Woman moves onto a cruise ship and plans to live there for 15 years

Want your life to be a never-ending holiday? That’s exactly what one adventurous woman has signed up for.

At 77-years0old, Sharon Lane swapped her quiet life in California for the open sea. 

She now lives on Villa Vie Odyssey, a 600ft residential cruise ship that’s set to stop at almost every holiday spot you can think of — from the beaches of Bora Bora to the fjords of Norway. 

Unlike your average cruise, this isn’t a quick break. Odyssey is a permanent home. The ship sells cabins on a long-term basis, offering travellers the chance to live at sea for up to 15 years — the expected life of the vessel. 

Cabins onboard start at $129,000 (around £93,777) for an interior room on a 15-year lease. There are also ongoing monthly fees of $2,000 (£1,453) per person (or $3,000/£2,180 for solo occupancy). And for a sea view, you can expect to fork out even more.

The monthly fee pretty much covers all your expenses, including free food and soft drinks, alcohol at dinner, Wi-Fi, medical visits and 24/7 room service. Passengers will also be treated to weekly housekeeping and twice weekly laundry. 

While the financials might sound like a lot, when you consider the estimated cost of living in London which sits at £4,245 a month (£50,940 a year) for a single person, it doesn’t seem too bad at all.

Meanwhile, a mere deposit on a house in the UK comes in at £53,414 on average, and in the capital this figure skyrockets to an eye-watering £108,848. Given that’s before you’ve factored in mortgage repayments, bills, and everyday expenses like food and transport, it’s understandable some people would rather give cruise living a go.

The Odyssey launched in September and is now embarking on one of the most ambitious cruise routes ever devised: a three-and-a-half-year mega itinerary that spans 425 destinations across 147 countries. Once the route is complete, the ship starts again, looping for the entirety of its 15-year lifespan. 

The journey is split into sections. One stretches across North America, while another will transport its residents through Japan and the Philippine Sea. 

Cruisers will also enjoy trips to the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, North and South Asia, Europe, the Mediterranean and more. How’s that for a backyard view?

‘I’m finally able to do what I’ve wanted to do for years,’ Sharon told CNN Travel. ‘I buy the cabin, I live in the cabin, and that’s it. And then there’s no end.’

Well, that’s the plan anyway. Despite the growing interest in residential cruising, it’s a fairly recent concept and largely untested. Odyssey’s initial launch was delayed by months. And Sharon herself had previously signed up for a separate long-term cruise that collapsed before it even secured a boat.

The only other residential cruise ship currently at sea is ‘The World’, which has been sailing since 2002. However, cabins reportedly cost between $2.5 and $15 million — so Sharon’s trip seems like quite the bargain by comparison. 

Villa Vie cruisers can also rent their cabin out to others, allowing passengers to join the voyage temporarily and come and go as they please. However, most residents have committed to it for the long haul. 

‘Most of our cabins are sold to full-time or mostly full-time residents,’ Petterson 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.’

Having finally set sail last year, The Odyssey is currently cruising up the West Coast, and so far, it seems like smooth sailing. 

Sharon says she’s enjoying life among her fellow passengers. ‘There are very, very few, if any, people on the ship who are not lifelong travellers,’ she said. 

While she’s eager to explore each destination on the itinerary, it’s the simple pleasures she’s most looking forward to: lounging on deck, soaking up the sun, and embracing the rhythm of life at sea. Her windowless cabin, she says, is mainly for sleeping –  the rest of her time will be spent on shore or enjoying the ship’s amenities. 

And now she’s found her sea legs, it doesn’t look like Sharon wants to return to life on land. ‘I don’t have to do my laundry anymore. I don’t have to go grocery shopping,’ she says. ‘Living on the ship is much less expensive than living in Southern California.’

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