‘Numb’: Aussies left homeless as cruise ship shuts

For Brisbane mum Rina Cavazza and Melbourne retiree Frances Paroissien, life aboard a cruise ship was meant to be a permanent escape. Instead, two Aussie women have been left homeless after the cruise ship they were living on suddenly shut down. The pair were among passengers living aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey when the residential cruise ship abruptly suspended operations in Cambodia, forcing everyone to disembark with just hours’ notice. The Odyssey, operated by US-based Villa Vie Residences, had set sail from Belfast in October 2024 on a planned three-and-a-half-year round-the-world voyage, promising residents visits to more than 425 destinations across 147 countries. MORE NEWS ‘Holy cow’: Couple ditches home for $66-a-day life at sea Cruise ship retirement dream hits Centrelink pension reality ‘Financially ruined’: Landlords face $2m clean-up But after about 25 months at sea, the dream has unravelled. There were 203 passengers and 156 crew members on board when the ship was docked in Sihanoukville on Tuesday, including five Australians. The Villa Vie Odyssey is docked in Cambodia after its operator announced a suspension of operations, citing soaring fuel costs. Credit: 7NEWS C...