Latest news with #VillaVieResidences
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
US Woman Leaves Home At 77 To Spend 15 Years On A Cruise Ship
Sharon Lane, 77, began daydreaming about life on board as soon as she learnt that a cruise line was conducting a global tour. In mid-June, she departed California to live on the residential cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey, which will be sailing around the world. Ms Lane, a former California high school teacher, loves to travel. She used to teach foreign languages and enjoyed taking her students on European vacations. She moved to Cape Town, South Africa, in the 1990s for two years of adventure. She has recently switched to cruise travel, not only because it gives her the chance to travel the world but also because she loves the experience of being lost at sea. 'I am finally able to do what I have wanted to do for years,' Ms Lane told CNN Travel. This is not a short cruise holiday for Ms Lane. The 77-year-old Californian intends to spend the next 15 years travelling around the world's oceans and making port calls at places like Japan and New Zealand. Being a "residential" cruise ship, guests usually do not board Villa Vie Odyssey for a brief excursion. The Odyssey is a newly rebuilt, three-decade-old ship, and its cabins are sold permanently, or for as long as the ship is expected to last. According to CEO Mikael Petterson of Villa Vie Residences, cabin rates begin at $129,000 for a 15-year stay, plus monthly costs of $2,000 per person for double occupancy and $3,000 for single occupancy. Cabins outside start at $169,000, and each person's monthly fee goes up by $500. Ms Lane purchased her cabins at the end of 2024, and she boarded the ship a few months later when the ship arrived in her hometown of San Diego, California. The monthly charge for residents includes food and soft drinks. Wi-Fi, medical visits (but not surgeries or medications), and wine during dinner are also acceptable. Furthermore, there is free weekly housekeeping, biweekly laundry service, and room service available. Ms Lane claimed that she bought her inside cabin with all her money, but she considers it to be a fantastic deal. 'I buy the cabin, I live in the cabin, and that's it. And then there's no end,' Ms Lane remarked to the outlet. "I no longer have to do my laundry. I don't have to go grocery shopping. It is far less expensive to live on the ship than it is in Southern California," she added. Although she is eager to see the places, Ms Lane said her favourite aspect of cruising is being on the ship, and she intends to spend most of her free time on deck. She claimed that the only purpose of her windowless cabin is to sleep. Originally scheduled to set sail in mid-2024, Villa Vie Odyssey was delayed for four months at Belfast, Northern Ireland, while it awaited safety certification. The Odyssey finally sailed in late September of last year.
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
She left her home in California to live on a cruise ship for 15 years
When Sharon Lane stepped onto Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship in mid-June, she was flooded with feelings of joy and relief. This moment was the fulfillment of a dream a long time coming. 'I'm finally able to do what I've wanted to do for years,' she tells CNN Travel. For Lane, this is no brief cruise vacation. The 77-year-old Californian plans to be on this ship for the next 15 years, perpetually circumnavigating the world's oceans and stopping off at destinations from Japan to New Zealand. Villa Vie Odyssey is a 'residential' cruise ship, meaning passengers don't generally board for just a quick jaunt. Its cabins are sold on a permanent basis — or at least for the estimated 15-year lifetime of the Odyssey, which is a recently renovated, three-decade-old ship. 'I buy the cabin, I live in the cabin, and that's it. And then there's no end,' says Lane. Or at least that's the hope. Residential ships are still new territory for the cruise ship industry. While the Odyssey is currently sailing smoothly up the US West Coast, its initial launch was delayed by months. Meanwhile some passengers, including Lane, had already experienced the disappointment of an earlier long-term residential cruise collapsing before it even secured a boat. Operated by cruise startup Villa Vie Residences, the Odyssey finally set sail at the end of September last year. There are still cabins available to purchase. Lane bought hers at the end of last year and boarded several months later, when the ship passed through her home port of San Diego, California. Villa Vie Residences' CEO Mikael Pettersen says cabin prices start at $129,000 for an inside for 15 years, on top of which there are monthly fees — $2,000 per person per month for double occupancy, $3,000 for single. Outside cabins start at $169,000, with monthly fees rising $500 per person. These figures aren't cheap — but remain comparatively so in contrast to The World, the only other residential cruise ship experience currently at sea, which caters for a more luxury market with a starting price of $2.5 million. There are other residential ship projects in the works — such as NJORD, a self-described 'exclusive community at sea' — but they've yet to be realized. Odyssey's concept is also potentially cheaper than hopping from one shorter cruise voyage to another. Villa Vie owners can also rent their cabin out to others, which means short-term passengers can still come and go from Odyssey. But the majority of owners have purchased their cabin with the intention of living on board, according to the cruise company. 'Most of our cabins are sold to full-time or mostly full-time residents,' Pettersen tells CNN Travel. 'I only know of a couple of residents who have investment cabins that they actively rent out. Most rentals come from owners who decide to stay off the ship for a period of time.' Lane says she used her life savings to purchase her interior cabin, but she sees this as a good deal. Food and soft drinks are included in residents' monthly fee. So is alcohol at dinner, Wi-Fi and medical visits (but not procedures or medicines). There's also 24/7 room service, weekly housekeeping and bi-weekly laundry service at no extra cost. 'I don't have to do my laundry anymore. I don't have to do grocery shopping,' says Lane. 'Living on the ship is much less expensive than living in Southern California.' Entertainment is also provided, including 'a singing duet, pianist, professional dancers,' according to Pettersen. Local performers are booked at ports of call, and residents are also encouraged to host their own events at a regular 'speakers' corner.' 'Residents present every week,' Pettersen says. 'We have a very diverse community including a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a White House chief of staff, an astronaut and many scientists and doctors onboard that share their knowledge and experiences.' Odyssey usually stops in each port for a couple of days, where optional shore excursions are organized for an additional fee. Throughout the course of its anticipated 15-year life span, the ship will continually circle the globe, calling at different locations with each circumnavigation. Lane says she is excited about the destinations, but being on the ship is her favorite part of cruising and she plans to spend most of her downtime on the deck. She says her windowless cabin is simply for sleeping. Her berth is 'toward the front of the ship, because I can feel the ocean more there,' she adds. 'I like the ocean motion.' The eight-deck Odyssey can 'technically' accommodate 924 people, according to Villa Vie's Pettersen, but some cabins have now been combined into one, meaning 'about 450 cabins in total.' 'Given the solo rate and that residents often travel away from the ship, we don't expect more than 500 residents onboard at any given time,' he explains. 'I find that delightful,' Lane says. 'It's very roomy for the number of people.' In November 2024 Villa Vie said that 50% of passengers in the first takeup were traveling solo. Today, Villa Vie Residences' CEO Pettersen confirms single travelers now make up 'close to 55%' of those on board — Lane among them. Pettersen says 80% of Villa Vie Odyssey's owners are from the US and Canada, with Australia and New Zealand a close second. As a recent addition to the on-board community, Lane is enjoying meeting and mingling with her fellow residents. 'There's very, very few, if any, people on the ship who are not lifelong travelers,' she says. 'When you're with a group of people that think like you, life gets easier.' Villa Vie Odyssey was originally supposed to embark in mid-2024, but ended up stalled in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for four months, awaiting safety certification. When the vessel eventually set sail, Villa Vie contended with some cancelled ports and itinerary changes. Missed stop-offs in the Galapagos Islands, the Falklands in the South Atlantic and Antarctica led to some disappointment among passengers. 'Residents understand for the most part that we are doing something new and there will be occasional challenges but I think overall we are getting better,' says Villa Vie's Pettersen. Pettersen blames cancelled ports on weather, red tape and logistical problems in destinations where smaller 'tender' vessels are needed to carry passengers ashore. 'Galapagos was not possible for us to go because you need 100% Ecuadorian crew,' he says. 'Falklands was due to 50-knot winds.' Pettersen says that in Antarctica, Villa Vie 'did not get the certificates in time and the weather did not allow for an exemption. We had some other missed tender ports where waves were simply not safe for tender operations.' Pettersen suggests these teething problems will be overcome as Villa Vie Residences' gains more experience. He points out this is a kind of voyage never really attempted before. Villa Vie is currently building a custom walkway to link the ship and tender boats to reduce movement from waves and swell. This, says Pettersen, will 'greatly reduce these missed ports.' 'We have a very capable itinerary planner who plans about a year ahead,' Pettersen adds. 'It is an extremely difficult task as there is really nobody that has done this sort of itinerary before so it is challenging to understand all regulations in every region of the world. However, we are learning a tremendous amount.' To make up for the missed ports, a new segment has been added to the cruise 'which offers everything that was missed in 2024, including Antarctica, Falklands, Greenland, and northern Europe,' according to Pettersen. This will involve an extended stay in the Argentine port of Ushuaia, on the southern tip of South America. 'This time we are spending an entire month in Ushuaia, giving us plenty of opportunity to work with the weather to make sure we hit the Falklands and Antarctica,' he adds. 'We learned that the weather down there is highly unpredictable so giving us this flexibility will ensure an amazing customer experience.' Lane says she's relieved to have missed much of the Odyssey's early drama and is confident that Villa Vie had enough time to 'work out the kinks' by the time she joined in mid-June. 'I don't want complications in my life, you know, I'm at a point in my life where I want simplicity,' she says. Lane has, however, experienced first-hand some of the uncertainties of the nascent years-long cruising industry. She was among hundreds of passengers who committed thousands of dollars toward a three-year-long cruise voyage planned by a start-up called Life at Sea. After repeated postponements, that project collapsed, with management company Miray Cruises never actually managing to secure a ship to host the voyage. Lane got a refund, but by then had given up her rental lease and sold many of her belongings. When the cruise dream collapsed, she moved into a retirement village in Orange County, California, where she felt stagnant. 'The whole two years I was there, I was looking for someplace else to go… I wasn't settled. I didn't feel settled. Because it wasn't the life I wanted,' says Lane. Lane explains she wasn't aware of the progress with Villa Vie Residences until the Odyssey made headlines when it finally set sail in fall 2024. She was immediately sold. Her reaction, she says, was just two words: 'Holy cow.' 'I called them up and I gave them money the same day,' recalls Lane. Pettersen, who worked for Life at Sea until departing in a management schism, says about half of the passengers let down by Life at Sea have followed him to his new company. 'We have about half of them on the Odyssey,' he says. Those who purchase long-term cabins on Odyssey do have the option to sell up should circumstances change. Lane says she currently hopes to see out the full 15 years at sea, finally living her dream life. 'There's no end,' she says. 'Sure, in 15 years… but in 15 years, I'll be ready for a home… Or maybe, at the end, I'll go on their next ship… I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.' 'Being on a ship deck, that's my happy place,' Lane adds. 'Whenever the weather is good, I will be on that deck. And when the weather isn't quite good, I'll bundle up and be on that deck, because that is my happy place. You can stand there, you can sit there, you can chat with people, you can read a book. You have the ocean breeze, you have sea air.'
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
She left her home in California to live on a cruise ship for 15 years
When Sharon Lane stepped onto Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship in mid-June, she was flooded with feelings of joy and relief. This moment was the fulfillment of a dream a long time coming. 'I'm finally able to do what I've wanted to do for years,' she tells CNN Travel. For Lane, this is no brief cruise vacation. The 77-year-old Californian plans to be on this ship for the next 15 years, perpetually circumnavigating the world's oceans and stopping off at destinations from Japan to New Zealand. Villa Vie Odyssey is a 'residential' cruise ship, meaning passengers don't generally board for just a quick jaunt. Its cabins are sold on a permanent basis — or at least for the estimated 15-year lifetime of the Odyssey, which is a recently renovated, three-decade-old ship. 'I buy the cabin, I live in the cabin, and that's it. And then there's no end,' says Lane. Or at least that's the hope. Residential ships are still new territory for the cruise ship industry. While the Odyssey is currently sailing smoothly up the US West Coast, its initial launch was delayed by months. Meanwhile some passengers, including Lane, had already experienced the disappointment of an earlier long-term residential cruise collapsing before it even secured a boat. Operated by cruise startup Villa Vie Residences, the Odyssey finally set sail at the end of September last year. There are still cabins available to purchase. Lane bought hers at the end of last year and boarded several months later, when the ship passed through her home port of San Diego, California. Villa Vie Residences' CEO Mikael Pettersen says cabin prices start at $129,000 for an inside for 15 years, on top of which there are monthly fees — $2,000 per person per month for double occupancy, $3,000 for single. Outside cabins start at $169,000, with monthly fees rising $500 per person. These figures aren't cheap — but remain comparatively so in contrast to The World, the only other residential cruise ship experience currently at sea, which caters for a more luxury market with a starting price of $2.5 million. There are other residential ship projects in the works — such as NJORD, a self-described 'exclusive community at sea' — but they've yet to be realized. Odyssey's concept is also potentially cheaper than hopping from one shorter cruise voyage to another. Villa Vie owners can also rent their cabin out to others, which means short-term passengers can still come and go from Odyssey. But the majority of owners have purchased their cabin with the intention of living on board, according to the cruise company. 'Most of our cabins are sold to full-time or mostly full-time residents,' Pettersen tells CNN Travel. 'I only know of a couple of residents who have investment cabins that they actively rent out. Most rentals come from owners who decide to stay off the ship for a period of time.' Lane says she used her life savings to purchase her interior cabin, but she sees this as a good deal. Food and soft drinks are included in residents' monthly fee. So is alcohol at dinner, Wi-Fi and medical visits (but not procedures or medicines). There's also 24/7 room service, weekly housekeeping and bi-weekly laundry service at no extra cost. 'I don't have to do my laundry anymore. I don't have to do grocery shopping,' says Lane. 'Living on the ship is much less expensive than living in Southern California.' Entertainment is also provided, including 'a singing duet, pianist, professional dancers,' according to Pettersen. Local performers are booked at ports of call, and residents are also encouraged to host their own events at a regular 'speakers' corner.' 'Residents present every week,' Pettersen says. 'We have a very diverse community including a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a White House chief of staff, an astronaut and many scientists and doctors onboard that share their knowledge and experiences.' Odyssey usually stops in each port for a couple of days, where optional shore excursions are organized for an additional fee. Throughout the course of its anticipated 15-year life span, the ship will continually circle the globe, calling at different locations with each circumnavigation. Lane says she is excited about the destinations, but being on the ship is her favorite part of cruising and she plans to spend most of her downtime on the deck. She says her windowless cabin is simply for sleeping. Her berth is 'toward the front of the ship, because I can feel the ocean more there,' she adds. 'I like the ocean motion.' The eight-deck Odyssey can 'technically' accommodate 924 people, according to Villa Vie's Pettersen, but some cabins have now been combined into one, meaning 'about 450 cabins in total.' 'Given the solo rate and that residents often travel away from the ship, we don't expect more than 500 residents onboard at any given time,' he explains. 'I find that delightful,' Lane says. 'It's very roomy for the number of people.' In November 2024 Villa Vie said that 50% of passengers in the first takeup were traveling solo. Today, Villa Vie Residences' CEO Pettersen confirms single travelers now make up 'close to 55%' of those on board — Lane among them. Pettersen says 80% of Villa Vie Odyssey's owners are from the US and Canada, with Australia and New Zealand a close second. As a recent addition to the on-board community, Lane is enjoying meeting and mingling with her fellow residents. 'There's very, very few, if any, people on the ship who are not lifelong travelers,' she says. 'When you're with a group of people that think like you, life gets easier.' Villa Vie Odyssey was originally supposed to embark in mid-2024, but ended up stalled in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for four months, awaiting safety certification. When the vessel eventually set sail, Villa Vie contended with some cancelled ports and itinerary changes. Missed stop-offs in the Galapagos Islands, the Falklands in the South Atlantic and Antarctica led to some disappointment among passengers. 'Residents understand for the most part that we are doing something new and there will be occasional challenges but I think overall we are getting better,' says Villa Vie's Pettersen. Pettersen blames cancelled ports on weather, red tape and logistical problems in destinations where smaller 'tender' vessels are needed to carry passengers ashore. 'Galapagos was not possible for us to go because you need 100% Ecuadorian crew,' he says. 'Falklands was due to 50-knot winds.' Pettersen says that in Antarctica, Villa Vie 'did not get the certificates in time and the weather did not allow for an exemption. We had some other missed tender ports where waves were simply not safe for tender operations.' Pettersen suggests these teething problems will be overcome as Villa Vie Residences' gains more experience. He points out this is a kind of voyage never really attempted before. Villa Vie is currently building a custom walkway to link the ship and tender boats to reduce movement from waves and swell. This, says Pettersen, will 'greatly reduce these missed ports.' 'We have a very capable itinerary planner who plans about a year ahead,' Pettersen adds. 'It is an extremely difficult task as there is really nobody that has done this sort of itinerary before so it is challenging to understand all regulations in every region of the world. However, we are learning a tremendous amount.' To make up for the missed ports, a new segment has been added to the cruise 'which offers everything that was missed in 2024, including Antarctica, Falklands, Greenland, and northern Europe,' according to Pettersen. This will involve an extended stay in the Argentine port of Ushuaia, on the southern tip of South America. 'This time we are spending an entire month in Ushuaia, giving us plenty of opportunity to work with the weather to make sure we hit the Falklands and Antarctica,' he adds. 'We learned that the weather down there is highly unpredictable so giving us this flexibility will ensure an amazing customer experience.' Lane says she's relieved to have missed much of the Odyssey's early drama and is confident that Villa Vie had enough time to 'work out the kinks' by the time she joined in mid-June. 'I don't want complications in my life, you know, I'm at a point in my life where I want simplicity,' she says. Lane has, however, experienced first-hand some of the uncertainties of the nascent years-long cruising industry. She was among hundreds of passengers who committed thousands of dollars toward a three-year-long cruise voyage planned by a start-up called Life at Sea. After repeated postponements, that project collapsed, with management company Miray Cruises never actually managing to secure a ship to host the voyage. Lane got a refund, but by then had given up her rental lease and sold many of her belongings. When the cruise dream collapsed, she moved into a retirement village in Orange County, California, where she felt stagnant. 'The whole two years I was there, I was looking for someplace else to go… I wasn't settled. I didn't feel settled. Because it wasn't the life I wanted,' says Lane. Lane explains she wasn't aware of the progress with Villa Vie Residences until the Odyssey made headlines when it finally set sail in fall 2024. She was immediately sold. Her reaction, she says, was just two words: 'Holy cow.' 'I called them up and I gave them money the same day,' recalls Lane. Pettersen, who worked for Life at Sea until departing in a management schism, says about half of the passengers let down by Life at Sea have followed him to his new company. 'We have about half of them on the Odyssey,' he says. Those who purchase long-term cabins on Odyssey do have the option to sell up should circumstances change. Lane says she currently hopes to see out the full 15 years at sea, finally living her dream life. 'There's no end,' she says. 'Sure, in 15 years… but in 15 years, I'll be ready for a home… Or maybe, at the end, I'll go on their next ship… I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.' 'Being on a ship deck, that's my happy place,' Lane adds. 'Whenever the weather is good, I will be on that deck. And when the weather isn't quite good, I'll bundle up and be on that deck, because that is my happy place. You can stand there, you can sit there, you can chat with people, you can read a book. You have the ocean breeze, you have sea air.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Villa Vie Odyssey Makes Historic First Visit to Honolulu, Marking U.S. Debut
HONOLULU, June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Villa Vie Residences proudly announces the inaugural U.S. arrival of its flagship residential cruise ship, the Villa Vie Odyssey, as it docks in Honolulu, Hawaii. This momentous occasion marks the vessel's first visit to the United States, offering a unique opportunity for local residents and officials to experience the innovative concept of residential cruising firsthand. The Villa Vie Odyssey is currently on a groundbreaking 3.5-year global voyage, visiting over 425 ports across more than 140 countries. Designed to serve as a floating community, the ship offers various residency options, including full ownership, seasonal stays, and flexible rental programs. Residents enjoy luxurious amenities such as a business center, medical facilities, a culinary studio, and a golf simulator, all while exploring the world's most captivating destinations. "Our arrival in Honolulu is a significant milestone for Villa Vie Residences," said Mikael Petterson, Chairman of Villa Vie Residences. "We are thrilled to introduce our unique lifestyle concept to the U.S. and share the extraordinary experiences that come with living at sea." Following its Hawaiian stop, the Villa Vie Odyssey will continue its journey along the U.S. West Coast, with scheduled visits to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. The ship will then proceed to Alaska before heading towards Asia and the South Pacific, continuing its mission to redefine the future of travel and living. For more information about Villa Vie Residences and the Villa Vie Odyssey, please visit About Villa Vie ResidencesVilla Vie Residences reimagines cruise ship living with flexible, long-term options that cater to today's travelers. Its Continual World Cruise explores more than 425 ports in over 140 countries across seven continents every three and a half years. Residents choose to own, rent, or lease for life through the Endless Horizons Program, enjoying a unique blend of home comfort and global discovery. Contact:Villa Vie ResidencesEmail: media@ For images and assets, please click here View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Villa Vie Residences
The Star
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Yes, you can live full-time on a cruise ship just like this couple
American couple Jim and Chris Guld will be travelling around the world, living full-time aboard a cruise ship called Villa Vie Odyssey. Will it be exciting? Yes. Expensive? Kind of. Tight? Well, the Gulds say they're not worried about feeling cramped inside of a 13sq m stateroom for the 15-year option they just purchased. They recently spent 14 years together in a recreational vehicle, hitting each of the lower 48 states in the United States. 'We will not be in our room very much,' Chris says. 'Every morning I plan to walk up the three decks to the gym where there's an exercise class. And there's the buffet where we will eat, and there's entertainment in the afternoon.' That might get boring after a while if not for the port calls. The ship's itinerary includes stops at 425 ports in more than 140 countries over the three-and-a-half year 'Continual World Cruise'. The Gulds got on the ship during its stop at the Colombian port of Cartagena at the end of April, and are staying aboard for at least seven years, and longer if they love it. The ship is currently in its seventh month sailing as the flagship of a Pembroke Pines-based company called Villa Vie Residences that the Gulds say offers the only affordable option for living on the sea. The company caters to people who truly want to get away from it all while still remaining connected through the Starlink Internet service. Mikael Petterson, the company's chairman, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that 354 of 480 cabins have been sold (at the time of writing) to long-term residents since the company purchased the Villa Vie Odyssey, built in 1993, from Fred Olsen Cruise Lines in 2023. 'We are looking forward to having Jim and Chris onboard,' Petterson said during an interview earlier. 'We are sure they will love it.' A life of tech and travel The Gulds seem uniquely well-suited for permanent life aboard a cruise ship. They met while Chris, now 72, operated a computer training centre called Computer Savvy in Florida with her mother in the 1980s and 1990s. Local companies would send employees for training on programs like WordPerfect, Novell NetWare, and Microsoft's Excel and Access. Jim, now 71, worked for a Deerfield Beach company, building, installing and networking personal computers. Chris purchased computers from the company for her training centre, and Jim showed up to service them. 'So he had to keep coming back,' Chris said. Eventually, Chris hired Jim away from his company to focus full-time on her business. They bonded over their mutual love of scuba diving, computers and travel. A few years after Chris sold the centre and 'retired' in the late 1990s, they sold their first house and bought an RV (recreational vehicle). They spent 14 years from 2003 to 2017 travelling the US, holding seminars to teach RV enthusiasts how to get on the Internet, and creating computer training videos for a company they founded called Geeks On Tour. Subscribers to the Geeks On Tour website get access to a long list of class presentations, learning guides and tips. But anyone can click on the more than 900 videos the couple has posted over the years, mostly while wearing their trademark propeller beanies. Their earliest videos were a mix of travelogues and tutorials for types of software that travellers would use to take, upload and geotag photos, set up travel blogs, assign drive letters to external USB drives, and navigate highways. More recently, their videos focus on smartphone apps, including how to shoot time-lapse video, use Google's photo app, communicate over Zoom, and use WiFi calling if cellular service goes down. Video bloggers amok After seven years in another landed home, the couple is itching to travel again – but without the headaches of traffic and shopping. The Gulds plan to continue to post training videos from the ship that show how they respond to challenges that arise as they visit the various ports on the ship's itinerary. They've already started sharing their plans with their 16,700 YouTube subscribers and just under 1,000 paid Geeks On Tour members. They won't be alone using the Internet to work on the ship, Jim says. A large number of the ship's cabins are occupied by solo travellers who make their livings working remotely. Like the Gulds, many shoot and post videos. A search for the ship on YouTube turns up several accounts – Living Life On A Cruise, MidLife Cruising, and DC Hidden Gems – by residents documenting their lives aboard the ship. The cruise line offers a variety of pricing options, depending on the chosen size of living quarters and tour length. Residents can purchase for up to 15 years or rent their cabins for shorter periods. Purchasers have the option of selling back unused portions of their residency terms, trading up to larger, more expensive cabins, or leasing or selling their space 'with the potential of receiving a net return on your investment', according to the company's website. The Gulds learned about the ship by following one of its residents, Randy Cassingham, long-time author of an online entertainment newsletter, This Is True. Cassingham started a blog called Residential Cruising after moving aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey last year. 'Jim said, 'Take a look at this website about living on a cruise ship',' Chris said. 'And I looked at it and said, 'OK'.' Finding the right price The couple said said they were initially interested in buying a cabin with a balcony. But the company wanted US$340,000 (RM1.48mil) for a balcony cabin, plus US$8,000 (RM34,988) a month for amenities such as food, entertainment, health-club use and laundry services. During a week-long 'try before you buy' sailing, the Gulds tried out a cabin with a window and no balcony. 'Thankfully, I decided that I liked that because that was only only US$170,000 (RM743,496) up front and US$5,000 (RM21,866) a month,' Chris said. 'At that rate, we might actually be saving money compared to all that we spent on travel last year.' While on the 'try it' trip, the couple says they met and were impressed with many of the residents who are experts in their chosen fields. They keep each other entertained by giving seminars and TED talks, the Gulds said. 'One guy used to be an emergency medical technician, so he gave a talk about what that's like,' Chris said. 'One was a marine biologist that gave a talk about whales.' One amenity that won't be available: casinos. 'They actually had a poll, and they asked the residents if they would consider having a casino. And they said, not just 'no',' said Jim. 'They said, 'hell, no',' added Chris. Not everyone was happy about the Gulds' life-changing decision. While Chris has no children, Jim has a son from his previous marriage who lives near the couple. 'He was not for it at all at the very beginning when he first heard about it,' Jim said. 'He thought that it was just a horrible thing that we were going to leave him.' 'But hey, he's 44 years old, you know?' Chris said. She added, 'We're still, in our opinion, fairly young. And we're healthy, but we're definitely getting older, so if we want to have one more chapter in our adventure, this is the time to do it. 'This is the next chapter.' – South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Tribune News Service
