Inside Victoria Cruises Line’s residential cruise ship.
In May, Victoria Cruises Line’s Victoria Majestic will begin sailing around the world indefinitely.
It’s chartering a vessel previously owned by Holland America Line for use as its residential cruise ship.
See what it’ll be like living on this 27-year-old ship starting at $8,000 per month for two people.
If you’re ready to sell your home and live a life at sea, be prepared to move as soon as this spring.
Victoria Cruises Line
Victoria Cruises Line is chartering a nearly 30-year-old cruise vessel formerly owned by Holland America for use as an adults-only residential cruise ship.
Victoria Cruises Line
And in May, the Victoria Majestic and its seafaring passengers will begin circumnavigating the globe every 27 months.
Victoria Cruises Line
Victoria Cruises’ goal is to fill the ship with travelers who want to live on the vessel indefinitely.
Victoria Cruises Line
As a result, it’s targeting an older demographic of travelers: “Imagine this boat as if we were putting a retirement home on the water,” Gábor Nagy-Ferenc, a sales manager with Victoria Cruises Line, told Insider in an email.
Victoria Cruises Line
The oldest tenant is over 90 years old.
Victoria Cruises Line
But this lifestyle could also work for younger people working remotely.
Victoria Cruises Line
Unlike other residential cruise ships, travelers can’t purchase a suite or stateroom.
Victoria Cruises Line
Instead, Victoria Cruises Line offers a minimum 6-month lease, although most of its tenants have signed longer leases.
Victoria Cruises Line
The longer the lease, the greater the discount. For a 37-month lease, for example, customers can get a 40% discount on the monthly rent.
Victoria Cruises Line
The least-expensive standard interior stateroom is $8,000 a month for two people, not including the discount, on top of the $30,000 deposit.
Victoria Cruises Line
Source: Victoria Cruises Line
This 226-square-foot stateroom has two small beds that can combine into a queen bed, a couch across from a desk, and a bathroom.
Victoria Cruises Line
Interior staterooms won’t have ocean-view windows.
Victoria Cruises Line
But all of these cabins will come with a monitor that’ll display the exterior of the ship.
Victoria Cruises Line
Source: Victoria Cruises Line
In comparison, the most-expensive Pinnacle Suite with a veranda costs $35,000 a month for two people, not including the discount, on top of the more-expensive $80,000 deposit.
Victoria Cruises Line
Source: Victoria Cruises Line
Travelers can slumber on a king-size bed inside the roughly 1,270-square-foot suite that includes a sofa bed …
Victoria Cruises Line
… bathtub; a living, dining, and dressing room; pantry; and guest bathroom.
Victoria Cruises Line
Despite its higher price tag, this suite has already been booked.
Victoria Cruises Line
About half of the suites and staterooms have already been reserved and Nagy-Ferenc is confident the cruise ships will depart in the spring with 80% occupancy.
Victoria Cruises Line
Paying more than $8,000 a month for a 226-square-foot room with no windows might not appeal to all travelers.
Victoria Cruises Line
But Nagy-Ferenc makes the case that by living on this vessel instead of a regular home, travelers will get to save on traditional living expenses like groceries, car payments, and utilities …
Victoria Cruises Line
… while spending their afternoons at wine tastings, computer classes, and in the pool.
Victoria Cruises Line
The 719-foot-long ship was built in 1996 and was last refurbished in 2015.
Victoria Cruises Line
Source: Victoria Cruises Line
It’s not a sparkly, state-of-the-art cruise vessel, but the Victoria Majestic has all the classic cruise amenities.
Victoria Cruises Line
The 1,350-guest bank of staterooms are lined with 10 decks, four restaurants, two pools (including one with a movable roof), and amenities like a basketball court.
Victoria Cruises Line
Like most cruise ships, food and beverages are included in the base price.
Victoria Cruises Line
Laundry service, linens, towels, internet, daily room cleaning, and some entertainment are also included.
Victoria Cruises Line
But unlike a typical week-long cruise vacation, travelers won’t be rushed from destination to destination.
Victoria Cruises Line
Instead, they’ll get to vote on the number of days the ship will spend at each port, according to Nagy-Ferenc.
Victoria Cruises Line
“[Cruise companies] are designed to entertain, not to keep passengers on board for the long term,” he said.
Victoria Cruises Line
“Our lifestyle is about something completely different. We offer a relaxed sailing experience where there is no rush, there is time for everything.”
Victoria Cruises Line
The first sailing will depart in May from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Victoria Cruises Line
Guests will then spend an average of one to seven days at each of the 205 ports, exploring destinations like Bridgetown, Barbados; Pattaya, Thailand; and Agadir, Morocco.
Victoria Cruises Line
Source: Victoria Cruises Line
To spice up the itinerary, the vessel will stop at different ports of call every time it circumnavigates the globe.
Victoria Cruises Line
If this ship ends up becoming a success story, in the future, Victoria Cruises will convert smaller expedition vessels into these self-described “houseboats.”
Victoria Cruises Line
The company is one of a handful that operates residential cruise ships.
Victoria Cruises Line
The World, a 165-residence vessel, will sail to six continents this year …
The World
Source: The World
… while Storylines has plans to launch its first 547-residence ship in 2025 starting at about $1 million for a studio apartment.
Storylines
Source: Insider
Correction: This story has been updated to clarify that Victoria Cruises offers a minimum 6-month lease for full-price cruises. It requires a 37-month minimum lease to use the cruise line’s maximum discounts.
