The Villa Vie Odyssey's residents said they were given eight hours to disembark in Cambodia. TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP via Getty Images

A financial whirlpool sucked the "never-ending" cruise under.

The founder behind the Villa Vie Odyssey told Business Insider that the Iran war fuel-price surge was the beginning of a "cascading effect" that led the cruise to shut down this week. Mikael Petterson, Villa Vie Residences' founder and executive chairman, said he's considering bankruptcy.

Villa Vie sold permanent cabins at prices ranging from $119,999 to $439,999, promising residents an endless cruise with stops at more than 400 ports of call and a global circumnavigation every three-and-a-half years.

Here are five business problems that brought the trip to an abrupt end .

1. Fuel prices soared.

In February, the United States and Israel launched a war in Iran. Fuel prices surged.…