When the journey of the MV Odyssey luxury cruise ship came to a sudden end earlier this week in Cambodia, giving residents on the ship just hours to disembark, it marked the culmination of several attempts over a period of about three months to save the unique voyage. According to accounts from multiple sources familiar with the final weeks on board, those included a scramble to find fuel while stuck at a port in Singapore, a rush by the crew to obtain provisions once food shipments had ended, and the temporary detainment of the ship in Hong Kong. The voyage of the Odyssey, which is operated by Florida-based Villa Vie Residences, was billed as a continuous around-the-world cruise when it launched in October 2024.
It allowed passengers to become residents of the ship by purchasing cabins for several hundred thousand dollars. However, more than 200 passengers and dozens of crew members became stranded in Cambodia on Tuesday when Villa Vie suddenly suspended operations because of major financial issues. In early August, the Odyssey was docked in Singapore when Villa Vie warned that the ship was at risk of being detained and the operator said it urgently needed to raise money.
"There's no question that we ran out of money in Singapore," said Darrell Carp, a Villa Vie resident who told CBS News he is out $250,000. Multiple residents told CBS News they were concerned about giving money directly to the company because they believed the finances were being mismanaged by Villa Vie. "We never fully understood the level of their debt," Carp said.
"They were already behind on their payments on crew, and provisions, and fuel, and things like that." A source close to the company said that when fuel prices spiked this year after the U.S. attacked Iran, it was a disaster for the company's business model. After some passengers raised money while the ship was stuck in Singapore, $400,000 was paid to a fuel supplier directly out of one resident's personal checking account so the Odyssey could continue its journey, sources said. At that time, Villa Vie was in the hole for several million dollars, according to internal documents reviewed by CBS News.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars were owed to a port agent, fueling companies, food vendors and the crew. Those internal documents showed that in a town hall on Aug. 4, residents were warned there was a real possibility of halting operations, laying off staff and repatriating the crew. According to documents reviewed by CBS News, the ship was potentially days away from losing its insurance.
It said that it would cut internet service to save money and was paying just enough to keep sailing. In early August, Villa Vie introduced a so-called VIP "Villa Incentive Program" to help raise emergency funds, according to the documents. The VIP program was only open to current Villa Vie passengers so they could purchase more cabins at a discounted rate.
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