After years of waiting. the fantasy cruise ship finally departed, but stopped to ‘take care of paperwork’.
The ship was supposed to make the three-and-a-half-year journey four months ago.
After several delays, Villa Vie Odyssey finally departed from Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Monday night.
However, the ship’s initial excitement to leave the harbour and sail the vast waters, was dashed by additional delays while waiting for the final ‘paperwork’.
After months of misfortune, the Fred. Olsen Cruise set sail from Belfast at approximately 11:30pm on 30 September 2024.
Shortly before Odyssey departed, a passenger, Lanette Canen, exclaimed, ‘We are so happy and relieved.’ ‘We are now practising safety drills at our muster station. [Villa Vie] did it! Here, there are only smiles.
The departure from the harbour was a welcome diversion from a course that had taken several detours as residential shipping company Villa Vie Residences prepared to embark on its long-term journey.
Finally starting the journey ‘feels great,’ Villa Vie CEO Mike Petterson said Monday night.
However, it hasn’t been easy. ‘I turned fifteen in just six months. Petterson said, ‘I felt like I had just given birth to a child.’
According to nautical tracking website Vesselfinder, Villa Vie Odyssey anchored off the coast of Belfast on Tuesday. According to the Belfast Harbour website, the ship was scheduled to depart at 11pm on that day.
Petterson told CNN, ‘Until the final administrative documentation is signed, we will remain in the general Belfast area.’
Petterson previously attributed the delay in his departure to extended certification procedures. Although built in 1993, the vessel, formerly known as Braemar, meets the standards of a new ship, according to Petterson.
The ship has been awaiting Coast Guard approval since completing its final sea trials earlier this month, and was finally approved a few days ago.
Due to the delay, passengers will have to wait until May to board. As time passed, disputes and frustrations arose.
After flying home, the passengers waited. Some, like Canen and his travelling companion Johan Bodin, continued on during the ship’s layover in Belfast.
The couple, who had lived in Hawaii, paid $100,000 for their room, which would be theirs for the duration of the ship’s stay, which was expected to last 15 years. After that, they pay $3,500 per month to live on the ship. The cost changes based on cabin type and other variables.
The problem with prolonged cruise plans is not unique to Villa Vie. In 2023, Life at Sea Cruises, a
