The Odyssey halts global cruise, strands 203 passengers in Cambodia

The Odyssey, a U.S. cruise ship functioning as a floating home for 203 residents, docked in Cambodia on Oct. 23 and has halted its operations. The vessel was scheduled to depart for Vietnam but remained in Sihanoukville Autonomous Port on Wednesday.

The ship launched two years ago on a three-year itinerary covering seven continents. Villa Vie Residences, the Florida-based company operating the vessel, cited soaring fuel costs as the reason for the suspension. Monthly fuel expenses per cabin, which historically averaged $1,800, recently reached an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia during the war in Iran.

The company stated it attempted to reduce fuel consumption by slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port. Those measures failed to offset the price surge. Villa Vie said it could not continue carrying the operating losses and that passing the full cost increase to residents was not realistic.

“We have been unable to continue carrying the resulting operating losses,” the company said. “Passing the full increase on to residents is not a realistic solution. Our focus now is on supporting residents, crew, and employees” while it tries to restructure.

The Odyssey carried passengers from 15 nationalities, mostly Americans, along with 156 crew members. The ship has a total capacity for 650 residents. Passengers have been told to leave the vessel, while the status of the crew remains unclear.

The Odyssey had a confirmed itinerary that extended into November 2027. The company planned for a second residential cruise ship to enter service in early 2029, but the statement suspending the Odyssey's voyage did not address the future of that second ship.