Passengers Told to Disembark as Villa Vie Residences Suspends Operations

After passing the two-year mark at the beginning of the month, Villa Vie Residences has now informed all the passengers on the “endless cruise” to disembark immediately from the cruise ship Odyssey while it is docked in Cambodia. The company in its official statement is blaming skyrocketing fuel costs while saying it is evaluating restructuring and recapitalization alternatives.

Villa Vie Residences began in 2024, promoting a residential model aboard an older cruise ship. The ship, which was built in Spain in 1993, had gone through multiple owners and names before sailing from 2001 to the COVID-19 pandemic operated by the UK-based Fred. Olsen Cruises as the Braemar. Fred. Olsen had enlarged the ship to its current size of 24,344 gross tons with accommodations for over 900 passengers, but did not return the ship to service after the pandemic, and it was acquired by Villa Vie after four years of layup.

The world cruise finally got underway in October 2024 after long delays during the refurbishment of the cruise ship in Belfast. Plans called for the voyage to run for 3.5 years with over 425 destinations. Odyssey was due to end the first cruise in November 2027, with a second tenative voyage running to August 2030. The company was also promoting options to transfer to a long-promised second ship.

This story was originally published by The Maritime Executive. Read the full story at The Maritime Executive →