An old Holland America cruise ship is turning residential, letting travelers live at sea for $8,000 a month while it circumnavigates the globe
In May, Victoria Cruises Line's Victoria Majestic will begin sailing around the world indefinitely.
It's chartering a vessel previously owned by Holland America Line for use as its residential cruise ship.
See what it'll be like living inside this 27-year-old ship starting at $8,000 per month for two people.
If you're ready to sell your home and live a life at sea, be prepared to move as soon as this spring.
Victoria Cruises Line is chartering a nearly 30-year-old cruise vessel formerly owned by Holland America for use as an adults-only residential cruise ship.
And in May, the Victoria Majestic and its seafaring passengers will begin indefinitely circumnavigating the globe every 27 months.
Victoria Cruises' goal is to fill the ship with travelers who want to live on the vessel indefinitely.
As a result, it's targeting an older demographic of travelers: "Imagine this boat as if we were putting a retirement home on the water," Gabor Nagy-Ferenc, a sales manager with Victoria Cruises Line, told Insider in an email.
The oldest tenant is over 90-years-old.
But this lifestyle could also work for younger people working remotely.
Unlike other residential cruise ships, travelers can't purchase a suite or stateroom.
Instead, Victoria Cruises Line offers a minimum 37-month lease, although most of its tenants have signed longer leases.
The longer the lease, the greater the discount.
The least expensive standard interior stateroom is $8,000 a month for two people on top of the $30,000 deposit.
Source: Victoria Cruises Line
This 226-square-foot stateroom has two small beds that can combine into a queen bed, a couch across from a desk, and a bathroom.
Like any interior stateroom, there won't be any windows with views of the ocean.
However, all of these cabins will come with a monitor that'll display the exterior of the ship.
Source: Victoria Cruises Line
To compare, the most expensive Pinnacle Suite with a veranda will run at $35,000 a month for two people on top of the more expensive $80,000 deposit.
Source: Victoria Cruises Line
Here, travelers can slumber on a king bed inside the roughly 1,270-square-foot suite complete with another sofa bed …
… bathtub, living, dining, and dressing room, pantry, and guest bathroom.
Despite its higher price tag, this suite has already been booked up.
About half of the suites and staterooms have already been reserved and Nagy-Ferenc is confident the cruise ships will depart in the spring with 80% occupancy.
Over $8,000 a month for a 226-square-foot room with no windows might not appeal to all travelers.
But Nagy-Ferenc makes the case that by living on this vessel instead of a regular home, travelers will get to save on traditional living expenses like groceries, car payments, and utilities …
… while spending their afternoons at wine tastings, computer classes, and in the pool.
The 719-foot-long ship was built in 1996 and was last refurbished in 2015.
Source: Victoria Cruises Line
It's not a sparkly state-of-the-art cruise vessel but at least the Victoria Majestic has all of the classic cruise amenities.
The 1,350-guest stateroom is lined with 10 decks, four restaurants, two pools (including one with a movable roof), and amenities like a basketball court.
Like any typical cruise ship, food and beverages are included in the base price.
As is laundry, linens, towels, internet, daily room cleaning, and some entertainment.
But unlike a typical week-long cruise vacation, travelers won't be rushed from destination to destination.
Instead, they'll get to vote on the number of days the ship will spend at each port, according to Nagy-Ferenc.
"[Cruise companies] are designed to entertain, not to keep passengers on board for the long term," he said.
"Our lifestyle is about something completely different. We offer a relaxed sailing experience where there is no rush, there is time for everything."
The first sailing will depart in May from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Guests will then spend an average of one to seven days at each of the 205 ports, exploring destinations like Bridgetown, Barbados; Pattaya, Thailand; and Agadir, Morocco.
Source: Victoria Cruises Line
To spice up the itinerary, the vessel will stop at different ports of call every time it circumnavigates the globe.
If this ship ends up becoming a success story, in the future, Victoria Cruises will convert smaller expedition vessels into these self-described "houseboats."
The company is one of a handful that operates residential cruise ships.
The World, a 165-residence vessel, will sail to six continents this year …
Source: The World
… while Storylines has plans to launch its first 547-residence ship in 2025 starting at about $1 million for a studio apartment.
Source: Insider
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