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The 200‑metre‑long cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey, operated by Villa Vie Residences, departed Northern Ireland in October 2024 for a planned 1,301‑day circumnavigation of the globe. Passengers could purchase or rent cabins for holidays or for life‑long use, and some reportedly sold all their assets to board the vessel. During a scheduled stop in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, the ship’s operator gave passengers only seven hours to pack and leave the vessel, according to Preah Sihanouk Province governor Long Dimans. The governor said that 203 passengers and 156 crew members had arrived from Thailand on 23 October aboard a Bahamian‑flagged ship and were expected to continue to Vietnam. He added that the abrupt departure left some passengers homeless. Randy Cassigham, a former passenger, described the difficulties that preceded the “eviction” in an article titled “Let them go.” Cassigham noted that the ship had been delayed four months from its original departure in Belfast and that the number of passengers never reached the planned 650; the maximum was between 350 and 500. The initial cabin price was about €100 000, rising later to €400 000, with monthly fees ranging from €1 800 to €8 900. In return, passengers had access to three restaurants, two swimming pools, a spa, a gym, a business centre and health‑care services. The ship’s maximum capacity was 924 passengers. The itinerary promised 425 stops from Rio de Janeiro to Singapore, with the route repeatable four times, allowing cabin owners to travel for up to 15 years. Villa Vie Residences announced on Tuesday that it would suspend its Cambodian operations and attempt to mitigate the impact of the fuel‑price surge caused by the war in Iran. The company’s statement was reported by MTI. Article source: Magyar Hirlap | Image credit: Magyar Hirlap
The 200‑metre‑long cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey, operated by Villa Vie Residences, departed Northern Ireland in October 2024 for a planned 1,301‑day circumnavigation of the globe. Passengers could purchase or rent cabins for holidays or for life‑long use, and some reportedly sold all their assets to board the vessel. During a scheduled stop in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, the ship’s operator gave passengers only seven hours to pack and leave the vessel, according to Preah Sihanouk Province governor Long Dimans. The governor said that 203 passengers and 156 crew members had arrived from Thailand on 23 October aboard a Bahamian‑flagged ship and were expected to continue to Vietnam. He added that the abrupt departure left some passengers homeless. Randy Cassigham, a former passenger, described the difficulties that preceded the “eviction” in an article titled “Let them go.” Cassigham noted that the ship had been delayed four months from its original departure in Belfast and that the number of passengers never reached the planned 650; the maximum was between 350 and 500. The initial cabin price was about €100 000, rising later to €400 000, with monthly fees ranging from €1 800 to €8 900. In return, passengers had access to three restaurants, two swimming pools, a spa, a gym, a business centre and health‑care services. The ship’s maximum capacity was 924 passengers. The itinerary promised 425 stops from Rio de Janeiro to Singapore, with the route repeatable four times, allowing cabin owners to travel for up to 15 years. Villa Vie Residences announced on Tuesday that it would suspend its Cambodian operations and attempt to mitigate the impact of the fuel‑price surge caused by the war in Iran. The company’s statement was reported by MTI.
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