Villa Vie Odyssey passengers have been ordered to disembark in Cambodia after the company suspended its continuous round-the-world voyage, blaming soaring fuel costs it says have been driven by conflict in the Middle East
The ship was stuck in Belfast for five months(Image: Getty)
Passengers aboard a cruise ship designed to carry on sailing forever have been told to disembark after the voyage of a lifetime was brought to an abrupt end.
On Monday morning, Villa Vie Odyssey’s journey ground to a halt in Cambodia. Randy Cassingham, one of up to 650 residents living aboard the 195m long, 24,344 gross tonnage vessel, claims that the following message appeared on passengers’ internal messaging board.
“Good morning, everyone. Unfortunately, we were unable to secure the fuel necessary to continue operations. As a result, the Odyssey will enter a temporary layup this afternoon, with crew remaining onboard to maintain the vessel and its essential systems. All residents must disembark by 2.00 PM today. For those who are unable to collect all their belongings before disembarking, please coordinate with guest services to arrange an orderly return using the shuttles, which will remain available until 6.00 PM tomorrow. This is all the information we have available at this time. We will share further updates as they become available.”
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A spokesperson for Villa Vie Residences told the Express that it has “suspended operations in Cambodia as the company works to address extraordinary increases in fuel costs and evaluate restructuring and recapitalisation alternatives”. The firm has pointed the finger at soaring fuel costs, which have rocketed since Israeli and US forces launched their bombing campaign against Iran, resulting in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a significant drop in worldwide oil supplies.
“Fuel costs have risen sharply in the regions where the company has been operating. On an equivalent per-cabin basis, monthly fuel expense that historically averaged approximately $1,800 (£1,350) has recently reached an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia. The company cannot simply pass increases of that scale on to residents, and the resulting shortfall has placed its current operating model under unsustainable financial pressure,” the spokesperson added.
“The company is working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements. Villa Vie Residences recognises that this is a difficult and disruptive period for residents, crew members, and employees, and is working to support those affected as plans develop”, reports the Express.
Villa Vie’s website promises that the vessel will call at 147 countries, docking at more than 425 ports on an endless voyage that would circle the globe every 3.5 years. “From the fiordlands of New Zealand to the temples of Southeast Asia, the spice markets of India to the shores of Sri Lanka – discover every destination on the world’s longest continuous residential voyage,” it entices.
Yet since February, the ship has been spending increasingly less time at sea. “Since the conflict began in late February, we have taken significant steps to reduce fuel consumption, including slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port. Those measures have not been enough to offset the extraordinary increase in fuel costs, and we have been unable to continue carrying the resulting operating losses. Passing the full increase on to residents is not a realistic solution. Our focus now is on supporting residents, crew, and employees while we work toward restructuring and recapitalization over the next 60 days. That work is ongoing, and no outcome is assured,” the spokesperson added.
“Villa Vie Residences continues to evaluate potential paths forward, but no financing or transaction has been finalised. The company will provide further updates as material developments occur.”
The announcement is expected to be devastating for passengers, many of whom have invested enormous sums and upended their lives to be aboard the vessel.
Back in 2023, Meredith Shay was getting ready to set sail on the Life at Sea, then heralded as the longest sailing in commercial cruise history, when she received devastating news. The operator informed passengers that it had no functioning ship, so the forthcoming sailing was scrapped.
That left hundreds of customers who had ploughed their life savings into the project and had been ready to abandon their lives on land high and dry. “I did sell my house. I put everything into storage, moved out of my apartment. I was about to sell my car. But I am not a ‘woe is me’ person. There is a song over here, ‘dust yourself off and try again’. That is what I’ve done,” she explained in 2025.
“I had a 12-hour pity party, then said, ‘okay, you’re free. Do something’. No encumbrances at all.”
Undeterred, Meredith chose to press on with her dream, signing up for the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise, which is operated by several of the same individuals behind Life at Sea.
She took the plunge despite the collapse of the Life at Sea cruise and the early setbacks that plagued the Villa Vie Odyssey. The latter was scheduled to set sail from Northern Ireland in May 2024, but problems with its rudder stocks left passengers stranded in the city for over four months.
The vessel remained docked for so long that fellow passengers Angela Harsanyi and Gian Perroni had the opportunity to meet, fall head over heels, and eventually tie the knot on the banks of Belfast’s River Lagan.
Meredith pressed ahead regardless, securing a lavish eighth-floor suite for five years at a cost of $159,000, with monthly homeowner fees of $7,999, bringing the overall total to approximately $630,000.