Villa Vie Odyssey "forever cruise" residents want their ship back

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As the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship makes its mode from Cambodia to Singapore, wherever it could perchance beryllium auctioned off by its lender, CBS News has learned of astatine slightest 2 resident-led efforts to reclaim the vessel.

One effort precocious failed aft a lender denied backing to residents of the luxury "forever cruise." However, a 2nd effort to bargain the vessel is inactive precise overmuch active, according to 2 sources acquainted with the matter. It is led by different radical hoping to bargain the vessel astatine auction, the sources said.

The 2nd effort would not impact Villa Vie Residences' laminitis and enforcement president Mike Petterson, according to sources progressive successful the discussions.

Petterson said helium believed helium had an operational spouse to rescue the ship, but that did not cookware out, which led to the vessel being taken by its lender.

Now, Petterson says helium believes helium could inactive get the vessel backmost and is continuing to look for imaginable investors to instrumentality implicit the vessel for good. Another enactment would beryllium to rise the funds to record for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and merchantability the company. He nary longer wants to beryllium progressive successful institution leadership.

"I'm not going to beryllium the beforehand look idiosyncratic of a institution immoderate clip soon," Petterson told CBS News.

CBS News has besides learned that a radical of residents is considering ineligible enactment implicit substance loans that were provided to the institution successful April — erstwhile residents said they raised much than $2 cardinal dollars to support the vessel afloat.

The substance indebtedness programme promised up to a 24% instrumentality if residents invested much wealth to assistance with the rising outgo of fuel.

In a transcript of an statement obtained by CBS News, which appears to beryllium from Villa Vie, the indebtedness is described arsenic "Unsecured" without "Collateral oregon Guarantees."

Craig and Cindy Voight were connected committee the vessel from October 2024 erstwhile the Odyssey departed Belfast, Northern Ireland, for its voyage astir the world. The mates said they spent much than $300,000 connected their compartment and monthly dues, successful summation to providing the institution with $100,000 arsenic participants successful the substance indebtedness program. They said they program to instrumentality ineligible enactment implicit that program.

"So we thought, alright, we're going to get 18% interest," Craig Voight said. "First payment's expected to commencement a period later. So betwixt past and present they beryllium america implicit $113,000. They've ne'er paid 1 penny."

Petterson acknowledged that immoderate residents could perchance instrumentality ineligible enactment implicit the substance loans successful a connection that helium shared with CBS News, saying "I instrumentality their concerns seriously."

In his statement, the enforcement besides said financing for the indebtedness programme "was arranged during an urgent play for the vas and was intended to enactment contiguous operating needs, including fuel." The financing was structured done Villa Vie's genitor company, Residential Cruise Holdings, "because existing financing restrictions prevented Villa Vie Residences from borrowing directly," helium said.

"I admit that residents privation wide answers astir however the loans were structured and handled," said Petterson. "Because ineligible enactment is being considered, I won't sermon idiosyncratic claims oregon gully conclusions successful the media. We volition code the substance done the due ineligible process and supply accusation done the due channels."

This communicative published first connected CBS News astatine 8:28 a.m. connected Nov. 8, 2026.

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