Two hundred ‘Cruise for life’ passengers stranded in Cambodia

Around 200 passengers who invested in a long-term cruise lifestyle, after paying substantial fees to stay on board the Odyssey cruise ship, found themselves stranded in a Cambodian port after the company responsible for the vessel ran out of funds. The US-based operator Villa Vie Residences, the company behind the Odyssey, announced it had suspended operations in Cambodia due to soaring fuel costs following the Iran war.

The Odyssey, a 200-meter long vessel, set sail from Northern Ireland in October 2024 with passengers able to purchase or rent rooms for a holiday or even as a lifelong residence. Some passengers resorted to selling their possessions to afford the expensive trip. However, passengers were given just seven hours to pack and leave the ship when it docked in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, according to the deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province.

The ship was supposed to continue on to Vietnam. Upon arriving in Cambodia, 203 guests and 156 crew members disembarked, leaving many retirees and remote workers without a home, thousands of miles away from their countries of origin. The sudden disembarkation has left the stranded passengers in a difficult situation, with some choosing to fly out while others remained in the city.

The Odyssey had been due to refuel and leave Cambodia on October 31st. Randy Cassingham, a passenger on the Odyssey who runs a cruise blog, reported that the unexpected disembarkation order came after a series of issues. He wrote that the ship's launch from Belfast was delayed by four months and that the Odyssey never reached its full capacity of 650 residents, only reaching around 350.

The cruise ship, which was not a luxury vessel but affordable, saw its per-cabin monthly fuel expenses skyrocket from an average of $1,800 to between $6,000 and $8,000 in some parts of Asia. Villa Vie Residences stated that it could not simply pass on such large increases in fuel costs to the residents and that the financial strain placed on the company had led to the current unsustainable operating model.

The company acknowledged the distressing and disruptive situation for the passengers, crew, and employees and was working to provide support and temporary living arrangements.