Villa Vie Odyssey was forced to dock. But the endless cruise’s real problem wasn’t oil
The cruise industry is in pretty rude health in 2026.
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The Villa Vie Residences’ cruise ship Odyssey docked at Sihanoukville port in Preah Sihanouk province on Oct 28.
PHOTO: AFP
David Fickling
The saga of the Villa Vie Odyssey feels like the perfect metaphor for 2026: A year when the AI rich dreamed of a world beyond nation states and ordinary constraints, only to run aground on the brutal reality of scarce oil.
The cruise ship, on an open-ended voyage promising residents “the freedom of world travel with the comforts of home”, is stranded in Cambodia after saying it ran out of money for fuel.