The US-based operator blames the ongoing fuel crisis for abruptly stranding hundreds of passengers in Cambodia.<\/p>\n
“This was going to be my trip of a lifetime,” Ms McKay said.<\/p>\n
“I don’t have that money to waste and lose. It’s just been devastating, absolutely devastating.”<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, more than 200 passengers were told to pack their bags during a scheduled stop in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville, with the company no longer able to cover the costs of operating the cruise.<\/p>\n
The US ship set sail from Belfast in 2024 on a three-and-a-half year round-the-world voyage, promising residents visits to 425 destinations across 147 countries.<\/p>\n
“Extraordinary increases in fuel costs have placed our current operating model under unsustainable financial pressure,” Villa Vie Residences said in a statement.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dbd5e9b686ed7e718c726f14920e08ef.jpeg\")
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Brisbane passenger Rina Cavazza is among those left scrambling to find accommodation and make arrangements to leave Cambodia. (Supplied: Risa Cavazza)<\/p>\n
Brisbane passenger Rina Cavazza is among those left scrambling to find accommodation and make arrangements to leave Cambodia after being forced off the ship.<\/p>\n
Ms Cavazza, who paid $170,000 to live aboard the Odyssey, still had 18 months remaining on her voyage when passengers were told to disembark.<\/p>\n
She is now staying in a local hotel and is making arrangements to return to Brisbane.<\/p>\n
“It’s been a sad time for many,” Ms Cavazza said.<\/p>\n
“We have had no word and no idea what is happening. I just know that this is our last day of access to the ship and I’ll have one opportunity to go back and collect my belongings.”<\/p>\n
Questions about finances<\/p>\n
The bulk of passengers onboard the Florida-based ship were from the US and Canada, according to the Cambodian government.<\/p>\n
Some had sold their homes to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the years-long cruise, marketed as an alternative to retirement options.<\/p>\n
Ms Cavazza said passengers were asked for funds to help pay for fuel, as far back as February and again, just before docking in Cambodia.<\/p>\n
“Some people paid hundreds of thousands of dollars extra to help out with fuel,” Ms Cavazza said.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/8ca20a276f90e810d5b458f33c932367.jpeg\")
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Brisbane passenger Rina Cavazza’s cabin. She has today to pack her things and leave the ship.\u00a0 (Supplied: Rina Cavazza)<\/p>\n
Ms McKay, a former Brisbane school teacher, said she used her superannuation to pay for the trip via a direct bank transfer, and was due to board in Kuala Lumpur on November 15.<\/p>\n
She said she had concerns about the company’s finances after reading negative comments online and raised them with a booking agent, before paying.<\/p>\n
In messages seen by the ABC, the booking agent said she “wouldn’t be working for them if [she] thought they were in trouble” and that if the ship could no longer operate, the “company would arrange another ship”.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/3bb9c452815a3b40a1c48e8b71451da4.jpeg\")
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Lisa McKay paid more than $63,000 for a dream cruise for her retirement. (Supplied: Lisa McKay)<\/p>\n
“My chances of getting my money back [are] very, very slim,” Ms McKay said.<\/p>\n
“Travel insurance doesn’t cover boutique ships.”<\/p>\n
Sign of things to come<\/p>\n
In a statement, Villa Vie Residences said monthly fuel costs per cabin had averaged about $US1,800 but were now $US6,000 to $US8,000 in parts of Asia, due to the ongoing war in Iran.<\/p>\n
“The company cannot simply pass increases of that scale on to residents, and the resulting shortfall has placed its current operating model under unsustainable financial pressure,” it said.<\/p>\n
It is not the only cruise company feeling the fuel crunch.<\/p>\n
The world’s largest cruise operator, Carnival Corporation, said higher fuel prices had added about $US150 million to its 2026 outlook.<\/p>\n