Luxury Cruise Dream Unravels as Ship Forces Passengers Ashore

After disembarking more than 200 passengers who had paid tens of thousands of dollars to live on board for years, the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship departed Cambodia early on Wednesday.

Last week, the vessel's owner, Florida-based Villa Vie Residences, suspended operations and forced passengers off the ship at the port town of Sihanoukville, saying ‌fuel price increases from the Iran war had made operations prohibitively expensive.

The ship left with no passengers and around 50 crew, according to Taing Sochitkrishna, head of the Sihanoukville tourism department. He said around 100 passengers remained in Cambodia, while the others largely flew to other destinations in the region.

Passengers unloaded their last belongings from the vessel on Tuesday, and many said they did not expect to return to the ship.

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