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Cruise passengers stranded in Cambodia after company runs dry

Villa Vie Residences says it ran out of money as oil prices soared, leaving 203 passengers in Cambodia; the endless cruise ended in Sihanoukville.

On air: Chip Darnell and Kenji Moonfield on BBN After Hours
Published 3:33 AM ET, Saturday, October 31, 2026

At a glance

First reported by The Guardian: “The cursed cruise: how the dream of never-ending luxury at sea became a nightmare”, with reporting from Retirement.media, AOL (reprinting The Guardian), LADbible and The Guardian (via AOL).
Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 3:33 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Chip Darnell and Kenji Moonfield.
Topics: Cambodia.
BBN covered this story before: Cruise residents face 6,000-dollar fuel bills; ship refuels Saturday (October 29).

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The GuardianThe cursed cruise: how the dream of never-ending luxury at sea became a nightmare
Retirement.mediaDream of Retirement at Sea Ends in Disaster as 203 Cruise Passengers Are Stranded in Cambodia facts used on air
AOL (reprinting The Guardian)The cursed cruise: how the dream of never-ending luxury at sea became a nightmare - AOL October 31, 2026 · facts used on air
LADbiblePassengers ordered to leave ‘endless’ world cruise after selling all possessions to live on board October 27, 2026 · facts used on air
The Guardian (via AOL)The cursed cruise: how the dream of never-ending luxury at sea became a nightmare - AOL October 31, 2026 · facts used on air

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorRetirement.media reports the ship left Belfast in October twenty twenty-four on a three-and-a-half-year trip around the world, and it arrived in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, with two hundred and three passengers and a hundred and fifty-six crew.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentAnd then?
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThe company says it ran out of money because of soaring oil prices.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSome passengers say they got seven hours to leave the ship, and no hotel list.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThree and a half years, down to seven hours. Does this affect me, or just people who retire onto boats?
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorProbably not you.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThe company says fuel costs per cabin in parts of Asia jumped from eighteen hundred dollars a month to as much as eight thousand.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentWhat happens next?
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThe company says it's weighing restructuring options over about sixty days. Villa Vie Residences says no deal is final.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorVerdict: that's a long wait for a seven-hour exit.

Oct 28Cruise residents given hours to leave ship in Cambodia · Business Insider
Oct 29Cruise residents face 6,000-dollar fuel bills; ship refuels Saturday · NBC News
Oct 31Cruise passengers stranded in Cambodia after company runs dry (this story)