Residential Cruise Disembarks 200+ Passengers After They Paid Thousands Of Dollars To Live Onboard

More than 200 passengers on the cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey were told to disembark in Cambodia after they had paid thousands of dollars to live on the residential cruise permanently.

The decision came after the cruise company ran out of money for fuel and faced increasing debts.

The cruise had been sailing across the world for around 762 days, during which it visited 147 countries, visited 425 plus ports and more than 100 islands.

It was one of the few vessels that offered passengers the opportunity to purchase or rent cabins onboard. Taing Sochitkrishna, head of the Sihanoukville tourism department said that approximately 100 passengers remained in Cambodia and the remaining took flights to return home or explore the region.

The guests expressed their displeasure as they were instructed to leave the ship at a short notice and many said they won’t be coming back if things change and the journey continues.

After people left the cruise ship, it departed from Sihanoukville with approximately 50 crew members. The Florida-based owner, Villa Vie Residences suspended operations last week citing rising fuel and operating costs due to the ongoing U.S-Iran war.

Issues with occupancy were also reported, affecting the company’s business model. The vessel had 200 residents out of the 650-person capacity, which made running it highly expensive and not profitable.

Most passengers spent their Tuesday unloading their stuff from the ship with one passenger, Shirine Thomas of North Carolina, saying that she wanted to take several things from the vessel, but left with only the essential ones.

Another resident on the vessel, the 67-year old Mary Ann Demsar, a retired high-school teacher from Canada said that the owners did not give clarity of the situation and the only information the passengers got was from the government and the officials in Cambodia.

The decision to halt operations has shattered the dreams of many who planned to live a quiet life at sea. One such couple were Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin who boarded the cruise in 2024.

The middle-aged couple sold their business to get a cabin for $100,000 on the ship and pay a monthly maintenance fee of about $3500.

Lanette managed her windshield-replacement firm from the vessel and they both documented their interesting life on a youtube channel for the world to see and earn from social media.

The Odyssey was built in 1993 and since then has been known by many names, the most recent being Braemar from 2001 till 2024. The ship was renamed in 2023 when Villa Vie Residences bought it and called it the Villa Vie Odyssey.

It is 195 m long and can accommodate 650 passengers. Despite her size, the ship can berth at historic ports, islands and even river ports, thanks to her design.

She features a relatively flatter hull which allows it to sail through island waterways and rivers, providing guests with unique experiences that no other cruise can offer.

The final destination of the ship is not confirmed yet and some passengers and maritime websites have predicted that it might be Singapore.