Inside Villa Vie Odyssey’s final months: how a doomed round-the-world cruise kept changing course

Costs reshaped the route

Villa Vie increasingly altered the Odyssey’s itinerary as fuel costs and financial pressures grew. The company canceled planned stops, slowed the ship, extended port stays and returned to places it had already visited.

An August 1 message from CEO Villalba said the ship would skip Brunei and travel from Singapore to Nha Trang, Vietnam, to save fuel and reduce costs. On August 7, Petterson told residents the company had cut costs and redesigned routes to spend more time in port and use less fuel.

Fewer stops than planned

The initial schedule for October 2024 to October 2026 listed 275 ports across 69 countries and territories, including 54 sovereign nations. The ship ultimately visited 54 nations but called at 198 ports, 28% below the original plan.

An itinerary comparison found the Odyssey spent nearly two fewer months at sea than scheduled. Business Insider’s analysis also found route changes in Australia and New Zealand before fuel prices rose; residents said those changes seemed to have other causes.

Residents faced disruption

Stunkel said she spent more money trying to catch up with the ship so she could board again. She had bought a cabin partly because the schedule included Japan, a destination she called her top bucket-list choice.

Money pressures mounted

Some residents left the ship amid frustration over the route and repeated appeals for fuel money. Sadovsky returned to his home in Maui in early October, while Starr Davis said she left in late September after tiring of the cash calls.

Petterson said residents own roughly 88% of Villa Vie, with the founders, management team and him owning the remainder. He said residents were approached when funds were needed because the company had no private-equity backing or large owner; residents also began raising money for crew members.