This week was supposed to be the start of a dream vacation on the Villa Residences Odyssey luxury cruise. The ship that was to take them around the world was stranded in Belfast harbor for more than four months, with passengers spending the night in nearby hotels and paying for their accommodation out of pocket for several weeks. However, on Monday it was announced that they were finally on their way, and that’s exactly what happened. For a fairly short period of time.
Return to the starting box. The luxury cruise ship, which has been moored in rainy Belfast since May due to technical delays, finally left Northern Ireland’s capital last Monday night, prompting celebrations among its passengers. “We’re going to have an incredible time tonight, partying like there’s no tomorrow,” passenger Joe Martino told the media before boarding the plane.
But the joy did not last long, after a passage of only a few kilometres, she anchored again at the mouth of Belfast Lough and remained there all night and all day yesterday, Tuesday. Passengers said they were informed that the “endless” cruise ship had to return to port “to complete some final formalities.”
Inside the story. Odyssey by Villa Residences offered a 3-and-a-half-year round-the-world cruise on a boat offering cabin sales for up to $899,000. In this way, the customer has not only purchased a voyage that has an ending, but will also be able to continue living on the voyage for the expected 15-year lifespan of the ship after finishing the route.
Problem? The cruise ship has arrived at Queen’s Island in the Northern Ireland capital to be outfitted ahead of its scheduled departure on May 30 for the first three-year leg. However, problems with the rudder and gearbox delayed the start. This means nearly 200 passengers on the world tour have been stranded in Belfast for more than four months.
It’s time to pay. The first decision the company made was to try to make their stay in the inhospitable port as pleasant as possible. They could, of course, stay on the ship during the day, but for security reasons during the repair work they had to disembark each night, at which time they were transferred to hotels in Belfast or other cities, all expenses paid by Residential Housing. villas.
In these four months, many people, in addition to visiting the city frequently, used their free time to go on excursions and visit nearby and not so nearby places. Some had traveled to places as diverse as Greenland or the Canary Islands, with trips organized by the cruise line itself (which paid for everything). The surreality of the situation is such that we reported a week ago that one of the passengers found time to return to Australia while waiting (twice). However, the “all inclusive” practice has ended. In September, travelers were forced to start paying for nights they stayed “away” due to a backlog of company bills of almost two million dollars.
We set sail, or nearly so. This is how we access the news from a few hours ago. After several false starts, the cruise ship was ready to depart shortly before 9pm on Monday to joyous scenes in the terminal, where its passengers spent hours wondering whether they would finally embark on the journey of their dreams. Passengers such as John Frim said they were a little confused by the situation but were “happy to be home” and eventually slept “in their own bed” for the first time on the ship.
And yes, the ship set sail, but fate forced them to turn back once again. Villa Vie Residences CEO Mikael Petterson said administrative paperwork still needs to be completed before the cruise ship can finally embark on its three-year route around the world. “We still need to finish some paperwork before we leave the Belfast area,” he said.
An uncertain ending. Everything indicates that they are very close to leaving Belfast, almost touching their fingers; By the way, it is a city that travelers know almost as much as the locals. But no one dares to say when that moment will happen.
The truth is that the legend surrounding Villa Vie founder and general manager Mikael Petterson, whose previous job was also at Life at Sea, a cruise line, grows stronger every day… and he eventually canceled his plans for a comeback. It looks like the sea.
Image | Villa Vie Residences
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Source: Xatak Android
Ashley Johnson is a science writer for “Div Bracket”. With a background in the natural sciences and a passion for exploring the mysteries of the universe, she provides in-depth coverage of the latest scientific developments.