The idea was a never-ending retirement at sea, a continuous voyage around the globe.
asserted
idea → end → globe
The promise to the passengers of the MV Odyssey cruise ship – many approaching the autumn of their lives – was that on the open seas they could cut loose from the troubles of the world.
uncertain
they → approach → world
But the world had other ideas.
asserted
world → have → ideas
The end came in an announcement as stark as it was brief: they had seven hours to get off.
asserted
they → come → hours
They were going no further than Cambodia.
asserted
They → go → Cambodia
The Odyssey, owned by Florida-based Villa Vie Residences, had first set sail from Belfast, Northern Ireland, in October 2024 with an explicit offer: Donald Trump had been re-elected to the White House, and this was a way for those ill-disposed to the president to enjoy a four-year “skip forward”.
asserted
those → own → skip
For $319,998, a couple seeking such an escape could head off to the high seas for the length of a presidential term and come back from their journey to nowhere when the danger had passed – or not.
uncertain
danger → seek → journey
For those who had simply had enough, there was a permanent residency option for a few hundred thousand more.
asserted
who → have → thousand
Depending on the package, there were also monthly fees on top, which covered food, drinks, wifi, wellness programmes and room cleaning.
asserted
which → depend → food
They would have access to a pool, a pickleball court, a theatre, several bars and a gym.
asserted
They → have → pool
Exotic port destinations would be visited along the way.
asserted
destinations → visit → way
It was by no means cheap – but the Odyssey was quite accurately billed as the “affordable” option for those interested in such a cocoon.
asserted
Odyssey → bill → cocoon
The pioneer in the world of “residential ships”, a vessel called MS The World, offered apartments that typically ranged from $2m to $15m, with the pampered passengers getting to choose where it would go.
asserted
it → call → m
Rather than built as a residential ship, it had previously been a traditional cruise liner named MS Braemar.
asserted
it → build → ship
Under that name, it had been turned away from several ports in the Caribbean during the pandemic when its passengers became ill.
asserted
passengers → turn → pandemic
Cuba finally allowed it to dock, but the vessel never went into service as MS Braemar again.
asserted
vessel → allow → Braemar
It was sold off by Fred Olsen cruises and adapted by its new owners.
asserted
It → sell → owners
Villa Vie described the three-decade-old restructured vessel as “an intimate residential cruise ship offering a new way to live”.
asserted
Vie → describe → way
At 642ft (196 metres) long, it was a relatively small ship, but at such prices, and with the world being held firmly at bay, what could go wrong?
uncertain
what → hold → bay
Neither the more than 200 passengers on the Odyssey nor its cruise operator foresaw the consequences of Trump’s war in Iran.
asserted
passengers → foresee → Iran
The reality was, there was no escaping the US president.
asserted
reality → be → president
On Tuesday, Villa Vie Residences issued a statement.
asserted
Residences → issue → statement
It had run out of money owing to the soaring price of oil.
asserted
It → run → oil
Monthly fuel costs per cabin in parts of Asia had risen to as much as $8,000 from $1,800, placing it “under unsustainable financial pressure”, it announced.
asserted
it → rise → pressure
“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 company said, explaining the slow death of its business model.
asserted
company → begin → model
“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.”
asserted
we → offset → losses
The Odyssey’s passengers were told to pack up their belongings before being transported on buses into the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand.
asserted
passengers → tell → Thailand
“We are working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and temporary living arrangements, and are supporting residents, crew, and employees as we evaluate restructuring and recapitalisation alternatives over the next 60 days,” the company said.
asserted
company → work → days
“People were shell-shocked, numb, crying,” said one passenger, Kit Cassingham from the US, who spent two years on the ship with her husband, Randy.
asserted
who → cry → husband
They had made their cabin into a home, putting down their own rugs and pictures on the wall.
asserted
They → make → wall
Disbelief,” she added.
asserted
she → add → ?
“I mean, that whole gamut of, what is it, the five stages of grief.”
asserted
it → mean → grief
Most of the passengers on the Odyssey were Americans, travelling with an international group of 156 crew members, including a ship’s doctor and two nurses.
asserted
Most → travel → doctor
One woman, Holly Hennessy, had been living happily with her cat, Captain, since the ship set sail two years ago.
asserted
ship → live → sail
One couple, Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin, who said they had bought a cabin with a 15-year guarantee, had been documenting their life at sea on YouTube, including the lead-up to the fateful announcement.
asserted
they → say → announcement
The signs of financial distress had been apparent for weeks, they said.
asserted
they → say → weeks
“I’m Mr Super Positive, and I’ve felt really drained the last two months,” Bodin recounted in a video.
asserted
Bodin → ’m → video
Footage from inside the ship’s lounge on the final night showed residents drinking, as rumours spread that their voyage might be over.
uncertain
voyage → show → night
Cruise ship staff had requested each passenger contribute $1,800 to ensure the ship had funds to travel to Bangkok.
asserted
ship → request → Bangkok
The next day, the couple posted an update showing the inside of their cabin as a voice on the loudspeaker said the ship’s operator had “unfortunately” been “unable to secure the fuel necessary to continue operations”.
asserted
operator → post → operations
…and 44 more, not listed.
The Aporia
