‘I am not giving up’: Passengers speak out after luxury cruise ship promising a ‘new way to live’ leaves them stranded in Cambodia

Ultra luxury cruise ship passengers on a year-long voyage around the world have spoken out after the residential ship abruptly halted operation and was ordered to disembark in Cambodia. The Florida-based operator, Villa Vie Residences, gave the 200 passengers of the ship, ‘Odyssey a few hours’ notice to deboard when it was docked in the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville, a once calm beach town that has mainstreamed recently for Chinese casinos and scam centers, The New York Times and BBC reported.

The start-up said in a news release that it had taken “significant steps to reduce fuel consumption, including slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port.” But these steps were insufficient to “offset the extraordinary increase in fuel costs,” poinitng towards Iran war started this February.

“Passing the full increase on to residents is not a realistic solution,” the statement continued. The next two months' plan for the struggling company is ‘restructuring and recapitalization,” though “no outcome is assured.”



Holly Hennessey, a passenger, told the BBC that she is hopeful that someday Odyssey will set sail again and decided to explore around Cambodia. “Until they say we are done - done done - I am not giving up. I could never duplicate this lifestyle. The idea of going home? It would be so trite,” she further said to the outlet.

“Cambodia's not the worst place to hang out,” she added. As per Holly, some people like her decided to disembark and travel on land.

A couple, Canen and Bodin, said to the BBC that the short-term experience was “worth it.” As per Villa Vie Residences’ website, the ship that is “offering a new way to live” started to sail from Northern Ireland’s Belfast on October 3, 2024, and “hasn't stopped since.”

“We loved our two years on Odyssey—the adventures, the places we visited and the friends we made along the way,” they said, who have plans to spend a few days in Sihanoukville, before traveling to different parts of South East Asia.

The passengers had access to several bars and restaurants, a pool deck, and a pickleball court during their time onboard on the ship, as per the Villa Vie Odyssey’s website. A

Permanent residencies in its cabins reportedly cost around $120,000 to $440,000, and on a rental basis, it starts from around $3,500 a month.

A rental resident, Pamela Reckamp, who was on board with her husband, told NBC that she suspected the voyage could end soon after similar fuel issues appeared when they were in Vietnam in September.