Villa Vie Residences Lays Up Odyssey in Asia, Sends Residents Ashore in Cambodia

October 27, 2026 — Residential cruise company Villa Vie Residences has put its only ship, Odyssey, into what it calls a temporary layup in Asia after running short of money for fuel, and residents have been asked to leave the ship in Cambodia.

What happened

Odyssey is a 1993-built ship that sailed for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines as Braemar and began residential service in September 2024. According to Cruise Industry News:

• Residents disembarked in Cambodia; crew remain aboard to maintain the ship and its essential systems.
• CEO Kathy Villalbe told residents in a letter that the company could not secure the fuel it needed to keep sailing.
• The layup followed repeated requests for extra money from residents, most recently $360,000 for fuel, the publication’s sources said.
• In April the company sought $3 million through an emergency loan offering paying 12–24% interest; whether any money was raised could not be confirmed.
• A former Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line CEO, Oneil Khosa, recently visited the ship to evaluate a possible purchase, and a resident-backed group has proposed a fundraising plan that includes residents buying back cabins.

A date to resume sailing is TBA, and the report says nothing about refunds.

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What it means for travelers

• Anyone who was living aboard or planning to join Odyssey should not book flights to meet the ship until the company confirms a restart date and location in writing.
• Residents who were put ashore in Cambodia need to arrange their own onward travel. If you are flying home from Southeast Asia, regional hubs such as Bangkok and Singapore give far more onward options than flights out of Cambodia itself, and flights can be full, so have a fallback.
• If you paid for a cabin or voyage segment by credit card, keep records of what was promised and when; refund terms are not yet known.

Sources

• Cruise Industry News — Villa Vie Residential Ship Enters Lay Up Due to Financial Issues