On Friday, the CEO of the company behind the doomed Odyssey cruise ship apologized to residents, many of whom are now stranded in Cambodia. Hours later, that apology was gone.
Villa Vie Residences CEO and founding partner Kathy Villalba sent Odyssey residents a message on Circle, the ship’s internal messaging platform, saying she was sorry for the “pain, the loss, and the uncertainty” they face after the voyage came to an abrupt halt this week.
Villa Vie had promised residents of its 509-cabin ship a chance to live permanently at sea and circumnavigate the world every three-and-a-half years. On Tuesday morning, residents were given only a few hours’ notice to disembark.
Business Insider reviewed screenshots of the memo, which was deleted hours after it was posted. Three Villa Vie residents with access to Circle confirmed the memo’s contents and that it was no longer visible.
In it, Villalba said the media attention had become “overwhelming” and that she had been advised to refrain from making further public comments.
Villalba and Villa Vie did not respond to requests for comment on the memo or why it was deleted.
In the apology note, Villalba said the company was still in talks with potential investors and expressed hope that a resident-led initiative to buy the ship would succeed.
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