“It wasn’t on my bingo card where I would spend a lot of time,” one passenger, Holly Hennessey, told the BBC from Cambodia. “We’re all in different hotels; there are several shipmates in the hotel I’m in. We’re just waiting.” Villa Vie Odyssey is equipped with several bars and restaurants, a terrace with a pool and a pickleball court, according to its website. Permanent residences in their cabins range from $120,000 to $440,000. These cabins are also available for rent starting at $3,500 per month. Last year, the company launched a lifetime residency program for people to spend their retirement years at sea. In 2024, days after US President Donald Trump won his second term, Villa Vie Residences announced a four-year “Skip Forward” package. Its CEO told Fox Business at the time that it was the “perfect product for those who said they would leave the country if ‘XYZ’ wins the election.” Hennessey said the ship’s residents had previously been asked to consider paying a fuel surcharge as global prices soared, and that its itinerary had been “severely restricted.” Some people decided to disembark and travel by land, he said. But some, like Hennessey, have decided to stay in Cambodia in the hope that Villa Vie Odyssey will set sail again soon. “Until they say we’re done, done, I’m not giving up. I could never duplicate this lifestyle. The idea of coming home? It would be so trite,” he said. “Cambodia is not the worst place to hang out.”
