Australian retiree, 78, who sold her home for a 'forever cruise' is stranded in Cambodia after the operator suspends sailing
Passengers aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey, whose founder Mikael Patterson has admitted he is the 'villain' of the story and says he is considering bankruptcy.A social-media announcement that the Villa Vie Odyssey had suspended operations, as crew members among the ship's 156-strong staff were also left unpaid amid the collapse.
Frances Paroissien, 78, sold her Melbourne home and business to buy a $200,000 cabin aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey, only to be dumped in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, with nowhere to return to. The Florida-based operator suspended operations on Monday, citing fuel costs that rocketed from $1,800 to $8,000 per cabin per month because of the Iran war's disruption to Strait of Hormuz shipping. Passengers were given just seven hours' notice to pack and disembark.
Couple Paul and Lynn Montoya, 68 and 64, paid $450,000 in total — more than half in unexpected fuel levies demanded every two to four weeks.
Operator asked 22 residents for a collective $2.2 million loan to keep the ship moving; crew members were still unpaid when operations halted.
Founder Mikael Petterson told Business Insider 'I messed up' and 'I'm the villain in the story', blaming the Iran war for what he called an otherwise survivable crisis.
