Passengers who dreamed of spending the next 15 years living on a cruise ship awoke to a harsh reality this week. Residents aboard the much-hyped Villa Vie Odyssey, which was sold as an opportunity to take a virtually endless cruise, were given approximately 7 hours to disembark the ship with all their belongings.
Why Villa Vie Odyssey’s Sailing Ended
Residences aboard the ship were in Cambodia when notified this week that their sailing had come to an end. Reading a statement provided by the owners, the captain — his voice illustrating his own dismay at the situation confirmed what guests already knew. “Unfortunately, they were unable to secure the fuel necessary to continue the fuel necessary to continue operations,” he explained.
“As a result, the Odyssey will officially enter warm lay-up this afternoon,” he continued. “All residents must disembark by 2 p.m. today.” He added that those unable to “collect all their belongings before disembarking” should coordinate with guest services.
“No Outcome Is Assured”
In a press release, the company explained that rising fuel costs were to blame. “We have taken significant steps to reduce fuel consumption, including slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port,” they shared. “Those measures have not been enough to offset the extraordinary increase in fuel costs, and we have been unable to continue carrying the resulting operating losses.”
The notion of passing the fuel increase on to residents, the company acknowledged, “is not a realistic solution.”
The parent company said that it was continuing to seek “a path forward.” However, “that work is ongoing, and no outcome is assured.”
What Happens Next?
Villa Vie Residences indicated that that they are “working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements.”
Passenger Randy Cassingham, author of the Residential Cruising blog, wrote that this news did not “come out of the blue: We’ve been well aware of problems.”
He went on to say that there was “no one thing: it was a cascade of problems piling up on one another, from the business model to mistakes by management to the mentioned crisis in fuel cost and availability and more.”
In perhaps the most intriguing cliffhanger to thus far emerge from the developing story, Cassingham teased, “the ‘more’ part is a bizarre twist, but that will wait until I have time and energy to write more.”
Residents Lanette and Johan posted a video to their YouTube channel, Life On a Cruise, chronicling their time on board. “We had prepared for something like this,” he says of recent indications that trouble was afoot, “but not really.”
From the beginning, Odyssey and her guests experienced numerous issues, including an extended delay in her launch which left many who’d sold their homes in order to purchase a stateroom frustrated. Meanwhile, despite current residents being forced to leave the ship, the Villa Vie website remains active, inviting would-be guests to inquire about becoming residents.
“
