Stranded cruise passengers share experience

Imagine selling everything you own to retire on a cruise, only to be suddenly dumped on the other side of the world. That is reality for hundreds of passengers after the ship's Florida based operator abruptly suspended its voyage, blaming fuel costs. We first reported the story last week, and now we're hearing from some of those passengers. Fox 13's Ariel Plasencia joins us now from our newsroom. Ariel, what did the passengers tell you today? Well, Haley, you know, they're frustrated and they're angry, but here's what they want people to know about what It's called residential cruising, that this is a slower way to travel the world. You know, you live on the ship, so you don't have to deal with all the packing and the unpacking or the jet lag. You stay at the ports longer so you have more time to explore. And so a lot of these passengers were expecting to stay on this cruise for years. Instead, though, they got kicked off last week. So we're living, that's our home now, and our home is now traveling around the world. Paul and Lynn Montoya boarded the MV Odyssey in April 2025. The Wyoming couple bought one of the cabins, even remodeling it to feel like home. It was just like a dream come true. I just felt like I was Just transported into another world. And in 18 months, they saw 50 countries, Japan, one of their favorites. And the other residents on board became family. We would do theater performance together. We'd do concerts. The ship was operated by Villa V Residences, a Florida-based company. And the retired couple planned to cruise for at least four years to make one around-the-world trip. But back in April, the Montoya said the company started asking residents for money to cover fuel. It seemed like every... Two, three, four weeks, depending on like where we were at port, they were asking us for another million and a half. They said they also wondered about the overall business model too. And on October 27th, they said an official announcement came from the captain that passengers had about seven hours to pack up and abandon ship. You know, how much can we travel with on land? And so we tried to take essentials. And left everything else. The Montoya say the company shuttled them to the middle of a town in Cambodia and dropped them off, offering zero assistance or financial help with hotels. I still have some anger with it. I really do, just because of the lack of communication, but the lack of compassion. The couple has since made it to Malaysia and will be heading to Australia to meet friends as they figure out their next move We sold everything. We sold our house, our cars, everything. I mean, we have family back in the States, but, you know, really, I mean, we're kind of homeless. Meanwhile, Villa V Residences posted an update on their website saying fuel expenses have skyrocketed, jumping from about $1,800 a month to as much as $8,000 in parts of Asia. The statement by the company, which is based in Pembroke Pines, goes on to say it's evaluating, quote, restructuring and recapitalization alternatives right now. And over the weekend, the company founder told Fox Business Insider that he feels awful. And that he's the villain in the story, but that he's doing everything he can to, quote, support the residents. And Haley, we'll let you know when Villa Via Residences responds to our request for comment. Boy, what an awful spot to be in for those passengers. Hopefully that statement will include more on on how they can make this right for all of them. Ariel, thank you.