The founder of the ill-fated “endless cruise” that left passengers stranded in Cambodia this week has described himself as the “villain” and apologised for the voyage’s collapse.
About 200 passengers were given just seven hours to pack their belongings and leave the scheduled stop in Sihanoukville after operator Villa Vie Residences announced that it had “suspended operations”.
The 200m (656ft) Odyssey departed Northern Ireland in October 2024 for a continuous voyage. Residents could rent cabins for a holiday or purchase them for life, with prices reaching $440,000 (£330,000). Some passengers sold everything they owned to fund the investment.
Mikael Petterson, who founded the company in 2023, has now spoken publicly about the collapse.
“I feel awful,” he said on Wednesday. “I’m the villain in the story, but I’m doing everything I can to help the residents find a solution.”
His comments came as passengers described the turmoil they had experienced, claiming the company effectively abandoned them in Cambodia without sufficient assistance or communication.
Villa Vie blamed soaring oil prices linked to the conflict in the Middle East, saying the voyage could not continue within its existing budget.
In a statement this week, the company said monthly fuel costs per cabin had risen from an average of $1,800 (£1,354) to an estimated $6,000 (£4,516) to $8,000 (£6,021) in parts of Asia.
A drone view of the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship docking at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, Cambodia
Villa Vie Residences chief executive Mikael Petterson spoke to passengers preparing to board the Villa Vie Odyssey at Belfast Port’s Cruise Ship Terminal in September 2024
Passengers were pictured leaving the Odyssey on Wednesday after it docked at Sihanoukville port in Cambodia’s Preah Sihanouk province
Mr Petterson said the increase had created a “cascading effect” that undermined the cruise’s financial sustainability.
He blamed US President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran in February, saying the disruption to supply routes, dwindling provisions and damage to energy infrastructure had sent oil prices sharply higher.
“Nobody who has tried residential cruising has succeeded, and we have gone further than anyone else,” he told the Axel Springer Reporters Network. “But I think we would have been absolutely fine and seen this through if there had been no Iran war.”
The founder said he had been negotiating with a potential investor and waiting for a cash injection when the plans collapsed, leaving the company without a viable way to continue operating.
The development followed repeated requests for additional money from passengers during the voyage to cover rising fuel costs, including a call for a collective loan of $2.2million (£1.6million) in April.
Passengers told Our News Outlet that the money has not been repaid.
“We have not received any payments,” Lynn Montoya told the Mail. “On July 31, they told us we would receive a payment within three days. But two days later, we were told there was no money.”
Former permanent residents of the Villa Vie Odyssey returned to the ship on Thursday to collect their belongings after being forced to disembark in Cambodia
Paul Montoya and his wife Lynn said they had “invested in a dream” by committing at least four years of their lives to travelling the world aboard the Odyssey
Despite having already handed over millions of dollars, residents were asked to contribute more from their savings several months later.
“Residents started donating to keep the journey going,” Mrs Montoya said. “In September, the company asked for $1.5million (£1.1million), followed by another $360,000 (£270,049) this past week while we were stranded in Cambodia.”
The grandmother believes the requests were timed strategically, often when the ship was docked at different ports, leaving residents feeling vulnerable and “coerced” into handing over more money.
“We felt manipulated, and when it happened repeatedly, it began to wear us down and frustrate us,” said Mrs Montoya, who sold the couple’s home to fund the trip.
“We would arrive at a port and, six hours before departure, they would say, ‘Oh, we can’t leave. We haven’t got the money.’”
FIND OUT MORE: Influencer Who Threw Snowballs at NYPD Gets Parking-Ticket Fine
“Everyone then felt pressured to find the funds. We joked that we felt as though we were being held captive.”
Questions mounted as conditions on board deteriorated, even though passengers had made donations specifically intended to pay for fuel.
“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,” Villa Vie said in a statement.
Villa Vie asked 22 residents for a collective loan of $2.2million (£1.6million), according to Mrs Montoya
“It started becoming clear that the company was heavily in debt, and we began losing many of our services,” Mrs Montoya said.
She added: “Our internet connection was interrupted several times, meaning we could not check our bank accounts, pay bills or call home.
“The television service then stopped working, prompting even more questions. Despite that, the company again asked us for money to pay for fuel.”
Food quality also declined, while crew members told residents that their wages had been delayed.
Residents responded by raising money voluntarily to support crew members “whose pay began being affected in August”.
“We were able to give at least $100 (£75) to each of 128 crew members,” Mrs Montoya said.
The crisis reached its breaking point this week, when hundreds of travellers were given only a few hours to pack and leave the ship.
Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Cambodia’s Preah Sihanouk province, said 203 guests and 156 crew members had arrived at Sihanoukville port, where the cruise left them behind.
The move followed another request for money, after which the company received a further $360,000 (£270,049), Mrs Montoya said. However, most residents refused to contribute again.
“Most people said, ‘No, we are not giving you any more money,’” Mrs Montoya said. “We are not going to do it.”
“I honestly believe the company thought people would hand over their money again and that the cycle would simply continue.”
Permanent residences on the cruise cost between $120,000 (£90,000) and $440,000 (£330,000), while rented cabins cost £3,500 per month.
At 8am on Tuesday, passengers received an official notice instructing them to disembark by 2pm.
“We did not know whether we needed to take everything or just an overnight bag. We were told our cabins would be double-locked, so we packed enough supplies for 14 days,” Mrs Montoya said.
“But some people left the ship carrying 12 pieces of luggage.”
The roughly 200 stranded residents were then transported in groups and left in the centre of town.
Villa Vie said it was “working with residents to co-ordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements”.
Mr Petterson acknowledged the desperate position facing clients who had been promised an endless cruise, visits to more than 400 ports and an around-the-world journey every three and a half years.
The founder told Business Insider that residents were “counting on me to make the decision here, and there’s nothing else I’m focused on”.
READ MORE: Inside the “never-ending cruise” that left passengers stranded in Cambodia: “It got worse and worse. Crew begged us for money. We gave them $450k after they pressured us”
