When the Villa Vie Odyssey finally departed from Belfast last autumn, the cheer on board was half celebration, half relief.
The 1993-built ship (formerly Fred. Olsen’s Braemar) had spent months in dry dock undergoing a bow-to-stern retrofit, only to be held up by last-minute paperwork and mechanical problems that kept would-be residents in Northern Ireland for way longer than expected.
If you remember, I also wrote an article at the time, but that is now history, and the residential ship has finally set sail with passengers on board who want to change their lives forever.
Living on a Cruise Ship
As you may have guessed, the Odyssey is different from a “regular” cruise ship in one crucial way: cabins are sold (or rented) like apartments.
The company caps capacity at about 650 residents, creating a village-at-sea atmosphere that its flatter hull can carry into rivers and smaller ports that mega-ships can’t reach.
Ownership starts at US $129,999 for an inside “villa” with monthly fees of US $1,999 per person (double occupancy).
Larger ocean-view and balcony units rise to US $379,999, still including housekeeping, Wi-Fi, wine with dinner, basic medical consultations, and twice-weekly laundry.
An interesting thing is that owners can sublet their cabins during extended absences, adding a measure of flexibility that can definitely come in handy.
Sharon Lane: Full-Time Cruiser
One of the newest residents is Sharon Lane, a 77-year-old former language teacher from Southern California who boarded in mid-June 2025.
After liquidating most of her possessions, she put her life savings into an inside villa that she plans to occupy for the ship’s entire 15-year projected lifespan.
“It’s cheaper than staying in SoCal, and I never have to buy groceries or do laundry again,” she told CNN Travel, and living with like-minded travelers “keeps life simple“, she added.
425 Ports and an Exclusive Itinerary
Villa Vie’s route is designed for immersion rather than box-ticking. Traditional cruise passengers (like most of us) are used to short stops, but these travelers will have a completely different experience.
A single loop lasts 1,280 days, touches 147 countries, and allows stays of up to five days in some ports. Long enough for residents to fully explore the cities or work remotely ashore.
Destinations so far have included Brittany’s port of Brest, an upriver glide to Seville, and a west-African leg to Dakar before the trans-Atlantic hop to Barbados.
By January 2025, the ship had transited the Panama Canal and was touring Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. If you’re curious, Antarctic cruising and Alaska’s Inside Passage are slated for the coming year.
Who Is Living On Board?
Lane isn’t alone. Couples such as Hawaiian retirees Lanette and Johan Canen have also opted for the Odyssey, citing all-in monthly costs (around US $3,500 for two) that undercut mortgage, insurance and property-tax bills back home.
Analysts note the ship taps a niche between ultra-luxury residential yachts and budget-minded “repositioning” cruises, offering long-term predictability without spending too much.
If you want to know the prices of the other alternatives as well, I have written a specific article on how to live permanently on a cruise ship and how much you need.
Life On Board
As you can imagine, the environment is much more relaxed than on Carnival or Royal Caribbean cruises.
Residents fill their days with lectures, language classes, pools and sunbathing, pickleball on a top-deck court, and the quiet ritual of watching the wake peel away at sunset.
A dedicated business centre is available for remote workers, and a medical suite handles routine care, with shore-side partners arranged for complex procedures.
Because the passenger count is small, “You start recognising everyone within a week,” Lane says. “That sense of community is what really sells it.“
Villa Vie Residences says more than 70% of the ship’s 485 cabins were sold before the first loop began, and CEO Mikael Petterson hints that a second, larger ship will be launched in the future.
In the meantime, you can have a look at the most anticipated new cruise ships that will arrive in late 2025 and beyond.
CRUISE ESSENTIALS 2025
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