The Villa Vie Odyssey is currently charting a course through Australia and New Zealand. Residents will explore 23 ports across the region.
It’s 33-years old, 196m long and has a 24,000 tonnage. But Katrina Howard and her husband consider the cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey a motorhome on the sea.
“We get a gorgeous, ever-changing view,” Howard says of the residential cruise ship that offers 650 people who’ve bought or leased cabins a continuous, multi-year, around-the-world voyage.
This week the ship’s exploring the waters of Aotearoa and the Kiwi couple are reflecting on what 16 months living on a cruise ship has taught them.
Overall, Howard says it’s proven to be “an extremely great way of living”.
“It’s actually really great travelling with people who have the same goal in life, to see the world.”
Their home might be untethered, but Howard thinks her community ties are greater on the Villa Vie Odyssey.
“At home I have a few good friends and we do things together once in a while. On board I have lots of friends and we see each other every day.”
Howard does dance lessons, has picked up the ukulele, joined a choir and together with 40 residents staged a play.
“There is a large gym and lots of exercise classes to choose from too, there is a games room and library, there really is something for everyone.”
That includes people less keen on enforced fun. Howard says the cruise isn’t so busy that you can’t get your peace when you want it. “There are lots of quiet places on the ship to find too.”
Financially it’s been a mixed bag. With everything on the ship in US dollars, Howard says the international exchange rate has proven “a real killer” but she considers this way of life “a lot cheaper than going on a holiday cruise line”.
The all-inclusive ship means they save in other areas. Howard points to their previous habit of eating out a few times a week and at a cafe every weekend as an area where they’ve recouped costs.
“It really is the most all-round inclusive, cheapest way of seeing the world. As we are able to work remotely, we can make it work.”
Howard’s husband has kept his regular job and works remotely. “He has to balance work with travel and the shifting time zones can be a challenge for meetings. Some days he doesn’t get out to explore, depending on his work situation.”
While sailing into the sunset every night hasn’t meant waving goodbye to all of life’s juggles, the work-life balance on board skews towards effortless. “We don’t have to cook, clean or do our own laundry. Life is a lot less stressful on board with most of our needs taken care of.”
Practically, life on the sea has required some adjustments. Flying to begin their travels, they could only take 30kg of luggage each but Howard says “it is incredible how much you can actually live without... We can’t accumulate lots of souvenirs as our rooms are small”.
Instead, the pair prioritise home comforts. “What we go looking for is a supermarket to stock up on the things we like,” Howard says.
“It’s really hard to find coffee like home. When we were in Liverpool we found an amazing coffee. I told them how good it was... and they said that their barista was from NZ.”
Howard shares insights into her new life via a YouTube channel, The Kiwi Odyssey, which chronicles her travels abroad and the experience on board. She’s such a convert to the lifestyle she’s helping others experience it too – starting a rental business that lets a cabin on board.
Contradicting the notion that ship life is sedentary, the range of social options means Howard now leads a more active lifestyle.
“I am walking a lot more than at home, because there is always something more to be seen and explored,
“I got my Padi open water certificate and my husband and I are diving around the world now.”
With a 15-year right to occupy the couple have committed to completing the ship’s first circumnavigation of 425 destinations and 147 countries, which will take another two and a half years.
Afterwards they’ll consider taking a break every six months or so, allowing them to be “home more often”.
“That will depend on the itinerary and what we haven’t seen yet or want to go back to.”
They mightn’t hurry back to Dakar, the capital of Senegal, having found the city difficult to navigate by foot after being jostled by crowds. But Howard says such experiences are a reminder they have more than a lot of people in the world and it is a privilege to be travelling the world.
“I still thank God every day for the blessings we are receiving while exploring the world and cultures around us.”
Howard says the couple have not regretted a day of their cruise experience. “My mum lived to only 59 and passed out of the blue from a brain bleed. You have one life and you should live it without regrets,
“My motto [is], ‘If you can, you should’. Life is for living, and we are living our best lives.”