A Retired Teacher Sold Everything She Owns to Live on a Cruise Ship, but Her Daily Reality Is Nothing Like a Vacation
A different pace.
Sharon Lane sold everything she owned to live full-time on a cruise ship, and after a year at sea, she’s calling it the best decision of her life. According to PEOPLE, the retired schoolteacher, now in her late 70s, traded her California home for a cabin on the Villa Vie Odyssey, a residential cruise ship where she pays monthly fees for meals, housekeeping, and a front-row seat to the world’s oceans.
But don’t call it a vacation – Lane is quick to correct anyone who does. “This is home,” she told CNN. “This is where we live.” Lane’s journey began in June 2025 when she boarded the Odyssey, a 642-foot vessel with eight decks that redefined retirement living. The ship, operated by startup Villa Vie Residences, was designed not as a temporary escape but as a permanent residence for those who want to wake up to a new horizon every day.
For Lane, the math was simple: selling her belongings and moving onto the ship was more affordable, and far more exciting, than staying put. She poured her life savings into the plan, starting with the cheapest option: a windowless interior cabin. Two months in, she upgraded to a room with a view, taking her time to decorate it. “I didn’t see any reason to rush it,” she said. “I wanted to settle into the ship, figure out how things worked, find a routine to my life.”
The perks of ship life are undeniable
Lane doesn’t cook, clean, or do laundry – all of that is included in her monthly fees, along with meals, drinks, and weekly housekeeping. It’s a level of convenience she describes as “heaven.” But life on the Odyssey isn’t all relaxation. One of the biggest challenges, she says, is forming friendships with passengers who aren’t permanent residents, only to watch them disembark after a few weeks. “You can tell where their head is by how they refer to ‘home,’” she explained.
The Odyssey isn’t the only residential cruise ship on the water, but it’s one of the most accessible. Five-year cabin ownership starts at $59,999, with full ownership beginning at $99,999. Monthly fees in 2025 were $2,000 per person for double occupancy and $3,000 for singles, though prices have fluctuated since the ship’s launch.
For comparison, the only other residential cruise ship currently operating, The World, starts at a staggering $3.5 million. Villa Vie also offers rental options for those who want to test the waters before committing. CEO Mikael Petterson told CNN that about 80% of the ship’s residents are long-term owners, with solo travelers like Lane making up just over half the population.
Lane’s daily routine is far from the typical cruise experience
She’s not into karaoke, movies, or bridge – activities that dominate the ship’s social calendar. Instead, she starts her mornings with 10 minutes on the treadmill in the gym, soaking in the view of the open ocean. Her evenings are spent learning Spanish online or socializing at dinner, where meals stretch into hours-long conversations with fellow residents.
“Dinner lasts a long time here because we use mealtime as social time,” she said. “You sit with people and you eat your meal, and you take an hour and a half, maybe two hours.” The ship’s global itinerary means Lane has visited ports from Tokyo to Hawaii, though she admits she doesn’t often disembark.
She chose the Odyssey for its sea views, not its sightseeing opportunities, and a long-term back injury makes tender boats – small vessels used to ferry passengers to shore – unappealing. Still, she’s had memorable moments on land, like chatting with the owners of a small hardware store in Hobart, Australia. “We’re just living life and seeing that people on the other side of the world are pretty much just like us,” she said.
Life on the Odyssey hasn’t been without its challenges
The ship, originally built three decades ago, has faced logistical hurdles, including canceled port calls due to weather and bureaucratic red tape. Villa Vie has since introduced custom walkways to connect the ship to tender boats, reducing movement from waves and making disembarkation smoother.
These walkways take four hours to set up and four hours to disassemble, so they’re only deployed in ports where the ship anchors for multiple days. Petterson said they’re particularly useful in tropical destinations like the Maldives.
Global events have also impacted operations. The fallout from the Iran war has led to closed airspace, disrupted waterways, and rising fuel prices, forcing the Odyssey to adjust its routes. Lane called fuel shortages “a major concern,” but she’s confident in Villa Vie’s ability to adapt. “Without fuel, we’re not moving, so that’s important,” she said. “We don’t always like everything that we see, but we can’t really change it ourselves individually, so try not to worry about it.”
After a year on the Odyssey, Lane has no regrets
She’s found her favorite spot on the cruise ship – a cozy chair in a hallway between the sports bar and the business center, where she can read with a view of the ocean. She’s also embraced the slower pace of life, free from the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, and worrying about the news. That doesn’t mean she’s disconnected from current events. Residents keep each other informed about global news, but she prefers the buffer of the ocean.
Lane marked her first anniversary on the ship with a dinner celebration alongside other one-year residents. The ship even made an announcement to commemorate the milestone. A year in, she’s happier than ever. “This is for people who want a slower pace, a way to see the world but live with fewer responsibilities,” she said. And if she ever wins the lottery? “I would simply buy the cabin next to mine, open a door between the two cabins, and turn that one into a closet.”
(Featured image: JerickVillaruel)
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