A luxury cruise, which offered a permanent home on the sea, unexpectedly stranded over 200 passengers in a Cambodian port this week.
The Villa Vie Odyssey was carrying 203 passengers along with 156 crew members when its operator decided to halt the global voyage in Sihanoukville on Tuesday, as reported. Most of the individuals living aboard were American citizens.
The cruise line’s CEO, Kathy Villalba, announced the disembarkation notice shortly after 7:00 a.m., allowing residents until 2:00 p.m. to gather their belongings and leave the ship. Passengers were left to find their own places to stay, which added to their distress.
The company cited soaring fuel prices as the reason for this sudden change, causing concern after the onset of the Iran war in late February. The monthly fuel expenses for each cabin had skyrocketed from approximately $1,800 to anywhere between $6,000 and $8,000 in certain parts of Asia. The operator indicated that they couldn’t shift such a drastic cost increase onto the residents.
Residents of the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship were left stranded and at a loss in the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville after being told to leave the vessel, saying the operator had run out of money to pay for fuel https://t.co/9Ekw1dmlMQ https://t.co/NS18N7Bpzl
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 28, 2026
Many residents had sold their houses to live on the ship full-time. “The surprising order to vacate has left numerous retirees and remote workers without a home thousands of miles from their countries,” said Long Dimanche, the deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province, in a statement.
For instance, Paul and Lynn Montoya, a retired couple from Wyoming, had boarded the ship 17 months ago and were consistently asked for more funds for fuel. Lynn Montoya expressed her frustration, saying, “Every couple of weeks, it was always more money for fuel, more money for everything.” Conversely, Carol Larson, who invested $120,000 on her cabin, had no regrets. “Given that it was a startup, I thought it was a risk worth taking,” she commented.
The Odyssey embarked from Belfast, Northern Ireland, in October 2024 for an ambitious three-and-a-half-year global journey. It had been at sea for over 755 days before arriving in Cambodia.
Villa Vie promoted the vessel as a permanent living option, selling lifetime access for a one-time fee of $299,999 for a single cabin or $499,999 for a double. The company targeted retirees who were anxious about rising costs and the potential of outliving their savings. “For less than the average home price, you can secure a lifetime of experiences,” stated founder Mikael Petterson back in 2024.
The ship was supposed to refuel and leave Cambodia on Saturday. The company announced plans to attempt a restructure and raise new investments within a 60-day timeframe, although no funding had been secured yet.
