California sisters speak out after MV Odyssey cruise strands them in Cambodia

Two California sisters stranded abroad after their forever cruise abruptly ceased operations following a fuel shortage have defended their decision to join the planned lifelong voyage.

Carol Larson, 69, and Crystal Lavering, 72, spoke from a Cambodian port hotel after Florida-based operator Villa Vie Residences halted operations of the MV Odyssey, citing skyrocketing fuel costs due to the war in Iran.

The decision gave more than 200 passengers on the ship – which offered lifetime suite packages – a sudden seven hours’ notice to pack up their belongings and leave the ship despite being thousands of miles from home.

While other passengers expressed outrage over the canceled trips and the company’s lack of rebooking assistance, Larson remained steadfast about her decision to join.

“Because it was a startup, I think it was a risk,” Larson told the Associated Press.

“From day one, I told myself that if it lasts a year, I can go back and feel like I got my money’s worth… It’s always that feeling. I feel lucky to have experienced residential cruising.”

Larson invested $120,000 in installments for her own cabin, plus recurring monthly maintenance fees, under the assumption she could live aboard the ship for up to 15 years. Her older sister purchased and occupied a separate cabin on the same ship.

For Lavering, the 18 months at sea brought a dramatic turnaround in health, allowing her to permanently shed the cane she relied on for her daily trips back home in California.

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“You come on this ship to live…it’s just sad that it’s all over,” Lavering said.

The MV Odyssey set sail from Belfast, Northern Ireland in October 2024, marketing lifetime packages starting at $230,000 for continuous global voyages.

However, escalating hostilities in the Middle East have severely disrupted commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing regional oil prices to record highs. Villa Vie Residences reported that bunker fuel rates have increased from a planned $1,800 per month per cabin to between $6,000 and $8,000 in Asian waters, creating an unsustainable monthly deficit.

The company’s CEO, Mikael Petterson, revealed that monthly operating costs rose from $400,000 to more than $2 million, pushing the operator into Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring.

Larson placed the blame for the disaster squarely on President Trump, saying the administration’s military conflict with Iran had cut off gas supplies to the region and pushed prices to levels the company could not survive.

“If things worked better, if there wasn’t a war … and if oil prices skyrocketed, I think this is an industry that could really thrive,” Larson said.

Other passengers ashore described an operation that had been unraveling for months.

Former residents reported repeated solicitations from management requiring emergency cash contributions for diesel simply to pass port checkpoints, alongside deteriorating food service and unpaid shipboard crew.

Despite the unceremonious expulsion and uncertain travel arrangements, Larson said she was not ready to return to California.

Instead, she supports stranded residents’ efforts to acquire the ship and keep the business afloat.

“I hope there will be a movement for residents to purchase the vessel, and I hope that comes to fruition,” Larson said. “Because it’s a dream to live on the ship and I don’t want it to end.”