Passengers Who Paid More than $200k for Luxury 3-Year Cruise Stranded in Cambodia Due to Soaring Fuel Costs

A U.S. cruise ship that was set to travel around the world for three years has cut its trip short.

Cambodian officials told CBS News that the ship, which attracted adventurous passengers with its “floating home” style cabins, suspended its three-year voyage after arriving in Cambodia, citing rising fuel costs and forcing hundreds to disembark at the port town of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand.

The MV Odyssey launched two years ago, promising passengers the chance to travel the world across all seven continents while living aboard the ship long-term. The company even marketed the vessel as a permanent home, with lifetime suite ownership starting at around $230,000. Some even sold their houses, per The Times.

According to Cambodian officials, the ship, which was built in 1993 and has a 650-passenger capacity, was carrying 203 passengers, mostly Americans, along with 156 crew members.

The current voyage was originally planned to last three and a half years, setting sail from Belfast, Northern Ireland, in October 2024 after the ship underwent a refit. A second cruise was tentatively scheduled to wrap up in August 2030, though it remains unclear whether that trip will go ahead as planned.

With fuel costs skyrocketing around the world due to the ongoing conflict in Iran, it’s no major surprise that the ship has run into issues, with Florida-based operator Villa Vie Residences telling CBS News that monthly fuel expenses per cabin, which prior to the February 2026 war with Iran averaged at $1,800, have reached an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia due to the conflict.

While the company tried to cut fuel use by slowing the ship’s pace and extending stays in port, those changes weren’t enough to keep up with rising costs.

“We have been unable to continue carrying the resulting operating losses,” Villa Vie Residences said in a statement issued Tuesday, per CBS News. “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 company is “working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements,” the statement noted.

Long Dimanche, the deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province, said the ship, which arrived in Sihanoukville on October 23, was scheduled to depart on Wednesday, October 28, according to a statement obtained by CBS News. He said it was now expected to refuel and depart Cambodia on Saturday, though the ship’s operator has yet to publicly announce a departure date.

Several people onboard the cruise have taken to social media to express their frustrations amid the disembarkation, with one blogger claiming Villa Vie Residences isn’t helping them at all and has left them stranded in Cambodia as they sort out their flights home.

Villa Vie Residences has yet to publicly address the claims.