MV Odyssey, conceived as an endless retirement at sea and a continuous voyage around the world, has ended its journey in Cambodia. Passengers had been promised they would escape the world's problems on the open ocean, but instead were given seven hours to leave the ship.
The ship is owned by Florida-based Villa Vie Residences and first set sail from Belfast in Northern Ireland in October 2024. The offer was to 'skip' Donald Trump's four-year term after his re-election to the White House. For $319,998, a couple could travel to the high seas for the length of a presidential term, with the option of permanent residency for a few hundred thousand dollars more. Depending on the package, there were also monthly fees covering food, drink, Wi-Fi, wellness programmes and room cleaning. Passengers had access to a pool, a pickleball court, a theatre, several bars and gyms, and the Odyssey was described as an 'affordable' option for those interested in such a lifestyle.
Unlike MS The World, which offered apartments ranging from $2 million to $15 million and where passengers chose the ship's destination, an experience with a waiting list, the Odyssey had not previously been built as a residential ship. It was formerly a traditional cruise ship named MS Braemar. Under that name, the ship was turned away from several Caribbean ports during the pandemic when passengers fell ill. Cuba eventually allowed the ship to dock, but it never returned to service as MS Braemar. It was sold by Fred Olsen cruises and adapted by its new owners, with Villa Vie describing the restructured three-decade-old ship as an 'intimate residential cruise ship offering a new way of life'. The ship was 642 feet (196 metres) long.
More than 200 passengers and the cruise operator had not foreseen the consequences of Trump's war in Iran. On Tuesday, Villa Vie Residences issued a statement saying it had run out of money due to rising oil prices. Monthly fuel costs per cabin in parts of Asia had risen to as much as $8,000 from $1,800. The company stated it was under 'unsustainable financial pressure' and had been taking steps to reduce fuel consumption since the conflict began in February, including slowing the itinerary and staying longer in ports. These measures, it noted, were not enough to offset the extraordinary increase in fuel costs, and it could no longer cover operational losses.
Odyssey passengers were told to pack their belongings before being transported by bus to the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand. The company said it was working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and temporary accommodation, and was supporting residents, crew and staff while it assessed restructuring and recapitalisation alternatives over the next 60 days.
US passenger Kit Cassingham, who had spent two years on the ship with her husband Randy, said: 'People were shocked, numb, crying.' She added that people were angry, hysterical, sad and in disbelief. Most passengers on the Odyssey were Americans, and the ship had an international crew of 156 members, including a ship's doctor and two nurses. Many passengers were retirees or digital nomads. Woman Holly Hennessy had been living happily with her cat Captain since the ship set sail two years ago.
Couple Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin said they had bought a cabin with a 15-year guarantee. They documented their life at sea on YouTube, including the period before the fateful announcement. They said signs of financial difficulties had been visible for weeks. Johan Bodin said in a video: 'I am Mr Super Positive, and for the last two months I have felt really exhausted.' Footage from the ship's lounge on the final night showed residents drinking as rumours spread that their voyage might be over. Cruise staff asked each passenger to contribute $1,800 so the ship would have funds to travel to Bangkok. The next day, the couple posted an update showing the interior of their cabin while a voice on the public address system spoke.
