A company is offering a four-year-long cruise for customers looking to escape the upcoming Donald Trump presidency.
Villa Vie Residences, based in Florida, announced the new ‘Skip Forward’ excursions this past Thursday – hours after Trump’s second stint in office was solidified with an electoral win.
Aside from spanning years, the journey will take ticketholders to all seven continents – with an Antarctic sail-by and an eight day trip down the Amazon River.
If four years seems a bit too long, the company also offers one-, two-, and three-year packages – distinguished by names like ‘Escape from Reality’ and ‘Everywhere but Home’.
The two-year option is bitingly billed as the ‘Mid-Term Selection’ package – a reference to how, by then, the citizens who will be casting ballots for their states’ governor, seats in the House, and the Senate. Tickets start at around $40,000 a year, with price fluctuations based on occupancy and length of voyage.
‘A perfect Circumnavigation is different for every resident as we pick up new adventurers along the way in every port’ said Mikael Petterson, Chief Executive Officer of Villa Vie.
‘With over 425 ports across 140 countries, each circumnavigation presents an unprecedented opportunity to discover the world from their floating home with ever-changing backyards,’ the company added in an accompanying press release.
Residents setting out on the all-inclusive voyage will also have the ability to start their journey at any port pegged as a stop on the lengthy adventure, organizers stated – adding how the price of your ticket also includes food and drinks.
A fitness center and spa also awaits those willing to partake – though expect to pay a premium for such a journey, whether it be one of four full years.
For the latter, all-inclusive tickets start at $255,999 – with that granting you just a single-occupancy room.
For couples and those simply traveling in pairs, a double is more expensive, the company said – revealing how that will cost prospective passengers just under $320,000, or the price of a home.
The more moderate ‘Midterm Selection’ package, meanwhile, will still run you $150,399 for a single, they said – while advertising a two-year-trip for two that costs $187,998.
The one-year ‘Escape from Reality’ option starts at $79,999, while the least you’ll pay for the three-year ‘Everywhere but Home’ will cost $207,999.
The 642-foot long vessel that will ferry those willing to pay such a price, meanwhile, has already set sail – already embarking on a planned three-and-a-half year trip this past September.
The voyage began after the aging cruiser reportedly ran into mechanical and certification issues in months before, leaving it moored in Belfast for four months.
In the weeks since, however, passengers already aboard have discussed how they’ve been ‘very impressed’ with the vessel despite some delays, according to a recent Business Insider report that also cast a light on some not-so-happy customers.
A pair of buyers for the 3.5-year trip – Bonny Kelter, 66, and 69-year-old Jenny Phenix – were booted from the boat in September because of ‘continuous complaints and negativity,’ cruise company correspondence reviewed by Business Insider claimed.
‘They didn’t just complain, they outright threatened with media unless they get what they want,’ Petterson, the founder of the firm, told the website in an email.
‘At the end of the day, we have the same option as anyone of doing business with people or not.’
Both women went on to deny having threatened the company to go to the media – that is, only until after their contracts were terminated.
After they were, both did so, with Kelter adding how she is now considering legal action.
Meanwhile, the more-than-30-year-old vessel is seemingly ready for more, with tickets available immediately.
‘The onboard experience features the comforts of home, along with amenities most discerning travelers expect, creating a harmonious blend of convenience and wanderlust fulfillment,’ organizers said Wednesday.
Passengers who buy in will be met with an air of ‘flexibility’ once onboard, a Villa Vie Residences spokesperson said – touting the journey as a means to not only escape ‘traffic jams [and] the monotony of city life’ but ‘politics’ as well.
Currently, the boat is sailing along the South America East Coast, with its next stop being Barbados.