The start of the long-awaited journey is around the corner, although no one dares to set a date for it.
Monday was supposed to mark the beginning of a dream vacation for passengers aboard the Odyssey, a luxury cruise ship from Villa Residences. The ship, which was scheduled to take passengers on a journey around the world, had been stuck in Belfast in the United Kingdom for more than four months. During this time, customers had been staying in nearby hotels and, in recent weeks, paying for their accommodations. However, the cruise company recently announced that the ship would finally set sail. It did, but not for long.
Back to the starting point. The luxury cruise ship, which had been plagued by technical delays and docked in rainy Belfast since May, finally left Northern Ireland’s capital on Monday night, leading to celebrations among its passengers. “We are going to have one heck of a time tonight, we are going to party like there’s no tomorrow,” passenger Joe Martino told AFP before boarding.
However, the joy was short-lived. Just a few miles into the journey, the ship dropped anchor again at the mouth of Belfast Lough, where it remained overnight and all day on Tuesday. Passengers were informed that the “never-ending” cruise ship needed to return to port “to complete some final pieces of paperwork.”
Context. Villa Residences’ Odyssey offered a 3.5-year voyage around the world on a ship that sold cabins for up to $899,000. Additionally, customers who purchased a trip also received the opportunity to live on the cruise ship for its expected 15-year lifespan after the journey.
However, the cruise ship encountered problems with its rudders and gearbox while being fitted out at Queen’s Island in Belfast. As a result, the scheduled May 30 departure for the first three-year leg was delayed. This has left around 200 passengers stranded in Belfast for more than four months.
Time to pay. The company’s first decision was to make their stay in the inhospitable port as pleasant as possible. Passengers could stay on the ship during the day. However, for safety reasons during the repair work, they had to disembark every night and were transferred to hotels in Belfast or other cities, with all expenses paid by Villa Residences.
During these four months, many customers took advantage of their free time to go on excursions, visiting nearby and distant destinations. Some traveled to places as diverse as Greenland or the Canary Islands in Spain, with the cruise company covering all expenses. One passenger even found time to return home to Australia (twice) during the wait. However, the “all-inclusive” offer recently came to an end. In September, passengers were due to start paying for the “away” nights after an accumulated bill of almost $2 million for the company.
Passengers were all set to finally start their trip, or so they thought. After a few delays, the Odyssey ship was finally ready to board just before 9 p.m. local time. Customers had spent hours waiting in the terminal, unsure if they would be able to start their dream voyage. Despite some confusion, passengers like John Frim were “happy to be home” and to have slept in their “own bed” for the first time aboard the vessel.
The ship did set sail, but fate had other plans. Villa Vie Residences CEO Mikael Petterson mentioned that there was still some administrative paperwork to complete before the ship could depart on its three-year journey around the world. “We still have some administrative paperwork to be finished before leaving the Belfast area,” he said.
Uncertain ending. All signs point to the ship being very close to leaving Belfast, a city that, after all this time, passengers know almost as well as the locals. However, no one dares to predict when that moment will arrive.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that Petterson’s legacy is being cemented every day. His previous role was with Life at Sea, a cruise line that canceled its plans for a similar round-the-world trip.
Image | Villa Vie Residences
See all comments on https://www.xatakaon.com
SEE 0 Comment