October 29, 2026, 5:13 p.m. ET
- The residential cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey has suspended its voyage for several years, leaving passengers stranded in Cambodia.
- Villa Vie Residences cited sharply rising fuel costs as the reason for stopping the cruise.
- The company had previously asked residents for loans and donations to continue operating before halting the journey.
Lynn and Paul Montoya were told they had to leave their home this week, but they couldn’t drive to a friend’s house or go to family’s house. The couple were docked in Cambodia on a continuing voyage aboard the residential cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey when the crew announced that passengers had to disembark because the ship was going to cut short its voyage.
They weren’t told how long they would be gone, so the two men packed about two weeks’ worth of clothes, vitamins and medicine, leaving the rest behind.
“It’s our house, so it would be kind of like trying to tidy your entire house in seven hours,” Lynn, 64, told USA TODAY.
Villa Vie Residences, the company behind the cruise, suspended operations, citing high fuel costs in an October 27 press release.
“Fuel costs have increased significantly in the regions where the company is present,” Villa Vie said in the press release. “On a per-cabin equivalent basis, monthly fuel expenses, which historically averaged around $1,800, have recently reached between $6,000 and $8,000 in parts of Asia. The company cannot simply pass on increases of this magnitude to residents, and the resulting deficit has placed its current operating model under unsustainable financial strain.
The Montoyas, who sold their Wyoming home to retire on the ship, are among many residents who suddenly find themselves without a place to live, their years-long journey cut short by nearly half.
“We’re technically homeless right now,” Lynn said.
“It blew up in my face.”
Starr Davis had already left the ship by the time it stopped sailing. The 58-year-old decided to do his own overland tour of Southeast Asia, returning to the United States to see family and meeting up with the ship in Phuket. “And it blew up in my face,” she said.
She said it wasn’t a total shock.
Villa Vie’s journey had a difficult start. The Odyssey began its planned 3 1/2-year cruise – intending to circumnavigate the world every 3 1/2 years – in October 2024, after several delays.
The trip was originally scheduled to begin in May of that year, but encountered setbacks as its scheduled departure approached.
Villa Vie founder Mike Petterson told USA TODAY in August 2024 that the company had “been quite humbled by the magnitude of what it took to reactivate a 30-year-old ship after four years of being laid up.” After all class certifications have expired, we are now considered (a) new ship where all machinery and equipment must operate as if new.” The Odyssey previously sailed as MS Braemar for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines before Villa Vie purchased her in 2023.
Davis, who previously lived in Florida and retired shortly before the voyage began, said everything has largely gone smoothly since the ship left.
In spring 2026, however, the company asked residents to commit to one-year loans with interest repaid monthly, according to Paul Montoya, 68. He estimated that he and Lynn loaned Villa Vie $100,000, but said they have yet to receive any repayment.
In a late July meeting with ship management, the company told residents it needed to raise about $1.5 million to continue operations, according to Davis. Passengers made donations, including Davis, who declined to give specific numbers but said it was a “very tiny” amount.
Around the same time, Villa Vie announced plans to expand its fleet with a second ship, noting that more than 85% of Odyssey’s available residences had been sold.
The Montoyas, who documented their trip on their YouTube channel, initially paid $179,000 for their cabin, plus about $6,000 in monthly maintenance fees. Davis chose a pay-as-you-go option for her cabin, although she declined to share how much it cost. Neither the Montoyas nor Davis have learned whether the passengers will receive a refund.
According to the most recent figures posted on the Villa Vie website, permanent residency started at $119,999 to $439,999, depending on room type, with residency and five-year rental options also available.
“I mean, we’ve all drunk enough Kool-Aid to want to keep going,” Davis said. “There was hope that an investor would come on board and take over and save us. But literally, it was just: Do you want to turn the lights out now, or do you want to donate to keep us going?”
In the weeks after the July meeting, she noticed the ship was staying in ports longer and appeared to be refueling less frequently. Villa Vie said in the press release that it had spent more time in port to reduce its fuel consumption, among other measures.
The provisions on board also seemed to be dwindling. “We joked that we had little choice when it came to the buffet,” Davis said. “So you could clearly see that everything was reduced. »
Other “money calls” followed, including one as the ship approached Hạ Long Bay in Vietnam. “They say, oops, we can’t afford to dock here. We have to raise $159,000 to be able to dock,” she recalled. “People donated this money. They did some creative fundraising.”
Paul Montoya said the ship usually carried about 300 residents, but had lost “more and more people who just weren’t sure this was going to continue” in recent months.
Petterson told CBS News this week that the company plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The Montoyas are staying at a hotel in Sihanoukville and plan to travel to Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur while awaiting answers about the fate of the Odyssey. Passengers can return to the ship at certain times, but the couple has not yet returned.
Villa Vie said in the press release that it was working to find temporary living arrangements for passengers while evaluating restructuring and recapitalization options. The company did not immediately respond to requests for information about the Montoyas’ or Davis’ experiences.
Davis brought two suitcases with her “most important” items when she left, and doesn’t know when or if she’ll be able to get the rest of her Odyssey stuff back. However, after downsizing from an 1,800-square-foot apartment to a cubicle of about 120 square feet, she said, “One of the big lessons I learned is that things aren’t as big as you think.”
She plans to return to the United States in the coming days and determine her next steps from there. Despite the abrupt halt, she is grateful to have traveled to more than 60 countries over the past two years.
“It’s pretty phenomenal and what an incredible adventure,” Davis said. “So, you know, I hate that it ends like this, but if this is the end, I really can’t complain.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
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