Just a little memorial to my folks.

Korean War Vet and retired banker Tom Churley, 82, and his wife, Jean, 84, are Princess loyalists, who have done 200 cruises in nine years. (Photo: Tom Churley)

Korean War Vet and retired banker Tom Churley, 82, and his wife, Jean, 84, are Princess loyalists, who have done 200 cruises in nine years. While some people cruise for destination, their motive is "the sheer joy of cruising," Tom says. The Arizona couple often does back-to-back cruises – their longest stretch featured five, 14-day cruises to Hawaii. "We use the ship as a second home as such we don't care where the ship goes. We go strictly by price," Tom says. Things he likes about Princess include the self-service laundry, 24-hour food options and the loyalty program. "We're also very involved with the crew," Tom says. "The first question we get is how long are you here for?"



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Back-to-back sailings with “Mom and Dad”

For many passengers, the list of dream destinations is constantly expanding. That’s not the case for Tom and Jean Churley.

“We have always enjoyed cruising for the sake of cruising,” Tom says. “We have been to all the places that we wanted to but still have the desire to keep moving. People like us take a cruise to nowhere, many times not even getting off the boat.”

The Churleys discovered the joy of back-to-back cruising, staying with a ship instead of disembarking at the end of a sailing. It may mean seeing the same sights, but that’s fine by them.

“We like meeting people, and taking back-to-back cruises there is always an influx of new people,” Tom says. “Most of all though, we take an ownership in the ship when we are on it for so long. We really think of the ship as our second home. I guess we could say the Island is our summer home in Alaska, and the Sapphire is our winter home in Mexico and Hawaii.”

As regulars, it’s no wonder that Tom and Jean soon developed nicknames, courtesy of one of their favorite comedians, Kevin Jordan.

“Kevin was doing his show one night and noticed us always sitting in the front row center,” Tom says. “He then threw his arms around us and said, ‘This is my mom and dad.’ The audience just roared, so he started building this into his regular routine… The crew thought this was funny, and they started calling us ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad,’ and it continued to grow.”

So how did “Mom and Dad” come to call Princess® home?

“In 2006, we took our first Princess cruise and fell in love with it,” Tom says. “Even though we were at the top of the loyalty program with three cruise lines we decided to give all of that up and cruise exclusively with Princess.” He adds, “We consider our first Princess cruise and our first cruise to be on the same day. Everything prior to 2006 was just a boat ride.”

One hundred forty­five cruises later, the Churleys continue to enjoy their second home at sea. They love the perks of Elite membership, especially free laundry and Internet access, and Tom says, “Being a Korean War vet, I appreciate Princess being the only cruise line that acknowledges the veterans.” While they hate to play favorites, if they had to choose a preferred ship, Island Princess ® would top the list. “It is one of the smaller ships and has so many comfortable areas to relax in. Our favorite place is right outside the Wheelhouse.” This spot is so thoroughly associated with the Churleys that a couple they had met on a previous voyage placed a sign on their usual couch that read “Reserved for Mom and Dad.”

Fellow passengers aren’t the only ones who show their appreciation for this beloved couple. One departing cast of entertainers Tom and Jean had gotten to know well had a special surprise at the last show.

“We were sitting there waiting for the aisles to clear when we heard a commotion on both sides of us,” Tom says. “It was the outgoing cast come to say goodbye. They made a card with some very sentimental thoughts. The one dancer started to read them and started crying. As she continued to read, more and more started crying until fifteen of the singers and dancers as well as Jean and I were crying.”

Moments like these are what keep the Churleys cruising, making memories for themselves and those fortunate enough to meet the famous “Mom and Dad.”



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A Sad Goodbye to a Great Woman and Most-Travelled Couple!
Just after sailing their 200th cruise this past month Tom Churley lost the love of his life, Jean who has gone to heaven. Tom and Jean are the official "Mom & Dad" of several Princess ships (first coined originally by comedian Kevin Jordan and then myself when I mentioned their first cruise was with Noah on the "Arc of the Seas") and dear friends of so many of us through the years. Countless dinners and chats will always be remembered, including so many of my shows where they always sat front row - center in the Princess Theaters. Always asking me about Stevie and Kathy and wanting to be caught up on everything, Tom & Jean Churley, they were "two peas in a pod" and a lovely couple to boot. Sadly, Jean began to suffer Alzheimer's and passed on April 28th. God Bless you Tom, all of us on Princess who had the pleasure to know you will miss the two of you, again, you are definitely family to so many of us.
Much love and sympathy, Steve Moris.

Korean War Vet and retired banker Tom Churley, 82, and his wife, Jean, 84, are Princess loyalists, who have done 200 cruises in nine years. (Photo: Tom Churley)