Villa Vie Residences sold people a home on a boat. The boat has now asked them to leave by 2 p.m.
Here is the best part. The Villa Vie Odyssey was supposed to reach Gibraltar in August 2030. It made it to Cambodia. That is roughly 6,000 nautical miles short of the finish line, give or take a continent.
The company blames fuel. ,Monthly fuel costs per cabin rose from $1,800 to as much as $8,000 in parts of Asia,. That is a 344% increase. Your 401(k) wishes it had that kind of momentum.
The residents paid real money for this. ,Villa suites cost $440,000. An inside villa cost $120,000., An inside villa. On a ship. No window, no ocean view, and now no ship.
The operator says it took action. ,It slowed the itinerary and spent more time in port., A cruise line fought rising costs by cruising less. That is not a turnaround plan. That is a hostage video with a buffet.
Here is the technical read. The chart shows a ship, a number, and a fuel gauge. All three point down. I have no further indicators. Moving averages cannot help a vessel in Sihanoukville.
Notice the legal language too. ,"No outcome is assured,", the company said. Neither is Tuesday. The statement promises restructuring and recapitalization within 60 days. Translation: please hold your luggage and your optimism in a Cambodian port city.
Retail traders will call this a buying opportunity. They always do. Someone on a forum is already typing "cruise ships are just floating real estate with upside." Sir, it is floating. That is the only part still working.
The residents wanted to see the world. They saw Cambodia, then a deadline, and then an airport. That counts as a world cruise if you squint and own no atlas.
Villa Vie promised never-ending cruising. It lasted 755 days, which is the longest "never" I have ever seen.
Photo by Alonso Reyes on Unsplash
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