Luxury around-the-world cruise stranded in Cambodia over fuel costs

Summarised from 2 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 31 Oct, 03:20 · Archive

More than 200 passengers on a three-year luxury cruise were stranded in Cambodia after the company ran out of money for fuel.

The MV Odyssey luxury cruise ship, owned by Villa Vie Residences, was forced to strand more than 200 passengers in Cambodia after the company ran out of money to pay for fuel. The ship had departed Belfast, Northern Ireland, in October 2024, offering three-year around-the-world voyages as a permanent retirement option or temporary escape package costing from $319,998 for couples, with additional monthly fees covering food, accommodation and amenities.

Internal documents obtained by CBS News reveal the company faced a longer history of financial trouble beyond the immediate fuel cost crisis. While the company attributes the stranding to rising fuel costs, the documents show a deeper funding scramble before the voyage came to an abrupt halt. Passengers were given seven hours to leave the ship.

The Guardian reports that the ship was marketed partly as an escape during Donald Trump's presidency, with the company offering a four-year voyage option timed to that term. The cruise featured pools, pickleball courts, theatres, bars and access to exotic port destinations. One passenger described the offering as 'maybe too affordable' in hindsight, given the financial difficulties that emerged.

How it is being reported

• The cursed cruise: how the dream of never-ending luxury at sea became a nightmareThe MV Odyssey was billed as the ultimate escape from Donald Trump. Instead, the oil shock caused by his war has left passengers unceremoniously dumped in Cambodia The idea was a never-ending retirement at sea, a continuous voyage around the globe. The promise to the passengers of the MV Odyssey cruise ship – many approaching the autumn of their lives – was that on the open seas they could cut loose from the troubles of the world. But the world had other ideas. The end came in an announcement as stark as it was brief: they had seven hours to get off. They were going no further than Cambodia.…The Guardian · 31 Oct, 03:00
• Documents show funding scramble before around-the-world "forever cruise" was strandedThe company behind a "forever cruise" that stranded more than 200 passengers in Cambodia this week blames rising fuel costs for halting the trip. But documents obtained by CBS News reveal a longer history of financial trouble. Cristian Benavides reports.CBS News · 30 Oct, 23:46
• "Forever cruise" that ran out of fuel money was "maybe too affordable" in hindsight, passenger saysInternal documents show how the company behind a three-year global cruise ran out of money, stranding customers in Cambodia. CBS News' Cristian Benavides reports.CBS News · 30 Oct, 16:55
• Money woes of canceled "forever cruise" revealed in internal documentsPassengers aboard the MV Odyssey luxury cruise thought they were buying a 3-year around-the-world voyage. Their journey came to a sudden end in Cambodia after the company's failed scramble to raise more money for fuel. Cristian Benavides has an exclusive look at internal documents which detail the hunt for funding.CBS News · 30 Oct, 13:08
• Internal documents show failed scramble to save "forever cruise"The MV Odyssey was billed as a continuous around-the-world cruise when it launched in October 2024. It ended abruptly in Cambodia.CBS News · 30 Oct, 11:03

In this story: MV Odyssey · Villa Vie Residences · Cambodia · Belfast · Northern Ireland

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log