Passenger on 'luxury cruise for life' that dumped hundreds of people in Cambodian port says the company was 'begging us for money' following 'cascade of problems'

A passenger aboard a luxury 'cruise for life' has described how the company 'begged' its guests for money before it dumped hundreds of travellers in a Cambodian port.US-based operator Villa Vie Residences announced on Tuesday it had 'suspended operations in Cambodia' as it worked to address 'extraordinary increases' in fuel costs following the Iran war.The 200-metre (656-foot) Odyssey left Northern Ireland in October 2024 for a continuous voyage for which residents could buy or rent rooms for a holiday or for life - some passengers selling everything they had to pay for it.However, around 200 passengers were given just seven hours to pack their bags and leave during a scheduled stop in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville, according to Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province.He said in a statement 203 guests and 156 crew had arrived aboard the Bahamas-flagged ship from Thailand on Friday - and had been due to go on to Vietnam on the $120,000 (£90,000) cruise.'The sudden order to disembark has left many retirees and remote workers homeless thousands of miles from their home countries,' Mr Dimanche said.Some passengers took flights out while others remained in the city, he said, adding that the residential ship itself was due to refuel and leave on Saturday, October 31.Randy Cassingham, a passenger on board who runs a cruise blog, wrote that the disembarkation order followed a 'cascade of problems'.Were YOU on the cruise ship? Email isabella.machin@dailymail.co.uk Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship pictured off the coast on Bangor, Northern Ireland, in October 2024 Passengers pictured as they disembark the Odyssey after it was docked at Sihanoukville port in Preah Sihanouk province in CambodiaUnder a post entitled 'Abandon Ship!', he said its Belfast launch was delayed by four months, while the ship never reached its capacity of 650 residents, peaking at around 350.Mr Cassingham said it was not a 'luxury' ship but affordable - until the company started 'begging for money'. Villa Vie said in its statement per-cabin monthly fuel expenses had gone from an average of $1,800 (£1,354) to an estimated $6,000 (£4,516) to $8,000 (£6,021) in parts of Asia.'The company cannot simply pass increases of that scale on to residents, and the resulting shortfall has placed its current operating model under unsustainable financial pressure,' it said.Mr Cassingham accused the company of doing 'absolutely nothing to help' stranded passengers.'There were shuttle buses that dropped us in the middle of town, Sihanoukville, Cambodia, the end,' he said. 'They didn't even give us a list of hotels, let alone help us get there or pay for them.'It comes as guests paid between $99,999 (£75,212) and $899,000 (£676,169) for the multi-year cruise. Villa Vie said it was 'working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements'.'Villa Vie Residences recognises that this is a difficult and disruptive period for residents, crew members, and employees, and is working to support those affected as plans develop,' it said. An aerial view shows the cruise ship Odyssey docked at Sihanoukville port in Preah Sihanouk province in Cambodia todayIt is understood guests were given just hours to disembark from the residential cruise after receiving the order via message. Early on Monday morning, chief executive Kathy Villalba wrote to guests on the ship's internal messaging system to explain they had hours to pack up their things.An announcement on the internal messaging board, according to Residential Cruising, said: 'Unfortunately, we were unable to secure the fuel necessary to continue operations.'As a result, the Odyssey will enter a temporary layup this afternoon, with crew remaining onboard to maintain the vessel and its essential systems.'All residents must disembark by 2pm today. For those who are unable to collect all their belongings before disembarking, please coordinate with Guest Services to arrange an orderly return using the shuttles.'This has left, Mr Cassingham said, guests running 'the full spectrum of darker moods' - 'from anger to resentment to bewilderment to "What am I going to do".''Many feel betrayed: how could they leave such a safe and easy-to-deal-with place like Thailand to drop us in Cambodia?', he added. It follows a chaotic launch for the Villa Vie Residences Odyssey in 2024, which was scheduled for a May departure - but ended up being delayed for months.It eventually left almost five months later than planned, following numerous delays and last-minute repairs.The ship, built in 1993, has sailed for several different cruise lines, including Cunard (as Crown Dynasty) and, most recently, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines as Braemar.