We Bought a Cabin on a Cruise Ship!
You know that feeling after a long trip? The one where you love the memories but are so tired of living out of a suitcase, the constant packing and unpacking, and the endless logistics? We’ve been living that life for three years since we retired early, and while it’s been incredible, we started to wonder if there was another way. A better way.
Well, we think we found it. And it’s a big one. We’ve officially bought a cabin aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey residential cruise ship. This isn’t a vacation… this is going to be our home at sea.
To say this was an easy decision would be a lie. It was an emotional and financial gut-check. We’ve loved our slow travel through Europe and our adventures on smaller cruise lines, but committing to one ship felt… huge. We had to have some serious talks about the trade-offs. It means giving up some of our spontaneity, seeing our family and friends back in Washington less, and trading our complete freedom for a life built around an itinerary. Were we trading away the very things we loved about retirement?
But the more we talked, the more it made sense. The idea of waking up in a new country without ever having to pack a bag or rush to an airport started to sound less like a compromise and more like a dream. It means accelerated travel, more time in ports, and a predictable budget. It’s a floating home base that takes the most stressful parts of travel off the table.
Now we’re diving into the nitty-gritty planning, and it’s a wild ride. We're figuring out everything from international health insurance to the surprisingly complex challenge of getting mail. But honestly, we're buzzing with excitement for this new chapter. It feels like the adventure is just getting started.
We break down the entire emotional journey in our YouTube video: