Rising fuel bills halt the MV Odyssey’s three-year voyage

Villa Vie Residences sold a life at sea: a cabin as a permanent home, with a three-year itinerary around the world. Now the MV Odyssey is stranded in Cambodia, and hundreds of passengers have been told to leave. The ship’s suspension is more than a fuel-price story. It exposes how fragile the economics of residential cruising can be when residents are buying years of life aboard, not just a holiday.

The Florida-based operator said fuel costs per cabin, once about $2,527 Cdn a month, have climbed to an estimated $8,425 to $11,234 in parts of Asia. The company linked the increase to the war in Iran and said it tried slowing the itinerary and spending longer in port to burn less fuel. It still couldn’t cover the operating losses. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been curtailed since the Iran war began, tightening supplies of petroleum-based fuels and pushing prices higher, particularly in Southeast Asia.

A costly promise of life at sea

The Odyssey set out from Belfast in October 2024, after a refit, on a voyage originally planned to last three and a half years. It had been marketed as a journey across seven continents and a way to make the ship your home. Suite prices began at about US$230,000, or roughly $323,000 Cdn, for the lifetime of the vessel.

Built in 1993, the ship had sailed under several cruise lines before the COVID-19 pandemic left it idle in 2020. Villa Vie bought it in 2023. The company had tentatively planned a second cruise ending in August 2030. That timeline now looks uncertain: the ship is docked at Sihanoukville, on the Gulf of Thailand, with no confirmed departure date.

There were 203 passengers aboard, most of them Americans, and 156 crew members, Cambodian officials said. The vessel can carry 650 passengers. Villa Vie said it could not keep absorbing the higher costs and that passing them all on to residents wasn’t realistic. It said it was working with residents on disembarkation and temporary accommodation while it tries to restructure.

Passengers described a much less orderly exit. They said they had seven hours’ notice to disembark on Tuesday and received no support in making their own arrangements. Some are hoping another company will take over and keep the residential cruise going.

Passengers point to problems beyond fuel

Paul and Lynn Montoya, a retired couple from Wyoming, boarded in Panama 17 months ago and bought a window cabin. Paul said residential cruising was an appealing idea, but questioned whether the ship’s owner had the experience to make it financially sustainable. He said itinerary changes, unreliable internet and declining food quality had prompted residents to leave in recent months.

Lynn said passengers were repeatedly asked to contribute more for fuel and other expenses, including a new request to raise money to get the ship out of Cambodia. She also said crew members had gone unpaid. “We were tired of every two to four weeks being asked for money for fuel, money for everything,” she said. “We had hopes but they just kept sinking further and further into the hole through mismanagement.” Villa Vie could not immediately be reached for comment.

Some residents still see the experience as worth the risk

For Carol Larson, 69, and her sister Crystal Lavering, 72, the shutdown is heartbreaking. The California sisters lived in separate cabins for 18 months and hope the cruise can be revived. Larson wants residents to have a chance to buy the ship. “It’s a dream to live on the ship and I don’t want it to end,” she said.

Lavering said her health improved during the voyage and she no longer needed a cane to walk. “You come to this ship to live … it’s just sad that it’s all over.”

Larson paid $168,000 Cdn for her cabin in installments, plus monthly maintenance fees. Her plan offered the possibility of living aboard for up to 15 years. She blamed President Donald Trump for the fuel spike tied to the Iran war, as well as poor management, but said she didn’t regret taking the chance. “From the very first day, I said to myself that if it lasts a year, I can walk away and feel like I got my money’s worth,” she said. “I still feel that way. I feel blessed to have been part of the experiment of residential cruising.”

The ship’s next departure remains unclear

The Odyssey reached Sihanoukville last Friday and was scheduled to leave Wednesday, according to Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province. Dimanche said the ship was expected to refuel and depart Saturday. The operator has not publicly confirmed that date.

The story also reflects a broader problem for long-term travel plans: residents may accept the risks of a startup, but they still depend on the operator to keep the ship running, pay the crew and explain what happens when costs surge. The residents’ accounts suggest those strains may have been building before the fuel shock made the voyage impossible to sustain.

WATCH | Cruise ship to Bahamas rerouted to Halifax:

Related coverage

If you’re following cruise travel in Canada, these two stories offer useful context: one follows a Bermuda cruise rerouted to Saint John, New Brunswick, where passengers were advised to pack layers; the other reports that Vancouver recorded a record number of cruise ship passenger visits in 2026 and expects growth next year.

• Their Bermuda cruise was rerouted to New Brunswick. They were told to pack layers
• Vancouver sees record-setting number of cruise ship passenger visits in 2026, expects growth next year

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