Pensioner uses life savings for a cruise which goes round and round the world 'with no end'
A 77-year-old woman has told how she sold everything she owned for a place on a cruise ship where she plans to spend the rest of her life. Sharon Lane said the moment she stepped on to the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship she felt full of joy.
She has now signed up to stay on the cruise ship for at least the next 15 years. It will sail around the world again and again with no end port. It will stop off at glamorous spots across the globe and, unlike other cruise ships, the majority of passengers on the Villa Vie Odyssey - the First Perpetual World Cruise - are long-term residents.
Sharon had been looking for a life at sea and said when she found the liner she felt relieved. She has signed up to spend at least the lifespan of the vessel - 15 years - onboard. Most passengers sign up to spend the rest of their lives on the ship.
She plunged her life savings into buying her cabin last year and, after a delay of several months, set sail on her new life at the end of September 2024 when the Odyssey cruised through her hometown of San Diego, reports the Mirror.
Sharon said she was keen to see the world but also the chance to meet interesting people.
Villa Vie Residences' CEO Mikael Petterson explained: "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 who share their knowledge and experiences."
And if it's something you might fancy doing in your retirement, there are cabins available. But they aren't cheap.
The lowest cost accommodation is an 'inside' cabin that is going for $129,000 (£93,000) for 15 years, with an extra $2,000 (£1,495) per person monthly fee for double occupancy, and $3,000 (£2,180) for single occupancy.
If those prices stay the same, a single occupancy cruiser would fork out £392,400 in cabin fees alone across 15 years.
However, the figure is low in comparison to the World, which is the only other cruise ship currently at sea. Prices for that begin at $2.5 million.
Included in the deal are food and soft drinks, alcohol at dinner, Wi-Fi, medical visits, 24/7 room service, weekly housekeeping, and bi-weekly laundry service.
The lack of laundry is something Sharon, from California enjoys. She said: 'I don't have to do my laundry anymore. I don't have to do grocery shopping.
"Living on the ship is much less expensive than living in Southern California."
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Other amenities for passengers, according to Villa Vie's website, include a pickleball court, different shows and performances, wellness classes, and social events, from elegant dinners to casual meet-ups.
Villa Vie owners can rent their cabin out to others, which means short-term passengers can come and go from the Odyssey.
The Odyssey usually stops in each port for a couple of days, where optional shore excursions are organised for an additional fee. The eight-deck Odyssey can accommodate 924 people, but it has been reconfigured and streamlined to a roomier 450.
The ship's voyage did not get off to a smooth start, as it became stranded in Belfast for four and a half months last year. The Odyssey arrived in the Northern Ireland capital back in May 2024 to be fitted out before it was scheduled to sail off on the 30th of that month.
Due to issues with the rudders and gearbox, the vessel ended up staying put for four and a half months. It finally set sail on October 3.
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Metro
10 hours ago
- Metro
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 years old, 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. Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here. 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. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 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. 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Pensioner uses life savings for a cruise which goes round and round the world 'with no end'
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