Around 200 passengers who paid to live on a cruise ship while travelling the world were abruptly left in Cambodia after the company ran out of money — but social media posts suggest there were signs the vessel was having financial troubles.
US-based operator Villa Vie Residences announced on Tuesday it was suspending operations of the Odyssey, two years after the ship set off, citing "extraordinary increases" in fuel costs following the US-Israel war with Iran.
It had been billed as an affordable, continuous voyage around the world, in which residents could buy or rent rooms for a holiday or for life, some passengers selling everything they had to pay for it.
However, residents were given just seven hours to pack their bags and leave during a scheduled stop in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on Wednesday, according to local authorities.
Passengers told reporters from the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency on Thursday they had no regrets.
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American Randy Cassingham and his wife Kit had been on the ship since it left Belfast in October 2024, spending around $1 million on the all-inclusive trip they hoped would last at least 15 years.
"It was great, for a while," he told AFP by phone from his Sihanoukville hotel.
"My wife and I really enjoy travelling. But we really hate airports and airlines. This was a way that you could unpack once, you can sleep in your own bed every night and wake up in a new place every few days."
Despite being left in Cambodia, Cassingham said he would get back onboard if the cruise restarted, saying "money aside, it was a fantastic adventure".
Operator Villa Vie said in a statement the per-cabin monthly fuel expenses had gone from an average of $1,800 to 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," it said.
Carol Larson, a 69-year-old from California, told AFP that she initially paid $120,000 for her cabin — not including monthly maintenance fees — and a voyage that was meant to last 15 years or the life of the ship.
But after just a year and a half, she and a friend were now "stranded" in Sihanoukville.
She faulted the US president and his war in the Middle East, as well as cruise management.
"I put most of the blame on Trump, but there was some probably not financially good bookkeeping," Larson said.
Still, she said, the journey was "well worth it".
"I am so blessed to have been part of the experiment of residential cruising."
But one social media user using the handle Starr travels claimed "there is more to the story than just fuel."
The 200m ship arrived from Thailand on Friday carrying 203 guests and 156 crew, according to Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province.
He said in a statement that some passengers took flights out while others remained in Sihanoukville, adding that the ship was due to refuel and leave on Saturday.
Barbara Figiel, 62, who says she has been on around 70 cruises, and her husband went aboard the Odyssey in December 2024.
"I've always said, 'Oh, when I retire, I want to live on a cruise ship,'" Figiel told AFP.
The former UN employee said she jumped at the chance to travel at a slow pace and be part of a community at sea.
But in the last four months, she said "we knew something was going wrong because they kept on asking us for more and more and more money".
"But it came to a point that how much money can you give to save a sinking ship?"
"I don't think we've been scammed," she added. "We've been given a great lifestyle, but they underestimated the costs."
Cassingham accused the company of doing "absolutely nothing" to help stranded passengers, saying they were driven into the centre of town and left without even a list of hotels.
Villa Vie did not respond to an AFP request for comment, but said in its statement it was "working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements".
Not everyone has been as understanding as Cassingham and Figiel, however.
Numerous former residents have taken to social media to express disbelief at the situation. A website, GeeksOnTour, has been maintaining a list of stranded Odyssey residents and where to find them online.
Two weeks before the ship arrived in Sihanoukville, one resident complained on Facebook about poor management by Villa Vie, calling it the "biggest cluster---k I've ever been a part of."
Others, like the Facebook page Sailing Bliss, posted updates after evictions had taken place.
"Coming to you live from Sihanoukville, Cambodia," reads a post from the page's owners, a pair of Americans named Russ and Kelly.
Sailing Bliss suggests that Villa Vie had failed to sell many of its available cabins, contributing to its woes. "The financial story is long, complicated, and probably worthy of a book. The short version involves sharply higher fuel costs, too few cabin sales, and a company that ultimately ran out of cash."
Another page, Living Life on a Cruise, posted a 14-minute YouTube video discussing the situation that's already attracted close to 300,000 views.
The video opens with a recording from within the channel owners' cabin from the day of that evictions were confirmed. A message plays over a loudspeaker. "Unfortunately, (management) were unable to secure the fuel needed to continue operations. As a result, the Odyssey will officially enter warm layup this afternoon."
'Warm layup' is a maritime term for when a ship is removed from commercial service but is kept close to a state of operational readiness.
"It seems that this financial situation is much more dire," Living Life on a Cruise channel owner Johann says. He and his wife Lynette had disembarked the ship at a routine stop to explore. An itinerary change suggested a long stretch at sea of about ten days before it would arrive in Sihanoukville. The pair decided to extend their stay onshore and meet the ship in Sihanoukville when it arrived. By the time they landed in Chiang Mai, other residents had alerted them to the situation.
"We knew there were issues, and it's been frustrating the last two months because, I mean, there's confidential information," Johann said. "So, we've felt like our arms have been tied behind our back, and we can't really talk publicly about this without damaging the situation further."
