A company that promised a ‘never-ending’ cruise around the world has abruptly suspended operations, asking long-term passengers to disembark on short notice. Villa Vie Residences, which operates the residential cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey, blamed rising fuel costs for the cessation of operations.
The Florida-based company announced on Tuesday, October 27 that it had ceased operations near Cambodia. “Extraordinary fuel costs have made its current operating model extremely challenging,” it said in a press release.
(Also read: World's first 'perpetual cruise' offers a life at sea and travel across 400 destinations)
Residents asked to disembark
Villa Vie Residences prominently advertises itself as the “first continual world cruise”. On its cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey, people could purchase cabins to live in full-time. The cost of cabins ranged from $119,999 to $439,999. The vessel set sail for the first time in September 2024, according to CNN.
For many of its residents, living on the ship permanently was part of their retirement plan — a plan that faced an unexpected roadblock yesterday.
{{/usCountry}}For many of its residents, living on the ship permanently was part of their retirement plan — a plan that faced an unexpected roadblock yesterday.
{{/usCountry}}Randy Cassingham, one of the residents onboard Odyssey, claimed that passengers were given seven hours to disembark near Cambodia.
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Cassingham, author of the blog residentialcruising.com, said that Villa Vie CEO Kathy Villaba sent residents a message at 7:08 am on October 26, telling them they had to disembark by 2 pm.
“Good morning, everyone, Unfortunately, we were unable to secure the fuel necessary to continue operations. As a result, the Odyssey will enter a temporary layup this afternoon, with crew remaining onboard to maintain the vessel and its essential systems,” Villaba’s message read. “All residents must disembark by 2:00 PM today.”
Cassingham noted how the CEO’s message lacked even an apology, and said that several problems had cropped up during the sail.
In its press release, Villa Vie said that “it is working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements”.
Rising fuel costs to blame
The company claimed that earlier, monthly fuel expenses averaged approximately $1,800 per cabin. However, recent rise in fuel prices had shot the price up to $6,000–$8,000 in parts of Asia.
Villa Vie specifically highlighted the United States-Iran war that had led to skyrocketing fuel prices. The cruise ship operator said it could no longer afford to work at a loss.
“Since the conflict began in late February, we have taken significant steps to reduce fuel consumption, including slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port. Those measures have not been enough to offset the extraordinary increase in fuel costs, and we have been unable to continue carrying the resulting operating losses,” the company said.