Affordable Cruise Ship Condos for Digital Nomads Seeking Endless Vacations

With dreams of traveling around the world while in the prime of their lives, New Zealanders Katrina and Mark Howard sold their vacation motorhome in Auckland to invest $25,000 in Villa Vie Residences, a relatively new company that touts affordable residential villas at sea.

The Howards initially paid a deposit for a segmented cruise but changed their minds and bought a villa on the Villa Vie Odyssey, which has a business center and other amenities that make living and working at sea a reality while visiting 425 destinations in 147 countries and seven continents. The ship set sail on Oct. 2, 2024, from Belfast, Ireland.

“We knew this was something we wanted to do. My husband and I both wanted to sail the world. This was the most budget-friendly way of being able to do it,” says Katrina, who, along with Mark, celebrated their 50^th birthdays onboard.

While the Odyssey isn’t the first residential ship, it’s the most affordable, and the only one that’s not just for wealthy retirees. Prices for ocean-going condos on The World luxury residential yacht, operated by ROW Management Ltd.,  range from $2.5 million to $15 million. Villa Vie Residences range from $129,000 to $399,000, with monthly maintenance fees from $2,000 – $5,000 depending on the unit. Many residents say that, with no mortgage, car payments, insurance, utility bills, groceries, and other expenses, it costs less to live onboard than on land. Plus, friends and family can join residents on board for up to two weeks for $33 per person, per day. Stateroom owners can also sell their unit back to Villa Vie, or upgrade it, and then privately lease or sell it.

Those not ready to commit to ownership can rent segments of the itinerary, with the option to board at specific times and locations. The cost depends on the cruise segment, the type of quarters, and the length of the sail. A 50-percent deposit is required, with the balance due 180 days before embarking on the designated segment

Both types of residences offer all-inclusive amenities, including dining (beer/wine with lunch/dinner), twice-weekly laundry service, housekeeping, entertainment, a business center, fitness center, and spa facilities. There’s also a medical center, library, and other public spaces. The ship has two swimming pools, two hot tubs, a pickleball court, and a golf simulator.

“There’s nothing to worry about, everything is done for you,” says Howard. “And the world is our backyard.”

At the helm of this innovative venture are Villa Vie Residences (VVR) Swedish founder Mikael Petterson and his American partner, Kathy Villalba, who functions as CEO. Petterson says affordable residential cruising is a business plan he’s built over seven years, starting with the now-defunct Life at Seas Cruises, which failed when the company couldn’t secure a ship in time for circumnavigations and cancelled the three-year voyage.

But Petterson believed there was a strong demand for long-term cruising and points out that world cruises are becoming longer and that Covid changed the way people work from home or anywhere.

“Combine that with significant advancements in WiFi satellite technology, and it’s really a combination of factors that has made residential cruising much more of a sustainable option to living on land,” says Petterson.

So, Petterson launched Villa Vie Residences. But this time, there was a ship and options for people to buy a villa or rent journey segments, allowing them to make payments along the way.

By the Residents for the Residents

Villa Vie Odyssey is fully capitalized by the residents who raised over $16 million through their Founders Club (comprised of about 78 people, including the Howards) to buy a ship. The transaction happened quickly.

Petterson signed an agreement in December 2023, paid $13 million for the Odyssey (a former Fred Olsen Cruise Line ship, the Braemer), and took possession of it in March 2024. He spent just over $20 million on improvements and preparing the ship to sail. He says the ship will never have over 600 passengers onboard at the busiest time. Currently, there are about 350 residents and 230 crew members.

The Odyssey is now over 80 percent owned by residents who have a significant presence on the VVR board. It’s structured so resident owners can acquire a fractional stake in the ship and are guaranteed a minimum of 15 years of ownership or the ship’s operational life.

“By the Residents for the Residents isn’t just some catchy slogan, we take it very seriously and the founding residents are very involved in paving the way for our future,” says Petterson, who often joins the residents onboard.

Odyssey’s Itinerary

While the company planned the first circumnavigation, it takes residents’ suggestions when possible. As of summer 2025, the ship has stopped at over 100 ports in about 40 countries that include Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and North America, before sailing to Japan, the Philippines, and numerous other destinations.

The Odyssey’s Seafaring Community

While the Odyssey was anchored off Catalina Island in Los Angeles County, I spent two days onboard chatting with residents who invited me to their villas. Before boarding, I imagined a luxury ship filled with mostly wealthy retirees. However, this is an older ship (from 1993), much like a comfortable, lived-in home that requires continual maintenance. It’s home to a diverse mix of residents, including working professionals, a family with home-schooled children, and retirees. Most are American (75-80 percent) with about 5 – 7 percent each from Canada, Australia, and Europe. There are a few South Americans and Asians onboard as well.

I was greeted onboard by Katrina Howard, who said she and Mark considered residential cruising while Petterson was trying to get Life at Sea off the ground, but they couldn’t afford the required upfront payment.

“But when Mike started doing Villa Vie, it was more for us because it was segmented, so we could pay as we went,” says Katrina. While still in Belfast, they purchased their villa.

The lifestyle suits the working couple well. Mark, a software engineer, works from a private office (available for $1,000/month) adjacent to the free business center, while Katrina works as an onboard Ambassador, showing potential buyers the villas and welcoming new residents.

U.S. residents Cindy, 61, and Jack LeConey, 72, are avid cruisers who say travel was always part of their retirement plan. They initially paid for segments but recently purchased a 150-square-foot villa for $179,999 before prices increased.

Since boarding the Odyssey on Oct. 7, 2024, they haven’t left the ship for even one night. “I’m so perfectly happy here. The best part is the community. We really are like a family. It’s almost like we’re living in a huge house with people we really care about,” says Cindy, a retired psychologist.

Cindy says it’s a close-knit community, but like anywhere, there are grumpy people, busy-bodies, gamblers, and angry folks. “You choose who you want to spend your time with,” says Cindy.

What mostly surprised Cindy was how life at sea would change her. “Being in this community gives you the opportunity to become your real self. It’s a combination of being in a supportive community and becoming more of a global citizen by default by going all around the world. So, it changes you, opens you up in ways you didn’t know you needed to be.”

Villa Vie Villas

The villas, which range in size from 140 – 300 square feet, can be customized and even renovated with necessary permits to convert staterooms into homey spaces.

John and Melody Hennessee, from Port Salerno, Florida, bought three cabins and transformed them into an approximately 800-square-foot apartment complete with two tiled bathrooms (including a master bath with mermaid-themed sinks), a bedroom with a spacious closet, living room (with a no-flame, electric fireplace), and a tiled wet bar.

“We sold everything (in January 2021) to live out our lives cruising around the world, and we spent just under a million for our villa,” says John. They used proceeds from their Florida home and a waterfront business – a Fish House Art Center with a gallery, artists’ studios, craft beer bar, ice cream bar, and an Airbnb rental for the villa.

He and Melody then spent nearly an additional $150,000 building the ocean-themed villa – apropos for the self-proclaimed pirate and mermaid (while landlubbers they produced an annual Seafood Festival in Florida that attracted folks dressed as pirates and mermaids).

While most residents don’t go overboard renovating, they typically personalize their rooms with bedding, art, photos, and even furniture. Barbara Violetta, 61, a Polish American, and her partner, Jeff Wetherell, kept her homes in Florida and Austria, where she lived for 40 years, and purchased a roomy villa with a deluxe deck, where they installed a hammock. Indoors, they have two recliners facing a big screen TV, a wine rack and metallic shelves stuffed with arts and crafts supplies.

Port Planning

Unlike a traditional cruise, the Odyssey spends from one to about 30 days in ports in one region. For example, three days in San Diego and one month in Brazil in eight ports (one to five days in each port). Longer port visits allow residents more time to be immersed in a region’s culture.

There’s no sense of urgency to leave the ship and see as much as possible in a short time. “It allows us opportunities to go more inland or to go off for a week and catch up with the ship,” says Violetta.

The LeConeys are looking forward to the one-month stay in Japan. “We plan to spend several nights in Kyoto and Osaka via the (shinkansen) bullet train,” says Cindy, who enjoys nightlife and chartered a bus when they were in Brazil for about 30 residents to safely navigate Rio de Janeiro.

While residents are off adventuring, the kitchen staff is busy stocking up on products, says Executive Chef Victor Ferri, whose kitchen staff of 35 must plan carefully, especially for extended sea days.

While the ship was in Hawaii, Ferri purchased a fresh yellowfin tuna and prepared it while residents watched. And in Victoria, B.C., he purchased premium Canadian Maple Syrup, and local cheese and gravy ingredients for authentic poutine.

With no home port, sourcing food can be a challenge. Storage is minimal, requiring Ferri to use fresh food first, then frozen vegetables toward the end, on long stretches at sea, such as an approximately 11-day sailing from Alaska to Japan, where he’s planning to bring residents to an early morning tuna auction in Tokyo.

“But it’s a good opportunity to practice our skills and learn to improvise. On the Odyssey, we have to surprise our residents every day, at every meal. It truly feels like being an Iron Chef at sea,” says Ferri

He explains that dining on the Odyssey is different from a regular cruise ship. “We don’t have a fixed menu. We plan our menus the day before, taking into account our stock, budget, itinerary (to include local recipes), and most importantly, the suggestions from our residents,” says Ferri.

Certain products or ingredients may be unavailable and it’s important for residents to understand it’s due to the complexity of the operation, he says. Ferri meets with residents to learn about their preferences, but the main focus is on those with allergies and dietary restrictions.

Overall, residents enjoy an international dining experience. Ferri, a Brazilian, and his staff, which includes Indians and Filipinos, prepare dishes from their homelands. While in port, Ferri makes regional dishes, although he encourages residents to enjoy food off the ship for a local dining experience.

Growing the Ville Vie Family

Petterson says Villa Vie will continue to learn and deliver a better product as it goes through trials and tribulations. “This is something that hasn’t been done before, so there really isn’t a model out there,” he says.

But he’s already planning to grow the fleet and will likely have a larger ship – the Villa Vie Residences Legacy (VVR Legacy) –to announce in fall.

The Howards may be interested in upgrading, but for now, are testing the waters on the Odyssey. “At the end of the day, for us, it was a calculated risk. If it takes off and works, it will be amazing. And if it doesn’t, we’re young enough to go home and work some more to pay it off,” says Katrina.

 

Mimi Slawoff is a California-based journalist specializing in cruising, skiing, and outdoor activities. As a first-generation Bulgarian American, she has a soft spot for Europe and cultural pursuits. This is her first travel feature for the East-West News Service.