Residential cruise suspended: Fuel costs halt Odyssey voyage in Cambodia

A U.S. residential cruise ship that sold lifetime suites as floating homes docked in Cambodia this week after its operator halted an around-the-world voyage, citing fuel expenses. The MV Odyssey arrived in Sihanoukville last Friday and was scheduled to depart Wednesday, but the Florida-based Villa Vie Residences instead began coordinating disembarkation for its 203 passengers, mostly Americans, according to Cambodian officials. The ship also carries 156 crew members and has capacity for 650.

The operator said monthly fuel expenses per cabin that had historically averaged $1,800 reached an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia. Villa Vie Residences attributed the rise to the war in Iran, which has curtailed traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and squeezed supplies of petroleum-based fuels, especially in Southeast Asia. The company said slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port did not offset the costs.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Villa Vie Residences said it had been unable to continue carrying the operating losses and that passing the full increase to residents was not a realistic solution. The company said it is working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements. Passengers said they received seven hours' notice on Tuesday to leave the ship and had to arrange housing themselves.

The Odyssey set sail from Belfast, Northern Ireland, in October 2024 on a voyage marketed as combining long-term living at sea with global travel. Suite prices started around $230,000 for the lifetime of the vessel. The ship was built in 1993 and operated under different names by several cruise lines before the coronavirus pandemic halted operations in 2020. Villa Vie Residences acquired it in 2023. The current cruise was originally intended to last three and a half years.

Paul and Lynn Montoya, a retired couple from Wyoming, boarded the ship 17 months ago in Panama. Lynn Montoya said residents were repeatedly asked for additional money for fuel and other expenses, and that crew members were not paid. Carol Larson bought her cabin for $120,000 in installments, plus monthly maintenance fees, under a plan that promised the possibility of living aboard for up to 15 years.

Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province, said the ship is now expected to refuel and depart Cambodia on Saturday, though the operator has not publicly confirmed a date. The Odyssey is docked at Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand with no certain departure date. In February 2020, the MS Westerdam was allowed to dock in Sihanoukville after being turned away at five ports over COVID-19 fears; it carried 1,455 passengers, more than 600 of them American citizens.