Sea-Ya, California: 77-Year-Old Retires on a Cruise, Lives the Deck Life

77-year-old Californian Sharon Lane has fulfilled a childhood dream by buying a cabin onboard residential cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey, where she will live and sail for 15 years. Lane, who paid $129,000 for an interior cabin using her life savings, has been given a permanent pass onboard the ship's world voyage, which will see it call at ports in places such as Japan and New Zealand.

Key Highlights:

Villa Vie Odyssey is a newly-refurbished thirty-year-old ship meant for long-term residents, not short cruises.

The monthly charges are between $2,000 for double shared cabins and $3,000 for single accommodation inclusive of meals, soft drinks, Wi-Fi, medical screening, laundry, housekeeping, and room service.

Lane says that living on a ship is less expensive than Southern California, where tasks like grocery shopping and laundry are eliminated.

The ship has a multicultural crew of scientists, astronauts, and Nobel laureates and features regular cultural events and shore leaves.

The residential cruise model offers a unique lifestyle of travel, camaraderie, and convenience with the rooms for sale or rent.

Prospects: As residential cruise ships like Villa Vie Odyssey continue to gain popularity, they offer a fresh spin for retirees and adventurers seeking affordable, on-the-move lifestyles. Sharon Lane's story indicates a growing trend for living life on the high seas, the ultimate combination of exploration and convenience and friendship for decades to come.

Source: CNN, NDTV, New York Post