First-timers often opt for shorter voyages, but not Kannen and Bodine, who call themselves “all-in types,” whose maiden voyage lasted more than two weeks.
“Most people said they would get bored of being on the ship after three, four or five days,” Bodine recalled. “After 16 days, we didn’t want to leave.”
However, as much as they enjoyed the experience, it would be their last vacation at sea – cruising was not the couple’s greatest passion, and they preferred traveling the world.
That was until this spring, when Kannen and Bodine, both 54, uprooted their lives on the Hawaiian island of Maui for a new residential cruise ship called the Villa Vie Odyssey.
Lanette Kannen and Johan Bodin met eight years ago on the island of Maui in Hawaii.
The 509-cabin ship is getting ready to set sail after its sailing was postponed for three months. It will circumnavigate the globe every three and a half years, visiting 425 destinations in 147 countries. Ports of call will span Europe, Asia, Australia, the Americas and Africa.
On board, residents will have access to amenities similar to those found on a traditional cruise ship, including restaurants, bars, lounges, pools and golf simulators.
Mikael Pettersson, founder and CEO of Villa V Residences, told Business Insider in an email on August 19 that the Villa V Odyssey is scheduled to set sail from Belfast, Ireland, “soon.” He said he “cannot give an exact date” because the ship is still waiting for “the green light from DNV.” (DNV is a certification and risk assessment company for the shipping industry.)
Villa Vie acquired the former Braemar ship Odyssey from Fred Olsen Cruise Lines in December.
Villa Vie’s overwater hotel and the promise of a slower pace of travel attracted Kannen and Bodin, who wanted to see the world without traveling by plane or train, or having to unpack and repack at each destination.
So in September 2023, the couple sent a $10,000 deposit to Villa Vie to reserve a cabin for their future floating home.
She is especially excited to see Asia, while he is looking forward to the beaches of the South Pacific Islands.
“Why live on Maui when you can travel the world? We’re at an age where we want experiences.”
The couple sold their Maui business.
Bodine told BI that before coming to Villa Vie, the couple had never even considered leaving Maui.
The couple said they sold their Maui rental business (a fleet of 31 vehicles that was listed on Turo) and bought a “screened-view” cabin on Odyssey Island. (They declined to disclose the price, but the windowless interior cabin is currently listed for $100,000; the ocean-view cabin is $50,000 more.)
He will also have to pay a $3,500 monthly fee, but Kannen, who plans to run an auto glass business remotely from the ship, said his income will cover the extra costs.
Their cabin is small and the lifeboat blocks their view, but “we’ll use it as a bedroom and the rest of the boat as a living room,” Kanen told BI. Living on Maui is “a lot more expensive than the Odyssey,” she said. “We’re traveling on a budget. It’s very affordable for the two of us.”
The voyage of a lifetime was originally scheduled to set sail in May after Villa Vie acquired Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ 30-year-old ship, the Braemar (now renamed Villa Vie Odyssey). But the startup said issues with the aging vessel, including a rudder stick and recertification, have delayed the sailing by three months.
Like other passengers aboard the Villa Vie cruise ship, the couple left the US in May in time to catch the ship’s first sailing. Since then, they’ve been in Europe waiting for the ship to depart.
Residents can spend the day on the Odyssey, but aren’t yet allowed to stay overnight. Pettersson told BI that the company provides shuttles to and from the ship, food, drinks, excursions, lodging, and a per diem for those who “want to do their own thing.”
“We went there almost every day for two weeks, spending all day there until we got kicked out,” Kannen told BI. She went to the business center to work, while Bodine filmed videos for his YouTube channel and edited them in the observation lounge.
Kannen and Bodine were able to explore the ship while waiting to depart.
They said the food was delicious, especially the barbecue, and there was an open bar.
“I know there are problems,” Bodin told BI, “They’re trying to please us by flattering us a little bit. They’re almost too patronising. I don’t need to be pampered all the time.”
During that time, they traveled to Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Sweden, and Villa Vie also took them on various excursions, including a trip to the Canary Islands and a cruise to the Norwegian fjords, the couple said.
“We’re not suffering,” Bodine said.
The industry is in turmoil
The Villa Vie Odyssey is currently docked in Belfast, Ireland. Angela and Steven Teliak
Kannen and Bodine have seen firsthand how volatile the residential cruise industry can be.
Before signing with Odyssey, Kanen and Bodine researched Storylines, a company that was planning to build its own residential cruise ship, the MV Narrative. But the $1 million-plus condo was beyond the couple’s budget. In 2023, nine former employees, consultants and investors told BI they were beginning to doubt whether Storylines’ ship would ever be built.
Bodine also said The World, the only inhabited ship in service since 2002, is too expensive. Only a handful of the ship’s cabins resell annually for between $2 million and $15 million, and you’d need a net worth of $10 million to even consider buying one.
Pool deck for The World residents. The World
In March 2023, the couple booked rooms on a three-year, around-the-world voyage with Life at Sea Cruises, which was scheduled to depart in November 2023. However, the couple later asked for their deposit back.
Life at Sea canceled the voyage two weeks before it was scheduled to set sail because it was unable to secure enough financing to buy the ship, and the company filed for bankruptcy in July.
Pettersson was managing director of Life at Sea, who left the company a few months before the voyages were canceled. The company’s former CEO, Kendra Holmes, recently launched a new three-year cruise business targeted for April 2025.
Life at Sea Cruises canceled a three-year voyage scheduled to depart in November 2023 two weeks ago. Life at Sea Cruises
A few weeks after receiving their refund from Life at Sea, the couple booked a room with another residential cruise startup, Victoria Cruise Line, in May 2023. But a month later, they learned about Villa Vie and decided to request their refund (like others, they say they’re still waiting for their refunds).
Despite setbacks with other ships, Kannen and Bodin said they have full confidence in Petterson and Villa Vie.
“Some people might think we’re naive, but we’re 100 percent behind Villa Vie,” Bodin said. “If we don’t take this opportunity and give it a go, we’ll regret it.”
Are you sailing on a residential cruise ship like Villa Vie? Or have a tip? Get in touch with us at bchang@businessinsider.com or x. Brittany Muchan.
