Cruise ship halts global trip as fuel bills triple

Villa Vie Residences stopped its Odyssey cruise ship in Cambodia this week because fuel prices rose too high to continue the voyage. The Florida-based company operates a residential ship that departed two years ago on a three-year tour of the seven continents. The vessel was meant to offer long-term living at sea while traveling the globe.

The company explained that monthly fuel costs per cabin, which usually averaged $1,800, recently jumped to an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia. This spike occurred during the war in Iran. Villa Vie tried to lower fuel usage by slowing the itinerary and staying longer in port, but those steps did not cut costs enough to balance the books.

“We have been unable to continue carrying the resulting operating losses,” the company said. “Passing the full increase on to residents is not a realistic solution. Our focus now is on supporting residents, crew, and employees” while it works to restructure.

Sihanoukville Autonomous Port announced last week that the ship docked on Oct. 23 for a five-day visit. The Odyssey was originally scheduled to travel to Vietnam, but it stayed in the port through Wednesday. The vessel carried 203 passengers from 15 nationalities, most of whom were American, along with 156 crew members. The ship has space for 650 residents.

Passengers received the order to leave the ship. The status of the 156 crew members remains unclear. The Odyssey had a confirmed itinerary that ran into November 2027. The company had planned a second residential cruise ship for early 2029, but its statement about the suspension did not mention that future project.