A couple who were on the “endless” Villa Vie Odyssey cruise say they spent around $1 million on it, and expected it to last at least 15 years.
On October 27, more than 200 passengers were told to get off the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise at the port of Sihanoukville, Cambodia. The cruise operators blamed rising fuel costs for putting the three-year-long cruise in a “temporary layup,” but that left some passengers dismayed.
Some had sold their homes to afford “permanent” residency aboard the ships, with the Odyssey’s “residential” cruise set to last well into 2027 before passengers could join another ship.
According to Randy Cassingham, who has been blogging his experience aboard the ship, the company has done “absolutely nothing to help” stranded passengers.
Cruise passengers speak out after being kicked off in Cambodia
Speaking to AFP, Cassingham said that the cruise was “great, for a while,” noting that he and his wife, Kit, had spent around $1 million in total travelling on the Odyssey. They also hoped it would last for 15 years.
“My wife and I really enjoy travelling. But we really hate airports and airlines. This was a way that you could unpack once, you can sleep in your own bed every night and wake up in a new place every few days,” he added.
Cassingham told the outlet that “money aside, it was a fantastic adventure” for the couple. They previously said that they plan to travel to Thailand, where Randy has been seeing doctors for cancer treatment.
Villa Vie ResidencesAs noted, Villa Vie Residences blamed rising fuel costs for scrapping the cruise. They said that “passing the full increase on to residents is not a realistic solution” after noting that costs have jumped from around $1,800 per cabin, per month, to over $8,000.
YouTubers Living Life On A Cruise also had residency aboard the ship and said the last few months have been “emotionally exhausting” due to a “tense” split between some residents and crew.
It remains to be seen if the cruises will run again, or if they will be stopped for good, seeing as they planned for a second residential cruise ship to enter service in early 2029.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
