More Than 200 Passengers of Luxury Cruise Stranded in Cambodia as Fuel Costs Soar
They paid up to $440,000 to live aboard and circle the globe. A fuel price spike changed everything, forcing them off the ship in seven hours.
Key points
- About 200 passengers were left stranded at the port of Sihanoukville, Cambodia.
- Florida-based Villa Vie Residences suspended the Odyssey's voyages.
- Residents had just seven hours to disembark.
- Monthly fuel costs per cabin rose from $1,800 to between $6,000 and $8,000 in some parts of Asia.
The Villa Vie Odyssey, a cruise ship that was circling the globe with residents who paid to live on board, has stopped sailing in Cambodia. The operator, Villa Vie Residences, announced the immediate suspension of voyages and ordered passengers to disembark within just seven hours.
According to the Associated Press, the Bahamas-flagged ship had been at sea for 755 days since departing Belfast, Northern Ireland, in October 2024. Residents could buy or lease cabins, with prices ranging from about $120,000 for basic staterooms to $440,000 for villa-style suites.
The company blamed the crisis on rising fuel costs caused by the war in Iran. According to the firm, the monthly expense per cabin jumped from an average of $1,800 to an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in certain parts of Asia. Villa Vie Residences said it could not pass an increase of that magnitude on to residents, and that the shortfall put its financial model under unsustainable pressure. It tried to cut consumption by slowing the ship and extending port stays, but that was not enough.
In Cambodia, the deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province, Long Dimanche, reported that 203 travelers, mostly Americans, and 156 crew members arrived at the port on October 23. According to him, the sudden order left retirees and remote workers without a home, far from their countries. Some took departure flights, while others remained in the town without knowing what will happen to them.
The company said it will seek to restructure and recapitalize within 60 days, although it acknowledged that it has not yet secured any financing. One passenger, Randy Cassingham, said he and his wife paid nearly $1 million and that the departure from Belfast had been delayed by four months. Those affected say the shipping company has not provided them any support.