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Around 200 passengers who paid to live indefinitely aboard a residential cruise ship were left stranded in Cambodia after being given just seven hours' notice to vacate the vessel.
The Promise of Life at Sea
The Villa Vie Odyssey offered passengers the opportunity to buy a cabin and pay monthly fees in exchange for perpetual global travel, with cooking, cleaning, and navigation managed entirely by the crew. In one case, a couple paid US$179,000 upfront alongside approximately US$6,000 per month. The ship traveled the world for roughly two years under this arrangement.
Mounting Operational and Financial Struggles
Behind the scenes, the operator faced severe financial headwinds. Initial repairs had delayed the launch by four months, and passenger numbers peaked at around 350 despite the ship having capacity for 650 residents.
Operational costs also escalated sharply. In parts of Asia, monthly fuel expenses per cabin surged from US$1,800 to as much as US$8,000. Operational adjustments, including slowing the ship down and spending longer periods docked in ports, failed to bridge the deficit.
Sudden Notice to Vacate
During a scheduled stop in Cambodia, residents received a morning notice stating that everyone had to disembark by 2 p.m. About 200 people were abruptly forced off the ship and left to find alternative accommodations thousands of miles from home.
The operating company is currently seeking additional funding to restart operations, though there is no guarantee of when or if the voyage will resume.
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