Retired teacher says she saw food shortages and extra fuel fees on cruise before it was stranded in Cambodia

Sharon Lane, a retired teacher who had planned to spend up to 15 years aboard the luxury cruise ship The Odyssey, left the vessel in August because of health problems. In an interview with NBC Los Angeles on Oct. 29, Lane said she observed operational issues months before the ship was forced to abandon its itinerary in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

Lane reported that passengers endured extended periods without adequate meals, noting that lunch was sometimes delayed until nearly 7 p.m. and that only limited snacks such as cookies were provided. She added that the ship’s operator, Villa Vie Residency, began requesting additional payments from passengers to cover rising fuel expenses, which she said she contributed to on behalf of friends with limited incomes.

On Oct. 28, Villa Vie Residency, the Florida-based company that owns and operates The Odyssey, gave the remaining 200 passengers less than 24 hours’ notice to pack and leave the ship in Cambodia. In a press release, the company cited “extraordinary increases in fuel costs” linked to the war in Iran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz as a primary factor. The release said the company had slowed the itinerary and spent more time in port to reduce fuel consumption, but those measures were insufficient to offset the cost surge.

Lane, who spent more than $200,000 on her cabin, now lives in a modest apartment in Orange County and said she has no intention of returning to cruise travel. "I won’t do it now," she told the outlet.

Villa Vie Residency said its focus is on supporting residents, crew, and employees while it works toward restructuring and recapitalization over the next 60 days, though no outcome is guaranteed.