Odyssey Residents Demand Over $1 Million in Fuel Fees After Singapore Delay

The residential cruise Odyssey, which began sailing in 2024, has never been intended to return to a home port. Instead, the vessel operates as a permanent floating residence for owners who buy cabins on the ship. The project is led by Villa Vie Residences, a company based in Florida.

In early August, the Odyssey arrived in Singapore, where it was scheduled to depart according to its itinerary. However, the ship remained in port. During this time, co-founder Kathy Villalba held a Zoom call from Florida with passengers on board. She requested that residents contribute more than one million dollars to purchase fuel for the vessel. This amount translated to thousands of dollars per person. Residents booed during the call, and the ship’s internet service was shut off. It remained unclear whether the crew was being paid.

Starr Davis, a retiree from Florida living aboard the Odyssey, initially described the experience as a retirement hack. She noted that the ship had visited dozens of countries since 2024 and allowed residents to access inexpensive medical care in East Asia. When contacted by email after the Singapore delay, Davis replied that the ship was sailing. She stated that she was stepping off for a short period to take land tours. Other residents, such as Toni Trombecky, who owns a cabin, left the ship following the fuel dispute. Trombecky noted that she was among the few who did not sign a nondisclosure agreement, allowing her to speak publicly about the situation.

Mikael Petterson and Kathy Villalba co-founded Villa Vie Residences after a previous venture called Life at Sea failed. Petterson, a former financial planner, signed a contract with Turkish company Miray Cruises to develop a three-year voyage. The project attracted significant media attention, with more than half of the cabins reserved within one month. Interior cabins started at ninety thousand dollars, while suites cost just under one million. However, Petterson left the company before passengers boarded in Istanbul. Miray Cruises canceled the voyage after a deal for the ship fell through, leaving some passengers waiting for refunds for a year.

Public records show that both Petterson and Villalba had declared bankruptcy in the past. Petterson had filed for bankruptcy only a few years before launching Villa Vie. The Odyssey was marketed as the first truly affordable residential world cruise. In March 2024, a couple paid one hundred and seventy-nine thousand dollars to buy a cabin. This price included a monthly maintenance fee of six thousand dollars, which was promised to remain constant in perpetuity. The fee covered three meals daily, housekeeping, laundry, basic medical attention, and wine or beer at every meal. Petterson told Fox Business that there would be no surprise costs going forward.

The Odyssey finally departed Belfast, Northern Ireland, in early October 2024, after delays for repairs and certification issues. The ship required a new rudder stock, but staff initially attempted to install it horizontally. An expert corrected the orientation, noting it was designed to sit vertically. The itinerary changed frequently after departure. Villa Vie eliminated about half of the planned stops in Alaska and skipped the Galápagos Islands due to passenger limits. Despite these changes, resident Claude Sadovsky, a retired emergency medicine physician, reported enjoying the voyage. He noted that he was happy to pay the twenty-five hundred dollars per month he was charged and worried he might not be paying enough.

Residents on the Odyssey have reported that the company is asking them for cash to cover operational costs while the ship is in port. The demand for over one million dollars in Singapore has raised questions about the financial stability of the vessel. The ship continues to operate with a mix of long-term residents and those who have recently departed due to delays and cost disputes.