Passengers on endless cruise told to abandon ship in Cambodia after it allegedly runs low on fuel

If you’re a die-hard fan of cruise ship vacations, why not stay on one forever? That was the hook for the Villa Vie Odyssey, whose site promised prospective passengers “a new way to live.” Starting at ‘just’ $60k you could purchase a “permanent residency” cabin that would be your “cozy abode on the sea.”

Unfortunately, this dream has reportedly run aground on the rocks of financial reality. According to a letter sent to residents on board by CEO Kathy Villabe (quoted on Residentialcruising.com), the company has been “unable to secure the fuel necessary to continue operations.” As such, all residents must disembark in Cambodia (along with their belongings) for what’s described as a “temporary layup.”

That site’s writer, Randy Cassingham, says he’s a passenger on the Villa Vie Odyssey, who apparently holds out little hope that they’re going to take to the waves anytime soon. He says he and his fellow passengers “hold out little hope, at least in the short run.”

“We’ve been well aware of problems”

Cassingham goes on to underline that this wasn’t exactly unexpected and those on board were well aware that all wasn’t well below deck: “We’ve been well aware of problems. I won’t go into those here: I need time to digest, and write, about “what happened,” but there is no one thing: it was a cascade of problems piling up on one another, from the business model to mistakes by management to the mentioned crisis in fuel cost and availability, and more.”

In the comments, Cassingham also clarified that the ship literally does not have enough fuel in the tank to travel out of Cambodia: “We did arrive here with the required fuel buffer. The problem is, there was not enough fuel to get anywhere else safely, so they couldn’t sail away.” He also replied to a comment advising him and his fellow passengers to sue the company for breach of contract, saying, “I don’t have the energy to go after someone with no money.”

Cruise Industry News has a few more details about the ship’s plight, claiming that the company approached residents to ask for $360k in gas money and that in April they’d offered those on board an “Emergency Loan Investment Opportunity,” hoping to raise $3 million in funding they’d pay back once they returned to profitability.

But, as of writing, it appears the “endless” cruise has come to an end. Those on board are now faced with finding accommodation for themselves and their possessions in Cambodia as they decide whether to wait in hope that the company might be thrown a financial lifeline, or simply give up and return to the United States.