Hawaii residents Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin, along with Wyoming couple Paul and Lynn Montoya, intended to live permanently at sea. They sold their homes and businesses in 2024 and 2025, respectively, to board the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship. However, their plans changed abruptly when the company announced operations would stop due to rising fuel costs.
Recently, the four passengers shared their experiences in separate interviews, explaining how they were left without accommodations and revealing a surprising request made by the cruise company. Canen and Bodin had been living on the Villa Vie Odyssey since it launched in September 2024. The couple invested $100,000 in a cabin and paid a monthly maintenance fee of $3,500. Canen also operated a windshield replacement business from the ship while documenting their journey on their YouTube channel, Living Life on a Cruise.
On the morning of October 27, at 6 a.m., they received a message from CEO Kathy Villalba. The notice instructed them to pack their belongings and leave the ship in Cambodia by 2 p.m. that day. Canen mentioned that they had heard rumors about the company’s financial troubles, but the short notice still shocked them. She expressed sadness over leaving the community they had formed over the past two years.
The Montoyas, who were informed at 8 a.m. the same day, also had until 2 p.m. to gather their things. Lynn described the emotional turmoil among passengers, noting feelings of disbelief, sadness, and urgency as they realized they had to leave their home on the ship. They mentioned that they had to abandon many personal items in their cabin.
Both couples noted that prior to the suspension, the cruise line had requested additional payments from residents. They were taken aback by these unexpected financial demands. In a press statement, Villa Vie Residences disclosed that the monthly fuel costs had surged from $1,800 to between $6,000 and $8,000. This significant rise was attributed to ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran that started in February. The company mentioned that they had attempted to cut fuel usage, but these efforts had not been enough.
Canen stated that the company had not provided a timeline for when they might return to the ship, leading them to decide to move on. She also noted that the proposed increase in maintenance fees would have made continuing with the cruise line unaffordable. Paul Montoya confirmed this, expressing surprise at the increase but acknowledging that financial issues seemed to have been ongoing.
On August 1, Villa Vie passengers received an “Urgent Operational Update” that discussed a “fuel contribution” residents were previously asked to make. The cruise line had sought contributions to help support fuel expenses.
What do you think about the challenges these passengers faced?
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Source: Bored Panda, by Rocio Corsi