Cruise-for-life operator strands 203 guests in Cambodia

US-based Villa Vie Residences suspended operations of the Odyssey cruise ship, leaving paying residents to disembark during a scheduled stop in Cambodia.

The company said on Tuesday that it was suspending operations two years after the ship set off, citing fuel costs that it said had risen after the Iran war. The cruise had been marketed as a continuous round-the-world voyage in which residents could buy or rent cabins for holidays or for life.

The 200-metre ship arrived from Thailand on Friday carrying 203 guests and 156 crew, according to Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province. He said passengers were given seven hours to pack and leave in the port of Sihanoukville on Tuesday, and that some had flown out while others remained in the city.

Villa Vie said monthly fuel expenses per cabin had risen from an average of $1,800 to an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia. It said it was working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and find temporary living arrangements.

Passenger Randy Cassingham, an American who said he and his wife had spent around $1 million on the trip, said the company had done "absolutely nothing" to help stranded passengers. He also said he had no regrets and would consider returning if the voyage restarted.