Oakland Park residents Jim and Chris Guld are about to sell their home and travel around the world, living full-time aboard a cruise ship called Villa Vie Odyssey.

Will it be exciting? Yes. Expensive? Kind of. Tight?

Well, the Gulds say they’re not worried about feeling cramped inside of a 140-square-foot stateroom for the 15-year option they just purchased. They recently spent 14 years together in a recreational vehicle, hitting each of the lower 48 states.

“We will not be in our room very much,” Chris says. “Every morning I plan to walk up the three decks to the gym where there’s an exercise class. And there’s the buffet where we will eat, and there’s entertainment in the afternoon.”

That might get boring after awhile if not for the port calls. The ship’s itinerary includes stops at 425 ports in more than 140 countries over the 3 1/2-year “Continual World Cruise.” The Gulds plan to get on the ship during its April 20 stop at the Colombian port of Cartagena and stay aboard for at least seven years, and longer if they love it.

The ship is currently in its seventh month sailing as the flagship of a Pembroke Pines-based company called Villa Vie Residences that the Gulds say offers the only affordable option for living on the sea. The company caters to people who truly want to get away from it all while still remaining connected through the Starlink internet service.

Mikael Petterson, the company’s chairman, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Friday that 354 of 480 cabins have been sold to long-term residents since the company purchased the Villa Vie Odyssey, built in 1993, from Fred Olsen Cruise Lines in 2023.

“We are looking forward to having Jim and Chris onboard,” Petterson said. “We are sure they will love it.”

A life of tech and travel together

The Gulds seem uniquely well-suited for permanent life aboard a cruise ship.

They met while Chris, now 72, operated a computer training center called Computer Savvy on Oakland Park Boulevard with her mother in the 1980s and 90s. Local companies would send employees for training on programs like WordPerfect, Novell NetWare, and Microsoft’s Excel and Access.

Jim, now 71, worked for a Deerfield Beach company, building, installing and networking personal computers. Chris purchased computers from the company for her training center, and Jim showed up to service them.

“So he had to keep coming back,” Chris said. Eventually, Chris hired Jim away from his company to focus full-time on her business.

They bonded over their mutual love of scuba diving, computers and travel. A few years after Chris sold the center and “retired” in the late 1990s, they sold their first Oakland Park house and bought an RV. They spent 14 years from 2003 to 2017 traveling the country, holding seminars to teach RV enthusiasts how to get on the internet, and creating computer training videos for a company they founded called Geeks on Tour.

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Subscribers to the Geeks on Tour website get access to a long list of class presentations, learning guides and tips. But anyone can click on more than 900 videos the couple has posted over the years, mostly while wearing their trademark propeller beanies.

Their earliest videos were a mix of travelogues and tutorials for types of software that travelers would use to take, upload and geotag photos, set up travel blogs, assign drive letters to external USB drives, and navigate highways.

More recently, their videos focus on smartphone apps, including how to shoot time-lapse video, use Google’s photo app, communicate over Zoom, and use WiFi calling if cellular service goes down.

Video bloggers amok

After seven years in another Oakland Park home, the couple is itching to travel again — but without the headaches of traffic and shopping.

The Gulds plan to continue to post training videos from the ship that show how they respond to challenges that arise as they visit the various ports on the ship’s itinerary. They’ve already started sharing their plans with their 16,700 YouTube subscribers and just under 1,000 paid Geeks on Tour members.

They won’t be alone using the internet to work on the ship, Jim says. A large number of the ship’s cabins are occupied by solo travelers who make their livings working remotely.

Like the Gulds, many shoot and post videos. A search for the ship on YouTube turns up several accounts — Living Life on a Cruise, MidLife Cruising, and DC Hidden Gems — by residents documenting their lives aboard the ship.

The cruise line offers a variety of pricing options, depending on the chosen size of living quarters and tour length.

Residents can purchase for up to 15 years or rent their cabins for shorter periods. Purchasers have the option of selling back unused portions of their residency terms, trading up to larger, more expensive cabins, or leasing or selling their space “with the potential of receiving a net return on your investment,” according to the company’s website.

The Gulds learned about the ship by following one of its residents, Randy Cassingham, longtime author of an online entertainment newsletter, This Is True. Cassingham started a blog called Residential Cruising after moving aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey last year.

“Jim said, ‘Take a look at this website about living on a cruise ship,’” Chris said. “And I looked at it and said, ‘OK!’”

Finding the right price

The couple said they were initially interested in buying a cabin with a balcony. But the company wanted $340,000 for a balcony cabin, plus $8,000 a month for amenities such as food, entertainment, health-club use and laundry services.

During a weeklong “try before you buy” sailing, the Gulds tried out a 140-square-foot cabin with a window and no balcony.

“Thankfully, I decided that I liked that because that was only only $170,000 up front and $5,000 a month,” Chris said. “At that rate, we might actually be saving money compared to all that we spent on travel last year.”

While on the “try it” trip, the couple says they met and were impressed with many of the residents who are experts in their chosen fields. They keep each other entertained by giving seminars and TED talks, the Gulds said.

“One guy used to be an emergency medical technician, so he gave a talk about what that’s like,” Chris said. “One was a marine biologist that gave a talk about whales.”

One amenity that won’t be available: casinos. “They actually had a poll,” Jim said, “and they asked the residents if they would consider having a casino. And they said, not just ‘no.’”

“They said, ‘hell, no,’” added Chris.

Not everyone was happy about the Gulds’ life-changing decision. While Chris has no children, Jim has a son from his previous marriage who lives near the couple.

“He was not for it at all at the very beginning when he first heard about it,” Jim said. “He thought that it was just a horrible thing that we were going to leave him.”

“But hey, he’s 44 years old, you know?” Chris said.

She added, “We’re still, in our opinion, fairly young. And we’re healthy, but we’re definitely getting older, so if we want to have one more chapter in our adventure, this is the time to do it. This is the next chapter.”

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Law enforcement agencies in Minnesota are stepping up enforcement efforts in April during Distracted Driving Awareness Month, amid growing concern that texting and driving continues to rise — even as crashes, injuries and deaths increase.

“We’ve all known for a while that texting and driving is just not something you want to do,” said Sgt. Jesse Grabow of the Minnesota State Patrol. “It’s very frustrating because it’s so simple to be preventative, I mean, to make good choices each and every time you get behind the wheel.”

Grabow called texting behind the wheel “a very selfish act that can result in dire consequences.”

Those consequences were deadly in a Cass County crash on Sept. 25, 2021, when a Moorhead man, distracted by Snapchat while speeding north on Highway 18 near Hunter, rear-ended an SUV waiting to turn left. The collision pushed that SUV into the southbound lane, where it was hit head-on by another SUV. Two people in the second SUV were killed; three people in the first SUV were injured.

“Anytime you’re taking your eyes off the road for that amount of time, you’re traveling quite the distance in that time, and you may not know what’s ahead of you,” said Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, sending or reading a text while driving 55 mph is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.

Empting said the problem has only gotten worse. “I would say, over the years, it’s getting worse, because the accessibility to the cellphone is there all the time … people almost can’t live without their cellphone anymore. If it’s gone for five minutes, you don’t know what to do.”

Technology exists to help drivers use phones safely. “If your vehicle is equipped with Bluetooth, you’re able to operate and have the Bluetooth and use that, or you have to purchase some type of other type of Bluetooth type equipment,” Empting added.

Despite the known dangers, distracted driving crashes continue to rise. The Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety reported 22 distracted driving deaths in 2022, 26 in 2023 and 29 in 2024.

The NHTSA says more than 3,300 people were killed nationwide due to distracted driving in 2022. Officials note the issue is often underreported because drivers may not admit it or no witness is available to verify distraction occurred.

Grabow urged drivers to take lessons from tragic cases. “Learn from other people’s mistakes,” he said.

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On his Instagram account this week, Chris Paddack implored Twins fans to “Keep the faith” during the team’s slow start. On Saturday, the starter did his part to help instill some faith — and yet, his start went for naught on a day when the Twins’ offense went almost silent.

The Twins fell 4-0 to the Detroit Tigers, collecting just four hits off rookie starter Jackson Jobe and the Detroit bullpen. With the loss — their third straight — Minnesota fell to 4-11, matching the worst start in Twins history through the team’s first 15 games.

The Twins couldn’t do anything in six innings against Jobe, who is among Major League Baseball’s top prospects, managing just two hits a day after their offense broke out for 12 in a 7-6 loss to Detroit. Prior to Carlos Correa’s double with one out in the ninth inning, just one Twins runner, leadoff hitter Matt Wallner in the first inning, had even reached second base.

The Tigers, meanwhile, played with a lead from the beginning after Zach McKinstry, their leadoff hitter, walked to begin the game. A rare but costly Correa throwing error allowed him to reach third and he scored on Spencer Torkelson’s sacrifice fly.

Torkelson was in the middle of everything for the Tigers, scoring their second run of the game and later hitting a two-run home run in the sixth off reliever Kody Funderburk.

Funderburk entered in the sixth after five strong innings from Paddack, who had given up 13 runs through his first two starts (7 1/3 innings pitched). He allowed two runs, though the first was unearned, and both scored on sacrifice flies.

It was a promising sign for a team desperately in need of one, but on a day where the offense finished with just four hits, it wasn’t enough.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Chris Paddack (20) delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Should the Timberwolves beat Utah — as they’re heavily favored to do — on Sunday, Minnesota secures a top-six seed in the West and its fourth straight playoff berth.

But where the Timberwolves would open said playoffs, with what seed and against which opponent, is entirely not up to them.

Here are the scenarios for the other games Sunday — Denver playing in Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers playing in Golden State — that will determine Minnesota’s first-round setup.

Denver wins, Clippers win: Wolves are the 6 seed vs. the 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers.

The skinny: Viewed widely as the “worst” setup for Minnesota, there is nothing overly enticing about a first-round matchup against two all-time greats in Lebron James and Luka Doncic.

The Lakers may struggle to find ways to defend Anthony Edwards without contributing numerous resources to the cause. And Los Angeles doesn’t possess the size necessary to keep Rudy Gobert off the glass. So Minnesota has a couple of matchup advantages.

But it’s difficult to envision best-of-seven series against two of the league’s most cerebral players breaking in Minnesota’s favor.

Denver wins, Golden State wins: Wolves are the 5 seed vs. the 4 seed Nuggets

The skinny: On paper, this looks like the best possible scenario for Minnesota, who would get to square off with a team it swept in four regular season meetings this season and knocked out of last year’s playoffs.

Denver simply doesn’t have the personnel to defend the Timberwolves, and Minnesota’s wings have proven they can slow down and frustrate Denver’s No. 2 and No. 3 scoring options in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.

Certainly, it’s always a scary proposition to go against the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic, but Jokic has to exert himself to no end to give Denver a chance on the defensive end. And it’s asking a lot, even against a player in as good of physical condition of Jokic, to play such a key role in the team’s defensive scheme while also having to carry the offensive burden.

Denver loses, Clippers win: Wolves are the 5 seed vs. the 4 seed Clippers

The skinny: A Nuggets loss feels unlikely given the Rockets — who’ve secured the No. 2 seed in the West — rested numerous starters in each of their previous two games and figure to do so again Sunday. But should Houston pull the upset, this would be an intriguing first-round matchup for Minnesota.

The Wolves swept the Clippers in three regular season meetings and have had success against Los Angeles in the past. But it should be noted the Clippers weren’t entirely healthy for any of those regular season matchups, and they are one of the hottest teams in the NBA entering the postseason.

The Clippers play an isolation brand of offense that plays directly into the strengths of Minnesota’s defense, but the Clippers also have the personnel necessary to give Minnesota’s offense issues if the Wolves don’t generate enough offense with their defense.

This series could be a potential slog.

Denver loses, Golden State wins: Wolves are the 4 seed vs. the 5 seed Clippers

The skinny: This would be Minnesota’s one path to earning home-court advantage to open the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

(Should Minnesota lose to Utah, it will be in the play-in tournament as the No. 7 or No. 8 seed)

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