Brisbane resident Rina Cavazza was supposed to be boarding her floating home in Bangkok on Monday. Instead, she found herself back in Australia, watching footage of the Villa Vie Odyssey sailing away from Cambodia without its residents, carrying only their belongings and a skeleton crew into an uncertain future.
Cavazza had spent roughly 25 months living aboard the vessel, which set off from Belfast in October 2024 with the promise of an "endless" voyage lasting up to three and a half years, calling at more than 425 destinations across 147 countries. That promise collapsed abruptly in late October when the ship's operator, Villa Vie Residences, suspended operations in Cambodia, citing soaring fuel costs it said had made the business model unsustainable.
For more on how the shutdown unfolded for Australians caught up in the collapse, see our earlier coverage of the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship shutting down in Cambodia.
A 'Ghost Ship' Sailing Into the Dark
When Cavazza watched video of the Odyssey departing, the sight was deeply unsettling. She described the vessel as looking like a "ghost ship", dark and empty, with no one on the bow watching the shoreline as the ship had always done when leaving port.
"It was really, really sad seeing it just sailing away like that," she said. "All dark. No one out on the bow or anything like that. Normally when we leave port, there's always someone out on the bow watching the land."
The ship had docked at Sihanoukville on October 23, carrying 203 passengers and 156 crew according to Cambodian officials. The vessel had capacity for 650 passengers. On October 27, passengers were informed the cruise was shutting down and that they needed to leave within hours. The Odyssey remained in Cambodia until November 3, when it departed for Singapore under the control of its lender, with only a skeleton crew and residents' possessions on board.
A Frantic Race to Retrieve Two Years of Life
Cavazza was on an extended land trip in Chiang Mai, Thailand, when the news broke. The mother of five adult children cut her trip short and undertook a 17-hour journey back to Cambodia to retrieve as much of her life as she could from her cabin. She then flew home to Brisbane, arriving late on November 2, the very day she had originally planned to rejoin the ship in Bangkok.
She managed to pack and transport five large suitcases, weighing between 120 and 130 kilograms in total, but still has possessions remaining aboard the vessel. The speed of the shutdown meant there was little time for a considered departure from a space that had been home, not simply a holiday berth.
"It wasn't just a little holiday where you just go away for a week or two and come back," she said. "This is where we lived."
Passengers Left With More Than Logistics to Worry About
The situation has left some former residents facing far more pressing difficulties than packing. Reports indicate that medication and other essential belongings remain on board for some passengers who were unable to return to Cambodia in time. Those individuals were depending on fellow passengers or crew members to collect and store their possessions, with one informal group arranging a rented house where bags could be held for up to a month.
The financial troubles had been building for some time, with residents reporting months of difficulties and being asked to contribute additional funds to keep the operation running before the final collapse.
"It's not a cruise ship anymore," Cavazza said. "It's a ship that's been taken by the banks."
What comes next for passengers, their remaining belongings, and any financial recourse they may have is yet to be resolved, leaving hundreds of people in a state of deep uncertainty after what was meant to be the adventure of a lifetime.
