• Joel Greiff planned to live on Villa Vie's Odyssey for decades, but was aboard for less than a month.
• He packed his Florida life into six bags and boarded the Odyssey earlier this month.
• On Tuesday, however, residents were ordered off in Cambodia as Villa Vie suspended operations.

This as-told-to essay is based on several conversations with Joel Greiff, 57, a Villa Vie Odyssey passenger from Florida. It has been edited for length and clarity. Villa Vie Residences and its founders, Mikael Petterson and Kathy Villalba, did not immediately respond to a request from Business Insider.

I planned to live on the Odyssey for 10, 20, or even more years. I don't think that will be happening now.

Still, unlike others, I am celebrating the time I was able to enjoy on the Odyssey, which was 26 days before Villa Vie suspended operations on Tuesday and we had to disembark in Cambodia.

I thought I had found my new home

In April 2024, I read an article about the Odyssey. I called a sales agent at the company and asked a bunch of questions.

The following May, I stayed on the Odyssey for four days. Within five minutes of boarding, I concluded that this was my new home, these were my new neighbors, and this would be my future.

What drew me in was that it would be a place where I could come, live, and be part of a community. I was following residents on Facebook and reached out to a couple of them individually. I asked whether they were happy with their decisions, and they said yes.

In August this year, I left my home in Florida. I spent a couple of months driving around the US, visiting friends and family, and saying my goodbyes. Then, in September, I flew to Bangkok and moved onto the ship on October 1.

I introduced 'Fantastic Joel' — that's what I go by — to many people on a ship. Most enjoyed meeting me. I'm sure a few didn't. There was always something going on, and people were really nice to each other. There were arts-and-crafts, plays, karaoke, and Seder dinners for Jewish residents.

I tried to put myself out there, meet a lot of different people, and say hi. There was always a good community having a good time. I absolutely fell in love with the crew. They deserve all the accolades and respect.

It was clear that things had changed

Compared with my visit in May 2025, it was clear to me that services and amenities had deteriorated by the time I moved aboard in October. Laundry was being done less frequently. Before going to Angkor Wat, I had to do my own laundry. The itinerary kept changing, and we sometimes sat at sea for days. Personally, I was fine with it.

Circle, Villa Vie's communication platform, was how the CEO and residents communicated. It's also how we got internal notices about the itinerary changes, visa applications, and other ship business.

On Sunday, we were told on Circle that if the company didn't receive money by Tuesday, the ship would not continue sailing. On Monday, we were told again that without money, the voyage would stop.

On Tuesday morning, I was at the bus station, coming back from a trip to Angkor Wat, charging my phone and waiting to get the shuttle back to the ship. The message came through on Circle telling us to disembark. It was about 7 a.m., and we had to be out by 2 p.m.

Before I arrived in Asia, I had fit everything I owned into four checked suitcases and two carry-on bags. I was able to repack within an hour. For people who had lived on the Odyssey for two years and had a home's worth of belongings, it was much harder.

I went somewhere quiet, then returned to help

After we disembarked, I went to Kampot, a small town in Cambodia, because I wanted to be somewhere peaceful. People had said it was relaxing.

Sihanoukville, where the ship was, felt like the opposite: a big, noisy place full of casinos and high-rises. I saw staff still working and residents who were discombobulated. I thought, 'I've got to get out of this craziness.'

For now, I've rented an affordable two-bedroom apartment for a month, about three hours away from Sihanoukville, where the ship is. I've been going back to the ship to help my fellow residents with their luggage, finding places to stay, and getting their belongings off the ship.

The residents are all coming together and helping each other out. Somebody says, "Do you have a suitcase?" and somebody says, "Yes, I have one spare."

I may never get my money back

I paid a lot for a 26-day stay on the Odyssey. Most likely I will never see it again. To me, if I lose the money, I don't need it. I don't care.

After all, the most important things in life are great friends and family, traveling the world, creating adventures, learning new things and, most importantly, helping others.

If the ship somehow finds a way to become a viable business, I would get back on it. If not, I'll explore living in Chiang Mai, Thailand. That was already my Plan B when I left Florida.

Have you spent any time on the Villa Vie Odyssey as a cabin owner, renter, or staff member? If you have a story to share, get in touch with this reporter: jzitser@businessinsider.com.

"A wonderful, 'olde world' dining experience."

"A natural fit for retirees who want mountains and rivers built into daily life."

Habitar uma cidade é mais do que ter uma casa. Implica poder aceder a emprego, serviços e espaços públicos de qualidade, estabelecer relações de proximidade e participar nas decisões sobre o futuro da cidade

"Some of the adults get more scared than the kids!"

Habitar uma cidade é mais do que ter uma casa. Implica poder aceder a emprego, serviços e espaços públicos de qualidade, estabelecer relações de proximidade e participar nas decisões sobre o futuro da cidade

Joel Greiff, 57, was new to the Villa Vie Odyssey. He had boarded the residential cruise ship on October 1 and kept his belongings to a minimum.

Traveling light came in handy when all passengers were abruptly told to leave the ship on Tuesday in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, amid what management has described as an oil-price crisis.

"I unpacked in an hour and I packed back up in an hour," Greiff told Business Insider.

Villa Vie Residences, which operates the cruise, said it had to shut the ship down because of the spiking price of fuel amid the Iran War. On Wednesday, founder Mikael Petterson told Business Insider the prices were part of a "cascading effect" that brought the ship to a standstill.

"I'm the villain in the story, but I'm doing everything I can to support the residents on a solution," he said.

Greiff is among the many Odyssey passengers who have to figure out what to do next, now that their floating mobile home is suddenly no longer so mobile. In interviews with Business Insider in the days since residents were told to disembark, they shared reactions that range from heartbreak and despondence to gratitude for the good times on board — and a buoyant hopefulness that the ship will sail again.

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Villa Vie Residences marketed the Odyssey as a "home at sea." It offered five-year residency packages starting at $59,999, permanent residency packages starting at $119,999, and a multi-cabin "Home Suite Home" option starting at $229,999.

Passengers were promised a lifestyle of continuous travel around the world, stopping at more than 400 ports in over 140 countries.

Jim and Chris Guld are no strangers to a life in motion. They spent 14 years living in an RV and traveling around the US before settling in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They run Geeks on Tour, a small company that offers tech training for travelers.

When they sold their townhouse to move aboard the Odyssey in April 2025, they kept a small camper van with a friend near Gainesville.

"It was going to be our lifeboat in case, early on, the Odyssey didn't pan out," Jim Guld, 72, told Business Insider.

That "lifeboat" is still waiting in Florida. The couple is in Cambodia.

In a notice on its website, Villa Vie Residences said it was helping coordinate residents' disembarkation and temporary accommodation. But the Gulds said that was not how their departure unfolded.

"We found our own hotel," Guld said. The company provided a shuttle, but he said it dropped them at "a park in the middle of town."

At least the couple had a long-planned trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to look forward to. They expect to continue traveling afterward, visiting places that should have been next on the Odyssey's itinerary, such as South Asia and Africa.

"We don't plan on going back to the States anytime soon," he said.

Claude Sadovsky paid about $100,000 in December 2023 for his cabin on the Odyssey. He told Business Insider he had left the ship about three weeks before the shutdown.

The retired doctor, 69, said he had started to feel the cruise was no longer delivering the round-the-world experience he had signed up for.

"It started out great," Sadovsky said. "Early on, I remember eating dinner with a group, and I looked at them and said, 'I really think this is worth twice what I'm paying.' As time went on, that feeling kind of dissipated," he said.

As more ports were dropped and the ship revisited places he had already seen, Sadovsky left in early October and returned to his apartment in Maui, Hawaii.

"I was amazed we made it as far as we did. And I was always prepared for it to end," he said. "I'm kind of surprised we made it two years, to be honest."

For now, he's happy to spend some time back home, though he said he'll consider returning if the cruise operators find a way forward, "especially if they could get it back anywhere close to when it first started."

"I really enjoyed that portion of it," he said.

The news has left others trying to stitch their dream life back together.

That includes a group of residents trying to raise enough money to buy the ship, said a 68-year-old resident named Paul Montoya: "If there is any option for us to move ahead, we kind of think that would be the only way."

"It's a Hail Mary," he added. For now, he and his wife plan to head to Malaysia for some medical check-ups, and then to Singapore. After that, their plans are vague, but he said they'll stay in the region "with the hope that things could change with the ship."

"It breaks my heart to think that this may be over," said Angela Nuran Gokturk.

She said she, her husband, and other passengers "are willing to do whatever we can that makes financial sense, of course, because we want to make this continue."

"This was our retirement," she said. "This is what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives, and it really was a dream lifestyle."

'I would do it again'

Dwight and Sheila Greene of Fort Worth, Texas, weren't on the ship when it halted operations. They spent the past month traveling around Cambodia and Thailand on their own schedule.

The Greenes, who run a Facebook page called "All Over the World with Dwight and Sheila," said they had made a habit of hopping on and off the ship to spend more time in places they wanted to explore.

"We use it like an aircraft carrier," said Dwight, 64.

On Wednesday, the couple flew to Singapore, where they'll be boarding a different, preplanned, 11-day cruise on Friday.

Dwight said their Royal Princess cruise was due to end in Singapore on November 10, around the time when the Villa Vie Odyssey's original itinerary was expected to return to Singapore.

"I thought, 'Oh, this is perfect. They'll arrive, we'll arrive, and we'll just change ships,'" Greene said.

That still is the plan, he added. Most of their belongings are still in their cabin. The Odyssey's recent travails have left them undaunted.

"If you told me this was going to happen, I would do it again," Greene said. "I would spend the same money. I would do it again in a heartbeat, because that's how rewarding it has been for Sheila and myself."

As for Greiff, the Odyssey newcomer, he's staying in a hotel near the ship while helping other residents collect their belongings. His next step will be to take a train to Kampot, Cambodia. He's already found a place to rent there and expects to spend a few weeks settling in, checking on the status of his Cambodian visa and getting a local SIM card. Longer term, he's considering Chiang Mai, Thailand, as a potential base.

One thing is clear: He doesn't plan to return to Florida. He used to own a condo and a car there, but he's sold both.

"I can live in Asia for $2,000 a month and live very well," he said. "It would be very hard in the United States."

A economia portuguesa desacelerou no terceiro trimestre para um crescimento de 2,4% em termos homólogos e 0,2% em cadeia, segundo dados do INE.

A economia portuguesa desacelerou no terceiro trimestre para um crescimento de 2,4% em termos homólogos e 0,2% em cadeia, segundo dados do INE.

A economia portuguesa desacelerou no terceiro trimestre para um crescimento de 2,4% em termos homólogos e 0,2% em cadeia, segundo dados do INE.

A economia portuguesa travou no terceiro trimestre para um crescimento de 2,4% em termos homólogos e 0,2% em cadeia, segundo dados do INE. Em cadeia Portugal evoluiu abaixo da zona euro.

© DIOGO VENTURA/OBSERVADOR

A Binance foi alvo de um ciberataque de larga escala. Congelou as contas avaliadas em 2,7 mil milhões de euros. Mas garante que não há indícios de que contas individuais tenham sido desfalcadas.

A Binance foi alvo de um ciberataque de larga escala. Congelou as contas avaliadas em 2,7 mil milhões de euros. Mas garante que não há indícios de que contas individuais tenham sido desfalcadas.

A Binance foi alvo de um ciberataque de larga escala. Congelou as contas avaliadas em 2,7 mil milhões de euros. Mas garante que não há indícios de que contas individuais tenham sido desfalcadas.

A Binance foi alvo de um ciberataque de larga escala. Congelou as contas avaliadas em 2,7 mil milhões de euros. Mas garante que não há indícios de que contas individuais tenham sido desfalcadas.

© Bloomberg via Getty Images

A impossibilidade de fundos e outros investidores institucionais beneficiarem automaticamente do IVA a 6% na construção está a gerar críticas entre os especialistas do setor imobiliário.

Em causa está quem compra imóveis já concluídos para os colocar no mercado de arrendamento e cujas operações não reúnem os requisitos legais para beneficiarem do incentivo fiscal.

Contudo, a limitação não abrange automaticamente todos os fundos imobiliários: depende da estrutura do investimento e do enquadramento da operação.

Bruna Melo, partner de International Tax and Transaction Services da EY, explica que a taxa reduzida de IVA a 6% na construção cobre dois cenários. “Um é a venda a quem vai viver na casa, com preço até 660.982 euros. O outro é o arrendamento pelo próprio promotor, com renda até 2.300 euros por mês. Valores que serão atualizados para 2027”.

“Fica de fora a venda a investidores que comprem os imóveis para os arrendar a rendas moderadas”, afirma. Como tal, na prática, quem constrói para vender a um investidor paga IVA a 23% e quem constrói para vender a famílias paga a 6%.
“A diferença de tratamento não tem justificação face ao objetivo da medida, que é o de colocar mais casas no mercado a preços moderados”, defende.

E critica o desconhecimento da dinâmica do setor por parte do Governo. “Em tese, o promotor constrói para vender e raramente está alinhado com o modelo de construção para arrendamento, que obriga a deter o imóvel durante anos”, diz.

Por outro lado, os investidores institucionais, como fundos de pensões e fundos de investimento têm outro perfil. “Não querem expor-se ao negócio da promoção imobiliária, com os seus riscos de licenciamento, obra e comercialização. Querem deter imóveis para arrendamento, muitas vezes a longo prazo. Procuram rendimentos estáveis e previsíveis, e por isso compram o ativo já construído, em bloco, e gerem-no de forma profissional”, aponta, realçando que o promotor assume o risco de construir e sai com a venda.

Esta limitação no regime deixa fora dele um conjunto significativo de investidores com capacidade para financiar, gerir e colocar no mercado grandes carteiras de habitação para arrendamento.

“Quando a oferta é escassa e os preços são elevados, dispensar capital de longo prazo e gestão profissional é um contrassenso. A venda a um investidor, de uma só vez, também dá ao promotor a segurança necessária para avançar com o projeto”, sublinha.
Como tal, acredita que este cenário permitiria ainda colocar num único momento um número expressivo de casas no mercado de arrendamento, o que ajudaria a equilibrar as rendas.

Bruna Melo diz que o problema não se esgota nestecaso concreto, pois o regime está repleto de condições e exclusões. “Cada requisito acrescenta risco para quem investe e abre espaço a interpretações diferentes entre contribuintes e AT, criando incerteza e imprevisíbilidade, essenciais para a decisão de investir”. afirma.

Pioridade a quem constrói
Pedro José Santos, coordenador do Departamento Fiscal da RSN Advogados diz que a questão se coloca, sobretudo, quando os fundos, seguradoras ou outros investidores institucionais não intervêm na construção e entram apenas numa fase posterior, adquirindo imóveis já concluídos para os colocar no mercado de arrendamento.

“Aí existe efetivamente uma limitação ao aproveitamento do benefício, mas ela parece-me coerente com a lógica subjacente ao regime, de fazer com que a redução do IVA se traduza, tanto quanto possível, numa diminuição efetiva do custo da habitação para quem compra para habitação própria ou numa redução do custo de produção da habitação que é diretamente colocada no mercado de arrendamento, evitando que o benefício fiscal se dilua numa cadeia de intermediação sem impacto necessário no preço final ou na renda praticada”, explica.

O advogado defende que tal como está estruturado, o benefício deve seguir a criação de habitação e não apenas a circulação do ativo imobiliário e reconhece que se o objetivo é criar nova oferta de habitação, faz mais sentido premiar quem assume o risco de construir do que quem entra apenas depois de o imóvel estar concluído.

“Esta limitação pode ser parcialmente ultrapassada através de estruturas de associação entre promotores e investidores institucionais, permitindo que os fundos participem desde a fase de desenvolvimento e construção dos projetos”, refere.

Clarificação fiscal
Sérgio Fagundes Conceição, associado principal da Antas da Cunha Ecija, alerta para a necessidade de distinguir corretamente as verbas incluídas nos contratos de empreitada, nomeadamente seguros, cauções e fundos de garantia.
“Não existe uma exclusão automática de ‘seguros’ e ‘fundos’ do IVA a 6%; existe, sim, uma necessidade de qualificar cada verba”, sublinha.

Os seguros debitados pelo empreiteiro ao dono da obra podem constituir despesas acessórias da empreitada e integrar a base tributável. Já as cauções e os depósitos de garantia verdadeiramente reembolsáveis podem ficar fora dessa base, desde que não correspondam, na realidade, a uma parte do preço ou a uma contraprestação por serviços.
“As quantias que sejam preço ou despesas acessórias da empreitada tendem a integrar a base tributável. As quantias que sejam meras garantias reembolsáveis, ou pagamentos feitos em nome e por conta do dono da obra e corretamente registados como tal, podem ficar fora da base tributável”, conclui.

Las puertas se cierran con un chasquido. Una luz estroboscópica parpadea y allí, en una nube de humo teatral, aparece un tren. La risa desquiciada del cantante de heavy metal Ozzy Osbourne inunda el almacén mientras Crazy Train retumba por los altavoces. Howard Buffett sí que sabe cómo hacer una entrada triunfal. El hijo mediano de Warren Buffett es quien ha conjurado este sueño delirante en Decatur, la pequeña ciudad de Illinois donde vive. Este decorado bizarro es una muestra de una de sus pasiones personales: un centro de formación policial que ha construido aquí con fondos benéficos de su padre, el Oráculo de Omaha.

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