Latest news with #SharonLane
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Woman, 77, moves onto cruise ship permanently — says it's cheaper than living in California
Last month, 77-year-old Sharon Lane moved out of her retirement village in Orange County, California, to embark on her dream adventure: A 15-year trip around the world. Lane invested in her own cabin on Villa Vie's Odyssey, which bills itself as the first perpetual world cruise, with many of its passengers booking a 'permanent home' on board. Odyssey launched in October and is set to visit 147 countries and 425 destinations over a three-and-a-half-year cycle. The ship offers long-term living options, allowing residents to either purchase cabins outright for its entire lifespan of 15 years or opt for a pay-as-you-go plan. Cabin prices begin at $129,000 for an interior cabin with a 15-year lease. Monthly fees are $2,000 per person for double occupancy or $3,000 for singles. For outside cabins, prices start at $169,000, with monthly fees increasing by $500 per person. Lane joind Odyssey in June, spending her life savings on an interior cabin that would be hers for the ship's lifetime. Over the years, the cruise will continually circle the globe, stopping at destinations like Japan and New Zealand. 'I'm finally able to do what I've wanted to do for years,' she told CNN Travel. 'I buy the cabin, I live in the cabin, and that's it. And then there's no end.' Odyssey saw a few issues before it took off in October. It set sail four months later than planned after a string of last-minute repairs. During that delay, passengers were stuck in Belfast, Ireland, leaving dozens of ports unvisited and countries unexplored. However, Lane felt confident that the ship 'worked out the kinks' when she joined the trip 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 explained. Despite the steep cost, Lane believes she's getting great value, as her payments cover meals, drinks, alcohol with dinner, Wi-Fi, and medical visits. Her package also includes room service, weekly housekeeping, and bi-weekly laundry service. 'I don't have to do my laundry anymore. I don't have to do grocery shopping,' she explained. 'Living on the ship is much less expensive than living in Southern California.' Lane's 15-year trip is just getting started, and while she has the option to sell or rent her cabin down the line, she doesn't plan on shortening her trip. 'There's no end,' she explained. '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.' Villa Vie Residences bought Odyssey, the 31-year-old ship, in 2023, with the ship arriving at Queen's Island in Belfast to be outfitted in April 2024. The 542ft-long cruise ship was built in 1993 in Valencia, Spain, consisting of eight decks, 485 cabins, and can carry up to 650 residents. The ship was extensively refurbished at a historic dry dock in the Northern Irish capital, owned by Harland and Wolff, a maritime engineering company that produced the ill-fated Titanic. It was also transformed to include a pub, cocktail bar, business center, and a pool on the top deck. A fitness center, medical room, dining hall, and spa are also onboard the all-inclusive cruise for residents to use. 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. Solve the daily Crossword
7NEWS
13-07-2025
- Business
- 7NEWS
Sharon 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. Living at sea 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 Petterson 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 realised. 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,' 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.' Much less expensive 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 Petterson. 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,' Petterson 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 for a couple of days in each port, where optional shore excursions are organised 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 favourite 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 Petterson, 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 per cent of passengers in the first take-up were traveling solo. Today, Petterson confirms single travelers now make up 'close to 55 per cent' of those on board — Lane among them. Petterson says 80 per cent 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.' Rocky beginnings 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 Petterson. Petterson 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 per cent Ecuadorian crew,' he says. 'Falklands was due to 50 knot winds.' Petterson 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.' Petterson 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 Petterson, will 'greatly reduce these missed ports'. 'We have a very capable itinerary planner who plans about a year ahead,' Petterson 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 Petterson. 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. Long journey 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. Petterson, 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.'
Economic Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Time to live the life on the slow lane
'I don't have to do laundry any more.' If that line doesn't reel you in hook, line and sinker, then either you've developed an unhealthy attachment to folding sheets and towels - or you haven't heard what 77-yr-old Californian Sharon Lane has pulled off. She's stitched up the ultimate retirement hack: living full-time on a cruise ship for the next 15 years. No cooking, no cleaning, no laundry. Just endless ocean views, buffet lines and daily on-board course, this floating freedom doesn't come cheap. A cabin aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey costs $129,000 (₹1.1 cr) upfront, with monthly fees of $2,000-3,000 (₹1.71-2.56 lakh). But what you get in return is peace, adventure, and someone else dealing with your towels. And let's be honest - what's really happening on land? Traffic, taxes, and the nightly debate of 'What's for dinner?' While the rest negotiate these chores, Lane will be sitting on the front deck, sipping wine and watching every sunset on the horizon. It's time people think beyond bricks and mortar. If not a cruise, then how about a luxury shikara Airbnb, or a small cruiser gently skirting along India's coastlines, from port to port while sipping on quality Port. Throw in WiFi, fairy lights and dependable air-conditioning, and even millennials will be queueing up in kayaks. You can live life on the slow Lane yourself. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Why this one from 'Dirty Dozen', now in Vedanta fold, is again in a mess The deluge that's cooling oil prices despite the Iran conflict Can Indian IT protect its high valuation as AI takes centre stage? Engine fuel switches or something else? One month on, still no word on what crashed AI 171 As GenAI puts traditional BPO on life support, survival demands a makeover Stock Radar: ITC Hotels hits fresh record high in July – time to buy or book profits? Weekly Top Picks: These stocks scored 10 on 10 on Stock Reports Plus These large- and mid-cap stocks can give more than 24% return in 1 year, according to analysts Suited for the long term, even with headwinds: 8 stocks from healthcare & pharma sectors with upside potential of up to 39%
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
I live on a cruise 24/7... it's way cheaper than living on land: Meet the retired teacher, 77, who became a full time 'ocean person' - and how much it costs her
A retired teacher has shared why she decided to live full time on a cruise ship and people might be shocked by how affordable the lifestyle can be. Sharon Lane, 77, left her home in Orange County, California, to move onto a Villa Vie cruise ship. Speaking to NBC Los Angeles, Sharon describes herself as an 'ocean person' and shows off the sea views from the ship. The retiree explains: 'Every month I have a maintenance fee to pay and that is less than I was paying for rent [on land].' While Sharon didn't reveal exactly how much she'd spent to live at sea, interior cabins on Villa Vie cost $129,999/£95,470. Residents then pay $3,000/£2,200 a month for all their expenses, including meals, beer, wine, WIFI, laundry, activities and access to all the facilities. And there's another benefit for retirees like Sharon. She reveals: 'All the chores that you have to do in life - done. If you put your to-do list on a piece of paper of paper and you cross off anything that wasn't a fun activity, then you end up with the life that we have now.' The retiree explains: 'Every month I have a maintenance fee to pay and that is less than I was paying for rent [on land]' Sharon's exciting itinerary includes stops in Vancouver, Japan and Taiwan. Interior cabins are the cheapest option on Villa Vie with a villa suite the most expensive choice. The villa suite costs $439,999/£323,134 as a one-time fee while retirees will pay $9,999/£7,343 a month in fees if travelling solo. Residents can also choose to rent a villa if they're not ready to commit to purchasing a home at sea. Villa Vie says: 'A typical day on Villa Vie Odyssey is a blend of relaxation, exploration, and community engagement. 'Start your day with a sunrise yoga session on deck, followed by a leisurely breakfast. Spend your morning participating in onboard activities or exploring the port of call. 'Afternoons offer time for relaxation or attending workshops and social events. Evenings bring opportunities for fine dining, cultural events, or simply enjoying the tranquility of the sea.'
New York Post
05-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- New York Post
Retired teacher moves onto cruise ship for 15-year journey, claims it's cheaper than living in California
Cruising into her golden years. A California retiree is sailing into the next stage of her life as she traded in her home in a retirement community for the open seas. Sharon Lane, a former high school foreign language teacher, purchased an interior villa aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey, the world's first perpetual cruise, since she claimed it was cheaper to live at sea than remain in the Golden State. 'Not only was it affordable to me, it would actually cost me less money to live here like this, have everyone taking care of me instead of me taking care of everybody,' Lane told NBC Los Angeles. The 77-year-old has made it her life goal to live on a cruise ship and she snagged her spot on the ship, moving onboard on June 16. 7 Sharon Lane stands in front of the Villa Vie Odyssey before boarding on June 16, 2025. NBC 4 LosAngeles 'All the chores you do in life? Done!' said Lane. 'If you put your to-do list on a piece of paper and you cross off anything that wasn't a fun activity, then you end up with the life we have now.' Villa Vie is marketed as the 'only affordable residential cruising option offering this lifestyle.' The ship's design allows the vessel to travel across oceans and navigate inland waterways and rivers, according to the Villa Vie website. 7 Lane traded in her home at a California retirement community for an interior villa aboard the cruise ship. NBC 4 LosAngeles 7 An inner villa aboard the ship complete with two separate beds and a television. NBC 4 LosAngeles Odyssey is scheduled to sail on a three-and-a-half-year cycle, visiting 425 destinations in 147 countries. The ship launched in October 2024, but Lane didn't board until June. She has sailed to Vancouver, up to Alaska, with plans to embark on a transpacific voyage to Japan and Taiwan in the coming weeks, according to Lane. An inside villa, similar to Lane's, costs a one-time fee of $129,999 or approximately $2,999 a month for a solo traveler. Amenities aboard the ship include entertainment lounges, clubs, a library, a fitness center and a spa. Residents have access to Wi-Fi, bars, a pickleball court and a pool. Lane spent her life savings on the long-term excursion and plans to remain onboard for the ship's entire 15-year journey. 'I'm finally able to do what I've wanted to do for years,' she told CNN Travel. 'I buy the cabin, I live in the cabin, and that's it. And then there's no end.' 7 Lane spent her life savings on the long-term excursion and plans to remain onboard for the ship's entire 15-year journey. NBC 4 LosAngeles 7 People stand on the top deck of the Odyssey during sailing. NBC 4 LosAngeles The ship had planned to set sail in May 2024, but problems with the rudders and gearbox forced a delay on the initial embarkation. Passengers who had already purchased rooms onboard were forced to live on the docked ship in Belfast, Northern Ireland until October. The delays meant some passengers have spent months living on the docked cruise ship — with no sail date in sight. 7 The Coral Club, the ship's 'go-to venue for late-night entertainment.' NBC 4 LosAngeles 7 A dining room aboard the ship. NBC 4 LosAngeles Odyssey set sail on Oct. 1, 2024, but returned to port hours later because final paperwork hadn't been completed. The eight-deck ship can hold 650 passengers.
