New three-and-a-half year cruise will visit 425 ports in 147 countries
A new residential cruise line offers you the chance to sail the world for three and a half years for about $89 a day.
The 924-passenger Villa Vie Odyssey will set sail in May 2024 and visit 425 ports in 147 countries, according to a press release from the ship’s owner, Villa Vie Residences.
The announcement comes just weeks after Life at Sea, a cruise line that promised a three-year voyage to 375 ports in 135 countries, was canceled at the last minute after several departure delays.
Villa Vie Odyssey
The three-year voyage was set to begin on Nov. 1 in Istanbul, Turkey, with pickup stops in Barcelona, Spain, and Miami, Florida. The price tag was $29,999 a year, or about $90,000 for the entire trip.
What’s included on the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise?
The cruise ship has eight decks, three restaurants, eight bars and four lounges, an extended pool with four Jacuzzis, a spa and fitness center, and a library.
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Villa Vie Odyssey will feature a large business center with internet, private offices and conference spaces to cater to the "digital nomad" lifestyle. It will also offer an "interactive and educational" culinary center and a golf around the world program with a golf simulator and classes taught by a PGA pro.
Friends and family can visit you on board if you own a villa and stay in one of the 35 guest cabins for free (guests will pay daily port taxes and gratuities), according to USA Today. Owners can also rent out their own cabins.
The Corinth Canal in Greece (Photo by Panagiotis Moschandreou/Xinhua via Getty Images)
The company says the ship’s size allows it to reach parts of the world that larger cruise ships can’t. In October 2019, when the ship was named The Braemar, it became the longest ship to travel the Corinth Canal in Greece.
How much does the Villa Vie Odyssey cost?
Travelers can choose to own or rent their villa, and there’s a "pay-as-you-go" option to sail portions of the 1,301-day voyage. There are 16 legs of the cruise you can buy. Those range from 35 to 120 days on board, USA Today reports.
Port stays range from two to seven days.
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"For $89 per day, each resident will enjoy an all-inclusive lifestyle where rent, utilities, food, travel, and entertainment are all included," the company says.
Aft Restaurant, Villa Vie Odyssey
So far, there are about 100 confirmed bookings, according to USA Today. Residents of the cruise ship own the majority of Villa Vie’s shares, the company says, and have a say in the decisions aboard the ship.
"The ship's name symbolizes the company ethos of creating a community to share unforgettable moments of discovery on an extended journey, connecting people, places, and self," Villa Vie Residences CEO Mikael Petterson said in a statement.
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Petterson told USA Today that Villa Vie’s residential cruise is in much better financial condition than the failed Life at Sea line that was canceled in November.
"We’re spending less than a third than what they spent on their vessel," he said. "We’re in a different position altogether."