The MV Odyssey, a U.S. cruise ship that had been promoting its cabins as permanent floating homes, has suspended its three-year around-the-world voyage. The vessel is currently docked in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on the Gulf of Thailand, with no confirmed departure date. This abrupt pause in the journey has forced hundreds of passengers to leave the ship and seek temporary accommodation on land.
The voyage began two years ago with the intention of visiting all seven continents. The operator, Villa Vie Residences, marketed the experience as a blend of long-term living at sea and global travel. The company had offered suites for purchase, with lifetime prices starting at approximately $230,000, encouraging buyers to make the Odyssey their permanent residence.
According to Cambodian officials, the ship is currently carrying 203 passengers, the majority of whom are American citizens, along with 156 crew members. Although the vessel has a maximum capacity of 650 passengers, the current occupancy level was sufficient to generate significant operational costs that the operator could no longer sustain.
Villa Vie Residences, based in Florida, attributed the suspension to a dramatic increase in fuel expenses. The company stated that monthly fuel costs per cabin, which historically averaged $1,800, have risen to an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in certain parts of Asia. The operator noted that it attempted to mitigate these costs by slowing down the itinerary and increasing time spent in port, but these measures were insufficient to offset the surging prices.
The spike in fuel prices is linked to reduced traffic in the Strait of Hormuz following the start of the war in Iran. This conflict has tightened supplies of petroleum-based fuels, particularly in Southeast Asia. Data from AAA shows that the average price of diesel fuel rose from $3.76 per gallon on February 27, 2026, the day before the war began, to $6.52 per gallon by late last month, representing an increase of $2.76.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Villa Vie Residences explained that it could no longer continue carrying the resulting operating losses. The company stated that passing the full cost increase on to residents was not a realistic solution. It emphasized that its current focus is on supporting residents, crew, and employees while it works to restructure its operations. The operator is coordinating with residents to arrange disembarkation and identify temporary living situations.
However, not all passengers have been satisfied with the support provided. Randy Cassingham, a blogger who was aboard the cruise, reported that the company did little to assist those leaving the ship. He noted that shuttle buses dropped passengers in the middle of Sihanoukville without providing a list of hotels or financial help. Cassingham criticized the lack of guidance, stating that the company had done absolutely nothing to help the displaced residents navigate their new situation.
The ship arrived in Sihanoukville last Friday and was originally scheduled to depart on Wednesday. Long Dimanche, the deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province, said the ship is now expected to refuel and leave Cambodia on Saturday. However, the ship's operator has not yet publicly confirmed this timeline. The Odyssey was built in 1993 and was purchased by Villa Vie Residences in 2023 after being sidelined in 2020.
The current voyage was originally planned to last three and a half years, starting in October 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the ship underwent refitting. A second cruise had been tentatively scheduled to conclude in August 2030. The pause in this journey adds to the port's history of hosting cruise ships in crisis.
In February 2020, the MS Westerdam was allowed to dock in Cambodia after being rejected by five other ports due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19. That vessel carried 1,455 passengers, more than 600 of whom were American citizens. Cambodia's then-Prime Minister Hun Sen permitted the docking for humanitarian reasons, earning praise for welcoming the stranded passengers and arranging for them to fly home.
