unilad homepage
unilad homepage
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • World News
    • Crime
    • Health
    • Money
    • Sport
    • Travel
  • Music
  • Technology
  • Film and TV
    • News
    • DC Comics
    • Disney
    • Marvel
    • Netflix
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Woman who sold everything to live on cruise ship explains why it ‘costs less money’ than living on land
Home>News>US News
Published 11:54 6 Jul 2025 GMT+1

Woman who sold everything to live on cruise ship explains why it ‘costs less money’ than living on land

The 77-year-old is living a rather enviable life

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard Kaonga

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

A retired teacher has made it clear she has no regrets about selling everything to live on a cruise ship for the foreseeable future.

Sharon Lane is a former high school foreign language teacher, and recently made a purchase for the trip of a lifetime.

The 77-year-old is now retired and opted to trade in her home in a retirement community for the open seas.

While this would be a massive change in lifestyle for many people and would take a whole lot of time deliberating about the pros and cons, Lane has said the decision to live on a cruise ship only took her about 10 minutes.

Advert

She also noted that her children and her grandchildren were all ‘on board’ with her decision to live at sea as a retiree.

Lane has said she previously lived in Los Angeles and San Bernardino, adding that her home in Orange County, California was popular retirement community.

The retiree has said her family has supported her massive life changing decision (NBC4)
The retiree has said her family has supported her massive life changing decision (NBC4)

Speaking to NBC Los Angeles, she said: “Not only was it affordable to me, it would actually cost me less money to live here like this, have everyone taking care of me instead of me taking care of everybody.”

Lane is now set to sail the seas on the cruise ship for its full 15-year-journey, having purchased an interior villa aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey, the world’s first perpetual cruise.

She didn’t explain just how much she paid for the villa, but the company behind the cruise has said an interior villa like hers is priced at $129,999, which is a one-time fee.

Those who permanently reside on the ship can pay monthly fees as low as $3,000 which covers everything – meals, beer and wine, housekeeping, laundry, WiFi, daily activities and full access to all ship amenities and facilities, according to Villa Vie.

Lane is intending to stay on the cruise ship for its entire 15 year journey (NBC 4)
Lane is intending to stay on the cruise ship for its entire 15 year journey (NBC 4)

Lane added: “All the chores you do in life? Done! If you put your to-do list on a piece of paper and you cross off anything that wasn’t a fun activity, then you end up with the life we have now.”

Speaking to CNN travel, she explained just how happy she is with her purchase.

She said: “I’m finally able to do what I’ve wanted to do for years. I buy the cabin, I live in the cabin, and that’s it. And then there’s no end.”

Villa Vie is marketed as the ‘only affordable residential cruising option offering this lifestyle and as it gets more difficult on land to buy and rent, this lifestyle could become even more popular.

Featured Image Credit: NBC4

Topics: News, US News, Cruise ship, Travel

Gerrard Kaonga
Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 mins ago
8 mins ago
an hour ago
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube
    6 mins ago

    South Park creator explains how they get away with Trump jokes as they reveal creation of his 'micropenis'

    The creators of South Park have made the president and other members of his administration the butt of many jokes on the show

    Film & TV
  • Michael Ho Wai Lee/Anadolu via Getty Images
    8 mins ago

    Alleged San Diego mosque shooter identified after 5 people killed in attack

    One of the teenage gunmen suspected of shooting three people dead at a San Diego mosque has been identified

    News
  • Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images
    an hour ago

    Suspected San Diego mosque shooter's mom made desperate 911 call before deadly attack

    Police said the two suspects, age 17 and 18, were found dead with self-inflicted gunshot wound

    News
  • Instagram
    an hour ago

    Ex-military diver describes horrors Maldives scuba divers may have endured in cave’s third chamber

    Diver Shafraz Naeem has spoken about the dangers of the third chamber, and why the cave is so 'unforgiving'

    News
  • Symptoms of norovirus as France confines more than 1,700 people on cruise ship following outbreak
  • Highly contagious virus spreads on cruise ship with over 100 people affected following Hantavirus outbreak
  • Cruise ship passengers cleared to leave ship after norovirus outbreak sickens dozens
  • Global search underway for 30 cruise passengers who left ship following hantavirus outbreak