by Sarah Kuta
Last updated: 2:30 PM ET, Tue March 5, 2024
Villa Vie Residences—the residential cruise ship startup that wants to offer a continual world cruise—officially has a ship.
The company has taken possession of MS Braemer, a 30-year-old ship that used to belong to Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. Villa Vie Residences has changed the ship’s name to Villa Vie Odyssey and will now begin an eight-week refurbishment project in Belfast.
Crews will refresh all 480 of the ship’s staterooms, as well as the pool deck. They will also add a business center, a pickleball court, an observation deck and a culinary center to the vessel.
The startup purchased MS Braemar roughly a month after Life at Sea Cruises canceled its three-year voyage because it couldn’t secure a ship. The cancellation left many travelers in the lurch, as they’d sold their homes and spent their life savings on the voyage. Customers still haven’t received refunds and are now calling for a criminal investigation into Life at Sea Cruises’ parent company.
Villa Vie Residences, meanwhile, appears to be proceeding with its multi-year residential cruise concept as planned. In early February, the company announced that it had hired Columbia Blue to run the ship’s technical and hotel operations. At the same time, Villa Vie Residences announced a partnership with VIKAND Solutions to provide onboard medical services.
"We are thrilled to announce the possession of the ship and its transformation into Villa Vie Odyssey," said Mikael Petterson, Villa Vie Residences’ chief executive officer. "This marks a significant step forward in our journey to provide residents with an unmatched quality of life and flexibility in residential cruising. Villa Vie Odyssey will set a new standard for global exploration, offering residents an exceptional blend of opulence, immersive travel and personalized service."
The company plans to launch the ship from Southampton, England, on May 15. The vessel will spend the next three-and-a-half years visiting all seven continents, with stops in more than 425 ports in 147 countries. Travelers can purchase one of the ship’s villas or, if they’re not able to commit to the entire voyage, they can book segments ranging from 35 to 120 days long.
The ship will continue circumnavigating the globe every three-and-a-half years.
Villa Vie Residences has hired Jozo Glavic, a former captain with Fred Olsen, to sail the vessel. He already has some experience with the ship: He brought it through the Corinth Canal and successfully completed the vessel’s last three dry docks.
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