Passengers aboard the residential cruise ship Odyssey were reportedly given just seven hours to pack their belongings and disembark, bringing their planned three-year voyage to an abrupt end nearly a year early.
Golden Page News October 30, 2026 —
SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia — What was supposed to be a three-year journey around the world has turned into an unexpected travel crisis for approximately 200 passengers aboard the residential cruise ship Odyssey, after they were ordered to leave the vessel during a stopover in Cambodia.
The passengers, who had purchased or rented cabins to live aboard the ship while travelling internationally, were reportedly given just seven hours to pack their belongings and disembark at the port of Sihanoukville.
The development was confirmed on Wednesday, October 28, by Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Cambodia’s Preah Sihanouk province. According to the local official, 203 passengers and 156 crew members were aboard the Bahamas-flagged vessel when it arrived from Thailand on October 23. The ship had been scheduled to continue its journey to Vietnam.
Instead, passengers found themselves suddenly without the accommodation and travel arrangements they had expected to have for the next year.
Fuel costs put cruise operator under financial pressure
The American company operating the vessel, Villa Vie Residences, announced on Tuesday that it had suspended its operations in Cambodia while attempting to manage what it described as exceptional increases in fuel costs linked to the war in Iran.
In a statement, the company explained that the monthly fuel expense per cabin had risen dramatically, from an average of approximately $1,800 to an estimated $6,000–$8,000.
Villa Vie said it could not simply transfer such a substantial increase in operating costs to its residents. The resulting financial shortfall, it explained, had placed its existing business model under what it called “unsustainable financial pressure”.
The company said it was working with residents to coordinate their disembarkation and identify temporary accommodation arrangements.
Some passengers reportedly moved into hotels in Sihanoukville, while others had already arranged flights to return to their home countries.
A three-year dream interrupted
The Odyssey, a residential cruise ship measuring almost 200 metres in length, departed Northern Ireland in October 2024.
Its business model was built around offering customers the opportunity to purchase or rent cabins and spend an extended period travelling around the world. For some residents, the vessel was intended to be more than a holiday cruise: it was supposed to be their home for three years.
However, the journey had encountered difficulties even before its departure.
Passenger Randy Cassingham, who maintains a blog about cruise travel, described the latest developments in a post titled “Abandon Ship!”. He referred to what he called a “cascade of prob
