‘Never-ending cruise’ sets sail again, leaving stranded passengers behind
A residential cruise ship on a “never-ending” voyage that ran out of fuel last month has once again set sail, but without any of its passengers.
The stranded cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey had been docked in Cambodia after asking its 203 passengers to disembark with just a few hours’ notice. It has now set sail again with only around 50 crew members on board.
The Odyssey, which has been at sea since October 2024, is not like a typical cruise liner. AP
Head of the Sihanoukville tourism department confirmed the ship’s departure on Wednesday, and said around 100 passengers still remained in Cambodia, per Reuters.
The ship’s final destination is as yet unconfirmed. But some passengers and maritime tracking websites indicated the ship is now bound for Singapore.
Passengers took their belongings off the boat on Tuesday, with some telling Reuters they did not anticipate coming back.
“There are still many things on the ship that I wish I could take with me,” Shirine Thomas, from Wilmington, North Carolina, told the outlet.
The Odyssey is a residential vessel where passengers bought cabins and lived on the ship full-time. A five-year cabin ownership starts at around $87,000, and full ownership prices start at $145,000.
Fuel for ships, just like for aircraft, has become expensive due to the Middle East war, and the Florida-based company said it was now too pricey to continue.
“Fuel costs have risen sharply in the regions where the company has been operating,” they said in a statement.
A five-year cabin ownership on the ship starts at around $87K. Nine
“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.”
Brisbane passenger Rina Cavazza is one of the 200 passengers now left scrambling to find accommodation and make arrangements to get home.
“It’s been a sad time for many,” she told the ABC.
The Pilates instructor paid $170,000 to live aboard the Odyssey and said she still had 18 months remaining on her voyage.
“Some people paid hundreds of thousands of dollars extra to help out with fuel,” she said.
Some reports suggest the cruise ship’s lender has now taken control of the vessel, with suggestions it will be auctioned off once it arrives in Singapore.
The ship first welcomed guests in 2024, but was stuck in Belfast in Northern Ireland for months due to technical issues.
It finally set out on a loop around the world, and planned to visit 425 ports in 147 countries over the next three-and-a-half years, before starting the voyage again.
