Posted on 10/28/2026 6:22:19 AM PDT by yesthatjallen
A residential cruise ship halted operations in Cambodia on Tuesday amid soaring fuel costs, leaving passengers in limbo after the U.S. company that operates it ordered them to disembark.
Florida-based Villa Vie Residences said in a news release that it was working to identify “temporary living arrangements” for people aboard The Odyssey, a 642-foot cruise ship that launched from Belfast, Northern Ireland, three years ago and promised passengers “an unparalleled lifestyle of luxury and exploration” as it toured the planet.
Cabins on The Odyssey were for sale or rent.
According to the company, the ship can accommodate 650 residents. A Cambodian official said Wednesday there were 203 passengers and 156 crew members on the ship. Some passengers had already departed on flights, while others were waiting in the port city of Sihanoukville, Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk Province, told media.
SNIP
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
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LOL. It took Odysseus 10 years to get home when his ship was diverted.
Should have booked Carnival....................
Should have bought a darn house on the beach.
The Pina Colada Song comes to mind.................
I have seen many horror stories about this practice so proceed with caution. Besides, it takes a special kind of desire to want to live in an enclosed space for life. Move to the Villages, your chance of happiness is about the same although the financial risk is greater.
It’s a holiday in Cambodia
It’s tough, kid, but it’s life
It’s a holiday in Cambodia
Don’t forget to pack a wife
If you like Pina Coladas
Getting dumped in Cambodia
And you’re taller than Yoda
If you like running jn the jungle
From drug cartel lords
I have just the vacation for you
It’s all you can afford
There are currently two primary cruise ships in active service that sell or rent cabins for permanent
or long-term residential living, with additional luxury residential ships planned or launching soon.
• The World (MS The World):
• Type: Ultra-luxury private residential yacht.
• Cabins: Features 165 private residences (from studios to 3-bedroom homes and 50% partnerships).
• Details: Owners must meet high net-worth criteria, buy properties (often millions of dollars), and vote on the global itinerary.
• Villa Vie Odyssey (Villa Vie Residences):
• Type: More accessible residential cruise ship.
• Cabins: Offers ownership (starting around $60,000 to $100,000+ depending on terms or up to $350,000+ for balconies) plus flexible rentals or rent-to-own programs from around $3,499 per month.
• Details: Includes meals, housekeeping, and Starlink internet, with a second ship (Villa Vie Legacy) announced for the future.
Upcoming Projects
• Other luxury residential cruise concepts and companies—such as Storylines (the MV Narrative) and Crescent Seas—are developing or launching additional ships where cabins can be purchased or leased.
What It REALLY Takes (And Costs!) - Tips For Travellers
Residential Options: MS The World ($2.5M-$15M cabins, $113K-$1M annual fees); Villa Vie Odyssey ($130K-$440K buy-in, $48K-$132K fee...
• Ynetnews-——$5 million homes at sea: The cruise ships trying to become floating neighborhoods. New ventures are reviving permanent residential cruise projects, offering cabins ranging from under $100,000 to luxury million dollar residences...
• Cruise Fever-——Cruise Lines With Ships You Can Buy a Cabin and Live On Oct 27, 2026 — While living on a cruise ship might be a dream for many, there are actually several cruise lines that offer cabins you can buy or rent......
Fuel cost is one of the most obvious variable costs in operating a ship
It seems bizarre that the developers, bankers, and consultants involved in this would not have considered this obvious risk when making their spreadsheets.
It could be worse...they could have been dropped off in the Ukraine.
Never wanted to take a cruise. Longest I’ve ever been on a cruise ship was overnight between Sweden and Finland years ago. Did see a beautiful tall ship at dusk on the way.
bookmark
I did some glancing around. If you bought a ~$400K suite on the Odyssey, you still had monthly expenses north of $10K a month.
If you bought a ~$400K suite on the Odyssey, you
still had monthly expenses north of $10K a month.
Only for the super-rich.
“When we launched Odyssey, we set out to prove that residential cruising wasn’t just possible — it was sustainable,” Petterson said in July.
Reckamp, 59, recalled having attended a meeting in early September at which a company official asked cabin owners to help them raise $1 million so they could leave Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.
“She said, ‘If we don’t get this money, we have about four days of the ship running,’” Reckamp recalled. “‘Then the lights will go off and the AC will go off.’”
Super rich buy their own ocean going vessels.
Put a big sail on it to replace the engines.
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