The Great Escape

What does the sudden exodus of Odyssey’s most high-profile cheerleaders portend?

The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that shows how close humanity is to global catastrophe. It is now 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been. It’s a real thing that is updated annually by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

Knowledgeable observers couldn’t be faulted for thinking the clock is becoming eerily symbolic of the current situation with Villa Vie as well, especially when considering numerous recent developments with the venture, to say nothing of its history.

A prime example:

Midlife Cruising’s recent sudden and surprising departure

Some of their specific complaints and reasons they cited for leaving:

• “Our joy was being stolen”

• “People in leadership positions and elites being bullies to us”

• They claim to be responsible for “50 plus” cabin sales and also claim they were never paid nor given any special considerations for their referrals, a claim that was very strongly disputed by management. MidLife have stated this was not a reason for leaving but have also repeatedly complained about it so it is obviously a big bone of contention.

• “It was sad that we we were NEVER treated as an asset, but only a hindrance...

  We did love it so much, but we could only take so much.”

• Their “intense” prayers for guidance were answered by signs they interpreted as being from above

• They say they like and expect certain levels of service that weren’t being met onboard (but they are NOT “bougie”)

• “We should be allowed um to feel safe and comfortable, especially in our own community, to speak our truths without feeling like you’re going to get hammered on by somebody who say has a really large investment in the company.”

• “It‘s just not okay to ever attack somebody for having an opinion different of yours. Period. End of story. It’s not okay.”

• “We never got our way. Not once. Never. Never. Not once. Not in Belfast. Not when we set sail. We always joke that we were the redheaded stepchild. We never got our way.”

• Multiple reasons passionately expressed in their exit video were intentionally censored/overdubbed by audible bleeps and visually masking their lip movements (done in an effort to avoid violating a non-disclosure agreement they had to sign in order to sell their cabin).

But now, less than 6 weeks after their “We Left For Good (Not Clickbait)” video (and its associated comments) in which they recounted the above reasons for leaving, they now claim the following in an indignant, vituperative and excuse-laden Youtube apologia captioned “You’re Wrong” and titled “Setting the Internet Trolls Straight”:

• The bad rap we’re getting is just internet trolls lying about us

• “We were never bullied by any residents or passengers” (except they explicitly contradict this in their replies to messages in the Comments section of the previous video. They also contradicted this statement in the “Posts” section of their Youtube site where the NDA was also deleted)

• They didn’t leave because of not getting paid (even though Angela complained about it repeatedly)

• Angela says, “we’ve promoted it [Villa Vie] for so long and it does weigh heavy on us that a lot of people bought in because of us” but (paraphrasing) it’s not our fault if they didn’t do their homework and are now stuck. They’re adults — it’s their fault, not ours.

• People lied about our having a second home in Tennessee (although we are shopping for one now)

• The A/C in their room didn’t keep them comfortable.

• The quality and variety of the food declined until it was meh (although they left that factoid out of their videos — maybe not enough butter chicken?) but that wasn’t why they left either

• Angela voices a complaint about “Karens” who Angela says accuse MidLife of lying about the food when the real Karen is the one whining about insignificant criticisms while conveniently avoiding addressing any of the elephant-in-the-room issues they studiously avoided or dismissed throughout their entire experience

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Other worrying examples:

DC Hidden Gems suddenly and quietly left, citing that tried and true corporate excuse (or maybe — more accurately — that tired and untrue trope) of “wanting to spend more time with family”

Just one problem with that line. They haven’t returned to family since they left the ship in August. Instead they decided to spend a month in Kyoto and then enjoy an extended stay in Bangkok.

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Joe Rhodes permanently disembarked after a little over one year onboard

He opted to leave as soon as his prepaid segment deposits and Belfast credits were depleted even though he had originally intended to remain onboard 3+ years for a full circumnavigation

He really should write a book about his experiences. The non-stop daily drama, rumors, gossip and human interest stories onboard could make for a highly entertaining TV series combining elements of Dallas, Succession, Industry and Bad Business.

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Living Life On A Cruise tried to turn their cabin into a highly profitable rental unit.

Unfortunately for them, no one seems to be biting

Johan and Lanette said they planned to take an extended break from the ship to explore locations in Southeast Asia…if only they could rent their cabin. Given all that has transpired recently, it’s not hard to imagine a scene like this:

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The Doomsday Clock can get reset. Through the years the hands have moved closer to midnight and occasionally have also thankfully retreated.

Can the Odyssey similarly retreat from the precipice?

• Can Odyssey reverse its worsening picture from the failed US Public Health Inspection in July?

• Can it ever hope to reach sustainable profitability despite still only being at 326 passengers (less than 50% capacity) after a full year of sailing and selling?

• Can it find a way to bring in sufficient current operating revenue despite having implemented so many programs that brought in accelerated upfront lump sum payments at the expense of depleting future revenue?

• Can it attract sufficient new clients despite the multiple high profile defections after just 1 year?

Many thought Odyssey would last at least until the huge and expensive challenge of the now postponed 2027 dry dock. Like the Doomsday Clock scenario, it’s hard to reverse the troubling and persistent momentum that plagues both dilemmas. And — also like the Doomsday Clock threat — the ability to successfully move in the right direction toward brighter horizons requires honest, competent, caring, wise and skilled leaders at the helm…

And just for the record (although it shouldn’t need to be said), we’re not rooting for the Odyssey clock to strike midnight any more than the Doomsday Clock.

But — as always —stay tuned, Explorers! You truly never know what’s coming next.