Your ‘lifetime investment’ will eventually go down with the boat too as I believe it’s non-transferable. It’s also a huge burden on taxes to I suppose as your ‘foreign’ will be scrutinized to no end.
After reading about the "Life-at-Sea" fiasco and the Vantage Travel bankruptcy, we cannot even imagine committing to a "lifetime" cabin where we might outlive the company. It's not like Carnival or Royal Caribbean is offering this option. The devil is in the details and hopefully the company offers some sort of insurance protecting buyers from buying a cabin and losing it all.
@@scottpoole2182 Super expensive? Are you out of your mind? Tell me where you can travel the whole world for the rest of your life for $299,999 with all included. You give ME a break!
Bought double paned windows for my entire house. Noticed a cracked outer pane and called the company. It has been sold and the new owner refused to honor the replacement policy of the previous owner. If that company gets bought out and the new owner refuses to honor the program, you are SOL.
I agree with the risks and fine print of this offer. What if the company goes under or the ships get old and poorly maintained? Will they also assess everyone, if the ships need to be repaired or revitalized? Sounds like the timeshare deals that people now can’t give them away! Excessive cruising does have risks as well- Mario now has balance issues which are permanent from cruising too often.
You mention the catch at 3:00. It says “subject to availability”. In other words you are buying a standby pass, which you can only use if no-one else has booked the cabins. If the ship fills up, you can’t use your unlimited pass until there’s a space. So if you want to spend the winter on board, there would need to be a space for you during every week. If it’s full in Xmas week, the answer’s no - however much you paid.
Subject to Availability is a potential issue that we agree would need to be addressed prior to purchasing. That said, once you have the cabin, you have it. You just have to give a month notice prior to leaving. So there is no calendar of black out dates for example. ☺️
Information online with Villa Vie Residences (Endless Horizons) in FAQ: Guests must inform guest services 30 days in advance for embarkation or disembarkation. They can stay aboard for any duration, subject to cabin availability.
This sounds great to my husband and me at first glance. We are both retired and in our sixties. We don’t have children or grandchildren to miss while we are away. But practically speaking, I don’t think it would work for us. First of all, we each need our own space, so we would have to spend the extra $100,000 to get two cabins (hopefully adjoining). Secondly, we have a beloved dog now, and hope to get another when this one goes to Doggie Heaven. Also, it is not in my nature to be a minimalist, as far as possessions. Living in a small cabin for long periods of time would not make me happy. I can do it for a week or two, but then I’d be ready to go back to our large home. And how about the expense of cruise insurance? Would we have to buy it every year, if not for every sailing? Heaven forbid we should need to be airlifted off the ship at some point!
Absolutely no! The risks are too many. Illness, company bankruptcy, ship breakdown causing long term at dry-dock, and so on. Above all, boredom. I rather travel from time to time when I feel the urge to do so and not be tied to one place.
@@beastly572 Let's say there are 300 cabins on the ship. How do they know how many opportunities to sell? If people can stay as long as they want as long as they give a 30 day notice, there could be no openings or very hard to get them especially during certain times of the year. This is what I mean by them selling too many opportunities. I think it's a valid concern and not deserving your snarky attitude. Don't worry though, I forgive you. You can apologize now.
Interesting, but sounds like a time share on the water. The details and real availability is important. The line can sell any number of cabins with no guarantee you can get on a ship when and for how long you wish.
Problem is that’s not necessarily for your life. The company goes under, and poof $500,00 gone. Didn’t they just delay the launch of their ship? And if you or your spouse suddenly gets sick and you can’t travel? No thanks.
I FIRST need to try the ship (CRUISE LINE) & see how i like the line, crew, way things r run... etc etc BUT- THIS SEEMS FANTASTIC- just wanna see the ship, and be around a little bit. However, I'm liking the idea & def interesting to learn about n watch as time passes. Excited for u both and cant wait to watch n learm more from JJ CRUISE! TKS FOR ALL THE GREAT INFO AS ALWAYS❤❤ HUGS GUYS!😊
I agree but we would definitely need to try it before buying in. And I’d be worried about the longevity of it. That’s a lot of money to sink into something that could go sideways in more than one way.
My concern is what the limitations are. We inherited two timeshare weeks which we saw as the gift that "never starts taking". We were never able to book what we wanted so paid high annual fees and could not use it where we wanted. We never had four weeks a year vacation and had to figure out how to make the most of our time. And there are so many costs beside just the housing and food. And Super Mario has a condo and housekeeper in Miami - on turn around day he takes his dirty laundry home and picks up fresh clothes so has loads more expenses. So much to think about - laws around social security, healthcare, if keeping a home the insurance and upkeep. Will be very interested in hearing of your experience.
I don’t see how the numbers could possibly work. They take money now and promise to provide a service for 35 years with no additional fees from you? They have huge costs every year and no idea now how much those costs will be. Sure, I’d be into such a thing if it were legitimate. But I don’t see how it possibly can be.
@@RetiredSignDude Even if you escrowed ever penny, how do they know it will cover costs? They can’t possibly know that. The more I think about it, they are either hopelessly naive, or scamming.
There is no 35 year anywhere...the number is 15 years with plans to buy another ship at that point. there are 400 + cabins for sale.....multiply that by $150,000. In case you cannot do math....it's $60 million in the bank if you sell all cabins. Now , how far will that go.
@@paultrombetta4838 This video mentioned 35 years in the 'comparison' to the cost of other vacationing. It's not much of a fair comparison because you are right, Villa Vie doesn't say 35 years anywhere in their marketing.
We are moving into Villa Vie full time, too!!! We learned about Villa Vie here on your videos. Thank you for letting us know. We are on the old plan though...❤❤❤
Im intrigued. We’re looking to sell our house in a year or so and this might be a good move at that point. A lot of people buy an RV and travel around the continent. This would be a better version of that for us! I can’t wait to hear about your experiences with this company!
We would also love to see this price for a balcony, that being said- with the ship being in port 95% of the time, it’s truly a crash pad while you’re exploring the world.
I would never invest this kind of money in a new cruise line. There are too many variables, i.e., not enough sustainable capital, age of the ships, longevity of the company.....
@@JJCruise , you are cruising for free on their ships, right. Then you are a paid representative for them. You are taking enormous risk now. And this $300k for a lifetime of cruising has all the red flags of a company going under.
ZERO additional fees? That doesnt seem viable in the long term for Villa Vie? Is this a limited timd offer to generate more interest? I wish this had come out when I still had disposable income! Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention!
We aren’t sure if this is a limited time offer or not…either way, seems like a great deal! How many of us can fit in a cabin and split a half million dollars? 🤣
Hmm, sounds like a timeshare at sea. They say if there is space available, and sometimes you can never find the dates you want, even though you have bought into it.
Villa Vie Odyssey is still in dry dock at Belfast harbour. Inaugural sailing is now postponed from 30 May to 4 June 2024. Reason: Identified issues with the steelwork in one of the grey water tanks. A section in the cruise terms and conditions reads as follows and might calm down passengers: “VVR may change the itinerary at any time without notice and or delay the inaugural sail date. If the inaugural sail date is delayed by more than 15 days, then VVR will refund the full Fare that has been paid." Hopefully for guests, ship will sail on 4 June 2024.
I love you guys but this is a big nope from me. There’s no way I’d invest that much money with an unproven company and an old ship. I suspect they didn’t sell as many cabins as they wanted to so they’re doing this as a Hail Mary to raise money.
I've seen so many of these schemes fail. I wouldn't trust it to last 35 years. Probably 3-7 if it even gets off the ground. Many questions like for instance the age and life expectance of the ship, wi-fi, size of cabins and closets for months at sea, penalties for less than 30 day notice in emergencies, medical facilities, cable channels, laundry, gratuities. I assume less entertainment and cabin and linen cleaning etc. What if you like to play a guitar or watch TV in a lazyboy? What religious services are available?
I could understand why people might find endless cruising appealing. I live in a town not much bigger population-wise than a large cruise ship. Still, if you started having communities of perpetual cruisers, the environment would change and no longer be one of holiday and would be one of regular living, and that would inevitably bring in the societal issues we see all around us in our onground communities but with less space to give folks room to breath.
Basically like big brother, everyone gets on at first, then the cracks start to appear after a few weeks, imagine seeing the same people every day for years at breakfast and you couldn’t stand the sight of them? 😂
The World Residence at Sea launched March 2002 and is the largest privately owned residential yacht with 165 luxury residences onboard. The cabin owners decorate their own cabins and vote yearly to determine the ships routing. A residence costs between $2M - $15M and its yours.
Not exactly. Even if you have the money, you have to have a net worth of either 10 or 15 (I forget whoch, apologies) MILLION for there Sales team to even book an initial call with you. You also have to be referred by current residents. These are just a few things needed besides the cabin fee for The World.
I love the varied points of view in the comments. This new company has not proven itself yet so I can't wait to hear your assessment once you get onboard.
This was a Cruise News Video - we aren’t selling this product or getting paid for this video. This was purely interesting cruise news that we find fascinating. (Obviously everyone on the comments does too! 😜) Anyone actually interested in purchasing this should speak with a consultant from Villa Vie as we stated. ☺️
I’m not sure how going on a relatively short cruise compared to everyone else who are in the ship is going to assess long term operation and daily running of the cruise? I will be watching out for this company on the news one day within the next few years.
It sounds like a very expensive Timeshare. How many ships are included in the purchase? One? I would have many concerns and hesitations. That would mean locking into one form of vacationing, cruising, on one ship, at pre-determined ports of call. What about aging ships? Who pays for cabin repairs and refurbishment? Is the ownership transferrable in the event of death? Can the ownership be sold if the owner is no longer able to cruise or desires to cruise? If I paid that kind of money and was locked out of a particular cruise segment because my cabin was "booked," I would be furious. I love to travel, and the types of travel I engage in are varied. Just got back from a photography safari throughout Namibia. Next up, train travel through South Africa and Zimbabwe. Then, a cruise in the Arctic. For me to be locked into one type of travel with restrictions on availability, it's just not a good investment. For diehard cruise lovers, this might be a good investment. Excellent topic for discussion. Enjoy your channel!
Sounds great as long as they don’t go bankrupt! Sounds a lot like a timeshare. Just think it could be risky in the long run. I know you both are careful, so I hope it works out for you!
500,000 with a 5% rate of return is 25,000 a year of income. If on average vacations cost 16,000, you are better off not buying a cabin. Don't buy the cabin and at the end of the day you had a vacation and still 500,000 in the bank. Just saying.
@@lorenwillis425 You should be up 15 percent per year in the past five plus dividends. Some S&P funds are up 23 percent depending on how they redistributed along the way. In all seriousness I would consider another fund if it’s due to fees or management. There’s something to look into.
I'm confused.... Their website boldly states that if you give 30 days notice they will "guarantee availability", and then in the Q&A section it states "...stay aboard for any duration, subject to cabin availability.".... What if I give 30 days notice, get onboard, and then tell them I'm staying for 7 months...can they turn around and say, "oh sorry, you'll have to get off in 3 weeks because the cabins aren't available"...?? How does that work...??
From our understanding, it’s first come, first served. Thus, if you put in your 30 day notice, get a cabin as one is available, you stay as long as you like but have to let them know 30 days in advance when you are leaving so the cabin becomes available to someone else. ☺️
@@JJCruise, so people can get on for forever, right? To make this possibly work financially, they are going to have to sell WAY over 100% of the cabins. So, if people get on and just stay on, you could pay $300k to $500k and never see availability?
You need to calculate in the cost of airfare and possible lodging to meet the ship when it travels to the part of the world and ports you are interested in. Getting on and off of the ship multiple times a year could add a substantial cost of doing so. The Horizons program may interest cruisers who prefer to stay at sea for extended periods on time and on land for just a short time making Villa Vie more of a home base and not vice versa.
A lot of this comes with the inability to control costs to keep your expenses down. I can't believe there are no other fee's and costs. With inflation running wild, we've seen what these costs can do to the average home owner. Insurance doubling, tax's doubling, HOA fee's doubling. I can't imagine the increase in expenditure that happens with a cruise ship that will need to be paid for.
It helps to remember that the cruise line is over 80% sold with a combination of pay as you go and ownership participants. The endless horizons group will be a small selection of the total staterooms on the ship. I think it’s great that Villa Vie are offering different kinds of options for people to get the chance to sail for longer periods of time. Villa vie is venturing into new territory for cruising and comparing it to mainstream brands doesn’t make sense, the companies have different business models. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the big guys watching this very closely though…
This is one of those things that initially sounds good, but I share the concerns others have expressed about viability of the company, availability of rooms, etc. A similar arrangement to be able to be on any ship in the Carnival (HAL, Princess, etc. included) or Royal Caribbean (Celebrity too) lines could potentially be tempting as I would have a lot more confidence in the arrangement. But I don’t see the big cruise lines announcing such a deal.
I love the concept of living aboard a cruise ship, but I’m not sure I could commit without a money-back guarantee! If this company were a subsidiary of an already-successful cruise line, I’d have more faith. Guess I’m a bit skeptical, but I hope y’all have a magical time onboard. Hopefully, you’ll be able to report back to us that all is well, and we’re missing out on an amazing opportunity! Blessings!
Sustainability is a common concern here but remember if you give them $300k or $500k and they invest it even conservatively they are generating significant annual interest in lieu of charging a monthly pay as you go. The math may work on both sides. Full disclosure I am a resident already.
I have about half the days that super Mario has but I have gotten them as a guest lecturer for little cost. Also have a pay as you go deal with Villa vie while waiting for storylines a luxury ship to be eventually built. Have evaluated nearly 800 shore excursions for most of the major cruise lines.See you onboard the Odyssey.
I would be interested, but likexothers would want to try out the ship first to get a feel for it. I love cruising and cruise Seabourn, so those standards are very hard to match. I would also want a cabin with a veranda and noticeable view. I am guessing all medical and necessities have been taken into account. Do love the idea. But need some assurance and a dry run.
I'm very interested to see how you like living on board. The lifetime program a unique offer, with benefits & definitely challenges. Sounds like it's worth taking a closer look at.
That’s a big risk … company goes bankrupt and you are screwed…or they don’t get enough people to buy into this and so what is included gets chiseled away bit by bit so it’s a no for me
I still think yes I would because even in worse case scenario and the company goes down year five hypothetically I've more than paid for the experience year two-ish. It's around the world travel. I'm saying this not knowing everything but on it's face as presented here. My answer is Yes.
If I wanted to live on cruise ship- I live near a port (20 minutes away). I'm sure I could contact Royal Caribbean and work a deal if I signed up for a ton of btb cruises (off season). I wouldn't want to do them in summer or over Christmas. So I could literally just live on a ship now for approximately $1000.00 a week. The beauty of this is that I'd be in my hometown on turnaround days- which would give me a chance to visit my doctors and dentist when needed. Not to mention visit with my family once a week and check on my home! That's the way to go. Carnival does them too- so I could switch things up from time to time. If you just want the ease of living on a ship- not having to cook, etc. that's the way to go.
Definitely a valid point! They do plan to have more ships in their fleet and this would be available on future ships with guaranteed ocean view cabins as well.
Perhaps an option that somebody who’s thinking about buying a cabin should consider to save on the monthly ownership fees - once onboard never give that 30 days notice of vacating the space. If you need to go home, just tell them you’re staying in the port for a while and you’ll catch up with the ship
All of you lot have to keep in mind this is a limited time offer. They can’t sell this to everyone. It would be a retirement dream of mine if I had the money! Their ship is in dry dock being prepared to leave May 30th. I am so excited to see a project like this succeed! I wish them best of luck and what an amazing job they have done!
This doesn’t cover airfare to / from whatever country the ship happens to be docked in when you decide to travel. But yes this sounds interesting. Can’t wait to see what you do.
On their web site, there was also monthly fees. And those were like 3k-4k per person. per month. Maybe changed since you put the video out and I watched it. Also purchase price changed (lower).
I would never invest that amount of money in a new company. The risk of it going under isnt worth it. And then there are all the other reasons that have been posted. So nope. Not for me.
This reminds me of unlimited travel program that American Airlines once had. Love the concept of unlimited cruise for life. I do wonder the cost of insurance, I would certainly not risk going without it, but I guess if you can shell out 500k and more, the cost of insurance should not be an issue either. I love the concept, but full-time job would be hard to maintain on a ship. As you said, it is aimed at people with particular lifestyle.
I have insurance. It covers me worldwide except for USA. It is $2,000 per year but it varies greatly depending on your circumstances. I am 60 years old with no prior health conditions.
I dk how its possible and this is a big complaint listed in the comments but here is a quote from their site. "We are guaranteeing availability if notice is given 30 days before or more. Subject to availability if 30 days or less."
This seems viable under a few conditions. First it is with a well capitalized cruise line like NCL. Second, it is limited to no more than 10% of a particular ship’s capacity. Third, it is transferable from ship to ship.
I really love your content...but this feels more like an infomercial. All your videos about Villa Vie don't discuss any of the (very real) negatives in a balanced way, just talk up the potential positives. Are they your sponsors and/or are they paying for your upcoming trip on their ship? Please be transparent. Because your cost 'comparisons' are way off in both these last videos and in favor of Villa Vie. Many grandparents who you mention in this video would not have the benefit of this program for 35 years meaning the numbers no where near add up. Please, please keep it real, people are looking to you for unbiased information on their options and this is a lot of money to an untried company.
you also need to consider the increases in prices in cruises I think yearly at least. also food variety or the same menu over and over. You also brought up grandkids maybe a program to have some or all of them sail with you. making me think
I can see how the numbers that you guys provided make sense, but, with this new program, it doesn't look like you took into consideration the airfare to get from place to place when you get off the ship to go home, or when you fly to meet the ship wherever it is in the world. In the long run, it probably is still less to live on the ship and go back and forth at leisure then it is to own a home, but I'm curious what the numbers would be with average airfare for three or four times a year. I hope you guys have a great experience and I'm really looking forward to seeing your videos and talking to you about your experience.
We did leave airfare out on purpose as it truly depends on a lot of extra variables such as how often are you flying, which port are you flying to, and what type of class of airfare will one be flying. That said, the difference in cost would still be in favor of choosing the cruise route for many people (maybe not all). ☺️
Still in dry dock. 😮😮Rudder issue: Two stainless steel rods (called rudder stocks, which control the rudders) inspectors found to be corroded/rusted and had to be repaired. Rudder stocks were removed for grinding and shaping. After final test on 25 June 2024 they should be installed and ship could be floated out of dry dock. Currently, there is no scheduled date for the ship to sail. 😮😮 Seems to be a never ending story, hopefully not.
While initially this sounds very interesting, I have to question how long this program could be maintained. What happens when the company goes bankrupt and everyone who has paid into this program loses all of their money? Is there any price guarantees? How do you maintain an already old ship, still provide excellent services, and not continuously raise prices? Yeah, it looks cool on the surface, but it's too risky for me to buy into. I might consider buying into a year by year program, especially if I had the choice of choosing between different ships w/ different itineraries.
I'd love to cruise for long periods or for the rest of my life, if I could have pets on board.. My last trip I was anxious the whole time we were away from our cats
This isn't a bad idea but it sounds a bit like a time share. I wonder if they are going to restrict the numbers of packages sold. I would worry about availability, calling within 30 days and finding that there is no room at the inn. BTW, we are avid cruisers and spent over six figures on a single World Cruise on Regent last year. This is an interesting idea, but as with the outright purchase option, I want to see where this company is after a year or two.
Still in dry dock.😮😮😮 Next date for inaugural sailing is now scheduled for 20 July 2024 - hopefully. (remember first date was originally scheduled for 15 May 2024).
Your numbers are way off, most retired people pay cash for there home, we pay about $ 3k a month for electricity, internet , 2 cars, insurance , food,and taxes. We live waterfront on a lake and we have free gym access classes, pickelball ,and more. We have plenty of cash to travel….ps we watch your channel and you give great information.
Concerned about future possibility of cruise companygoing bankrupt and thus clients lose their investment. Is there protection for the purchaser? Otherwise, sounds fun if money is not an issue. 500K is a lot of money. Better invested in a safe environment.
The ship may traverse the world, but you would need to purchase airfare to meet the ship somewhere AND to return home. Airfare can be a big part of that annual travel budget, so it's not as good a deal as it might look using average numbers.
Hmmm, can't see the value if you can't stay aboard at least 90% of the year. I'd lower my expectations to 50% of the year if this was a well established cruise line.
Reminds me to following: Several other efforts at launching a resident cruise did not succeed. There was a financial group called Life at Sea. They failed to raise the money and the company ended up owing large sums of money to people who planned to start the trip in late 2023. And they are still owing money to people. Once we were interested in the concept, but after reading all terms and conditions: TG, we didn't invest any money. Note: The start-up Villa Vie Residences was founded by former members of Life at Sea management team. Last funding type is debt financing. Information in video about people staying in Waldorf Astoria. There is a bunch of luxury resorts on Bora Bora in French-Polynesia, but definitely no Waldorf Astoria. Greetings from Moorea (we moved down from Europe) - sister island of Tahiti - in French-Polynesia 🌴 🏖 😎 🇵🇫 🇫🇷 🇪🇺
How about you do some research? If you did, you would know that Mike Petterson the CEO of Villa Vie actually prevented more people from losing money and also got scammed by Life At Sea, the turkish company. In my eyes, he is the hero!!!
@@beastly572Read my comment exactly: I only mentioned members of management, not the CEO in person. Some people, who have invested in Free at Sea before changing management, might have a different opinion. Nevertheless I wish the new company good luck.
@@HappyCalmFreeAs France is motherland of French-Polynesia, people born here have French citizenship (EU). So as citizen from European Union (with valid EU passport) we can live here like in Europe - just have to register at municipality. We moved here with 11 pieces of luggage incl sport luggage, as we have rented a fully equipped house with access to private beach. In French-Polynesia private beaches are normal. There are only three public beaches on Moorea. Purchasing a house is not a problem, but due a lot of "gambling" investors in houses within the last 30 years, tax laws and municipality fees have now changed drastically, if people (living here less than 5 years and people have to live here, not just for holiday) want to sell a house after purchase. Btw if you are not a citizen of European Union like Great Britain after Brexit, you have to apply within first 90 days stay for a resident card (1, 5 or 10 years) at municipality. The only thing for us with our official EU citizenship documents (expiry date) is that - we have to visit our embassy and therefore have to fly twice to Wellington, NZ (apply and pick up). Hope, information is useful.
This sounds fun. I just have a few questions....what about port fees and gratuity? About how much would that cost for each cruise? Btw, I love your videos. I've never been on a cruise and have to live vicariously through RU-vid videos. Thanks for sharing. Bekka Thepotterswife
We aren’t representing them. This is not a paid Ad. This is purely Cruise News that we are super intrigued by. ☺️ We plan to get onboard this Summer in which that will be a partnership. But this is not an Ad for them - just cruise news. We are happy to hear all sides to this offer as it’s an intriguing one! 🤷🏽♂️
I have been burned too many times on "lifetime" memberships and down payments, I'm not doing it again. Down payments on 3 unusual vehicles that were never made, lifetime memberships with companies that go out of business or file bankruptcy...
