I follow many people who are on the Villa Vie. I have watched all the missteps and bugs that had to be worked out, and I was so thrilled for everyone when they finally set sail. I have no idea why there are so many people out there rooting for Villa Vie’s failure. Some are making it a career on their channels to trash them and point out all the problems. If I was going to travel the world, I would do it just like you two are going to do. I would actually buy a cabin on the Villa Vie as well. I love the smaller ships. It is more intimate and less like a floating city which I have no interest in. I wish you much happiness. It is a new concept and there will be hiccups and it is wonderful that the cruisers on the ship are patient and willing to grow along with the company. Best wishes!
That is just the nicest and most insightful comment @GrandmaMouse1960 thank you. You're spot on in so many ways, especially on what's involved in a new concept. We will see what happens!
@GrandmaMouse1960 The vast majority of people are not "rooting for VV's failure ". Instead people are upset that VV and some of their compensated resident vloggers actively hide, gloss over and sometimes directly lie (but usually by omission) about the problems creating a false and incomplete picture for those they are trying to persuade to buy a voyage and save the company from its current significant financial difficulties. We do not want the current residents to lose their dream nor their money, but we feel even more for those they are trying to persuade to buy in while hiding critical information from them. That is a shame and unethical.
Please read VVR resident Joe Rhodes’ blog Unmoored on substack. Then you will understand what an insider has experienced. Some posters know people onboard and are concerned. If you follow the entire start-up, the issues go way beyond “hiccups” and have nothing to do with VVO being a smaller ship.
I too have subscribed to a few VV owners channels here . I do NOT see many OR any people posting damaging posts against the ship OR its residences . I Do however find people asking questions and discussing issues that have taken place . I believe most everyone wants this to be a success for ALL involved . Its a wonderful concept .
I was on the Ultimate World Cruise for 9 months (loved every single second of it) so if I can be helpful at all with questions you had at the end or just to bounce things off of - I’m here for it! Good luck!
That is awesome! We will definitely reach out to you. You have such a great perspective! We do have a question for you now actually. We are kind of introverts. How did you manage to find some quiet me-time to recharge, or was that not an issue for you?
I'm in the UK. Im 73. I looked at buying a residency. The entry price for me as a solo resident is $300k. A lot for one person to pay for entry level cabin accommodation. And my health isn't great. I'm not sure I'd get adequate affordable insurance. But im still considering selling my house and living onboard. So I'll subscribe to you and hope to learn more. Xx
I looked too and back when it launched the cheapest cabin was 100k and then 3½ yrs living was 110k so $210k. Now the 100k cabin is 140k so its $250k now, not $300k. The ship has 24-7 hospital and doctors (from an interview I did with a sales person named Anne Alms from VV) so I hope you could give it a look more. Remember the $250k cover all your living expenses for 1304 days or 3½ yrs, bar spending money for ports and personal drinks. I hope you get to live out your dream one day, but go before its too late!
This is so on my bucket list. My age is not on my side but it’s a hurdle I have to examine closely. I so look forward to having my adult grandkids joining me for different segments. Kudos to all you Villa Vie pioneers. Hope to join you all some day.
It’s so great to hear from you and we can totally relate to your situation. Age and health were factors for us too but understand that your situation is probably unique. We'll mention just a few of the things we did that may or may not help you. (1) We maintain our healthcare in the US and also have travel health insurance, (2) we will come back periodically for all of our checkups, (3) we spoke to our primary care physician and he was happy to engage in telehealth remotely to monitor any situation, (4) he's working with us to go to various labs around the world in case any blood tests become necessary, (5) we will establish a relationship with the onboard medical center to partner with them in case needed. I hope some of this helps. Hope to see you onboard!
This sounds so fabulous! I looked at the website and showed it to my husband--he is not so enthused... Last year we cruised about 11 weeks on Viking, so it sounds ideal to me. Can't wait to follow your adventures.
It's so great to hear from another traveler. We hope to inspire your husband to think outside the box, but we certainly understand how Viking is hard to beat! Welcome aboard!
Hey guys, your rationale for buying a stateroom closely mirrors ours. We retired early to travel more and while we love slow exploration, the work of travel planning is tiresome, and we too feel like time is ticking :) We are getting onboard next week and hope to meet up for a drink!
The disastrous start has definitely made this ship famous …pulling in many subscribers for anyone vlogging about it ..especially living on board ..looking forward to your take on it all…hope you have a great adventure 🌈✝️🕊️😇😇😘🥰😍 x x x
Could you fill in a little blank for me please. When did you purchase your cabin, how far back? And when did you first get access to the internal resident information portal? Apologies if this is stated in your previous videos, I am new to your channel and couldn't see an obvious choice as to which one this might have been discussed in.
Hi @CruiseDude-h5h no worries. We toured the ship back when it was docked in Belfast around July and purchased around that time. The company gives you access to the portal pretty much immediately. Hope this helps!
New subscriber here. I really like your concept of buying Villa Vie residence as a second home. As avid cruisers we took quite a few cruises but never considered the adventure like this before. It's always exciting to see destinations videos but I'd be very interested in more videos about everyday life aboard the ship. The activities, the day-to-day routine, the interactions with others who chose to live on the ship full time. Wish you happy sails and looking forward to your videos!
Welcome aboard! We're thrilled to have you join us as we share the journey. You're perspective is helpful. We will see what we can do about everyday life videos in the future! Anytime you have suggestions, don't hesitate to let us know.
I’m so happy to have found your account! This was such an interesting video to watch, it’ll be fun to see how life is like for you two living on a ship. I’m excited for you! Aloha from Kauai!
Aloha dear @AlohaSusan it's so great to meet you. Glad that you found it interesting and we hope to hear from you in the future. By the way, our ship will be going to Kauai...one of the most wonderful places on Earth.
Sure. What we paid is out of date and dependent on which cabin is chosen. If you go to the main website it has a map of the ship and the costs and fees for each cabin you might be interested in.
I will be surprised if there are no surprises! Hahhaaa! But it should be fun and the videos will be interesting to watch! Thank you for this one and have a lovely day!
Oh certainly there will be surprises! We've seldom embarked on something interesting where there wasn't. LOL You are so right. We are in for a ride. 😄 Thanks so much!
Just Subscribed. Looking forward to watching your new adventure. I have been thinking about doing this myself someday. Not ready to pull the Plug yet. so really excited about all your upcoming onformation
Amazing, looking forward to following adventures. I'm bamboozled some of the negative comments though. Why people think it's your job to answer to any questions about villa vies business practices or model is beyond me. Each individual has to do their own due diligence as to whether they want to do something or not.
Thanks for that! Really appreciate the support. Yeah we are a little perplexed by it too sometimes, but we try to see through some of the saltier language and see the passion in their commitment to their stances. We are generally pretty laid back and don't mind answer questions at least from our point of view.
It's their job to show the truth about their experiences, that's all... be they good, bad, indifferent, or complicated. I honestly don't know enough yet about either this channel or Villa Vie to make a decision about whether or not to trust, so I am suspending judgment for the moment and continuing to watch. But I will say that, after what I'm hearing about the ship from other sources, I do have a few red flags that I'll be looking out for: 1) if you only say positive things and never mention problems, when you move into your residence on board. It's theoretically possible that everything will be great by then, but I doubt it -- even if they've got their act largely together, as you point out, any startup has its issues, so if you don't show any issues I won't think it's because they don't have any. I'll just think you're refusing to show them. 2) if you don't take the camera thoroughly through your residence and the ship -- especially into your residence with you the first time you see it. Bringing the camera when you *don't* yet know what you'll be seeing on arrival tells me that you're committed to showing the truth, whatever it might be. 3) If you don't post a video taking us through the finances of your purchase of a Villa Vie residence. Not just the finances of *somebody* buying a residence; the cost that YOU paid for yours -- and if they comped you yours, you should be telling us that, too. 4) If you begin running advertisements for the ship or other indications that you have a business relationship with the company beyond simply being one of its residents... and you didn't tell us that up front. 5) If we hear about a significant issue with the ship after you've moved aboard, from a different source, but you don't do a video about the issue and instead act as if you never heard of it, or as if it never existed. Anything big that happens on board while you're there, whether it's good or bad, you should be reporting on, if you're going to be giving us the true story of what it's like to live aboard this ship. Even if your report is, "Some people had trouble with X last week, but we were on shore in India at the time and only rejoined the ship after it had been apparently solved, so we don't know about it beyond what our neighbors tell us," that's still important for transparency. 6) If you stop answering questions in the comments, or you answer them vaguely or with evasion. I really hope we will see a true picture of life aboard this ship from you!! My husband and I have discussed selling our land residence and moving aboard this type of a ship (not necessarily this one; there are a few others in the planning stages for over the next ten years) after he retires, and I would love to see the realistic process of moving aboard, settling in, and living on a residential cruise ship. But it won't do me or the others like me any good if you report the company's advertising copy instead of the accurate human picture of what it's really like to live on board. I can get their advertising copy elsewhere online. I can even get the complaints about the place elsewhere too, for that matter. What I can't get is a true audio-visual impression of what it's actually like on board... and for that, I'm counting on you. I hope all goes well!
@@norarivkis2513 why is it their job? They can do or say whatever they want. It could be a load of nonsense, but it's not their job. I would recommend nobody makes any purchasing decisions based on anyone's RUclips channel though.
@@tristancollins3037 It's their job because they've said already that this is what they intend, and they're asking viewers to believe them. If you ask people to believe you, you have a duty to tell the truth. There exist RUclips channels which make a point of being absurdist and everyone knows they're not offering facts; and there are others where it's widely understood that they only show the good side of whatever they're describing -- for example, those yacht walkthrough channels, where the known price of their access to the great yachts is not saying anything bad about them. But that's not the way these people are painting what they do.
@@norarivkis2513 no, I would take anything that anyone says on RUclips with a huge pinch of salt. If I had employed them to tell me a truth that may be different.
The adventure in life is for the bold. Enjoyed your video on how you planned your cruise cabin ownership life and know you will enjoy the adventure as it unfolds. Thanks for your details and balanced thoughts on what went into your decisions.
Just found you. Happy for your new adventures. I'd love to do this (I think). Will be interesting to see how things play out over time. I've seen some of the ships challenges posts and hope they're all done now. Looking forward to your posts once you join the ship!
Congratulations 🎈🎉🎊🍾 I’m excited to follow your journey and learn more about the process. My husband and I are looking to buy too and following you will let us learn some of the planning strategies to be successful.
@loriwelln7321 that's so nice of you, thank you. ❤ Please bear with us as we plan to reveal that in a video in the near future. We are going to take you through our decision making process which is why. Enjoy your day.
Glad I find you. I’m not fond of the other channels but want to follow your adventures! There is a new family on board with two sweet teenage girls who started vlogging also. 😊😊😊😊
Sure, happy to help. We are keeping our regular States side insurance since we still live and have a home here. For travel health insurance we have added IMG Global on top of that. Those specific costs are specific to individual situations so take a look at that and it gives quotes for your situation.
I’ve been looking at doing exactly what these gentlemen have done (buying a cabin). My question-do you intend to “sublet” or otherwise rent out your private cabin when it’s not in use (i.e., you’ve taken a break from cruising and you want to stay home for 6 months) or simply continue paying the fees while the cabin sits vacant? Plz advise if you have a plan to keep your cabin “productive” when you’re not using it. I appreciate any insights with thx in advance!
That’s a great question - we are working on all of the details and will share when we know more. We haven’t quite decided yet, and are a bit on the fence. Financially it would make sense to rent it out, but on the other hand we plan to make it very nice and wouldn’t want the wear and tear. We will probably announce it here if we do. Why do you ask? We can probably point you to others who renting theirs out if that helps you. Also you can book in small segments directly with VVR which is probably best.
@ thx for your response. I ask because I don’t quite have the financial resources to pay for the houses AND a vacant cabin on the other end (e.g., war on 2 fronts). If I lived on the ship, it would make financial sense but I won’t and so I’ll need to split my fire between two living spaces that will be unoccupied half the time (both the house and the cabin). I’m trying to resolve how to keep the cabin at least paying for itself while not in use. If you’ve done any research or have thoughts, please share with my thx!!!
Ah yes we see the issue. It can be tricky and you have to do what works best for you financial situation of course. We do think there are options to investigate. (1) some passengers have chosen to only have a cabin, but this isn't for everyone, (2) some have downsized their land home to more smartly finance the cabin, (3) yes you can definitely rent the cabin when not in use and we are seeing a demand for that, (4) you can consider not buying right away but instead renting one yourself for a segment to feel out what you ultimately want do. Hope this helps!
Hi @John_Locke_108 glad you are here and thanks for the question. We are joining in the Caribbean this month. We've joined later for various reasons including having other travel we wanted to finish, and knowing that a new ship and new company, like a new restaurant or something, needs a shake out period to work through all the unexpected kinks. The downside is that we missed some of the community building but hopefully we can join in on that easily.
Congratulations on over 5000 subscribers! We’re currently on a TA cruise with RC Explorer of the Seas. It’s been a wild ride with some weather issues. We had a delay because one person got seriously injured. Is there a doctor on board full time with your ship? Hope your travels are smooth and safe!
Hello friend @erinaustin9968 thank you so much! Gosh you are on quite the unexpected adventure. Best wishes for a safe fun journey for you. Yes there is a full medical center here. Everyone is expected to establish a relationship with the medical staff once we arrive and there is good care and a pharmacy. More serious medical issues should be taken to a land base center, and we will maintain our primary care in DC. Al the best to you both!
@@dchiddengems Just 1 week ago a resident posted: "The whole medical services area is still evolving and another work in progress. Residents were recently reminded that they ..."must ensure they can meet their long term requirements independently" as per the Terms. The prescription medication refill process is not yet "as advertised" and confusion reigns. As do very real limitations and nasty surprises like being quoted $800+ for a common, routine medication that costs about $10 in multiple countries including the US. If you thought the questionnaire you were asked to complete about what medications you use so it could be determined what to stock onboard meant that you could rely on some sort of process to get it.....then, no. The upfront cost to VVR of stocking those was too high (we're told now) and comes with the risk of residents not knowing the cost in advance so there's no guarantee they will buy them onboard. Still being worked out - slowly. A source of frustration, with answers hard to come by or even a response at all sometimes. Think and act like you're on your own and self-sufficient in this area and that way you won't be disappointed."
@@RetiredZGrtone of the most important issues with cruise ship medicine is the capacity to thrombolise myocardial infarctions ("heart attacks"). This is routine practice for the major cruise lines' medical centres. Given the quote above I would definitely clarify this before sailing on the Odyssey!
Just found you. Love you already. You’re doing my dream. Can’t wait to “ join along”! You both speak so well and look like a lovely couple! Felicitaciones 🎉
That is just the nicest thing. You made our day. All the best to you and we are blessed that you are joining us. We do hope you at least join us physically for a segment on the ship someday.
@ thanks you. I meant it all. We are 3-4 years from retirement. We are 48/50 and just started vloging ourselves to prep/practice before we jump in the deep end. We are also in the middle of our second home remodel in Puerto Rico, which will turn into our main home in 3-4 years. All great plans with many days and ways to fail or flip all around! 🤦🏽♀️ life is an awesome roller coaster ride! We have to enjoy it! One day we could find ourselves onboard… even if it’s just to vlog and meet the residents of the ship! Happy Travels 💗🙏🏽🇵🇷
We so respect you two. You are at a amazing time in your lives, and you have made sure that your life journeys has been a string of several amazing times. Cheers!
Well this should be interesting. Just subscribed. No one involved in this "adventure" appears to be telling the truth but im tired of Bravo so I'll watch people getting scammed instead...
Congratulations!! 🎉❤ We have been following all of the VVR vloggers since they were in Belfast waiting to depart. We look forward to watching you embark in Barbados(?) and seeing your daily life on the VVR Odyssey. We are experienced cruisers (50+) and our preferred cruise line is Disney due to the outstanding service… have just booked our first Viking River cruise (Christmas Markets 2026) so progressing also to the smaller, more luxury brands.
Oh you are in for quite a treat. With Villa Vie we will be moving away from smaller more luxury brands which is what we have mostly been doing up to now. In addition to Viking, consider Azamara because they have a similar feel and quality but at a better price point. Either way you will certainly enjoy it. Yes we look forward to joining the intrepid Belfast pioneers!
I have been watching the Odyssey story for the past couple of months now. I was considering purchasing a cabin myself. I know another gay couple on board who have bought as well. I haven't completely given up on the idea, but I am waiting to see how this all plays out and perhaps might be interested in purchasing when they get their second ship ..... important Things to consider.... 1. Waiting for them to fix all the little bugs that have been popping up like the reverse osmosis, water issue, etc. 2. what you're buying is actually a very small bedroom where you will have your privacy. It is pretty tight. It is not as large as most cruise ships todays state rooms are . 3. Once you leave your bedroom, you are in primarily downtown. You need to have a personality that loves to be around people all the time. The cabins are simply too small to entertain in, especially if you are already a couple. 4. The monthly fees for a single person are $4000 a month. Four a couple it is higher. These fees last for as long as you own your cabin. So you need to have a pretty deep slush fund or, somehow still collecting income month after month, somewhere to pay the ongoing monthly fee. 5. You must also include the cost of transportation to and from the ship wherever it is docked in international ports. This can be costly.. 6. The ship cannot enter any Chinese port because of its age nor can it enter any American or Canadian ports either because it is not up to code. this can be a problem for and American owners as it will always require international travel to get on board and to get off. 7. they never list the taxes due to the nation the ship flies under. It's an island somewhere in the Caribbean.. No one seems to know how much that will cost annually. 8. Once you have considered all of the above items and can work around them successfully, there is one issue that has prevented me from serious consideration at this point. the problem of the owner of the ship. He is thin skinned and literally kicked off two women who were owners. who after four months of the ship remaining in dry dock, had the nerve to express their frustration with other owners in a close community on WhatsApp. they had every right to discuss their frustration with other owners as they were stuck in Belfast for weeks and weeks and could not get on their boat. They bought a cabin. Did they not have a deed? THIS concerns me greatly that once you purchase your property, someone who simply owns the craft you are on can play dictator and send you packing because he doesn't like what you say. who in the right mind would buy onto anything where someone has the power to remove you after you have purchased.. obviously there is no free speech upon the vessel this freaks me out a lot. You must be very careful about your opinion publicly on ship..
Your quote of $4000/month for a single person isn't exactly correct. If you are in an inside cabin, it's $2499/month. If you're in a deluxe balcony cabin, it's $4499/month. Those are just 2 examples. And these numbers are for one person. The amounts change for 2 people/cabin.
Yup!!! Seems like you're are promoting their idea. Have their promotions hooked you??? BTW you're only 61? I'm 77 and will soon build my 8th home... safe on land and with a great future!!!
Thank you for posting your travels on Villa Via. I love that you are part of the LGBTQ+ community as I am too. So excited to see your experience with things. I am trying to set my life up to live on the ship. Would love to have other lesbians on the ship too. Showing them your channel seems like I can talk some into it lol.
We love that you are embracing life on the high seas! It is always great to meet more LGBT+ folks and we would love to see more join the ship! We already have a great supportive community already, and that was such a relief for us and an added draw. We would love it if showing our lives openly on this channel would inspire others. Thanks for making our day. ❤
I love your idea of doing a video where you share all of the factors you had to look at when deciding to move to a cruise ship! In case I win the lotto (I can dream!) I wanna know what type of budget I'd need and what to buy. Also, it would interesting to know how you ended up planning for medical care - will you fly home to your favorite doctor, go to a local, what is covered in travel insurance, etc. Thanks - and best of luck. You're living the dream.
Interesting concept but when you break it down it's all about average travel cost per day. It's not cheap but in high cost Western ports it makes sense. When you move to South America and Asia it's much harder to make it stack up. Looking at the extended itinerary the stops are either one day or overnight. Lots of onboard time. On the other hand you guys seem to have thought it through and with a sensible mix of land and sea as you outline I'm sure you'll have a great time
Thanks, you're spot on with your assessment. We did a lot of research and will continue to adjust as we go. We have a video coming up where we try to go step by step through our rationale.
Hi Gentlemen, Have just subscribed. I appreciate your energy, dedication and commitment to adventure. I also admire that you are both articulate speakers. If I was your neighbour, I'd offer to water your plants and get in your mail while you were away. Cheers! Darryl
New subscriber. Wishing you all the best on this journey. I have been following the Villa Vie for a while. Did you visit the ship before purchasing a cabin?
Thanks and welcome! Yes we did visit the ship. We toured the ship will it was docked and being refurbished. You can see that video from the end of September so you can make your own impression.
Subscribed! This will be interesting. Second home is a good way to approach it but I never thought of it as an investment. Really curious about the numbers. I was surprised to hear 15 yr contract. I recall hearing the boat was ready for the boneyard. Lots of questions. I would guess there are still some added costs. What happens when/if the boat is no longer viable? What about healthcare? I understand Medicare desn't normally cover treatments outside the US.
Thanks for the support! It's definitely an interesting and potentially complicated setup that requires lots of thought and planning. We'll address many of your questions in future videos, but here are a few points for you. 👍 The company put a lot of time and money to bring the ship back to life. Ships can have a surprisingly really long life with enough investment. There is also the option to move to the second ship that's in the pipeline. We have travel health insurance and come back to the States regularly and maintain our private insurance.
@@dchiddengems Do you have any reason to believe there is a real chance of a 2nd ship in the near or medium term? The VV CEO was quoted in the media as saying the 2nd ship would be in January 2024 and would be $100MM unlike Odyssey. Then he was quoted as saying the 2nd ship would be summer 2024. As quoted in industry publications and press releases VV took out 3 loans on the present ship, the ship is extremely under occupied both now and after more board in the , they were over budget on the renovation by 100% and they are sailing without making monthly fees due to large shipboard credits as reimbursement for expenses during the long delays. What financing institution would lend multi millions for an additional ship when the current one is experiencing such difficulties?
Hi @RetiredZGrt gosh that would require a lot of speculation on our part. Only the company knows, but we'll give you an opinion to be good sports. I do believe there will be a 2nd ship. I think more medium term but I could be surprised. I do think the negative publicity has been hard on the image...just look at our comments. But those same comments also tell me that there are a lot of people who want to believe and want to do this. We see that now more than ever. Public opinion turns on a dime. Once everyone sees the ship sailing for a bit and everyone having a blast, people will be so quick to literally jump on board...but everything will probably be sold by then. There is such pent up demand for a lifestyle like this, which is why so many startups have tried to make it happen. This is the first to succeed outside of "The World". My guess is that banks are probably smart enough to see this or it would be snatched up by a private equity firm. This is all conjecture.
@@dchiddengems There have been a lot of comments on all vlogs about VV from the beginning, but that hasn't filled the ship. Even after people board in Barbados the ship will still be only 38% occupied and very few new people have purchased post launch. I have an MBA as does 1 of you and I cannot imagine any lending institution going over the actual VVR finances and then deciding to lend additional multimillions.
Hi @kevasearle7928 costs are determined by which cabin you buy. If you go to the VVR website it gives you ALL the details about what each cabin costs and how much you will then pay per month for the ongoing flat fee. We will have an upcoming video where we reveal which cabin we purchased.
New subscriber.. this is so exciting! I follow on RUclips, 2 couples on who are residents and they are having a blast! 😬. I’m fascinated by this lifestyle but am so susceptible to sea-sickness 😢. Wishing you smooth planning and hope you have a safe journey to the Caribbean to join VV!
Welcome aboard! We're thrilled to have you join us! And thanks so much for the support. We hope more of the residents start vlogging, because it will be fun to see it from different view points. The community onboard is so diverse which is wonderful.
Great question. As Americans we generally don't need visas for the majority of ports we visit. Their are other nationalities onboard and they may have to make different accommodations however. For us, the only visa situation on the horizon is when we get to China however Villa Vie Residences will be bringing someone onboard to help expedite the process. As a rule while it's the passengers responsibility VVR does provide a level of support by connecting us with consultants that can help.
Most visas are online these days so it's not hard. I suspect that unless you are from an outlier country there will be plenty of other passengers willing to share their expertise. Shore excursions are perhaps more interesting as they require a bit of planning.
How much are they paying you for this? Seems like you are selling it rather than stating it. There are numerous residents on-board that are so very very unhappy and trapped in unsanitary conditions with fears on the company going out of business by December 18th, completing ruining their dreams and losing their money to boot. Good Luck with your investment, even though I feel very unsure on your motives and gains here
@@dchiddengems please could you just give a straight answer to "How much are they paying you for this?" Or state that you have no affiliation to, or incentives from VVR. Please be transparent. You are a retired psychologist and a retired businessman. You therefore understand that 1. there are vulnerable dreamers out there that are thinking of selling their homes and buying the Endless Horizons package, and 2. this company may not be financially viable. Your endorsements as an intelligent and financially savvy couple could potentially lead to another person's homelessness. Are you really ok with this??
New sub guys, looking forward to following your journey. I dont understand why this topic always attracts so many salty comments here, and the other residents that vlog their journeys. Love to see this concept, i want to do it as soon as i can. Have a few more years i need to work yet.
You know what…that’s extremely perceptive! This topic does generate some “salt” as you say. Fortunately we watched the brave souls before us and that prepared us for what to expect. We wished we knew what exactly it is and would love to know what others think it is. For the most part most folks seem to just be passionate about the subject and want to share their opinions, and we value it as long as it’s never unkind.
You know what…that’s extremely perceptive! This topic does generate some “salt” as you say. Fortunately we watched the brave souls before us and that prepared us for what to expect. We wished we knew what exactly it is and would love to know what others think it is. For the most part most folks seem to just be passionate about the subject and want to share their opinions, and we value it as long as it’s never unkind.
So exciting!!! We've been following along on Villa Vie's delayed departure, but now that it's set sail, the adventure begins. Looking forward to your embarkation...and cabin tour! Bon voyage :)
Hi guys. As you point out this is a major life change for you and you say you weighed up all the factors. Can you share how long you spent on the ship before making your decision, to fully weigh up all the factors? And how you assessed the financial and operating stability and capacity of the company? And also how did you input into the Itinerary? That's 3 questions, I know. Thank you in advance.
Oh gosh that's a lot, but all very good questions. If you look back a few videos ago, you will see that we did a tour of the ship. That helped with the decision immensely. We saw it as a work in progress but loved the ship. Also, we have a video coming up next week that actually goes through all the factors we weighed to make that decision. We thought that might be very helpful for folks. If that doesn't answer all your questions please reach out to us, as we would love to help. One question that the next video doesn't answer is itinerary. For this first scheduled itinerary, the early adapters had far more input then we personally did. But there have been and will continue to be times where the company posted questions/options for us and we got to vote/voice our opinion on destinations. We can't think of any other traditional cruise lines that do that!
Congratulations ! I have been following "Midlife Cruising" for a while and really enjoy traveling along virtually. Buying a cabin is not an option for us for a number of reasons but I love the idea that people make their dreams come true. Wishing you all the best and happy to follow you as well. Happy cruising.
@@dchiddengems I agree - they are so very likeable and seem to have their hearts in the right place - similar to you guys ;-) Definitely will follow you as well. Curious to see which type of cabin you bought.
@@cjatchley1 I'm sorry that was not a false rumor. VV of course cancelled the entire east coast of the Us and Canada and just very recently as of the October 8th (and each subsequently issued) itinerary they removed the US Virgin Islands from the itinerary and added those days to St Lucia and the Dominican Republic. That is because the Odyssey doesn't at present meet the US regulations for cruise ships. The US has the most stringent regulations of any country. VV itself in comments on one of their videos and also Midlife in comments both admitted that during the renovation the ship was supposed to be brought up to those standards but it was not (due to time and $). Now of course they have between now and June to try to make the ship meet those standards but there is no place on their itinerary before then that shows them in port long enough to make that happen. VV's contract says they can cancel any port at any time for any reason. They have used that clause MANY times including for ports where people were supposed to board. Some of the cancelled ports where people were supposed to board include Southampton (the original launch port where passengers already were), Miami, Reykjavik (which was supposed to be the start of Segment 2 at the time and passengers were already there), Amsterdam and Bremerhaven (where VV had actually sent passengers when they lost accommodation in Belfast at a festival time because they gave up their land reservations because VV said they were sailing and didn't. 2 weeks after sending the passengers there, VV cancelled those ports), the Azores (where Belfast passengers near the end went to wait for the ship in a warmer, cheaper clime) and Nassau. All these ports were cancelled last minute and if the ship isn't able to meet US regulations ($$$) then as with the other ports Hawaii and San Diego are likely to be cancelled last minute as well but marketed up until that time.
Have you paid in full for the cabin yourselves or are you being subsidised or receiving any type of incentive from VVR? Please be transparent. You are a retired psychologist and a retired businessman. You therefore understand that 1. there are vulnerable dreamers out there that are thinking of selling their homes and buying the Endless Horizons package, and 2. this company may not be financially viable. Your endorsements as an intelligent and financially savvy couple could potentially lead to another person's homelessness. Are you really ok with this??
Exactly! Choosing to not address the very public missteps of the company and just make it seem so great with no issues or risk is straight out of VV propaganda script. I feel bad for anyone who watches this and is inspired to invest.
@julienstanding2367 we think it's great that you wish to look out for the vulnerable out there. We wish more people had you sensibilities. Wouldn't it be a more wonderful planet? Yes we are paid in full and are not subsidized. If you look in our description you will see that we would love for anyone who does purchase to list us for a referral. That would be nice, but certainly no requirement and not VVRs idea. We simply believe in the product, flaws and all. And oh yes, we would never advise anyone to invest money they are not willing to lose. This is indeed a risk like any other financial endeavor. We may not succeed, or we might. We will just have to see. Fingers crossed.
@@dchiddengems thank you for your clear answer. I appreciate it. I just wanted transparency and you have now provided it. Yes, I do care very much about vulnerable people being scammed. However, I completely concord that if you can afford to lose your money Villa Vie offers the adventure of a life time irrespective of how the whole venture pans out. Midlife Cruising and Living on a Cruise have already demonstrated this over and over. They are fantastic examples of the power of positivity and I have no doubt you guys are embarking on the adventure of a life time too! I apologise for doubting you and look forward to seeing more videos soon. The controversy surrounding The Odyssey has had a positive effect on subscriber numbers for everyone and I really do wish you the very best. It's a fascinating tale from so many perspectives - especially psychological and financial!!! If Netflix ever do make a documentary about this ship I am expecting some good intelligent input from you guys! 😂🥰😍. Happy Sailing ⛵️ 💖 - and keep us all posted!!!!
@@dchiddengems Thank you as well for the answer. My perspective would be that vloggers should state upfront in each video or in the About section what their arrangement is with the company they in essence are advertising. Normally I have to see many multiples of people asking many YTers multiple times before they finally get a response and it's cleaner and gains more trust to just start with that. You guys are both successful and were able to retire early and if you lost 100% of your investment in this venture, your lifestyle would probably not be seriously impacted. That is not the case for everyone who might sign up (and the company needs many many more people to sign up and quick). I hope you make it clear your personal circumstances each time and how, though the risk for you may be fine, it could be quite unwise for others. Also I hope you won't work hard to cover up the serious problems that arise as the other vloggers are doing. People shouldn't be put at risk because only a rosy, wonderful picture is shown to them (and obviously there are quite good parts) rather than the complete picture (and there are some quite bad parts). Post launch people have the right to full information before they decide whether or not it is a good fit and a worthwhile risk for them. This CEO has been heavily involved with a lot of failed ventures and this one is presently on quite shaky ground. After Life At Sea, I don't want to see more people crushed.
Hi @Tom-sg4iv from what our research indicates the western world usually passes it on to Europe and Asia and other markets but we certainly get your point. Yes in US it would usually be more of a cost advantage to scrape a perfectly good ship rather than pay the cost of upkeep. In this case the VVR company got such an amazing deal on the cost of the ship, that it because more cost advantages to refit the ship. The company has been so transparent about every single thing they have overhauled, that we know way more of how a cruise ship works then we ever thought possible!
How exciting- congratulations! I follow several of the other Villa Vie RUclips channels and look forward to following your channel also. Have you seen your cabin yet? Are there other LGBTQ couples on the ship? It would be nice to have some of that connection while at sea. Are you on the hook for the monthly fees even when you are not on the ship? I am excited to see how you will personalize your cabin.
@Luke22022 Yes once you buy you are obligated to pay the monthly fees (unless you do, and are able to, sell the cabin) regardless of whether or not you are onboard. You could try to rent your cabin, but you would both be competing against a) other residents wanting to rent either because of conditions on the ship or how badly this small flat bottomed boat handles on the open ocean or just to see their doctor or friends/family and b) all the unsold cabins and segments that VV has a marketing team trying to push. For the Atlantic crossing Odyssey is only 23% full (an incredibly financially damaging way to sail) and after 50 people board in Barbados it will be 38% occupied. And as of this month for any segment of the entire journey they are only 53% booked (again financially disastrous). All these statistics are calculated using Odyssey's "full" capacity which is with 50% cabins being singles and 50% doubles (650 passengers). If based on the actual capacity of the ship (all cabins being doubles) which would be 924 passengers, these statistics would be much lower.
Hi, Luke. Great questions! We are happy to have you following along. We've toured the ship (there is a previous video) and saw a cabin similar to ours. Yes, there are other LGBTQ folks on the ship! That made us happy. We were surprised by the diverse community, and how accepting and kind everyone is even beyond the LGBTQ folks. We agree, the connection at sea will be nice. Our monthly fees start when we first board the ship; when we will be away after that we will still be charged but we can choose to rent the cabin to offset the costs. More and more folks are joining every port, with a big jump in Caribbean then especially in South America.
@@dchiddengems Regarding more and more people joining, it is still incredibly undersold for its entire journey even after those boarding which you mention. As of the first week of November there are 344 Residents on the internal only forum. Anyone who has paid a deposit (for any cabin or any segment on the entire journey) would have membership to the internal forum and would be highly motivated to have a sign-on to that forum to meet their future neighbors and to learn from their experiences on health insurance, travel insurance, cell plans etc. A Founder had posted the breakdown of where all residents come from (any cabin or segment purchaser for the entire journey) as at the end of August prior to launch. It was a total of 314 passengers. So after launch it has gone up by only 30 passengers at any point of the entire journey. Odyssey has a capacity of 924 passengers (based on double occupancy for every passenger cabin). If one lowers full capacity to 650 (1/2 single occupancy, 1/2 double occupancy) that's 53% occupancy and they only reach 38% occupancy when people board in Barbados. I'm sure VV is expecting you to help with the marketing but that is a looong way to go and the company is already facing significant financial difficulties.
Very wise. LOL I think we were referring to the fact that there is an underlying slight medical eye condition that is being followed and want to continue with our doctor. We didn't go into it though. Thanks!
One of you is a retired psychologist, what did you think of the 2 women that had purchased their cabins, but got kicked off when they voiced their concerns about the situation?
It's not our place to comment on the decision itself. I do know that management clearly outlined the reasons and it made sense to me. Purely from my point of view, as an observer, I became exasperated by the behavior well before any action was taken. My reaction was relief and finally peace. That was simply my experience.
So you are part of the mindset that believes in quelling dissent even if the reasons for it are true. Our recent election has proven that people have become tired of this. You’re just the latest VV Cheerleaders.
@@dchiddengems One thing is kicking them off. It's completely another to not refund them nor return their personal belongings. That seems like waaaay too big a punishment for being angry and unpleasant about the terribly handled renovation and launch and all the amenities the company reneged on which had been factored into the price and decision process when the residents signed up. Are you saying DC HG that you actually think it made sense and you agree with not having their fares refunded ($150,000 for one and $50,000+ for the other)???
@RetiredZGrt honestly we (HG Gems) are not in a position to comment in depth on some ones life or on a decision by a company. I've shared I saw and that's the only fair thing. No one knows what all happened and what was justified or not. And for all we know, because the customer says she is filing a law suit, it would make sense for her to refuse a refund and return because it would nullify the suit. I've seen that in some other lawsuits but who knows here? Clearly everyone has an opinion and hope they have the morale high ground. Sometimes we get surprised when ALL the facts come out. One thing is true...this should probably be hashed out in court and not a mostly inconsequential channel like this one. 😉 I think it's nice you are wanting to help people though. I do see that.
This ship will not make the years its promised. It’s 30 years old! The stabilizer system is so old. The reverse osmosis system isn’t consistently working. Residences have not had clean water and hot water consistently. The dining room is not open all 7 days, it’s only open some days with the rest of days eating at the buffet. Only one pool is open, they promised a kitchen for residences which they don’t have as well as virtual windows which they also took back. They also amended the contract for the 200 dollars a day they said they would reimburse while stuck for MONTHS while the ship was delayed. The CEO was part of another venture that failed massively. You will not be able to honestly report what is happening on the ship, it common knowledge what happened to the 2 residences who dared to question VV on why they weren’t honoring what they promised. VV is now being sued for that. Food is not available all day forcing some residents to buy lunches off the ship. The ship was suppose to go the USA and now they can’t. I wonder why? There are rumors bc of the ships age it won’t be allowed in some ports in Asia. Something about this doesn’t add up. You both seem like well travelled, intelligent people. This is no Viking ship or even close to that experience. The fact that you didn’t address at all any of these alarming issues that the ship has and more importantly the CEO’s inability to respectfully and honestly communicate the delays and handle this venture like a real leader and CEO, is strange. You glossed over so many really concerning issues that are made public. Imagine all the problems that aren’t public yet. Why not do a segment before committing. I don’t enjoy watching you tubers that won’t report both the good and the bad and the fact you didn’t address any of the obvious public concerns seems like you are already starting off not being transparent. How can people really decide if they want to invest without truthful experiences. I don’t see you two with your level of sophistication being happy on this ship just judging from your past travels and your fabulous living room. You have incredible taste btw. It seems so strange to me a couple with such incredible taste and used to a certain level of travel would invest in a company that has had so many issues and financial problems.
We've certainly heard those concerns and are carefully monitoring the situation. We believe that the company is committed to addressing those issues and making it a positive and enjoyable experience for everyone. Thanks very much for the compliments. Yes we are well traveled and also have extensive experience in business, so I hope that gives you a little bit of confidence that we know how to take calculated risks. No startup company is without its bumpy starts. We hope you stay with us and continue asking us the hard questions and let's see where this takes us.
@@dchiddengems You have at least answered comments on here, whereas the other vloggers delete them. However, you are answering confronting valid questions (coming from current residents btw) by skirting around the truth. I do not trust your agenda here at all. Like most people are commenting, you afford a level of comfort and style/luxury and then after visiting this ship, with its 30 year old carpets and archaic interior design, let alone its defunct pipework and machinery, its outstanding certifications for health and safety at sea, its CEO & COO wife who look like something out of 'The Beverley Hillbillies' albeit more 'Skid Row', you purchase a cabin? No, no, no something is not adding up with you two at all. I am going to re-post a comment made by another lady/man that I think applies here. "The costs have been massively underestimated by the ship's owner, hence the long stay in Belfast. Any problems can be quickly fixed, but only if the funds are available for labour, parts, etc. What's happened here is crystal clear - bloke comes up with an idea for a "livable cruise ship". He fails to do sufficient research or due diligence, and jumps in feet first. The ship he bought has required far, far more money to get ready than he had budgeted for, or even had the cash for. He's been trying to refinance to pay the bills, but this has been very hard indeed, as the business case simply doesn't add up. I suspect that, once the ship manages to leave port, further problems will become apparent at its next destination, where the authorities will not let the ship leave because it's a danger to its crew & passengers, and to others. The only thing I don't understand is why this channel is covering for this ship? The arguments used are nonsense, and from the way the shop owners operate, I have absolutely no doubt this channel - despite it's denials - is being offered something tangible in return for positive reviews and vibes. When this entire farce implodes in the coming few weeks or months, the damage to this channel's reputation may well be terminal. Once you've lost that which is your greatest asset - reputation, honesty & trustworthiness - you'll no longer be relevant in the industry. Indeed, you'll be seen as a site to actively ignore, because you seriously misled your subscribers & viewers. Well done guys! You have a brief opportunity to try and fix this, by posting an honest, unbiased appraisal of the ship & its concept, using figures to back up your arguments. But time is running out, do you really want to end up in the same place as Villa Vie?" No need to thank me for saying you seem to live a life with a good level of comfort and style/luxury.
Thanks, @cruisinglover. We don't mind answering the hard questions. The only thing we ask is that everyone be nice to each other. Folks can get their points across without being mean in describing people. It just takes away from an otherwise strong argument, when in fact we want to hear the point of view. Regardless, if we took one thing out of your comment is this...you just don't trust us yet. And that's okay. We hope you stay around and find out if we deserve your trust or not. We hope we do. The other thing is that yeah, new business ventures can be risky. We personally think the greatest entrepreneurs have made their wealth from crazy dreams. It's the American way. Will this ultimately succeed...not sure...but it will be a heck of a ride.
@@dchiddengems Yes, agreed, I apologise.. there is no need for that. I just really do abhor dishonesty in all its forms, and would like to think I am highlighting a fuller picture for prospective residents, before they make this massive commitment, some may be elderly who sell all their belongings and home to live on the back of false advertising etc etc. Believe it or not, I do wish this venture success, if only for the genuine investors, who may not have received all they were promised. Lets watch this space ....
OMG. I don't even know where to start. 🤣 What do we give up? We can't spend 4 weeks in Paris anymore or go to an event in Australia. 😄 I am sure those people who have sell most of their earthly possessions to have a tiny box called "Villa" feel really bad for you.🤦♂ You have either done a bad job researching VVR or you have a promotional agreement in place. That was clearly a VVR Promo.
Actually @Traveling_Man_64 I get where you are coming from. No shade. I grew up very poor, so I'm still flabbergasted by how lucky I am to be able to travel like this in early retirement of all things. It helps that we worked very hard to get advanced degrees and had successful but stressful careers, but still it's all a blessing. We agree with you, we don't think people should overly stretch themselves financially to make big financial purchases. Certainly people do, but we wouldn't recommend it any more than you wisely wouldn't. No, no promotional agreement; we did it because we can and wanted to and want an adventure of a lifetime. I hope you can wish us luck and happiness.
Thanks for providing the opportunity for me to “join” you on this journey. It is definitely something I would love to do, so maybe someday, I will really join you. 😂 Looking forward to seeing your first video once you board. I hope embarkation goes smoothly for you. Sending prayers and good vibes your way. 😊 Linda
What are your thoughts on feeling pressured not to make any negative comments about Villa Vie when you do videos about "living on the cruise ship"? People have had their contracts cancelled due to posting negative comments online, so wondering how you're going to balance that dilemma.
Hi, thanks for the question. We've personally never felt pressured at all or seen anyone pressured by the company. We are familiar with the situation you mentioned and thought the situation was handled fairly given what we witnessed. But certainly there are other points of view. For us we all plan to share the truth as we see it and don't see a dilemma. Feel free to come along and ask us the hard questions.
@@dchiddengems Handled fairly? What's fair about kicking off 2 female senior citizens (even if they were verbally unpleasant) without refunding their fares (after they hold sold their houses and possessions) and also not returning their belongings? The passenger who had paid for all the segments of a 3.5 yr voyage (2 paid in full, 10% deposit on all other segments) just got her belongings after hiring a lawyer who got them back from the company. The other Senior female had many more belongings including 6 months of medication and VV didn't return it. In what way is that fair???
@@dchiddengems How the Hell was it handled fairly with these to women victims? They were with the CEO's prior failed venture, "Life at Sea;" where CEO refused Gemini, while buying the sister-ship Odyssey. Are you paid stodges of VV management?
For me purely as an independent observer the behavior bothered me greatly. When management later informed everyone of the steps they were taking and why, I personally was not surprised. That being said, would all companies come to the same conclusion, no one can say. I'm sure it's a tough decision. Prior to retirement I was often in a management position; I realized the tough and unpopular decisions one has to sometime make to keep peace in a workplace or business. I'm glad it's no longer me. Whew.
Hi @Mel-p9o thanks for the question. I suppose it would depend on the market just like most properties but certainly we must be realistic that this may be more uncertain than most traditional land properties. If you look at the website, there is (1) a buy back guarantee at a depreciated rate, (2) a trade in option, (2) and the option to rent or sell privately. Whatever deal you make privately determines where you come out of the deal at I suppose. These are my interpretations only and encourage you to talk to one of their sales people. We are unaffiliated with their staff so can't speak for them, but happy to put our two cents in.
@Mel-p9o Of course a cabin purchase would depreciate. Planes, boats, and cruise ships depreciate and a cruise ship this old depreciates faster. And the buyback guarantee on a steadily large depreciation schedule is "guaranteed " by the company itself, not by a bond and not by insurance. Therefore if the company were to go bankrupt or decided to exit the business as unprofitable, there would be no buyback.There also would not be any salvage value left for cabin owners because the institutions providing the 3 loans on the ship have First Lien and the other creditors behind them have precedence over owners.
Got to weigh up the cost of initial purchase, plus 4000 a month on top ,more for a couple!!. Seems to me unless you have money to throw away its far more exspensive than keeping or downsizing your home and just take cruises. I for one could not live in a smal bedroom for months or years. It would get old real fast. 😢😢😢. Plus it beeing limited to what countries will allow the ship to anchor. 😮😮😮.
Hi @katewebber1131 Yeah, it is a big decision and we did a lot of research on it, we'll have more videos coming up on those cost calculations and rationale, but we are excited for this adventure. For us it made sense...you might want to look at our previous cost calculation videos that we do for our previous travel. We are not your typical travelers, so this will certainly not make sense for everyone.
Hmm fishy fishy. I have an opinion that you have not purchased anything and that the doomed company are inviting you free of charge as ambassadors to entice more poor souls into buying into this failed project. Your benefits would be in the hope of gaining more viewers on your channel to earn you more money and of course traveling FOC, albeit in a cess pit of a rust bucket. I can see the level of luxury that you live in, the Viking cruise you took is far far far from the level of the sub-standard Odyssey. Shameful going on's with all promoting this venture. It stinks of misleading and false information it really does. Just as a FYI the company can ask for more money at any time and also change their T&C's at any time, so your statement of knowing your budget is incorrect. They are currently asking $8000 per resident or else it will go bust by December 18th. I write all this for the potential dreamers so they are fully aware of what they would be getting themselves into, without even going into the sanitary conditions and certifications that are still required by end November and December 2024
Spot on… having joined a Cunard ‘World Cruise’ for just one segment Singapore to Sydney, the clique of world cruisers created a strange atmosphere and was very different to going on a regular cruise where everyone was equal.
Oh goodness we would make for a bad choice as ambassadors! LOL There are younger more successful RUclipsrs we're sure. Joking aside, I appreciate your concern for the dreamers out there. We are dreamers as well. We look at the company as a pioneering startup company, and every startup company has glitches. Based upon what we have seen, however, we believe that the company is strong and will continue to get stronger. Look at it as a positive and good sign that well seasoned luxury travelers believe it it enough to give it a try.
@@dchiddengems Based on what makes you believe the company is strong? *In April they had to take out a 3rd loan after they found out (extreme lack of due diligence) the ship they bought was uncertified and they couldn't get it restarted after 4 years of cold layup and were 6 weeks late leaving Rosyth for dry dock in Belfast. *Their renovation was $10Mm over budget per the CEO based on an original 12Mm budget (again per the CEO) *In August they had to ask the Founders for an additional $2MM (the 3rd delayed month of renovation) per a Founder's blog *Also in August per a company email at the suggestion of the Founders (ie they didn't want to give more $) they offered current passengers a 10% discount for prepaying monthly fees or segments (they desperately needed a cash infusion *They set sail with only 125 passengers in early October and none of those passengers were paying monthly fees because of their shipboard credit due to the 4.5 months of land based accommodation and food *They are severely undersold (achieving only 38% occupancy once 50 more passengers board in Barbados *They have ongoing repairs due to not everything being fixed in Belfast and old ships require heavy and expensive maintenance. *They just debuted a new program Tour La Vie which requires upfront payment by the passenger (they desperately need cash) They are in significant financial distress and bleeding $$.
@@dchiddengems VVR is actively marketing their product to pensioners on a fixed budget. This is wrong on so many levels, as people have sold their home for VVR. Including the two women, you seem happy that VVR swindled!
We are aware of every single challenge, but we think the intense media coverage and remarkable transparency by the company makes it seem worse then it is. For example many folks may not even be aware of the Royal Caribbean ship stranded in Asia or any one of a dozen other such occurrences. But yes startup pioneering ventures can have messy starts and requires some level of calculated risk. Thanks for the well wishes! ❤
How much financial disclosure from Villa Vie were you able to obtain before buying into this venture??? Was it an independent report??? You are just lay people when it comes to the actual problems with the ship itself and the cost to repair them so given its history of surprise costs like replacing the rudder, I do not see how you could have made a sound financial decision. Something doesn't add up here.
These are all very sound questions. Thank you for them. We investigated the financials closely, are fully up to date of the problems encountered during launch, aware of potential downstream costs etc. It helps that one of us has an MBA and was a business executive and financial analyst for years prior to retirement. What a lifetime of business experience has taught us, but not everyone will agree certainly, is that no business decision is without risk. In order to best succeed you have to be willing and ready to fail. Which will happen? We will see I guess! Wish us luck!
@georgettenorth2776 The rudder was definitely one of the "big shames" of VV but it did turn out to be a great-excuse-scapegoat for VV. It was not a "surprise ". The CEO admitted in his Progess and Update video that he was aware that the rudder stocks were inadequate, but they were "grandfathered in" under the prior ship owners. So his plan had been to risk the passengers with these corroded rudder stocks and the corroded area on the ship they fit into (VV dry dock videos) by sailing through the dangerous Drake Passage, sailing through the Caribbean during the height of an active hurricane season and through tens of thousands of nautical miles and replace them during the 12 days (!) of scheduled dry dock in Singapore 2.5 years later based on the original itinerary. This would allow him to budget for the cost through saving a portion of the monthly fees during those 2.5 years of sailing the world with this inferior key piece of steering. Of course as anyone would know, the rudder stocks did not take 12 days to replace and instead took 2 months and the CEO said in his video he argued with the inspectors and lost. Then he touted it as "Safety First" when he had already said he was forced to replace them (because of his lack of research that buying an uncertified ship would result in the regulations requiring it to be recertified as new and therefore the grandfathering of the rudder stocks would no longer be applicable). He also was then able to blame the delays on the "unfair" DNV being tough on VV and making them replace the rudder stocks. But VV was already seriously delayed and was still in dry dock under heavy construction on many aspects of the ship and not just the delayed rudder stocks due to inadequate planning and research.
Villa Vie is selling a product and you are the consumer. As an educated consumer, you should not need luck that the company can deliver what it sold you. If you were able to get accurate information and bought this product, why is the company's ability to deliver even a question???? As an actuary, I see financial trouble ahead, especially for the budget travelers on this ship.
@@bodyloverz30 They haven't bought anything, they have been invited by VV to vlog, to entice their followers to buy in. That's if they actually do get on board. If you check out the other vloggers JJ Cruise, they said the same thing. All of a sudden they state they were invited on board. Shameful and corrupt and full of sh*t like the Odyssey is.
We certainly understand the trepidation. Startup companies tend to have bumps in the beginning, but we think the best opportunities are the ones that seem scary at first.
@@dchiddengems The CEO defrauded two women already and have lied to the residents, every step of the way. Honestly, you all should know better. Its not like social media/major media has not been a buzz about this.
After what we all saw about this ship, why would you ? Are you a democrats that are living America ….good luck…or just living in a bubble and can’t get to see the real ship …
You need to investigate the companies financials. Right now they are at maximum 50% capacity and aren't looking solvent. Glad you aren't selling your primary residence.
We understand there are concerns, and yes have looked into it and are satisfied with the risk/gain ratio. We still very much appreciate the heads up. Thanks!
I have asked several direct questions about this couple's affiliation with VVR. I am hoping they will have the decency to show some transparency soon and confirm one way or the other.
Gosh @julienstanding2367 I hope we answered you questions earlier. We've had so many questions we might have missed something. We have no affiliation beyond having bought a cabin. Hope that helps. If you choose to come back to the channel maybe in time you will see it's just us talking about our lives.
@@dchiddengems thank you for your reply. I appreciate it. Your first video did come across to me as markedly biased. I just wanted to know whether you were independent or affiliated. Thank you for stating that you are not affiliated to VVR beyond buying a cabin. I really do wish you all the best in what will undoubtedly be an exciting adventure however it pans out. The current two RUclipsr couples have clearly, on the whole, had a blast thanks to their positive outlooks and I am sure it will be the same for you. I apologise for doubting your motives. I think it might have helped if you had come out sooner as being independent when all the suspicious comments started but I appreciate you had a great many comments to answer. Happy Cruising 🛳 ☺️!!
Gosh @ToddRileyRealEstate you make such an interesting point. We were so intrigued by your statement that we decided to research a little more deeply about what is the "typical age of a cruise ship". I'll post a link to one of the articles in Frommer's and I hope that comes through. Anyway, the typical age is 18 years but there are indeed some that continue to operate past 30. It's just that ships are typically forced into retirement well before then because consumers just get tired them, which makes sense. Also, it costs more to keep them up and running at that age. So a company like VVR has to make the financial decision on if that added cost is worth it; we think they probably decided it was because the cost savings on the lower cost to buy the ship made it lucrative. It's like in real estate when you choose to buy a fixer upper instead of a new renovated home. That's our two cents anyway. www.frommers.com/tips/cruise/how-old-is-your-cruiseship-does-it-matter
@@dchiddengems I'm sorry, that's how it should be done - the company researching cost/benefit of an old ship purchase. However this management team has demonstrated continually that they (illogically) don't seem to have researched much to a sufficient degree. It seems more likely that they bought this ship because the deal on the ship they wanted fell through and they were up against the wire to purchase and renovate a ship to allow them to sail by May 30 since the contracts they had with their passengers (stupidly) stated if they didn't sail by 2 weeks from their initially set launch date of May 15, then everyone was owed a 100% refund. That is more likely why they wound up with a 31 year old ship which was in cold layup for 4 years and which was uncertified. The ships which are sold instead of retired at 30 are usually bought by a company with a lot of funds and commitment and they can have as much as $50MM invested in their renovation. VV spent around $20MM ($10MM unplanned and over budget and that's with jettisoning many marketed features and the cabin remodels) and they have many repairs to go.
Hard to believe that 2 travel bloggers whom get around and do videos on cruise anxiety, travel packing tips, psychology and are heavily monetized by youtube and even have their own merchandise for sale would commit to buying a room with the monthly fees involved on it. Especially with the issues. You even sell your own merchandise. Cant wait to see the Villa Vie hats, t shirts and coffee cups. Villa vie Vie will appreciate the advertising Im sure.
Gosh you make us sound so impressive! Seriously I wish we were the merchandise geniuses you kind of make it sound like. LOL I poke fun a little but I'm serious. I do love designing a good mug. Anyway, we did decide to do this. You give us an idea to maybe make a video that explains WHY we in particular decided to do this for our life situation.
Hi @JP-lw5xs it's definitely has had it's share of challenges. And it's extra hard when it's so public. But just to let you know that no one prohibits us from saying whatever we want...now if anyone actually cares what we have to say well that's another thing. LOL
My comment on BACKROAD TOURIST vlogger on here RUclips, seems to have been deleted! - or at least gone missing. Please also follow this great page for 'unbiased' information, most verbatim from current residents, it really will be beneficial to hear the full story, before you make any huge decisions going forward. I will regularly remind you all.
It's odd we don't remember seeing the comment you mentioned. As long as it was kind we wouldn't delete as a general rule. Yes we have seen some of what you mentioned. We aren't sure if it's all as unbiased as one might hope, but most importantly it sometimes lack important context. But that's okay. We appreciate your reminders!
I follow many people who are on the Villa Vie. I have watched all the missteps and bugs that had to be worked out, and I was so thrilled for everyone when they finally set sail. I have no idea why there are so many people out there rooting for Villa Vie’s failure. Some are making it a career on their channels to trash them and point out all the problems. If I was going to travel the world, I would do it just like you two are going to do. I would actually buy a cabin on the Villa Vie as well. I love the smaller ships. It is more intimate and less like a floating city which I have no interest in. I wish you much happiness. It is a new concept and there will be hiccups and it is wonderful that the cruisers on the ship are patient and willing to grow along with the company. Best wishes!
That is just the nicest and most insightful comment @GrandmaMouse1960 thank you. You're spot on in so many ways, especially on what's involved in a new concept. We will see what happens!
@GrandmaMouse1960 The vast majority of people are not "rooting for VV's failure ". Instead people are upset that VV and some of their compensated resident vloggers actively hide, gloss over and sometimes directly lie (but usually by omission) about the problems creating a false and incomplete picture for those they are trying to persuade to buy a voyage and save the company from its current significant financial difficulties. We do not want the current residents to lose their dream nor their money, but we feel even more for those they are trying to persuade to buy in while hiding critical information from them. That is a shame and unethical.
Please read VVR resident Joe Rhodes’ blog Unmoored on substack. Then you will understand what an insider has experienced. Some posters know people onboard and are concerned. If you follow the entire start-up, the issues go way beyond “hiccups” and have nothing to do with VVO being a smaller ship.
I too have subscribed to a few VV owners channels here . I do NOT see many OR any people posting damaging posts against the ship OR its residences . I Do however find people asking questions and discussing issues that have taken place . I believe most everyone wants this to be a success for ALL involved . Its a wonderful concept .
Agree it’s a 1 star motel ..would you do that ..motel 8
I was on the Ultimate World Cruise for 9 months (loved every single second of it) so if I can be helpful at all with questions you had at the end or just to bounce things off of - I’m here for it! Good luck!
That is awesome! We will definitely reach out to you. You have such a great perspective! We do have a question for you now actually. We are kind of introverts. How did you manage to find some quiet me-time to recharge, or was that not an issue for you?
I'm in the UK. Im 73. I looked at buying a residency. The entry price for me as a solo resident is $300k. A lot for one person to pay for entry level cabin accommodation. And my health isn't great. I'm not sure I'd get adequate affordable insurance. But im still considering selling my house and living onboard. So I'll subscribe to you and hope to learn more. Xx
I looked too and back when it launched the cheapest cabin was 100k and then 3½ yrs living was 110k so $210k.
Now the 100k cabin is 140k so its $250k now, not $300k.
The ship has 24-7 hospital and doctors (from an interview I did with a sales person named Anne Alms from VV) so I hope you could give it a look more.
Remember the $250k cover all your living expenses for 1304 days or 3½ yrs, bar spending money for ports and personal drinks.
I hope you get to live out your dream one day, but go before its too late!
This is so on my bucket list. My age is not on my side but it’s a hurdle I have to examine closely. I so look forward to having my adult grandkids joining me for different segments. Kudos to all you Villa Vie pioneers. Hope to join you all some day.
It’s so great to hear from you and we can totally relate to your situation. Age and health were factors for us too but understand that your situation is probably unique. We'll mention just a few of the things we did that may or may not help you. (1) We maintain our healthcare in the US and also have travel health insurance, (2) we will come back periodically for all of our checkups, (3) we spoke to our primary care physician and he was happy to engage in telehealth remotely to monitor any situation, (4) he's working with us to go to various labs around the world in case any blood tests become necessary, (5) we will establish a relationship with the onboard medical center to partner with them in case needed. I hope some of this helps. Hope to see you onboard!
When will we see you on the ship!? Looking forward to those videos.❤🚢🚢🚢
What you must have accomplished to be this blessed. You are so very fortunate in your beautiful life.
Oh we are so thankful! You're right. We are blessed.
This sounds so fabulous! I looked at the website and showed it to my husband--he is not so enthused... Last year we cruised about 11 weeks on Viking, so it sounds ideal to me. Can't wait to follow your adventures.
It's so great to hear from another traveler. We hope to inspire your husband to think outside the box, but we certainly understand how Viking is hard to beat! Welcome aboard!
How exciting!! Looking forward to the videos and thanks for sharing 😎
Thanks @billm2124 ! And so glad you're along for the ride.
good luck guys will be living that life vicariously through you . Have fun ❤
Thanks so much @stevenhowe-bull we hope to show you a fun adventure!
Hey guys, your rationale for buying a stateroom closely mirrors ours. We retired early to travel more and while we love slow exploration, the work of travel planning is tiresome, and we too feel like time is ticking :) We are getting onboard next week and hope to meet up for a drink!
It does indeed sound like we have a lot in common. Like you nailed it. We had hoped to find others we could relate to. Looking forward to that drink!
The disastrous start has definitely made this ship famous …pulling in many subscribers for anyone vlogging about it ..especially living on board ..looking forward to your take on it all…hope you have a great adventure 🌈✝️🕊️😇😇😘🥰😍 x x x
That's really kind of you. Thanks so much!
OMG!! Great news. Congratulations to you both.i think it was a perfect decision for you.
Feels right given how we travel. Thanks so much. We want you to visit!
Could you fill in a little blank for me please. When did you purchase your cabin, how far back? And when did you first get access to the internal resident information portal? Apologies if this is stated in your previous videos, I am new to your channel and couldn't see an obvious choice as to which one this might have been discussed in.
Hi @CruiseDude-h5h no worries. We toured the ship back when it was docked in Belfast around July and purchased around that time. The company gives you access to the portal pretty much immediately. Hope this helps!
New subscriber here. I really like your concept of buying Villa Vie residence as a second home. As avid cruisers we took quite a few cruises but never considered the adventure like this before.
It's always exciting to see destinations videos but I'd be very interested in more videos about everyday life aboard the ship. The activities, the day-to-day routine, the interactions with others who chose to live on the ship full time. Wish you happy sails and looking forward to your videos!
Welcome aboard! We're thrilled to have you join us as we share the journey. You're perspective is helpful. We will see what we can do about everyday life videos in the future! Anytime you have suggestions, don't hesitate to let us know.
I’m in for the ride, the ups and the downs. Good luck and good boating…
Hi @leroysmith8203 let's go for it and see what happens!
Looking forward to following your adventure and living vicariously through you😎
Thanks! We're so glad to have you along. 😉
I’m so happy to have found your account! This was such an interesting video to watch, it’ll be fun to see how life is like for you two living on a ship. I’m excited for you! Aloha from Kauai!
Aloha dear @AlohaSusan it's so great to meet you. Glad that you found it interesting and we hope to hear from you in the future. By the way, our ship will be going to Kauai...one of the most wonderful places on Earth.
Can I inquire about the costs...Up front purchase and monthly fees.
Sure. What we paid is out of date and dependent on which cabin is chosen. If you go to the main website it has a map of the ship and the costs and fees for each cabin you might be interested in.
I will be surprised if there are no surprises! Hahhaaa! But it should be fun and the videos will be interesting to watch! Thank you for this one and have a lovely day!
Oh certainly there will be surprises! We've seldom embarked on something interesting where there wasn't. LOL You are so right. We are in for a ride. 😄 Thanks so much!
Just Subscribed. Looking forward to watching your new adventure. I have been thinking about doing this myself someday. Not ready to pull the Plug yet. so really excited about all your upcoming onformation
Welcome to the channel! Maybe you'll be doing this sooner than you think. For now we will be the guinea pigs. 😉Feel free to ask us questions any time.
Amazing, looking forward to following adventures. I'm bamboozled some of the negative comments though. Why people think it's your job to answer to any questions about villa vies business practices or model is beyond me. Each individual has to do their own due diligence as to whether they want to do something or not.
Thanks for that! Really appreciate the support. Yeah we are a little perplexed by it too sometimes, but we try to see through some of the saltier language and see the passion in their commitment to their stances. We are generally pretty laid back and don't mind answer questions at least from our point of view.
It's their job to show the truth about their experiences, that's all... be they good, bad, indifferent, or complicated. I honestly don't know enough yet about either this channel or Villa Vie to make a decision about whether or not to trust, so I am suspending judgment for the moment and continuing to watch. But I will say that, after what I'm hearing about the ship from other sources, I do have a few red flags that I'll be looking out for:
1) if you only say positive things and never mention problems, when you move into your residence on board. It's theoretically possible that everything will be great by then, but I doubt it -- even if they've got their act largely together, as you point out, any startup has its issues, so if you don't show any issues I won't think it's because they don't have any. I'll just think you're refusing to show them.
2) if you don't take the camera thoroughly through your residence and the ship -- especially into your residence with you the first time you see it. Bringing the camera when you *don't* yet know what you'll be seeing on arrival tells me that you're committed to showing the truth, whatever it might be.
3) If you don't post a video taking us through the finances of your purchase of a Villa Vie residence. Not just the finances of *somebody* buying a residence; the cost that YOU paid for yours -- and if they comped you yours, you should be telling us that, too.
4) If you begin running advertisements for the ship or other indications that you have a business relationship with the company beyond simply being one of its residents... and you didn't tell us that up front.
5) If we hear about a significant issue with the ship after you've moved aboard, from a different source, but you don't do a video about the issue and instead act as if you never heard of it, or as if it never existed. Anything big that happens on board while you're there, whether it's good or bad, you should be reporting on, if you're going to be giving us the true story of what it's like to live aboard this ship. Even if your report is, "Some people had trouble with X last week, but we were on shore in India at the time and only rejoined the ship after it had been apparently solved, so we don't know about it beyond what our neighbors tell us," that's still important for transparency.
6) If you stop answering questions in the comments, or you answer them vaguely or with evasion.
I really hope we will see a true picture of life aboard this ship from you!! My husband and I have discussed selling our land residence and moving aboard this type of a ship (not necessarily this one; there are a few others in the planning stages for over the next ten years) after he retires, and I would love to see the realistic process of moving aboard, settling in, and living on a residential cruise ship. But it won't do me or the others like me any good if you report the company's advertising copy instead of the accurate human picture of what it's really like to live on board. I can get their advertising copy elsewhere online. I can even get the complaints about the place elsewhere too, for that matter. What I can't get is a true audio-visual impression of what it's actually like on board... and for that, I'm counting on you.
I hope all goes well!
@@norarivkis2513 why is it their job? They can do or say whatever they want. It could be a load of nonsense, but it's not their job. I would recommend nobody makes any purchasing decisions based on anyone's RUclips channel though.
@@tristancollins3037 It's their job because they've said already that this is what they intend, and they're asking viewers to believe them. If you ask people to believe you, you have a duty to tell the truth. There exist RUclips channels which make a point of being absurdist and everyone knows they're not offering facts; and there are others where it's widely understood that they only show the good side of whatever they're describing -- for example, those yacht walkthrough channels, where the known price of their access to the great yachts is not saying anything bad about them. But that's not the way these people are painting what they do.
@@norarivkis2513 no, I would take anything that anyone says on RUclips with a huge pinch of salt. If I had employed them to tell me a truth that may be different.
Looking forward to hearing about your adventures, best of luck!
Thanks so much! Always feel free to ask questions.
The adventure in life is for the bold. Enjoyed your video on how you planned your cruise cabin ownership life and know you will enjoy the adventure as it unfolds. Thanks for your details and balanced thoughts on what went into your decisions.
"The adventure in life is for the bold" we may need to borrow that line. Well said, friend @kirkphillips1012
Congratulations! All the best on your endeavors 🎉
@nyonya02 thank you so much! We are excited for this adventure!
Just found you. Happy for your new adventures. I'd love to do this (I think). Will be interesting to see how things play out over time. I've seen some of the ships challenges posts and hope they're all done now. Looking forward to your posts once you join the ship!
So glad you're here and that we can share this journey with you! It won't be perfect but it certainly will be interesting. :-)
Bon Voyage. I 've followed another couple since the ship left port. Thank ypu for sharing your positive adventure
Thanks! ❤ We've seen the other vloggers and they are great!
Congratulations 🎈🎉🎊🍾 I’m excited to follow your journey and learn more about the process. My husband and I are looking to buy too and following you will let us learn some of the planning strategies to be successful.
Thanks and welcome! We're happy to share what we've learned. Feel free to ask questions as we move further into the journey.
I’m wishing you all the best. What type of cabin did you purchase?
@loriwelln7321 that's so nice of you, thank you. ❤ Please bear with us as we plan to reveal that in a video in the near future. We are going to take you through our decision making process which is why. Enjoy your day.
Glad I find you. I’m not fond of the other channels but want to follow your adventures! There is a new family on board with two sweet teenage girls who started vlogging also. 😊😊😊😊
Thanks! We're happy to have you along! We'll look for the teenagers vlogs! Sweet.
May I ask how you are dealing with Health Insurance. What are the costs.
Sure, happy to help. We are keeping our regular States side insurance since we still live and have a home here. For travel health insurance we have added IMG Global on top of that. Those specific costs are specific to individual situations so take a look at that and it gives quotes for your situation.
@@dchiddengems Thank you. I shall contact them. Enjoy your travels.
Your home looks so stylish, for me, that would be hard to give up for a small cabin!
Ah sweet, thank you. We do love it. Don't worry we are keeping it for now. We think of the cabin as our second home away from home. ❤
I’ve been looking at doing exactly what these gentlemen have done (buying a cabin). My question-do you intend to “sublet” or otherwise rent out your private cabin when it’s not in use (i.e., you’ve taken a break from cruising and you want to stay home for 6 months) or simply continue paying the fees while the cabin sits vacant? Plz advise if you have a plan to keep your cabin “productive” when you’re not using it. I appreciate any insights with thx in advance!
That’s a great question - we are working on all of the details and will share when we know more. We haven’t quite decided yet, and are a bit on the fence. Financially it would make sense to rent it out, but on the other hand we plan to make it very nice and wouldn’t want the wear and tear. We will probably announce it here if we do. Why do you ask? We can probably point you to others who renting theirs out if that helps you. Also you can book in small segments directly with VVR which is probably best.
@ thx for your response. I ask because I don’t quite have the financial resources to pay for the houses AND a vacant cabin on the other end (e.g., war on 2 fronts). If I lived on the ship, it would make financial sense but I won’t and so I’ll need to split my fire between two living spaces that will be unoccupied half the time (both the house and the cabin). I’m trying to resolve how to keep the cabin at least paying for itself while not in use. If you’ve done any research or have thoughts, please share with my thx!!!
Ah yes we see the issue. It can be tricky and you have to do what works best for you financial situation of course. We do think there are options to investigate. (1) some passengers have chosen to only have a cabin, but this isn't for everyone, (2) some have downsized their land home to more smartly finance the cabin, (3) yes you can definitely rent the cabin when not in use and we are seeing a demand for that, (4) you can consider not buying right away but instead renting one yourself for a segment to feel out what you ultimately want do. Hope this helps!
Did you join late on purpose to avoid the trip across the Atlantic? Are joining in the Caribbean this month or later?
Hi @John_Locke_108 glad you are here and thanks for the question. We are joining in the Caribbean this month. We've joined later for various reasons including having other travel we wanted to finish, and knowing that a new ship and new company, like a new restaurant or something, needs a shake out period to work through all the unexpected kinks. The downside is that we missed some of the community building but hopefully we can join in on that easily.
Congratulations on over 5000 subscribers! We’re currently on a TA cruise with RC Explorer of the Seas. It’s been a wild ride with some weather issues. We had a delay because one person got seriously injured. Is there a doctor on board full time with your ship? Hope your travels are smooth and safe!
Hello friend @erinaustin9968 thank you so much! Gosh you are on quite the unexpected adventure. Best wishes for a safe fun journey for you. Yes there is a full medical center here. Everyone is expected to establish a relationship with the medical staff once we arrive and there is good care and a pharmacy. More serious medical issues should be taken to a land base center, and we will maintain our primary care in DC. Al the best to you both!
@@dchiddengems Just 1 week ago a resident posted:
"The whole medical services area is still evolving and another work in progress. Residents were recently reminded that they ..."must ensure they can meet their long term requirements independently" as per the Terms. The prescription medication refill process is not yet "as advertised" and confusion reigns. As do very real limitations and nasty surprises like being quoted $800+ for a common, routine medication that costs about $10 in multiple countries including the US. If you thought the questionnaire you were asked to complete about what medications you use so it could be determined what to stock onboard meant that you could rely on some sort of process to get it.....then, no. The upfront cost to VVR of stocking those was too high (we're told now) and comes with the risk of residents not knowing the cost in advance so there's no guarantee they will buy them onboard. Still being worked out - slowly. A source of frustration, with answers hard to come by or even a response at all sometimes. Think and act like you're on your own and self-sufficient in this area and that way you won't be disappointed."
@@RetiredZGrtone of the most important issues with cruise ship medicine is the capacity to thrombolise myocardial infarctions ("heart attacks"). This is routine practice for the major cruise lines' medical centres. Given the quote above I would definitely clarify this before sailing on the Odyssey!
I join in Pamama City. Looking forward to the adventure!
Wonderful! Looking forward to seeing you.
Just found you. Love you already. You’re doing my dream. Can’t wait to “ join along”! You both speak so well and look like a lovely couple! Felicitaciones 🎉
That is just the nicest thing. You made our day. All the best to you and we are blessed that you are joining us. We do hope you at least join us physically for a segment on the ship someday.
@ thanks you. I meant it all. We are 3-4 years from retirement. We are 48/50 and just started vloging ourselves to prep/practice before we jump in the deep end. We are also in the middle of our second home remodel in Puerto Rico, which will turn into our main home in 3-4 years. All great plans with many days and ways to fail or flip all around! 🤦🏽♀️ life is an awesome roller coaster ride! We have to enjoy it! One day we could find ourselves onboard… even if it’s just to vlog and meet the residents of the ship! Happy Travels 💗🙏🏽🇵🇷
We so respect you two. You are at a amazing time in your lives, and you have made sure that your life journeys has been a string of several amazing times. Cheers!
Well this should be interesting. Just subscribed. No one involved in this "adventure" appears to be telling the truth but im tired of Bravo so I'll watch people getting scammed instead...
Congratulations!! 🎉❤ We have been following all of the VVR vloggers since they were in Belfast waiting to depart. We look forward to watching you embark in Barbados(?) and seeing your daily life on the VVR Odyssey. We are experienced cruisers (50+) and our preferred cruise line is Disney due to the outstanding service… have just booked our first Viking River cruise (Christmas Markets 2026) so progressing also to the smaller, more luxury brands.
Oh you are in for quite a treat. With Villa Vie we will be moving away from smaller more luxury brands which is what we have mostly been doing up to now. In addition to Viking, consider Azamara because they have a similar feel and quality but at a better price point. Either way you will certainly enjoy it. Yes we look forward to joining the intrepid Belfast pioneers!
Sounds great, guys! Looking forward to your adventures, and living on a ship! 🎉🎉❤
Have fun guys. Safe travels.
Thanks so much @GavinCameron-k2s
I have been watching the Odyssey story for the past couple of months now. I was considering purchasing a cabin myself. I know another gay couple on board who have bought as well. I haven't completely given up on the idea, but I am waiting to see how this all plays out and perhaps might be interested in purchasing when they get their second ship ..... important Things to consider....
1. Waiting for them to fix all the little bugs that have been popping up like the reverse osmosis, water issue, etc.
2. what you're buying is actually a very small bedroom where you will have your privacy. It is pretty tight. It is not as large as most cruise ships todays state rooms are .
3. Once you leave your bedroom, you are in primarily downtown. You need to have a personality that loves to be around people all the time. The cabins are simply too small to entertain in, especially if you are already a couple.
4. The monthly fees for a single person are $4000 a month. Four a couple it is higher. These fees last for as long as you own your cabin. So you need to have a pretty deep slush fund or, somehow still collecting income month after month, somewhere to pay the ongoing monthly fee.
5. You must also include the cost of transportation to and from the ship wherever it is docked in international ports. This can be costly..
6. The ship cannot enter any Chinese port because of its age nor can it enter any American or Canadian ports either because it is not up to code. this can be a problem for and American owners as it will always require international travel to get on board and to get off.
7. they never list the taxes due to the nation the ship flies under. It's an island somewhere in the Caribbean.. No one seems to know how much that will cost annually.
8. Once you have considered all of the above items and can work around them successfully, there is one issue that has prevented me from serious consideration at this point. the problem of the owner of the ship. He is thin skinned and literally kicked off two women who were owners. who after four months of the ship remaining in dry dock, had the nerve to express their frustration with other owners in a close community on WhatsApp. they had every right to discuss their frustration with other owners as they were stuck in Belfast for weeks and weeks and could not get on their boat. They bought a cabin. Did they not have a deed? THIS concerns me greatly that once you purchase your property, someone who simply owns the craft you are on can play dictator and send you packing because he doesn't like what you say. who in the right mind would buy onto anything where someone has the power to remove you after you have purchased.. obviously there is no free speech upon the vessel this freaks me out a lot. You must be very careful about your opinion publicly on ship..
Absolutely, completely agree!
Excellent points.
A fool and his money
Your quote of $4000/month for a single person isn't exactly correct. If you are in an inside cabin, it's $2499/month. If you're in a deluxe balcony cabin, it's $4499/month. Those are just 2 examples. And these numbers are for one person. The amounts change for 2 people/cabin.
Yup!!! Seems like you're are promoting their idea. Have their promotions hooked you??? BTW you're only 61? I'm 77 and will soon build my 8th home... safe on land and with a great future!!!
Thank you for posting your travels on Villa Via. I love that you are part of the LGBTQ+ community as I am too. So excited to see your experience with things. I am trying to set my life up to live on the ship. Would love to have other lesbians on the ship too. Showing them your channel seems like I can talk some into it lol.
We love that you are embracing life on the high seas! It is always great to meet more LGBT+ folks and we would love to see more join the ship! We already have a great supportive community already, and that was such a relief for us and an added draw. We would love it if showing our lives openly on this channel would inspire others. Thanks for making our day. ❤
Awesome! Congrats!
We appreciate the support! 💖
I love your idea of doing a video where you share all of the factors you had to look at when deciding to move to a cruise ship!
In case I win the lotto (I can dream!) I wanna know what type of budget I'd need and what to buy.
Also, it would interesting to know how you ended up planning for medical care - will you fly home to your favorite doctor, go to a local, what is covered in travel insurance, etc.
Thanks - and best of luck. You're living the dream.
Hey!! Thanks for the ideas. We are in fact putting together videos on those and more. Keep the ideas coming. Glad you're along with us!
Interesting concept but when you break it down it's all about average travel cost per day. It's not cheap but in high cost Western ports it makes sense. When you move to South America and Asia it's much harder to make it stack up.
Looking at the extended itinerary the stops are either one day or overnight. Lots of onboard time.
On the other hand you guys seem to have thought it through and with a sensible mix of land and sea as you outline I'm sure you'll have a great time
Thanks, you're spot on with your assessment. We did a lot of research and will continue to adjust as we go. We have a video coming up where we try to go step by step through our rationale.
Hey i am a new subscriber...looking forward to your travels on the villa vi and how it all works out .
Welcome aboard, Stephen! We're excited to share our journey with you.
Hi Gentlemen,
Have just subscribed. I appreciate your energy, dedication and commitment to adventure. I also admire that you are both articulate speakers. If I was your neighbour,
I'd offer to water your plants and get in your mail while you were away. Cheers!
Darryl
@50Street21 that's a really kind offer! Be careful what you wish for! LOL And welcome aboard!
New subscriber. Wishing you all the best on this journey. I have been following the Villa Vie for a while. Did you visit the ship before purchasing a cabin?
Thanks and welcome! Yes we did visit the ship. We toured the ship will it was docked and being refurbished. You can see that video from the end of September so you can make your own impression.
Just discovered you guys. Can't wait to follow your adventures.
Wonderful to hear. Glad to have you with us.
Subscribed! This will be interesting. Second home is a good way to approach it but I never thought of it as an investment. Really curious about the numbers. I was surprised to hear 15 yr contract. I recall hearing the boat was ready for the boneyard. Lots of questions. I would guess there are still some added costs. What happens when/if the boat is no longer viable? What about healthcare? I understand Medicare desn't normally cover treatments outside the US.
Thanks for the support! It's definitely an interesting and potentially complicated setup that requires lots of thought and planning. We'll address many of your questions in future videos, but here are a few points for you. 👍 The company put a lot of time and money to bring the ship back to life. Ships can have a surprisingly really long life with enough investment. There is also the option to move to the second ship that's in the pipeline. We have travel health insurance and come back to the States regularly and maintain our private insurance.
@@dchiddengems Do you have any reason to believe there is a real chance of a 2nd ship in the near or medium term? The VV CEO was quoted in the media as saying the 2nd ship would be in January 2024 and would be $100MM unlike Odyssey. Then he was quoted as saying the 2nd ship would be summer 2024. As quoted in industry publications and press releases VV took out 3 loans on the present ship, the ship is extremely under occupied both now and after more board in the , they were over budget on the renovation by 100% and they are sailing without making monthly fees due to large shipboard credits as reimbursement for expenses during the long delays. What financing institution would lend multi millions for an additional ship when the current one is experiencing such difficulties?
Hi @RetiredZGrt gosh that would require a lot of speculation on our part. Only the company knows, but we'll give you an opinion to be good sports. I do believe there will be a 2nd ship. I think more medium term but I could be surprised. I do think the negative publicity has been hard on the image...just look at our comments. But those same comments also tell me that there are a lot of people who want to believe and want to do this. We see that now more than ever. Public opinion turns on a dime. Once everyone sees the ship sailing for a bit and everyone having a blast, people will be so quick to literally jump on board...but everything will probably be sold by then. There is such pent up demand for a lifestyle like this, which is why so many startups have tried to make it happen. This is the first to succeed outside of "The World". My guess is that banks are probably smart enough to see this or it would be snatched up by a private equity firm. This is all conjecture.
@@dchiddengems There have been a lot of comments on all vlogs about VV from the beginning, but that hasn't filled the ship. Even after people board in Barbados the ship will still be only 38% occupied and very few new people have purchased post launch. I have an MBA as does 1 of you and I cannot imagine any lending institution going over the actual VVR finances and then deciding to lend additional multimillions.
Wounder how much they paid and how much they have to pay each week
Hi @kevasearle7928 costs are determined by which cabin you buy. If you go to the VVR website it gives you ALL the details about what each cabin costs and how much you will then pay per month for the ongoing flat fee. We will have an upcoming video where we reveal which cabin we purchased.
New subscriber.. this is so exciting! I follow on RUclips, 2 couples on who are residents and they are having a blast! 😬. I’m fascinated by this lifestyle but am so susceptible to sea-sickness 😢. Wishing you smooth planning and hope you have a safe journey to the Caribbean to join VV!
Welcome aboard! We're thrilled to have you join us! And thanks so much for the support. We hope more of the residents start vlogging, because it will be fun to see it from different view points. The community onboard is so diverse which is wonderful.
@@dchiddengems ❤️
How do visas work if you leave the ship for a while?
Great question. As Americans we generally don't need visas for the majority of ports we visit. Their are other nationalities onboard and they may have to make different accommodations however. For us, the only visa situation on the horizon is when we get to China however Villa Vie Residences will be bringing someone onboard to help expedite the process. As a rule while it's the passengers responsibility VVR does provide a level of support by connecting us with consultants that can help.
Most visas are online these days so it's not hard. I suspect that unless you are from an outlier country there will be plenty of other passengers willing to share their expertise. Shore excursions are perhaps more interesting as they require a bit of planning.
@@dchiddengems I just looked this up there’s a list of which passports require visas en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henley_Passport_Index
God bless you I wish you all the best. I love the concept! But not on that ship or with that company.
We understand everyone has their own preferences, thanks for the well wishes!
How much are they paying you for this? Seems like you are selling it rather than stating it. There are numerous residents on-board that are so very very unhappy and trapped in unsanitary conditions with fears on the company going out of business by December 18th, completing ruining their dreams and losing their money to boot. Good Luck with your investment, even though I feel very unsure on your motives and gains here
Thanks for wishing us good luck. Only time will tell we guess.
@@dchiddengems please could you just give a straight answer to "How much are they paying you for this?" Or state that you have no affiliation to, or incentives from VVR. Please be transparent. You are a retired psychologist and a retired businessman. You therefore understand that 1. there are vulnerable dreamers out there that are thinking of selling their homes and buying the Endless Horizons package, and 2. this company may not be financially viable. Your endorsements as an intelligent and financially savvy couple could potentially lead to another person's homelessness. Are you really ok with this??
@@dchiddengems "Better luck than good management..."
@@julienstanding2367 Your right, this has to be paid, no one would publicly do this, at this late juncture.
My choice would be to take segments on world cruises, but not purchase a room on Villa Vie.
Definitely understand. Villa Vie offers segments as well which is what we were going to do initially until we decided to purchase.
my choice would be a segment on a proper cruise above 2 stars
you may as well book 10 cruises per year on a decent cruise ship
New sub guys, looking forward to following your journey. I dont understand why this topic always attracts so many salty comments here, and the other residents that vlog their journeys. Love to see this concept, i want to do it as soon as i can. Have a few more years i need to work yet.
You know what…that’s extremely perceptive! This topic does generate some “salt” as you say. Fortunately we watched the brave souls before us and that prepared us for what to expect. We wished we knew what exactly it is and would love to know what others think it is. For the most part most folks seem to just be passionate about the subject and want to share their opinions, and we value it as long as it’s never unkind.
You know what…that’s extremely perceptive! This topic does generate some “salt” as you say. Fortunately we watched the brave souls before us and that prepared us for what to expect. We wished we knew what exactly it is and would love to know what others think it is. For the most part most folks seem to just be passionate about the subject and want to share their opinions, and we value it as long as it’s never unkind.
Congratulations guys - looking forward to your new adventures:). We have a friend already on the ship and he’s loving it :)
Thanks, we are excited to get settled in and see what adventures await us. We look forward to meeting your friend. Tell them to say hello to us.
Congrats! Looking forward to following.
Thanks very much. We look forward to hearing from you too. ❤
We love cruising
Ahh, thanks, we do too! ❤
Congratulations! When are you embarking?
Thank you! In the Caribbean likely St Lucia.
So exciting!!! We've been following along on Villa Vie's delayed departure, but now that it's set sail, the adventure begins. Looking forward to your embarkation...and cabin tour! Bon voyage :)
Thanks so much!! We're excited, too... and yeah, we'll get to that cabin tour ASAP!
Hi guys. As you point out this is a major life change for you and you say you weighed up all the factors. Can you share how long you spent on the ship before making your decision, to fully weigh up all the factors? And how you assessed the financial and operating stability and capacity of the company? And also how did you input into the Itinerary? That's 3 questions, I know. Thank you in advance.
Oh gosh that's a lot, but all very good questions. If you look back a few videos ago, you will see that we did a tour of the ship. That helped with the decision immensely. We saw it as a work in progress but loved the ship. Also, we have a video coming up next week that actually goes through all the factors we weighed to make that decision. We thought that might be very helpful for folks. If that doesn't answer all your questions please reach out to us, as we would love to help. One question that the next video doesn't answer is itinerary. For this first scheduled itinerary, the early adapters had far more input then we personally did. But there have been and will continue to be times where the company posted questions/options for us and we got to vote/voice our opinion on destinations. We can't think of any other traditional cruise lines that do that!
Congratulations ! I have been following "Midlife Cruising" for a while and really enjoy traveling along virtually. Buying a cabin is not an option for us for a number of reasons but I love the idea that people make their dreams come true. Wishing you all the best and happy to follow you as well. Happy cruising.
Awesome! Thank you! Yeah "Midlife Cruising" seem like a terrific couple and we hope we get to know them. Hope you choose to follow us too.
@@dchiddengems I agree - they are so very likeable and seem to have their hearts in the right place - similar to you guys ;-) Definitely will follow you as well. Curious to see which type of cabin you bought.
Congrats. I'm boarding in June in San Diego
Wonderful. We look forward to meeting you. :)
I did not think the ship was able to dock in the US?
@sandiegowildcat yes it can. Many of us getting on there. That was another false rumor
@@cjatchley1 I'm sorry that was not a false rumor. VV of course cancelled the entire east coast of the Us and Canada and just very recently as of the October 8th (and each subsequently issued) itinerary they removed the US Virgin Islands from the itinerary and added those days to St Lucia and the Dominican Republic. That is because the Odyssey doesn't at present meet the US regulations for cruise ships. The US has the most stringent regulations of any country. VV itself in comments on one of their videos and also Midlife in comments both admitted that during the renovation the ship was supposed to be brought up to those standards but it was not (due to time and $). Now of course they have between now and June to try to make the ship meet those standards but there is no place on their itinerary before then that shows them in port long enough to make that happen. VV's contract says they can cancel any port at any time for any reason. They have used that clause MANY times including for ports where people were supposed to board. Some of the cancelled ports where people were supposed to board include Southampton (the original launch port where passengers already were), Miami, Reykjavik (which was supposed to be the start of Segment 2 at the time and passengers were already there), Amsterdam and Bremerhaven (where VV had actually sent passengers when they lost accommodation in Belfast at a festival time because they gave up their land reservations because VV said they were sailing and didn't. 2 weeks after sending the passengers there, VV cancelled those ports), the Azores (where Belfast passengers near the end went to wait for the ship in a warmer, cheaper clime) and Nassau. All these ports were cancelled last minute and if the ship isn't able to meet US regulations ($$$) then as with the other ports Hawaii and San Diego are likely to be cancelled last minute as well but marketed up until that time.
@@dchiddengems Oh dear!
You guys are great along wit the other residents on Villa Vie. Bon Voyage!!!
Thanks so much! Great to get such positivity!
Have you paid in full for the cabin yourselves or are you being subsidised or receiving any type of incentive from VVR? Please be transparent. You are a retired psychologist and a retired businessman. You therefore understand that 1. there are vulnerable dreamers out there that are thinking of selling their homes and buying the Endless Horizons package, and 2. this company may not be financially viable. Your endorsements as an intelligent and financially savvy couple could potentially lead to another person's homelessness. Are you really ok with this??
Exactly! Choosing to not address the very public missteps of the company and just make it seem so great with no issues or risk is straight out of VV propaganda script. I feel bad for anyone who watches this and is inspired to invest.
These men have chosen not to answer your question so the conclusion must be yes, they have gotten something financially from Villa Vie.
@julienstanding2367 we think it's great that you wish to look out for the vulnerable out there. We wish more people had you sensibilities. Wouldn't it be a more wonderful planet? Yes we are paid in full and are not subsidized. If you look in our description you will see that we would love for anyone who does purchase to list us for a referral. That would be nice, but certainly no requirement and not VVRs idea. We simply believe in the product, flaws and all. And oh yes, we would never advise anyone to invest money they are not willing to lose. This is indeed a risk like any other financial endeavor. We may not succeed, or we might. We will just have to see. Fingers crossed.
@@dchiddengems thank you for your clear answer. I appreciate it. I just wanted transparency and you have now provided it. Yes, I do care very much about vulnerable people being scammed. However, I completely concord that if you can afford to lose your money Villa Vie offers the adventure of a life time irrespective of how the whole venture pans out. Midlife Cruising and Living on a Cruise have already demonstrated this over and over. They are fantastic examples of the power of positivity and I have no doubt you guys are embarking on the adventure of a life time too! I apologise for doubting you and look forward to seeing more videos soon. The controversy surrounding The Odyssey has had a positive effect on subscriber numbers for everyone and I really do wish you the very best. It's a fascinating tale from so many perspectives - especially psychological and financial!!! If Netflix ever do make a documentary about this ship I am expecting some good intelligent input from you guys! 😂🥰😍. Happy Sailing ⛵️ 💖 - and keep us all posted!!!!
@@dchiddengems Thank you as well for the answer. My perspective would be that vloggers should state upfront in each video or in the About section what their arrangement is with the company they in essence are advertising. Normally I have to see many multiples of people asking many YTers multiple times before they finally get a response and it's cleaner and gains more trust to just start with that. You guys are both successful and were able to retire early and if you lost 100% of your investment in this venture, your lifestyle would probably not be seriously impacted. That is not the case for everyone who might sign up (and the company needs many many more people to sign up and quick). I hope you make it clear your personal circumstances each time and how, though the risk for you may be fine, it could be quite unwise for others. Also I hope you won't work hard to cover up the serious problems that arise as the other vloggers are doing. People shouldn't be put at risk because only a rosy, wonderful picture is shown to them (and obviously there are quite good parts) rather than the complete picture (and there are some quite bad parts). Post launch people have the right to full information before they decide whether or not it is a good fit and a worthwhile risk for them. This CEO has been heavily involved with a lot of failed ventures and this one is presently on quite shaky ground. After Life At Sea, I don't want to see more people crushed.
I'm surprised they are selling 15 year leases on a 30 year old ship. Most commercial vessels are scrapped after 25-30 years in the western world
Hi @Tom-sg4iv from what our research indicates the western world usually passes it on to Europe and Asia and other markets but we certainly get your point. Yes in US it would usually be more of a cost advantage to scrape a perfectly good ship rather than pay the cost of upkeep. In this case the VVR company got such an amazing deal on the cost of the ship, that it because more cost advantages to refit the ship. The company has been so transparent about every single thing they have overhauled, that we know way more of how a cruise ship works then we ever thought possible!
How exciting- congratulations! I follow several of the other Villa Vie RUclips channels and look forward to following your channel also. Have you seen your cabin yet? Are there other LGBTQ couples on the ship? It would be nice to have some of that connection while at sea. Are you on the hook for the monthly fees even when you are not on the ship? I am excited to see how you will personalize your cabin.
Good Q re $5k per month
@Luke22022 Yes once you buy you are obligated to pay the monthly fees (unless you do, and are able to, sell the cabin) regardless of whether or not you are onboard. You could try to rent your cabin, but you would both be competing against a) other residents wanting to rent either because of conditions on the ship or how badly this small flat bottomed boat handles on the open ocean or just to see their doctor or friends/family and b) all the unsold cabins and segments that VV has a marketing team trying to push. For the Atlantic crossing Odyssey is only 23% full (an incredibly financially damaging way to sail) and after 50 people board in Barbados it will be 38% occupied. And as of this month for any segment of the entire journey they are only 53% booked (again financially disastrous). All these statistics are calculated using Odyssey's "full" capacity which is with 50% cabins being singles and 50% doubles (650 passengers). If based on the actual capacity of the ship (all cabins being doubles) which would be 924 passengers, these statistics would be much lower.
Hi, Luke. Great questions! We are happy to have you following along. We've toured the ship (there is a previous video) and saw a cabin similar to ours. Yes, there are other LGBTQ folks on the ship! That made us happy. We were surprised by the diverse community, and how accepting and kind everyone is even beyond the LGBTQ folks. We agree, the connection at sea will be nice. Our monthly fees start when we first board the ship; when we will be away after that we will still be charged but we can choose to rent the cabin to offset the costs. More and more folks are joining every port, with a big jump in Caribbean then especially in South America.
@@dchiddengems Regarding more and more people joining, it is still incredibly undersold for its entire journey even after those boarding which you mention. As of the first week of November there are 344 Residents on the internal only forum. Anyone who has paid a deposit (for any cabin or any segment on the entire journey) would have membership to the internal forum and would be highly motivated to have a sign-on to that forum to meet their future neighbors and to learn from their experiences on health insurance, travel insurance, cell plans etc.
A Founder had posted the breakdown of where all residents come from (any cabin or segment purchaser for the entire journey) as at the end of August prior to launch. It was a total of 314 passengers. So after launch it has gone up by only 30 passengers at any point of the entire journey. Odyssey has a capacity of 924 passengers (based on double occupancy for every passenger cabin). If one lowers full capacity to 650 (1/2 single occupancy, 1/2 double occupancy) that's 53% occupancy and they only reach 38% occupancy when people board in Barbados. I'm sure VV is expecting you to help with the marketing but that is a looong way to go and the company is already facing significant financial difficulties.
Good luck
Thank you! ❤
If you need glasses in Panama go to the eye doctor and buy them.
Very wise. LOL I think we were referring to the fact that there is an underlying slight medical eye condition that is being followed and want to continue with our doctor. We didn't go into it though. Thanks!
One of you is a retired psychologist, what did you think of the 2 women that had purchased their cabins, but got kicked off when they voiced their concerns about the situation?
It's not our place to comment on the decision itself. I do know that management clearly outlined the reasons and it made sense to me. Purely from my point of view, as an observer, I became exasperated by the behavior well before any action was taken. My reaction was relief and finally peace. That was simply my experience.
@@dchiddengems Interesting! Thank you for reply!!
So you are part of the mindset that believes in quelling dissent even if the reasons for it are true. Our recent election has proven that people have become tired of this. You’re just the latest VV Cheerleaders.
@@dchiddengems One thing is kicking them off. It's completely another to not refund them nor return their personal belongings. That seems like waaaay too big a punishment for being angry and unpleasant about the terribly handled renovation and launch and all the amenities the company reneged on which had been factored into the price and decision process when the residents signed up. Are you saying DC HG that you actually think it made sense and you agree with not having their fares refunded ($150,000 for one and $50,000+ for the other)???
@RetiredZGrt honestly we (HG Gems) are not in a position to comment in depth on some ones life or on a decision by a company. I've shared I saw and that's the only fair thing. No one knows what all happened and what was justified or not. And for all we know, because the customer says she is filing a law suit, it would make sense for her to refuse a refund and return because it would nullify the suit. I've seen that in some other lawsuits but who knows here? Clearly everyone has an opinion and hope they have the morale high ground. Sometimes we get surprised when ALL the facts come out. One thing is true...this should probably be hashed out in court and not a mostly inconsequential channel like this one. 😉 I think it's nice you are wanting to help people though. I do see that.
This ship will not make the years its promised. It’s 30 years old! The stabilizer system is so old. The reverse osmosis system isn’t consistently working. Residences have not had clean water and hot water consistently. The dining room is not open all 7 days, it’s only open some days with the rest of days eating at the buffet. Only one pool is open, they promised a kitchen for residences which they don’t have as well as virtual windows which they also took back. They also amended the contract for the 200 dollars a day they said they would reimburse while stuck for MONTHS while the ship was delayed. The CEO was part of another venture that failed massively. You will not be able to honestly report what is happening on the ship, it common knowledge what happened to the 2 residences who dared to question VV on why they weren’t honoring what they promised. VV is now being sued for that. Food is not available all day forcing some residents to buy lunches off the ship. The ship was suppose to go the USA and now they can’t. I wonder why? There are rumors bc of the ships age it won’t be allowed in some ports in Asia. Something about this doesn’t add up. You both seem like well travelled, intelligent people. This is no Viking ship or even close to that experience. The fact that you didn’t address at all any of these alarming issues that the ship has and more importantly the CEO’s inability to respectfully and honestly communicate the delays and handle this venture like a real leader and CEO, is strange. You glossed over so many really concerning issues that are made public. Imagine all the problems that aren’t public yet. Why not do a segment before committing. I don’t enjoy watching you tubers that won’t report both the good and the bad and the fact you didn’t address any of the obvious public concerns seems like you are already starting off not being transparent. How can people really decide if they want to invest without truthful experiences. I don’t see you two with your level of sophistication being happy on this ship just judging from your past travels and your fabulous living room. You have incredible taste btw. It seems so strange to me a couple with such incredible taste and used to a certain level of travel would invest in a company that has had so many issues and financial problems.
We've certainly heard those concerns and are carefully monitoring the situation. We believe that the company is committed to addressing those issues and making it a positive and enjoyable experience for everyone. Thanks very much for the compliments. Yes we are well traveled and also have extensive experience in business, so I hope that gives you a little bit of confidence that we know how to take calculated risks. No startup company is without its bumpy starts. We hope you stay with us and continue asking us the hard questions and let's see where this takes us.
@@dchiddengems You have at least answered comments on here, whereas the other vloggers delete them. However, you are answering confronting valid questions (coming from current residents btw) by skirting around the truth. I do not trust your agenda here at all. Like most people are commenting, you afford a level of comfort and style/luxury and then after visiting this ship, with its 30 year old carpets and archaic interior design, let alone its defunct pipework and machinery, its outstanding certifications for health and safety at sea, its CEO & COO wife who look like something out of 'The Beverley Hillbillies' albeit more 'Skid Row', you purchase a cabin? No, no, no something is not adding up with you two at all. I am going to re-post a comment made by another lady/man that I think applies here.
"The costs have been massively underestimated by the ship's owner, hence the long stay in Belfast. Any problems can be quickly fixed, but only if the funds are available for labour, parts, etc.
What's happened here is crystal clear - bloke comes up with an idea for a "livable cruise ship". He fails to do sufficient research or due diligence, and jumps in feet first. The ship he bought has required far, far more money to get ready than he had budgeted for, or even had the cash for. He's been trying to refinance to pay the bills, but this has been very hard indeed, as the business case simply doesn't add up. I suspect that, once the ship manages to leave port, further problems will become apparent at its next destination, where the authorities will not let the ship leave because it's a danger to its crew & passengers, and to others.
The only thing I don't understand is why this channel is covering for this ship? The arguments used are nonsense, and from the way the shop owners operate, I have absolutely no doubt this channel - despite it's denials - is being offered something tangible in return for positive reviews and vibes. When this entire farce implodes in the coming few weeks or months, the damage to this channel's reputation may well be terminal. Once you've lost that which is your greatest asset - reputation, honesty & trustworthiness - you'll no longer be relevant in the industry. Indeed, you'll be seen as a site to actively ignore, because you seriously misled your subscribers & viewers.
Well done guys! You have a brief opportunity to try and fix this, by posting an honest, unbiased appraisal of the ship & its concept, using figures to back up your arguments. But time is running out, do you really want to end up in the same place as Villa Vie?"
No need to thank me for saying you seem to live a life with a good level of comfort and style/luxury.
@@dchiddengemswhy did you opt to go all in and buy a cabin rather than trying a segment first?
Thanks, @cruisinglover. We don't mind answering the hard questions. The only thing we ask is that everyone be nice to each other. Folks can get their points across without being mean in describing people. It just takes away from an otherwise strong argument, when in fact we want to hear the point of view. Regardless, if we took one thing out of your comment is this...you just don't trust us yet. And that's okay. We hope you stay around and find out if we deserve your trust or not. We hope we do. The other thing is that yeah, new business ventures can be risky. We personally think the greatest entrepreneurs have made their wealth from crazy dreams. It's the American way. Will this ultimately succeed...not sure...but it will be a heck of a ride.
@@dchiddengems Yes, agreed, I apologise.. there is no need for that. I just really do abhor dishonesty in all its forms, and would like to think I am highlighting a fuller picture for prospective residents, before they make this massive commitment, some may be elderly who sell all their belongings and home to live on the back of false advertising etc etc. Believe it or not, I do wish this venture success, if only for the genuine investors, who may not have received all they were promised. Lets watch this space ....
OMG. I don't even know where to start. 🤣
What do we give up? We can't spend 4 weeks in Paris anymore or go to an event in Australia. 😄
I am sure those people who have sell most of their earthly possessions to have a tiny box called "Villa" feel really bad for you.🤦♂
You have either done a bad job researching VVR or you have a promotional agreement in place.
That was clearly a VVR Promo.
Did the boys get comped a suite?
Actually @Traveling_Man_64 I get where you are coming from. No shade. I grew up very poor, so I'm still flabbergasted by how lucky I am to be able to travel like this in early retirement of all things. It helps that we worked very hard to get advanced degrees and had successful but stressful careers, but still it's all a blessing. We agree with you, we don't think people should overly stretch themselves financially to make big financial purchases. Certainly people do, but we wouldn't recommend it any more than you wisely wouldn't. No, no promotional agreement; we did it because we can and wanted to and want an adventure of a lifetime. I hope you can wish us luck and happiness.
@@dchiddengems I don't buy it, your not this stupid. There is nothing about Odyssey, that even remotely similar, to your projected lifestyle.
Thanks for providing the opportunity for me to “join” you on this journey. It is definitely something I would love to do, so maybe someday, I will really join you. 😂 Looking forward to seeing your first video once you board. I hope embarkation goes smoothly for you. Sending prayers and good vibes your way. 😊 Linda
We are so glad you are along for the ride, Linda! We hope to see you out here someday, too!
I’m looking forward to sharing your adventures with you!
Thanks oceandreamer! We’re excited to share them with you!
How exciting for you both. I look forward to following your adventures over the coming years.
Thanks! We're looking forward to sharing it all with you!
Sounds fascinating, well done & enjoy the experience if will offer you both.
Thanks @RunningPure ! We are excited, and we hope you'll follow along.
Oooops!
Thanks for stopping by and for your kindness.
Good luck……
Thanks, Elaine!
What are your thoughts on feeling pressured not to make any negative comments about Villa Vie when you do videos about "living on the cruise ship"? People have had their contracts cancelled due to posting negative comments online, so wondering how you're going to balance that dilemma.
Hi, thanks for the question. We've personally never felt pressured at all or seen anyone pressured by the company. We are familiar with the situation you mentioned and thought the situation was handled fairly given what we witnessed. But certainly there are other points of view. For us we all plan to share the truth as we see it and don't see a dilemma. Feel free to come along and ask us the hard questions.
@@dchiddengems Handled fairly? What's fair about kicking off 2 female senior citizens (even if they were verbally unpleasant) without refunding their fares (after they hold sold their houses and possessions) and also not returning their belongings? The passenger who had paid for all the segments of a 3.5 yr voyage (2 paid in full, 10% deposit on all other segments) just got her belongings after hiring a lawyer who got them back from the company. The other Senior female had many more belongings including 6 months of medication and VV didn't return it. In what way is that fair???
@@dchiddengems How the Hell was it handled fairly with these to women victims? They were with the CEO's prior failed venture, "Life at Sea;" where CEO refused Gemini, while buying the sister-ship Odyssey. Are you paid stodges of VV management?
@@dchiddengems Can I ask what did you witness before coming to the conclusion that it was handled fairly please?
For me purely as an independent observer the behavior bothered me greatly. When management later informed everyone of the steps they were taking and why, I personally was not surprised. That being said, would all companies come to the same conclusion, no one can say. I'm sure it's a tough decision. Prior to retirement I was often in a management position; I realized the tough and unpopular decisions one has to sometime make to keep peace in a workplace or business. I'm glad it's no longer me. Whew.
Would your purchase depreciate?
Hi @Mel-p9o thanks for the question. I suppose it would depend on the market just like most properties but certainly we must be realistic that this may be more uncertain than most traditional land properties. If you look at the website, there is (1) a buy back guarantee at a depreciated rate, (2) a trade in option, (2) and the option to rent or sell privately. Whatever deal you make privately determines where you come out of the deal at I suppose. These are my interpretations only and encourage you to talk to one of their sales people. We are unaffiliated with their staff so can't speak for them, but happy to put our two cents in.
@Mel-p9o Of course a cabin purchase would depreciate. Planes, boats, and cruise ships depreciate and a cruise ship this old depreciates faster. And the buyback guarantee on a steadily large depreciation schedule is "guaranteed " by the company itself, not by a bond and not by insurance. Therefore if the company were to go bankrupt or decided to exit the business as unprofitable, there would be no buyback.There also would not be any salvage value left for cabin owners because the institutions providing the 3 loans on the ship have First Lien and the other creditors behind them have precedence over owners.
Got to weigh up the cost of initial purchase, plus 4000 a month on top ,more for a couple!!. Seems to me unless you have money to throw away its far more exspensive than keeping or downsizing your home and just take cruises. I for one could not live in a smal bedroom for months or years. It would get old real fast. 😢😢😢. Plus it beeing limited to what countries will allow the ship to anchor. 😮😮😮.
Hi @katewebber1131 Yeah, it is a big decision and we did a lot of research on it, we'll have more videos coming up on those cost calculations and rationale, but we are excited for this adventure. For us it made sense...you might want to look at our previous cost calculation videos that we do for our previous travel. We are not your typical travelers, so this will certainly not make sense for everyone.
Hmm fishy fishy. I have an opinion that you have not purchased anything and that the doomed company are inviting you free of charge as ambassadors to entice more poor souls into buying into this failed project. Your benefits would be in the hope of gaining more viewers on your channel to earn you more money and of course traveling FOC, albeit in a cess pit of a rust bucket. I can see the level of luxury that you live in, the Viking cruise you took is far far far from the level of the sub-standard Odyssey. Shameful going on's with all promoting this venture. It stinks of misleading and false information it really does. Just as a FYI the company can ask for more money at any time and also change their T&C's at any time, so your statement of knowing your budget is incorrect. They are currently asking $8000 per resident or else it will go bust by December 18th. I write all this for the potential dreamers so they are fully aware of what they would be getting themselves into, without even going into the sanitary conditions and certifications that are still required by end November and December 2024
Spot on… having joined a Cunard ‘World Cruise’ for just one segment Singapore to Sydney, the clique of world cruisers created a strange atmosphere and was very different to going on a regular cruise where everyone was equal.
Oh goodness we would make for a bad choice as ambassadors! LOL There are younger more successful RUclipsrs we're sure. Joking aside, I appreciate your concern for the dreamers out there. We are dreamers as well. We look at the company as a pioneering startup company, and every startup company has glitches. Based upon what we have seen, however, we believe that the company is strong and will continue to get stronger. Look at it as a positive and good sign that well seasoned luxury travelers believe it it enough to give it a try.
@@dchiddengems Based on what makes you believe the company is strong?
*In April they had to take out a 3rd loan after they found out (extreme lack of due diligence) the ship they bought was uncertified and they couldn't get it restarted after 4 years of cold layup and were 6 weeks late leaving Rosyth for dry dock in Belfast.
*Their renovation was $10Mm over budget per the CEO based on an original 12Mm budget (again per the CEO)
*In August they had to ask the Founders for an additional $2MM (the 3rd delayed month of renovation) per a Founder's blog
*Also in August per a company email at the suggestion of the Founders (ie they didn't want to give more $) they offered current passengers a 10% discount for prepaying monthly fees or segments (they desperately needed a cash infusion
*They set sail with only 125 passengers in early October and none of those passengers were paying monthly fees because of their shipboard credit due to the 4.5 months of land based accommodation and food
*They are severely undersold (achieving only 38% occupancy once 50 more passengers board in Barbados
*They have ongoing repairs due to not everything being fixed in Belfast and old ships require heavy and expensive maintenance.
*They just debuted a new program Tour La Vie which requires upfront payment by the passenger (they desperately need cash)
They are in significant financial distress and bleeding $$.
@@dchiddengems VVR is actively marketing their product to pensioners on a fixed budget. This is wrong on so many levels, as people have sold their home for VVR. Including the two women, you seem happy that VVR swindled!
Good luck with that!
Need a hell of a lot more than good luck amazed they are still getting gullible people after all that has happened.
Thanks! ;-)
New sub! I’ve been following the Odyssey , it looks like fun. 🎉
Yay! Welcome aboard @lindak1768 ! We hope you enjoy the ride.
I hope it works out for you but it doesn’t looking promising so far….
We are aware of every single challenge, but we think the intense media coverage and remarkable transparency by the company makes it seem worse then it is. For example many folks may not even be aware of the Royal Caribbean ship stranded in Asia or any one of a dozen other such occurrences. But yes startup pioneering ventures can have messy starts and requires some level of calculated risk. Thanks for the well wishes! ❤
How much financial disclosure from Villa Vie were you able to obtain before buying into this venture??? Was it an independent report??? You are just lay people when it comes to the actual problems with the ship itself and the cost to repair them so given its history of surprise costs like replacing the rudder, I do not see how you could have made a sound financial decision. Something doesn't add up here.
These are all very sound questions. Thank you for them. We investigated the financials closely, are fully up to date of the problems encountered during launch, aware of potential downstream costs etc. It helps that one of us has an MBA and was a business executive and financial analyst for years prior to retirement. What a lifetime of business experience has taught us, but not everyone will agree certainly, is that no business decision is without risk. In order to best succeed you have to be willing and ready to fail. Which will happen? We will see I guess! Wish us luck!
@georgettenorth2776 The rudder was definitely one of the "big shames" of VV but it did turn out to be a great-excuse-scapegoat for VV. It was not a "surprise ". The CEO admitted in his Progess and Update video that he was aware that the rudder stocks were inadequate, but they were "grandfathered in" under the prior ship owners. So his plan had been to risk the passengers with these corroded rudder stocks and the corroded area on the ship they fit into (VV dry dock videos) by sailing through the dangerous Drake Passage, sailing through the Caribbean during the height of an active hurricane season and through tens of thousands of nautical miles and replace them during the 12 days (!) of scheduled dry dock in Singapore 2.5 years later based on the original itinerary. This would allow him to budget for the cost through saving a portion of the monthly fees during those 2.5 years of sailing the world with this inferior key piece of steering. Of course as anyone would know, the rudder stocks did not take 12 days to replace and instead took 2 months and the CEO said in his video he argued with the inspectors and lost. Then he touted it as "Safety First" when he had already said he was forced to replace them (because of his lack of research that buying an uncertified ship would result in the regulations requiring it to be recertified as new and therefore the grandfathering of the rudder stocks would no longer be applicable). He also was then able to blame the delays on the "unfair" DNV being tough on VV and making them replace the rudder stocks. But VV was already seriously delayed and was still in dry dock under heavy construction on many aspects of the ship and not just the delayed rudder stocks due to inadequate planning and research.
Villa Vie is selling a product and you are the consumer. As an educated consumer, you should not need luck that the company can deliver what it sold you. If you were able to get accurate information and bought this product, why is the company's ability to deliver even a question???? As an actuary, I see financial trouble ahead, especially for the budget travelers on this ship.
Another pathetic attempt to sell cabins on this doomed ship. Do you guys not have ANY integrity?
Ouch. Gosh I hope so.
Seriously cringey MLM /cult vibes.
Yikes.
by Maritime standards, this vessel is like a 1972 Oldsmobile.
Honestly, after all that's happened; this is the most foolish financial decision, you all could have made!
Did you do any do diligence with VVR, or with their CEO?
@@bodyloverz30 They haven't bought anything, they have been invited by VV to vlog, to entice their followers to buy in. That's if they actually do get on board. If you check out the other vloggers JJ Cruise, they said the same thing. All of a sudden they state they were invited on board. Shameful and corrupt and full of sh*t like the Odyssey is.
The SS Clusterf*uk will be full of social media influencer's before you know it! All apparently bought into this debacle
We certainly understand the trepidation. Startup companies tend to have bumps in the beginning, but we think the best opportunities are the ones that seem scary at first.
@@dchiddengems The CEO defrauded two women already and have lied to the residents, every step of the way. Honestly, you all should know better. Its not like social media/major media has not been a buzz about this.
After what we all saw about this ship, why would you ? Are you a democrats that are living America ….good luck…or just living in a bubble and can’t get to see the real ship …
Okay thanks so much for your kindness and thoughtful comment. All the best.
That ship is jinxed piece of junk.
Oh no! I'll burn some sage or something! There's got to be a spell to remove a jinx.
@@dchiddengems😂 great response 👏🏼
You need to investigate the companies financials. Right now they are at maximum 50% capacity and aren't looking solvent. Glad you aren't selling your primary residence.
We understand there are concerns, and yes have looked into it and are satisfied with the risk/gain ratio. We still very much appreciate the heads up. Thanks!
I have asked several direct questions about this couple's affiliation with VVR. I am hoping they will have the decency to show some transparency soon and confirm one way or the other.
@@dchiddengems Who is paying you & how much?
Gosh @julienstanding2367 I hope we answered you questions earlier. We've had so many questions we might have missed something. We have no affiliation beyond having bought a cabin. Hope that helps. If you choose to come back to the channel maybe in time you will see it's just us talking about our lives.
@@dchiddengems thank you for your reply. I appreciate it. Your first video did come across to me as markedly biased. I just wanted to know whether you were independent or affiliated. Thank you for stating that you are not affiliated to VVR beyond buying a cabin. I really do wish you all the best in what will undoubtedly be an exciting adventure however it pans out. The current two RUclipsr couples have clearly, on the whole, had a blast thanks to their positive outlooks and I am sure it will be the same for you. I apologise for doubting your motives. I think it might have helped if you had come out sooner as being independent when all the suspicious comments started but I appreciate you had a great many comments to answer. Happy Cruising 🛳 ☺️!!
It might be a new company but that ship is over 30 years old.
Gosh @ToddRileyRealEstate you make such an interesting point. We were so intrigued by your statement that we decided to research a little more deeply about what is the "typical age of a cruise ship". I'll post a link to one of the articles in Frommer's and I hope that comes through. Anyway, the typical age is 18 years but there are indeed some that continue to operate past 30. It's just that ships are typically forced into retirement well before then because consumers just get tired them, which makes sense. Also, it costs more to keep them up and running at that age. So a company like VVR has to make the financial decision on if that added cost is worth it; we think they probably decided it was because the cost savings on the lower cost to buy the ship made it lucrative. It's like in real estate when you choose to buy a fixer upper instead of a new renovated home. That's our two cents anyway. www.frommers.com/tips/cruise/how-old-is-your-cruiseship-does-it-matter
@@dchiddengems I'm sorry, that's how it should be done - the company researching cost/benefit of an old ship purchase. However this management team has demonstrated continually that they (illogically) don't seem to have researched much to a sufficient degree. It seems more likely that they bought this ship because the deal on the ship they wanted fell through and they were up against the wire to purchase and renovate a ship to allow them to sail by May 30 since the contracts they had with their passengers (stupidly) stated if they didn't sail by 2 weeks from their initially set launch date of May 15, then everyone was owed a 100% refund. That is more likely why they wound up with a 31 year old ship which was in cold layup for 4 years and which was uncertified. The ships which are sold instead of retired at 30 are usually bought by a company with a lot of funds and commitment and they can have as much as $50MM invested in their renovation. VV spent around $20MM ($10MM unplanned and over budget and that's with jettisoning many marketed features and the cabin remodels) and they have many repairs to go.
Hard to believe that 2 travel bloggers whom get around and do videos on cruise anxiety, travel packing tips, psychology and are heavily monetized by youtube and even have their own merchandise for sale would commit to buying a room with the monthly fees involved on it. Especially with the issues. You even sell your own merchandise. Cant wait to see the Villa Vie hats, t shirts and coffee cups. Villa vie Vie will appreciate the advertising Im sure.
Gosh you make us sound so impressive! Seriously I wish we were the merchandise geniuses you kind of make it sound like. LOL I poke fun a little but I'm serious. I do love designing a good mug. Anyway, we did decide to do this. You give us an idea to maybe make a video that explains WHY we in particular decided to do this for our life situation.
Another VV RUclipsr 🙄😂😬
A dime a dozen 😉No worries. Have a great week!
Enjoy your travels
@inspired
Buying into tnis ship is a big mistake!
It might be. But gosh we hope not. We will see. Let's see where the dice land.
This thing has been a disaster from the beginning but bloggers seem prohibited from any negative feedback.
Hi @JP-lw5xs it's definitely has had it's share of challenges. And it's extra hard when it's so public. But just to let you know that no one prohibits us from saying whatever we want...now if anyone actually cares what we have to say well that's another thing. LOL
My comment on BACKROAD TOURIST vlogger on here RUclips, seems to have been deleted! - or at least gone missing. Please also follow this great page for 'unbiased' information, most verbatim from current residents, it really will be beneficial to hear the full story, before you make any huge decisions going forward. I will regularly remind you all.
It's odd we don't remember seeing the comment you mentioned. As long as it was kind we wouldn't delete as a general rule. Yes we have seen some of what you mentioned. We aren't sure if it's all as unbiased as one might hope, but most importantly it sometimes lack important context. But that's okay. We appreciate your reminders!