A new residential cruise ship will let travelers live at sea while it sails around the world every 3.5 years take a look at its condos starting at $100,000
Brittany Chang
- Villa Vie Residences' future residential cruise ship will circumnavigate the world every 3.5 years in May 2024.
- Travelers can buy a cabin starting at $100,000 or travel on cheaper and shorter segments of the itinerary.
A new residential cruise ship startup has plans to begin sailing around the world in May 2024. But unlike the only one currently in operation (a luxury concept with multi-million-dollar condos), cabins on Villa Vie Residences' future ship will start at $100,000.
Over the last year, condominium-at-sea concepts have flooded the market. Relatively new companies like Victoria Cruises Line and Life at Sea Cruises say they will give travelers the chance to spend years at sea sailing and living on refurbished ships. However, both have faced shake-ups like postponements or a change in vessels.
Meanwhile, Storylines is taking a different approach by building its own residential ship, although the company has had to delay its sail date as well.
As of now, The World is the only company like this in operation.
And it's been doing so for the past 20 years. But good luck purchasing a room: 10 to 12 of its luxury condos go on sale annually, each costing between $2 million and $15 million.
But if all goes to Villa Vie’s plan, the floating condo industry could get its next competitor on May 15, 2024 when the startup's ship begins its global journey from Southampton, UK.
From there, Villa Vie says its vessel will embark on a three-and-a-half-year circumnavigation of the globe, stopping at 425 ports in 147 countries on its first go around.
The itinerary shows travelers spending 87 days in Northern Europe, 105 days in North America, 68 days in Africa, and 76 days in South Asia, for example.
There will also be multi-day stops at some ports, including a 12-day dry dock scheduled in Singapore, according to the company's brochure.
And there’s no need to purchase a cabin just to join this trip — Travelers can instead book “pay-as-you-go” segments between 35 to 120 days.
These start at $4,360 for the final 35-day transatlantic crossing from Barcelona to West Palm Beach, Florida.
Cruise giants like Royal Caribbean also sell segments of their world cruises.
But for those who want to buy a residence, 15% of the ship’s 630 cabins are available to purchase.
Prices range from $100,000 for an interior stateroom to $250,000 for one with a balcony. But this doesn't include monthly fees, which starts at $3,500 for a double occupancy interior stateroom.
And it doesn't have to be a lifelong commitment — these residences can be leased or sold.
Irina Strembitsky, the startup’s director of sales, says there will be about 800 to 900 guests onboard at any given time.
The company has seen over 50 buyers since sales launched in mid-September, according to a sales report viewed by Insider.
Both short-term itinerary and cabin buyers must secure their spot with a 10% refundable deposit.
Onboard, the startup says travelers will have typical world cruise comforts like educational programs, restaurants serving global cuisine, pools, and live entertainment.
But unlike most cruise ships, the upcoming vessel will also have a business center with a library and offices (WiFi is included) and a "culinary arts center" with programs like cooking classes.
For furry friends, the ship’s plans also include a “pet spa and resort.”
And for the fitness enthusiast, there will be a gym and golf simulator. Don't worry if you injure yourself — there's a medical center with doctors and nurses as well.
Say goodbye to mopping your floor and doing the laundry: Travelers on the ship won’t have to do the same chores they do on land.
Several cruise lines have cut back on housekeeping services. On this residential ship, it will be offered weekly with an additional bi-weekly laundry service.
But like other residential cruise startups, there’s one problem: Villa Vie is seven months from embarkation and doesn’t have a ship yet.
Mikael Petterson, the startup's founder and CEO, told Insider that on October 6, the company submitted an offer to purchase a vessel that's currently in service "from an active operator of several cruise ships."
Due to processes that come with buying a cruise vessel, Petterson expects to close on the ship by the end of this year.
However, the CEO says he has “built more than enough time” into the schedule to account for potential hiccups.
"We don't need as much of a runway that Life at Sea did," he said. "What we need is to make sure that we close on this ship, do it appropriately with proper funding, and not rely on customer deposits to do the trick."
Petterson, a cruise startup consultant, has been a consistent figure in the residential cruise industry. Before starting this company, he and Strembitsky worked with both Life at Sea Cruises and Storylines.
To fund this purchase, Villa Vie plans to use cash from private investors, loans, partners, and members of its Founders Club.
It's a minimum $25,000 investment to join the latter, according to the company's brochure.
After the acquisition, the team will spend two to three weeks and several million dollars refreshing the vessel.
This will include updates like adding the golf simulator and a light update of the staterooms. Because Villa Vie is looking to acquire a ship that's currently in operation and "good condition," this shouldn't be too big of a lift, Strembitsky said.
So if all goes to plan, Villa Vie Residences could soon become a viable and significantly more affordable competitor to The World.
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