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Imagine a life where laundry and meal planning are distant memories. For those seeking such freedom, embracing life aboard a luxury cruise liner might just be the perfect fit.
Fraser Allen, a British expatriate, has wholeheartedly adopted this unique way of living. Since December 2024, Allen has called the Odyssey, a ship operated by Villa Vie Residences, his home. Over the past months, he has spent considerable time aboard, immersing himself in this carefree lifestyle.
At 58, Allen is currently in the midst of a three-year lease agreement with the cruise liner. His home on the high seas has already taken him on adventures across diverse regions, including South and North America, Japan, the Philippines, the South Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand.
For Allen, the allure of this lifestyle isn’t just about exploring the world. One of the most appealing aspects of living on a ship with 350 other residents is the sense of being entirely ‘taken care of.’ He emphasizes the convenience, saying, “Stereotypically, as a bachelor, having everything managed as part of the rental fees is fantastic,” he shared with the Daily Mail.
‘Stereotypically, as a bachelor, I would say that everything being “taken care of” within the rental fees is great,’ he tells the Daily Mail.
‘That includes: all food (plus wine and beer), laundry and cabin service, gym and fitness classes, sauna and steam room through to the pickle ball court and swimming pools!’
The only thing Allen is left to pay for is beer outside of meal times, but he insists that’s still ‘very reasonable’.
Everything from entertainment to food is supplied by the ship and he adds: ‘The cabins are spacious enough to want to retreat to. The outdoors/deck space is abundant enough to wander about or find a spot to peruse the horizon with your binoculars!’
Communal spaces like the pool don’t get too busy, he adds, saying there are ‘rarely’ ever ‘more than 10 to 15 residents poolside unlike other cruise lines’.
Fraser Allen (pictured with a penguin colony in Chile), 58, has spent the past one and a half years living on a cruise ship
He moved into a cabin on Villa Vie Residences’s ship, Odyssey, back in December 2024
The all-inclusive lifestyle costs Allen $125 – less than £100 a day – for an inside cabin, which he notes is more affordable than an outside one with a window or balcony, although pricing levels have changed since he secured his deal.
His additional expenses, such as toothpaste, snacks, clothing and excursions tend to range between $1,000 to $2,000 (£734 to £1,470) per month.
Allen funds his cruising adventure with a saving pot as well as pensions and the rental income from his house which he is renting.
Originally from the UK, he moved to the Cayman Islands, the British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean, many years ago and worked as a scientist. He now has dual citizenship of the UK and Cayman Islands.
‘Prior to the voyage on the Odyssey, I downsized completely (a cathartic exercise!) and now have my place rented out in Cayman,’ he explains.
‘This provides additional monthly income to cover travelling expenses. Essentially, I have become nomadic for the next couple of years. I have a lot of time on my hands to figure out what to do at the end of the first circumnavigation onboard the Odyssey!’
Since moving from a spacious home to a small cruise cabin, Allen has found he really enjoys his cabin space and says he is a ‘minimalist’.
‘It’s more than sufficient for me,’ he says. ‘We also have anything that exists beyond the cabin as our ‘living room’, which has everything you need and more!’
So far, he has experienced 146 ports onboard the impressive liner (pictured above cruising the Alaskan fjords)
He pays $125 – less than £100 a day – for an inside cabin and says he enjoys ‘retreating’ there
All of Allen’s meals, laundry and even entertainment are taken care of by the £100-a-day price tag
Others don’t find the process as easy, however, and the experienced cruiser reveals, ‘Many folks on the ship (particularly Americans) have found the process of downsizing to be highly illuminating although some are still struggling to cut the umbilical cord as such.’
Allen has visited 146 different ports so far on the Odyssey, not including ‘the inland forays that this cruise affords by staying several days at a time in particular location, plus the Fjord and scenic cruising as a part of the sea days’.
He doesn’t have a favourite port in particular, he says, and instead values the experiences he’s picked up along the way, from cruising the Chilean Fjords to pulling into Vancouver on Canada Day.
Other memorable moments include anchoring in Moorea – a jaw-dropping heart-shaped island in French Polynesia.
There is one port that stands out as the worst for Allen – Rio.
‘Rio plus a few (only a few) other ports in Brazil weren’t a great experience,’ he reveals.
‘Security was an issue and several residents were mugged, ripped-off and/or made to feel uncomfortable. Apparently, this is the norm. Something the Brazilian Government needs to sort out for sure.’
Life at sea comes with some downsides too, although Allen admits they are rather trivial.
‘My worst-case scenario could be, or has been, that, I misread the next days’ itinerary,’ the former scientist explains.
Allen enjoys the all-inclusive lifestyle whilst travelling the world, pictured here in Chile
Allen now rents out his home back in Cayman and has managed to fit his belongings in his cabin which he describes as ‘spacious’
‘After a night of over indulgence, I wake up wide-eyed at 10am, as the Captain issues the order (in-cabin speakers) for, “residents to muster at your station with life jacket in hand!”
‘Scrambling out of the bunk I end up clutching my life jacket, bleary-eyed at the required location. My t-shirt is inside out. I’m reprimanded for turning up late. That’s my worst-case scenario! How bad can it be?’
It’s the group activities, mixture of fast and slow-paced days, as well as the close bonds formed onboard that appeals to Allen the most.
‘When you minimise your “materialistic” environment your focus becomes more outward looking and less about “self”,’ he says.
‘You can become involved in community-based activities or simply enjoy the ever-changing scenery, cultures and nature that pass you by.’
The cruise fan feels passengers become more in touch with their ‘external environment’ in such situations.
He adds: ‘There is a combination of slow-paced sea days alongside extended port days which seems to suit everyone.’
In such a close environment, it’s perhaps unsurprising that everyone has formed close relationships too, and there is a ‘great connection’ with the crew and staff.
Not everything has been smooth-sailing however, and Fraser admits his least favourite port so far has been Rio, as well as some others in Brazil. Pictured in Ecuador
‘Everyone becomes ‘extended family’. Activities and interests are generated by the residents, alongside contracted staff. This makes for a very eclectic and diverse environment and the talent that exists on board the ship is really quite humbling,’ Allen says.
Allen plans to take a break from full-time cruising for six months soon and will be returning to the Cayman Islands during this time.
He plans to re-join the ship in November, when it will be in Singapore, and spend another 13 months onboard.
However, he isn’t keen to experience the two days of flights during his journey home, and having to navigate various airports.
‘I’m not looking forward to being herded through an airport or barked at by a TSA security Officer,’ Allen says.
‘Our seafaring alternative really is the way to see the world; very much hassle free!’