Residential cruise operator Villa Vie Residences will unveil details of its second ship, Legacy, at a launch event on 30 September, with sailings set to begin in 2029 aboard the former Holland America ship Veendam.
Villa Vie launched two years ago with Odyssey, a smaller ship that the company said had sold more than 85 per cent of its available residences and has now completed more than 660 days of a first voyage originally scheduled to run for over three years. Odyssey offers both short-term rental and fractional ownership options and has total capacity for 650 passengers.
Villa Vie founder Mike Petterson said Odyssey had proven residential cruising was viable. “When we launched Odyssey, we set out to prove that residential cruising wasn’t just possible – it was sustainable,” Petterson said. “Legacy is the natural evolution of everything we’ve learned from our residents and operations around the world.”
Legacy will begin sailing in 2029 and will feature cabins 50 per cent larger than those on Odyssey, along with expanded dining venues, larger public spaces and enhanced wellness facilities. Villa Vie is offering an early sale of 24 residences ahead of the launch, with buyers able to sail on Odyssey for three years before transferring to Legacy, alongside a guaranteed lower maintenance fee.
Villa Vie has not disclosed commercial details of the deal for Legacy ahead of the launch event, but released a rendering showing the ship to be the former Holland America Line vessel Veendam.
Built in 1996 with a capacity of 1350 passengers, the 55,450-gross-tonne ship operated for Holland America until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when it was sold to speculative operator Seajets, along with sister ships Maasdam and Ryndam. The former Maasdam returned to service in 2023 as Renaissance under Ambassador Cruise Line, and the former Ryndam became Celestyal Journey the same year. The former Veendam, renamed Aegean Majesty, has remained idle in Greece for six years after the failed Victoria Cruises Line plan to sail it around the world failed to launch with prospective passengers launching legal action to reclaim tens of thousands in deposits.
The residential cruise segment remains small. The World, a purpose-built 43,000-gross-tonne ship with 165 residences, has operated since 2002 and is the only ship of its kind to have been purpose-built for the segment. Petterson also launched a second company, Avora Residences, earlier this year, which has agreed a nine-year charter with a nominal purchase option for the ship Seven Seas Navigator. That vessel is due to be handed over at the end of 2027 and relaunched as Avora Lumina, offering residences of between 28 and 109 square metres for 496 passengers.
Life at sea’s Villa Vie Odyssey arrives in Sydney for the first time
