Dream Cruise Dumps 200

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia — They sold their homes, bought cabins and settled in for a retirement that promised a changing horizon outside the window. Then came the message: pack up and get off.

Around 200 residents of the Villa Vie Odyssey have been forced ashore in Cambodia after its American operator suspended operations, leaving some without a permanent home and others wondering how much of their retirement money they will ever recover.

For Lynn and Paul Montoya, the gamble meant selling their Wyoming house and cars, paying $179,000 for a cabin and budgeting roughly $6,000 a month in fees. Their new life lasted 17 months before they were told to leave with their pets and whatever belongings they could carry. They now plan to spend time in Malaysia, using money originally earmarked for shipboard fees.

“Honestly, right now, I’m in denial and in shock, and I’m heartbroken,” retiree Benjamin Schatz told CBS News.

Florida-based Villa Vie Residences announced the suspension on October 27. Cambodian authorities said 203 passengers and 156 crew had arrived aboard the Bahamas-flagged vessel, which was supposed to continue to Vietnam. Some residents have since flown out; others have moved into hotels in Sihanoukville.

Even the scramble to leave is disputed. Local officials and passenger accounts describe roughly seven hours to pack. Captain Emanuele Giudice subsequently said residents received 36 hours’ notice and were allowed back to collect belongings. He said dwindling fuel had required shutting down a generator and cooling equipment.

Behind the cabin doors were very different financial stakes. Californian Carol Larson, 69, told AFP she paid $120,000 upfront, plus monthly fees, for what she expected to be 15 years aboard or the remaining life of the vessel.

Randy and Kit Cassingham reported spending around $1 million on their planned life at sea. Yet Randy still remembered its appeal. “It was great, for a while,” he told AFP. Despite everything, he said he would consider returning if operations resumed.

The financial shock has reached people who never even unpacked. In an October 30 report, Australia’s ABC interviewed former teacher Lisa McKay, who had committed retirement savings and was weeks away from joining.

“I don’t have that money to waste and lose. It’s just been devastating, absolutely devastating,” she said.

Villa Vie blames extraordinary fuel costs, saying its estimated monthly fuel expense per cabin climbed from about $1,800 to between $6,000 and $8,000 in parts of Asia. Slower sailing and longer port stays failed to close the gap, the company said.

The operator said it was helping identify temporary accommodation, although passenger Randy Cassingham publicly criticized the assistance provided.

The company is seeking fresh financing and restructuring over 60 days, while acknowledging that no deal has been finalized. Founder Mikael Petterson has also said it plans to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The captain said the ship was awaiting fuel and intended to leave Cambodia on October 31. That remained a proposed departure, with no assured return to residential cruising or confirmed date for passengers to move back aboard.

For residents who traded a street address for a cabin number, the immediate question is painfully ordinary: Where do we live now?