After selling 31 cars, leaving their Hawaii home behind, and embracing life on the water, one couple has now spent more than 500 days aboard a residential cruise ship full-time, and they say the experience has changed far more than just their address.
Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin, who are originally from Maui, share their day-to-day life on the Villa Vie Odyssey through their YouTube channel, Living Life on a Cruise.
In a recent video, they opened up about the reality of making a cruise ship their permanent home, speaking candidly about the benefits, the challenges, and the unexpected parts of giving up life on land.
The couple bought their cabin on the residential vessel before its launch, securing a monthly cost of roughly $3,500 for the two of them.
For anyone purchasing now, the cost starts at a higher rate depending on the residency option, with rental plans, longer-term ownership, and lifetime access all available. The ship’s current offerings are marketed as all-inclusive, covering meals, drinks, housekeeping, laundry, WiFi, access to the gym, entertainment, and gratuities.
Compared with the combined expense of a mortgage, utility bills, car insurance, maintenance, and the usual financial demands of land-based living, the arrangement can seem more affordable than many would expect.
Over more than 500 days aboard, they have travelled through dozens of countries and hundreds of ports, taking in destinations ranging from Belfast to Bora Bora, crossing the Pacific, moving through fjords, and most recently sailing along Australia’s east coast.
Some might assume the toughest adjustment would be the cabin itself. At about 144 square feet, it is undeniably compact, with enough room for a bed and little extra.
But that has not been the major issue for them. Years before moving aboard, they had already scaled back their lifestyle and were living in a small one-bedroom place in Maui. They had also grown used to spending most of their time working side by side, so the move into tighter quarters felt more like a continuation than a dramatic change.
Even after more than 500 days in the same cabin, they say their relationship is still going strong.
It helps that the ship offers plenty of shared spaces. When they want a break from the room, they can head to the observatory, the library, the business centre, or the Palms lounge, giving them room to spread out when needed.
The most difficult part has turned out to be something much simpler and more emotional: being away from family.
“That’s number one,” Johan said plainly.
Lanette said FaceTime has helped them stay in touch, but both agree that video calls are no substitute for seeing loved ones in person.
They have already flown back to visit their children and check in on parents, and they hope to make those trips at least twice a year in future.
Financially, they say the move has actually reduced their spending compared with their previous life in Maui. With no car payments, home repairs, HOA fees, or separate holiday budget to worry about, most of their costs are wrapped into one monthly payment. They also save travel points and miles for special side trips, including a Bora Bora getaway that ended up costing just $180 each in points instead of cash.
Lanette continues to work remotely from the ship, running a marketing business for an auto glass company, while Johan remains busy as well. Rather than calling themselves retired, they describe their lifestyle as ‘rewired’, still earning and working, just from a floating home instead of a house in Hawaii.
Another unexpected shift has been their sense of time. Lanette said that during the first six months she always knew what day it was, but that has faded. Life now revolves around sea days and port days, and the distinction between weekdays and weekends barely matters anymore.
They also say they have formed strong bonds on board. Crew members have come to feel like extended family, and when their steward Sammy left the ship, it felt like a genuine goodbye rather than a routine staffing change. Fellow residents have become close friends too, giving the ship more of the feel of a travelling community than a hotel.
In all that time, they have only spent a few stretches away from the Odyssey: one week in the Galapagos because the ship could not enter due to flag rules, three weeks in Phoenix visiting family, and some time in Sweden staying with friends. Apart from that, the ship has remained their full-time home.
Asked whether they would choose this life again, both said they would ‘without hesitation’.
For Lanette and Johan, the trade-offs are real, from being far from family to dealing with small living quarters and the fatigue that can come with constant travel. Still, they say the slower rhythm, close-knit community, and ever-changing ocean views make the lifestyle worth it.
And while the couple once expected that the cabin size would be the hardest thing to get used to, they say the real challenge turned out to be the one they could not solve with extra space at all: living far from the people they love most.