.

When Fosselman disembarked after sailing the same ship 33 times with a total of 270 days overall on board, the Carnival Elation staff warmly greeted him in the ship’s atrium and held a special farewell reception that included a banner created especially for the occasion.