John and Melody Hennessee sold their Florida home, their business and most of their belongings in 2020 to travel the world. And now, they’re looking to stay on the high seas for the long term.
The couple initially decided to explore the United States in a motor home, but eventually got tired of driving around.
But the Hennessees weren’t ready to settle back down.
John came across a Facebook ad for a 274-day cruise with Royal Caribbean, and quickly registered for the nine-month trip.
The Hennessees have since traveled to Australia, New Zealand, to other corners of the South Pacific — and are currently sailing around the Dominican Republic.
Their life is now more exciting and less expensive.
“We now have a telephone bill, a ship bill and a few credit card bills for when we go ashore, but that’s it,” John told Sky News.
“We no longer have a mortgage or the expense of homes. We no longer have vehicle insurance, property insurance, or utility bills. The list goes on.”
John and Melody on a cruise ship 5
The couple decided to explore the United States in a motor home, but eventually got tired of driving around and registered for a 274-day cruise with Royal Caribbean.
The pair usually dock at their destination and explore for three to five days at a time, and insist traveling the world by sea is both frugal and fun.
“We are certain cruising is cheaper,” John said.
“Right now [our expenses are] probably close to half of what it was when we lived on land.”
The Hennessees are fully booked until December 2024, and will soon board the Villa Vie residential cruise ship, on which they bought a cabin.
“We wanted to buy a cabin so we can design it how we want. It’s going to be home for us, for probably a minimum of 15 years on the ship,” Melody added.
Villa Vie is one of the first all-inclusive cruise ships offering permanent residences — about 30% of the passengers on board will be full-time inhabitants, and 85% of occupants are American.
John and Melody drinking on a boat 5
The Hennessees are fully booked until December 2024, and will soon board the Villa Vie residential cruise ship.
The ship is still being built with inside cabins starting at $99,000 and balcony villas offering ocean views ringing up at about $249,000 — plus the nearly $8,000 monthly fee.
Cabins will come with a kitchenette and pull-down beds in the living rooms for guests. Residents will also be able to bring their families onto the ship for free, once they’ve paid the port fees — and a set number of cabins will be reserved for them.
The Hennessees already have several people who have scheduled visits to claim rooms on their block.
Villa Vie founder and CEO Mikael Petterson said that almost half of cabins are singles, with a third being business owners and remote workers who will work from the business center and private offices.
The Hennessees don’t plan on working while away. Instead, they said their biggest problem onboard is “overindulging,” so they make an effort to walk as much as possible to maintain health.
“We wanted to buy a cabin so we can design it how we want. It’s going to be home for us, for probably a minimum of 15 years on the ship,” Melody explained. Melody Thor
To make sure the Hennessees and everyone else onboard (the average age of most residents is around 60) are in good shape, a dentist and doctor are available for routine procedures.
The ship is scheduled to circumnavigate the world every three years, mostly chasing the sun to follow the warm weather.
“We are just water people. We are both boaters,” Melody said explaining their estimated 15-year commitment to the sea. “We love being on the ocean.”
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