US Woman Leaves Home At 77 To Spend 15 Years On A Cruise Ship

Sharon Lane, 77, began daydreaming about life on board as soon as she learnt that a cruise line was conducting a global tour. In mid-June, she departed California to live on the residential cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey, which will be sailing around the world.

Ms Lane, a former California high school teacher, loves to travel. She used to teach foreign languages and enjoyed taking her students on European vacations. She moved to Cape Town, South Africa, in the 1990s for two years of adventure.

She has recently switched to cruise travel, not only because it gives her the chance to travel the world but also because she loves the experience of being lost at sea.

“I am finally able to do what I have wanted to do for years,” Ms Lane told CNN Travel.

This is not a short cruise holiday for Ms Lane. The 77-year-old Californian intends to spend the next 15 years travelling around the world's oceans and making port calls at places like Japan and New Zealand.

Being a "residential" cruise ship, guests usually do not board Villa Vie Odyssey for a brief excursion. The Odyssey is a newly rebuilt, three-decade-old ship, and its cabins are sold permanently, or for as long as the ship is expected to last.

According to CEO Mikael Petterson of Villa Vie Residences, cabin rates begin at $129,000 for a 15-year stay, plus monthly costs of $2,000 per person for double occupancy and $3,000 for single occupancy. Cabins outside start at $169,000, and each person's monthly fee goes up by $500.

Ms Lane purchased her cabins at the end of 2024, and she boarded the ship a few months later when the ship arrived in her hometown of San Diego, California.

The monthly charge for residents includes food and soft drinks. Wi-Fi, medical visits (but not surgeries or medications), and wine during dinner are also acceptable. Furthermore, there is free weekly housekeeping, biweekly laundry service, and room service available.

Ms Lane claimed that she bought her inside cabin with all her money, but she considers it to be a fantastic deal.

“I buy the cabin, I live in the cabin, and that's it. And then there's no end,” Ms Lane remarked to the outlet.

"I no longer have to do my laundry. I don't have to go grocery shopping. It is far less expensive to live on the ship than it is in Southern California," she added.

Although she is eager to see the places, Ms Lane said her favourite aspect of cruising is being on the ship, and she intends to spend most of her free time on deck. She claimed that the only purpose of her windowless cabin is to sleep.

Originally scheduled to set sail in mid-2024, Villa Vie Odyssey was delayed for four months at Belfast, Northern Ireland, while it awaited safety certification. The Odyssey finally sailed in late September of last year.