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First-timers often gravitate toward short sailings. Not Canen and Bodin — self-described “all-or-nothing kind of people” — whose inaugural voyage was more than two weeks long.
“Most people said we’d be tired of being on the ship in three, four, or five days,” Bodin recalled. “16 days came up, and we didn’t want to leave.”
But as much as they enjoyed the experience, it was the last time they went on a vacation at sea. Cruising wasn’t the couple’s biggest passion — they preferred traveling the world.
That is, until this spring, when Canen and Bodin, both 54, uprooted their lives in Maui, Hawaii, to move onto a new residential cruise ship called Villa Vie Odyssey.
The 509-cabin vessel is readying to set sail after a three-month delay to its departure. It plans to circumnavigate the world every 3 ½ years, sailing to 147 countries and 425 destinations along the way. Ports span Europe, Asia, Australia, South and North America, and Africa.
On board, residents would have access to amenities similar to those on traditional cruise liners, such as restaurants, bars and lounges, a pool, and a golf simulator.
Mikael Petterson, the founder and CEO of Villa Vie Residences, told Business Insider in an email on August 19 that Villa Vie Odyssey would embark from Belfast, Ireland “any day now.” He said it’s “impossible to say which day exactly” as the ship is still waiting for “the green light from DNV.” (DNV is a certification and risk assessment firm for the maritime industry.)
Villa Vie’s promise of a floating hotel and a slower pace of travel lured Canen and Bodin. They both wanted to see the world without having to journey by plane and train, unpacking and repacking at every destination.
So, in September 2023, the couple sent Villa Vie a $10,000 deposit to reserve a cabin on a future floating home.
She’s particularly excited to see Asia, while he’s looking forward to the beaches of the South Pacific Islands.
“Why would I live in Maui when I could travel the world,” Canen told BI. “We’re old enough where we just want experiences now.”
The couple sold their business in Maui
The couple said they sold their car rental business in Maui — a fleet of 31 vehicles listed on Turo — to buy their “obstructed view” cabin on Odyssey. (They declined to disclose the price, but windowless inside cabins are currently listed at $100,000, while those with ocean views are $50,000 more.)
They also have to pay $3,500 in monthly fees. But Canen, who plans to run her auto glass company remotely from the ship, said her income would cover this additional expense.
Their cabin is small, and a lifeboat obstructs its view, “but we’re going to use it as our bedroom and the rest of the ship as our living room,” Canen told BI. She said living in Maui is “way more expensive” than the Odyssey. “We’re traveling on a budget. It’s very affordable for the two of us.”
The lifelong voyage was initially scheduled to set sail in May following Villa Vie’s acquisition of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ more than 30-year-old Braemar vessel, now renamed Villa Vie Odyssey. However, the startup has said issues like the aging ship’s rudder stocks and recertification have delayed its departure by three months.
Like other would-be Villa Vie cruisers, the couple left the US in May to make the ship’s initial sail date. Since then, they’ve stayed in Europe in anticipation of its departure.
Residents can spend their days on Odyssey but aren’t allowed to stay overnight yet. Petterson told BI that the company is providing residents with shuttles to and from the ship, food, drinks, excursions, and lodging — or a daily per diem for those who “choose to do their own thing.”
“We went pretty much every day for two weeks and spent all day there until they kicked us off,” Canen told BI. She would go to the business center to work while Bodin would record videos for their YouTube channel and edit them in the observatory lounge.
They say the food’s been good — especially the barbecue — and they’ve had access to an open bar.
“We understand there are hiccups,” Bodin told BI. “They’re schmoozing us a bit to keep us happy. They’re almost being too serviced-minded. I don’t need to be pampered all the time.”
In the interim, they’ve traveled to Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, and Sweden. The couple said Villa Vie has also sent them on various excursions, including a trip to the Canary Islands and a cruise to the Norwegian fjords.
“We’re not suffering,” Bodin said.
The industry is tumultuous
Canen and Bodin have seen firsthand how rocky the residential cruise industry can be.
Before committing to Odyssey, Canen and Bodin looked into Storylines, which plans to construct its own residential cruise ship, MV Narrative. But its $1 million-plus condos were out of the couple’s budget. Nine former employees, consultants, and investors told BI in 2023 that they’d started to doubt Storyline’s vessel would ever be built.
Bodin said The World, the only residential ship in operation since 2002, was also too expensive. Only a handful of its cabins are resold annually for between $2 million and $15 million, and buyers need a net worth of $10 million to be considered.
In March 2023, the pair reserved a stateroom on Life at Sea Cruises’ three-year, around-the-world voyage, which would have set sail in November 2023. But they later requested a refund of their deposit.
Two weeks before its scheduled departure, Life at Sea canceled its voyage after failing to secure enough funding to purchase a ship. The company filed for bankruptcy in July of this year.
Petterson was the managing director of Life at Sea. He left several months before the voyage was canceled. Its former CEO, Kendra Holmes, recently launched a new three-year cruise venture that hopes to sail in April 2025.
In May 2023, a few weeks after receiving a refund from Life at Sea, the couple reserved a cabin on another residential cruise startup, Victoria Cruises Line. But a month later, they decided to request a refund (which they, among others, have said they’re still waiting for) when they learned about Villa Vie.
Despite setbacks with other ships, Canen and Bodin said they have complete trust in Petterson and Villa Vie.
“Some people maybe think we’re naive, but Villa Vie has our support 100%,” Bodin said. “We would be kicking ourselves if we didn’t take this opportunity and go for it.”
Are you sailing on a residential cruise ship like Villa Vie or have a tip? Contact the reporter at [email protected] or on X @brittanymchang.
