A Melbourne retiree who sold her home and business to spend her retirement sailing the world has been left stranded in Cambodia after her 'forever cruise' abruptly stopped.
asserted
cruise → sell → Cambodia
Frances Paroissien, 78, spent more than $200,000 on a 15-year cabin lease aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey, swapping life on land for a floating home that promised to take her to 147 countries.
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that → spend → countries
The ship offered residents the chance to unpack once and spend years exploring the world, returning to their own cabin as the scenery outside changed from country to country.
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scenery → offer → country
But two years after setting sail, that promise unravelled this week when passengers were abruptly told to gather their belongings and disembark in Cambodia after Florida-based operator Villa Vie Residences suspended operations, citing rising fuel costs.
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Residences → set → costs
For Ms Paroissien, the announcement left her without the floating home she had planned to live in for years - or a house to return to in Australia.
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she → leave → Australia
'I don't have a house, I don't have a business anymore in Australia because I sold them to buy my place on this ship,' she told Khaosod English.
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she → have → English
'So I have to find a place to live for the next couple of months until they decide whether we can go back on the ship or whether we have to find somewhere else.
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we → have → ship
Melbourne retiree Frances Paroissien said she felt angry after spending over $200,000 on a cabin on the now-suspended Ville Vie Odyssey
Operations on the luxury cruise liner were suspended on Monday while docked in Cambodia
Passengers were abruptly told they had to disembark the ship after the operator suspended business, citing rising fuel costs
She also questioned the operator's explanation that fuel costs were to blame.
'
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costs → say → explanation
I don't believe that.
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I → believe → that
They are not business people,' she said.
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she → say → ?
They are very nice people, they've worked in the cruise industry before, but they don't know how to conduct a business.'
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they → work → business
She has now leased an apartment in Thailand for six months and plans to travel around Asia while waiting to find out whether she can return to life aboard the Odyssey.
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she → lease → Odyssey
The Daily Mail understands Cambodia's Tourism Minister has arranged a range of free tours for passengers remaining in the southeast Asian nation.
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Minister → understand → nation
The suspension followed earlier requests for residents to help keep their floating home sailing.
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residents → follow → home
Passengers were told the company owed millions to a bank and other creditors, with residents including Ms Paroissien asked on multiple occasions to contribute towards nearly $3million in additional funding to help the ship leave several ports.
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ship → tell → ports
Brisbane mother Rina Cavazza, who paid $170,000 for a berth, said she was unwilling to contribute any more money.
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she → pay → money
She has remained in Cambodia for the week while considering her next steps.
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She → remain → steps
Rina Cavazza, from Brisbane, said she'd always wanted to see the world and this was the 'perfect opportunity' to do so
Passengers were reportedly told that the company owed millions to a bank and other creditors, with residents asked to fork out more funds to help the ship leave several por
Ms Cavazza said she had received 'very little communication' or meaningful assistance from the operator and held little hope of receiving a refund.
uncertain
she → say → refund
'This was always a worst-case scenario, something we had considered, but we all remained hopeful that it would never become a reality,' she told the Daily Mail.
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she → consider → Mail
'Seeing my fellow residents this morning, and noticing the lack of energy and excitement that would normally fill the ship, was quite disheartening.
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that → see → ship
It's difficult to see the atmosphere change so dramatically.
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atmosphere → see → ?
She hopes to recover some of her money through her travel insurance.
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She → hop → insurance
Marketed as 'The First Perpetual World Cruise', the Odyssey offered the chance to build a life aboard a ship while exploring the world.
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Odyssey → market → world
Cabins cost up to $440,000, with residents able to commit to years at sea.
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residents → cost → sea
Now, passengers who had expected to keep travelling together face finding accommodation on land while the company considers whether it can resume operations.
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it → expect → operations
In a statement on Tuesday, Villa Vie Residences warned that 'no outcome is assured' as it explored restructuring and new financing.
'
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it → warn → restructuring
Since the conflict began in late February, we have taken significant steps to reduce fuel consumption, including slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port,' the statement read.
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statement → begin → port
Ms Cavazza, who paid $170,000 for a berth (pictured), said she wasn't willing to contribute any further when asked by the operators to fork out more funds for rising costs
Dubbed 'The First Perpetual World Cruise', the voyage was due to last 15 years with cabins costing up to $440,000
'
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voyage → pay → 440,000
Those measures have not been enough to offset the extraordinary increase in fuel costs, and we have been unable to continue carrying the resulting operating losses.
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we → offset → losses
'Passing the full increase on to residents is not a realistic solution.
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Passing → pass → residents
Our focus now is on supporting residents, crew, and employees while we work toward restructuring and recapitalization over the next 60 days.'
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we → support → days
According to the operator, monthly fuel expenses had risen from an average of about US$1,800 per cabin to an estimated US$6,000 to US$8,000 while sailing through parts of Asia.
uncertain
expenses → accord → Asia
Other residents have taken to cruise ship forums to describe the 'floating disaster', sharing pictures of grim-looking buildings in Sihanoukville, the Cambodian port city where they had to disembark.
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they → take → Sihanoukville
California man Randy Cassingham, who was aboard with his wife Kit, described the sudden departure in a post titled 'Abandon Ship!'
He said residents were given just seven hours' notice to leave with all their belongings.
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residents → describe → belongings
Anyone unable to remove everything had to contact guest services to arrange an 'orderly return' to collect what remained.
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what → remove → return
Cassingham said residents had been 'well aware of the problems' aboard and the suspension 'didn't come out of the blue'.
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suspension → say → blue
He described a 'cascade of problems piling up on one another, from the business model to mistakes by management to the mentioned crisis in fuel cost and availability, and more'.
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He → describe → cost
He also criticised the company's chief executive for failing to apologise.
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He → criticise → executive
'She's the freaking CEO, and couldn't bring herself to say it,' he wrote.
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he → bring → it
The Aporia
