Florida-based Villa Vie Residences suspended voyages of its ship Odyssey on Tuesday, citing “extraordinary” fuel costs. The ship docked at the port of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, with 203 passengers, most of them Americans, and 156 crew members.
Odyssey arrived in Cambodia on Oct. 23. It was meant to be a five-day stop before the ship continued to Vietnam. According to passengers, they had only seven hours on Tuesday to leave the ship and had to arrange their own lodging. The company says it is helping residents find temporary accommodations in Cambodia.
The company says the monthly fuel cost per cabin, which usually ran about $1,800, rose in parts of Asia to an estimated $6,000 to $8,000. Slowing the voyage and making longer port stops did not offset the price increase. The company said it could not pass increases of that size on to residents.
Odyssey set out on a continuous round-the-world voyage in October 2024. Passengers could rent, buy or purchase cabins through a rent-to-own plan. Cabins with permanent residency rights reportedly cost from about $130,000 to $440,000, and monthly fees ranged from $2,000 to $10,000. The voyage was planned to last three and a half years.
The operator is considering a restructuring and recapitalization while coordinating passengers’ disembarkation. The company warned that the outcome of those efforts could be unfavorable. It did not say when, or whether, the cruises will resume. The sources also do not explain how passengers are to get home or whether they will receive refunds.
Source: Local 10
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Source: Słoneczne Radio
