Lifestyle

A Couple in Their 50s Sold Their Business to Live on a Cruise Ship. Then, 2 Years In, an Early-Morning Notice Told Them to Leave: “We Have 6 Hours to Pack Our Belongings”

By Curtis Jones · November 2, 2026

Johan and Lanette planned to call a cruise ship home for at least 15 years. To pay for it, they sold their car rental business in Maui, Hawaii, a fleet of 31 vehicles, and bought a cabin aboard the residential ship Villa Vie Odyssey, Business Insider reported in 2024. The outlet said both were 54 at the time and that the couple also owed $3,500 a month in fees.

They document the trip on their YouTube channel, Living Life on a Cruise (@livinglifeonacruise). On their website, they say they are not retired or wealthy. Lanette kept running her auto glass business in Phoenix remotely, and their three children and four grandchildren live there.

For two years the plan held. The couple wrote that they covered nearly 60 countries and more than 200 ports. In early October they left the ship to explore on land for a few weeks, and on their way back they heard from other residents that the ship’s money problems had grown worse.

They rejoined the ship in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. The next morning a message arrived. “6:00 a.m.,” Johan said on camera, reading it aloud. The notice said the operator had been unable to secure fuel, that the ship would go into a warm layup that afternoon, and that all residents had to leave by 2 p.m.

“We have 6 hours to pack our belongings,” Johan said. Lanette was brief. “I don’t want to leave.”

They filmed the night before and the morning of the notice in their video on YouTube, posted Oct. 27.

Johan said they had hoped their cabin would carry them 15 years or more, and he said he felt for residents who had only recently come aboard or had put their life savings into the ship. Still, he said, “it’s been a great experience what we’ve done.” As for money, he said, “we don’t have much left either,” but “we have some money coming in so we can survive in these countries.”

The company’s explanation. Villa Vie Residences blamed fuel. In a statement quoted by The Maritime Executive, the company said fuel costs had historically averaged about $1,800 a month per cabin and that in Asia it now faced an estimated $6,000 to $8,000. It said it would work toward restructuring and recapitalization over the next 60 days and, according to NBC News, that “no outcome is assured.” A Cambodian official told reporters there were 203 passengers and 156 crew members on board.

The latest. On Nov. 1, CBS News reported that residents had been told the ship was now under the control of its lender. Sources told CBS the ship would be moved to Singapore, where it could eventually be auctioned, while a message to residents said, “No sale has been scheduled.” Company founder Mike Petterson told CBS he was optimistic about finding an operational partner. CBS also reported that an effort by residents to buy the ship failed after a lender denied them funding.

The couple are not heading home yet. In a follow-up video posted Nov. 1, they said they are staying in Southeast Asia for now as traveling nomads. “Would we do it all again? Yes,” they wrote.

Before you prepay. NBC News reported that a company that bought an Odyssey cabin for $469,000 sued Villa Vie in a case alleging fraud, which the company denied and which is ongoing. Anyone weighing a long-term prepaid travel or housing deal may want to ask how the operator is financed and what happens to their money if service stops, and to have a lawyer review the contract.

This article is for general information and is not financial or legal advice. Details about the ship’s future may change. This article was produced with the assistance of AI and fact-checked against the sources cited by LightWave Reports.