30 years old MS BremerIt will be renamed Villa Vie Odyssey. Fred. olsen cruise line, A UK-based, Norwegian-owned cruise company. The ship previously operated under the Crown Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line brands. The multi-million dollar renovation is expected to begin early next year and take approximately eight weeks to complete. Once launched, the ship will call at ports in approximately 150 countries.
“This is a continuous cruise that never stops,” says Mikael Pettersson, founder and CEO of Villa Vie Residences. “Our goal is to make this more of a lifestyle and residence than a typical cruise.”
Prices for the 1,301-day trip start at $89 per person per day and include meals, biweekly laundry service, weekly housekeeping, and internet service. Shore excursions, spa treatments and bar service are available for an additional fee, Pettersson said. Staying at Villa Vie Odyssey during your first circumnavigation starts at a low price of $115,789 (before taxes and fees), but short-term reservations are also available.
Pettersson said much of his customer base is executives and retirees who work remotely. He said some people want to complete their first circumnavigation, while others are choosing shorter reservations. So far, 160 reservations have been made.
“It’s not like a cruise or a vacation,” he said. “It is in people’s homes that neighbors become family.”
Guests can purchase reservations by segment. There are 16 days in total, and the duration is from 35 to 131 days. Areas the ship will sail include Northern Europe, the Caribbean, South America, Japan, the Philippine Sea, the South Pacific, Africa, and the Mediterranean.
As for lodging, there are three types of rentals, the cheapest being a 140-square-foot indoor cabin with virtual windows that mimic the outdoor views for $89 per person per night. Oceanview villas with windows overlooking the water cost $119. Balcony villas with 60 square feet of private outdoor space start at $199. This ship has her 485 cabins.
Cabins are also available for purchase. For an indoor suite he costs $99,000 and for one with a balcony up to $249,000. Owners can pay a monthly fee and rent out the space to other guests. Pettersson said cabin values are determined based on the ship’s estimated lifespan (15 to 20 years).
The ship has eight decks with three restaurants, a communal kitchen, a large pool with four Jacuzzis, a business center, and space for live music and movie screenings. The kitchen is open for guests to prepare their own meals or take part in an interactive cooking class. Visits to the ship’s medical center are free, but additional fees apply for procedures.
The ship carries passengers through 425 ports, including stops in the Bahamas, Greenland and Madagascar. The first leg of the three-month journey through Northern Europe will begin in Southampton, England. The ship’s longest leg will last 131 days, crossing southern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea from June 24, 2027 to November 1, 2027, with port calls in countries such as Spain, Greece, Italy and Tunisia.
The ship’s final stop after completing its first circumnavigation will be in West Palm Beach, Florida. Pettersson said this won’t last long and Villa Vie Odyssey will continue to travel around the world.
Many of the staff at Villa Vie Residences came from the now-defunct Life at Sea Cruises company, including Pettersson and more than 20 other employees. Millay International, the parent company of Life at Sea. Pettersson said plans for Villa Vie have been in the works for the past five years, and he retired in May to focus on those plans.
Life at Sea Cruises announced in November that it would cancel three years of cruises because it was unable to secure a ship as plans had already been postponed several times. Some passengers sold their homes before the scheduled departure. USA Today reported. Pettersson said the cruise was originally scheduled to sail on a ship the company already owned, the MV Gemini, but several employees raised concerns from engineers about the ship’s sustainability and safety. It is said that he was in tune with
Ville Vi was funded by donors and investments, Pettersson said, and the operation waited until the ship was purchased before taking deposits from passengers. Guests must pay a 5% deposit, which is expected to increase to 10% by early next year. The payment deadline is 90 days prior to the start of the sailing segment.