They Paid for a Home for Life at Sea. Then They Got 7 Hours to Leave.
Cambodia CountryThailand CountryVietnam CountryRoyal Caribbean Cruise LineOdyssey of the Seas Cruise Ship
Watch next: https://youtu.be/NH6dPRTBeMM Residents of the Villa Vie Odyssey paid for a home for life on a cruise ship. On Monday, Oct 26, 2026, in Cambodia, they were told to get off in about seven hours. Lifetime suites on the ship started around $230,000, according to AP. About 200 residents were on board when the ship stopped in Cambodia. AP counts 203 passengers from 15 countries and 156 crew. The ship had arrived from Thailand on Oct 23 and was due to sail on to Vietnam. Its world itinerary had been planned to run into November 2027. Now Villa Vie Residences says it is suspending operations and laying up the ship. The company's side: Villa Vie says fuel costs exploded. In its Oct 27 statement it says the monthly fuel cost per cabin went from about $1,800 to $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia, and that passing that cost on to residents is "not a realistic solution." It says it will try to restructure and recapitalize over the next 60 days and that "no outcome is assured." The residents' side: residents say the company had already asked them for more money, about $360,000 extra for fuel, according to sources on board quoted by Cruise Industry News. One resident told AFP the company did "absolutely nothing to help." What we do not know yet: no refund or compensation terms have been reported. We will update if Villa Vie announces any. This is the Villa Vie Odyssey (the former Fred. Olsen ship Braemar), not Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas. So who should eat the fuel bill: the company, or the residents? Tell me in the comments. Sources: Villa Vie Residences statement (PR Newswire, Oct 27): https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/villa-vie-residences-suspends-operations-in-cambodia-as-it-pursues-restructuring-and-recapitalization-302920622.html AP: https://apnews.com/article/us-cambodia-cruise-ship-fuel-88fa620415d8e490cbe5a25ca5cb0691 CNA / AFP: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/200-life-cruise-passengers-stranded-cambodia-6498741 Cruise Industry News: https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2026/10/villa-vie-residential-ship-enters-lay-up-due-to-financial-issues/ The $360,000 figure is reported by Cruise Industry News from sources on board and has not been confirmed by Villa Vie. "About seven hours" is the time given by a Cambodian provincial official. Photos of the ship are from 2024 and 2025; other footage is illustrative and does not show residents of this ship. Photos (Wikimedia Commons): "MS Villa Vie Odyssey" photos by JerickVillaruel, CC BY SA 4.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MS_Villa_Vie_Odyssey.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MS_Villa_Vie_Odyssey_2.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MS_Villa_Vie_Odyssey_4.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MS_Villa_Vie_Odyssey_6.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MS_Villa_Vie_Odyssey_10.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MS_Villa_Vie_Odyssey_13.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MS_Villa_Vie_Odyssey_16.jpg License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ "VV Odyssey 2024" by Johnadams11, CC0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VV_Odyssey_2024.jpg Video: Storyblocks. Music: "Background News" by MiroMaxMusic (Pixabay): https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-background-news-438895/ Narration uses an AI voice. #cruise #villavie #cruisenews