Villa Vie Odyssey suspends round-the-world voyage, leaving residents in Sihanoukville

A luxury cruise ship on a years-long voyage around the world has suspended operations because of extraordinarily high fuel costs, leaving its passengers stranded in Cambodia. The US-based operator of the Villa Vie Odyssey said it was working with those on board on disembarkation plans and temporary living arrangements. It is unclear how many were aboard, though the vessel, nearly 200 metres long, can carry up to 650 passengers. It departed Belfast in October 2024 on what was billed as a continuous voyage around the world.

Global fuel prices have soared since the war with Iran began earlier this year. The operator said the monthly fuel cost per cabin in parts of Asia had risen to as much as $8,000 from $1,800. Villa Vie Residences said it had taken significant steps to reduce consumption, including slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port, but those measures proved insufficient to offset the extraordinary increase. "Passing the full increase on to residents is not a realistic solution," it said. The company will spend the next 60 days on restructuring and recapitalisation, though it warned that no outcome is assured.

Around 200 passengers were reportedly on board when they were ordered to disembark in the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville, a once sleepy beach town that has gained global notoriety in recent years as a hub for Chinese casinos and scam centres. The Odyssey's voyage was expected to span three and a half years and cover nearly 150 countries, according to its website. Its departure had already faced delays as the ship underwent repairs, leaving passengers stranded in Belfast for months and costing the company millions of pounds. The vessel was more than 750 days into its circumnavigation when the suspension was announced on Tuesday.

Passengers Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin told the BBC they were informed by the company's chief executive at 6am on Tuesday that they had to leave by 2pm the same day. The couple said passengers had known for some time about the company's financial difficulties. A potential investor had come aboard to carry out due diligence, but in the end it came to nothing. "Even then, we were still hoping a miracle investor would come through," they said. "Although there were signs that this would happen, we still felt disbelief when it became real. We were heartbroken. It felt like our dream had been crushed." They added: "There have been a lot of hugs and tears as residents support one another and process what has happened."

Another passenger, Holly Hennessey, said those on board had earlier been asked to consider paying a fuel surcharge as global prices soared, and that their itinerary had been severely curtailed. Some people decided to disembark and travel on land, she said. "It was not on my bingo card of places where I'd be spending a lot of time," Hennessey told the BBC from Cambodia. "We're all in different hotels; there are a number of shipmates in the hotel that I'm in. We're just waiting." Canen and Bodin said Cambodia was a difficult place to disembark because of the distance to a major international airport.

During their time on the Odyssey, passengers had access to several bars and restaurants, a pool deck and a pickleball court, according to its website. Permanent residencies in its cabins ranged from $120,000 to $440,000, and the cabins were also available to rent from $3,500 a month. Last year the company launched a lifetime residence programme for people to spend their retirement years at sea. In 2024, days after President Donald Trump won his second term, Villa Vie Residences announced a four-year "Skip Forward" package; its chief executive told Fox Business at the time that it was the perfect product for those who said they would leave the country if the election went a certain way.

For Canen and Bodin the experience was worth it, despite proving shorter than expected. "We loved our two years on Odyssey — the adventures, the places we visited and the friends we made along the way." Many passengers have already made plans to settle together off the ship, so those friendships and that sense of community continue on land, they said. The couple plans to spend a few days in Sihanoukville before travelling to different parts of South East Asia while they figure out their next chapter. Others, like Hennessey, have decided to stay in Cambodia in the hope that the Odyssey will set sail again soon. "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 said.