This week should have been, now, the beginning of a dream vacation on the Villa Residences Odyssey luxury cruise. The ship that was to take them around the world had spent more than four months stranded in the port of Belfast with the passengers spending the nights in nearby hotels and, for a few weeks, paying for their stays out of pocket. However, on Monday it was announced that they were finally setting sail, and so it was. For a rather short time.
Return to the starting box. The luxury cruise beset by technical delays and docked in rainy Belfast since May, finally departed the Northern Ireland capital last Monday night, sparking celebration among its passengers. “We’re going to have an incredible time tonight, we’re going to party like there’s no tomorrow,” passenger Joe Martino told the media before boarding.
However, the joy did not last long, just a few kilometers of crossing before dropping anchor again at the mouth of Belfast Lough, where it remained overnight and all day yesterday, Tuesday. Passengers said they were informed that the cruise “endless” I needed to return to the port “to complete some final paperwork.”
The intrastory. Odyssey by Villa Residences offered a 3 and a half year trip around the world on a boat that offered the sale of cabins for up to $899,000. In this way, the client not only bought a trip with an end, but upon finishing the route he could continue living on the cruise during the expected 15 years of the ship’s useful life.
The problem? The cruise ship arrived at Queen’s Island in the capital of Northern Ireland to be fitted out ahead of its scheduled departure on May 30 for the first three-year leg. However, problems with its rudders and gearbox delayed the start. This means that the approximately 200 passengers on the round-the-world cruise 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. Of course, they could stay on the ship during the day, but they had to disembark every night for safety reasons during repair work, at which time they were transferred to hotels in Belfast or other cities with all expenses paid for by Residents’ Residences. villas.
In these four months, in addition to frequenting the city, many have taken advantage of their free time to go on excursions, visit nearby and not so close destinations. Some have traveled to places as diverse as Greenland or the Canary Islands, trips organized by the cruise company itself (which paid for everything). The surrealism of the situation is such that a week ago we reported that one of the passengers had found time to return home to Australia (twice) during the wait. However, the “all inclusive” came to an end. In September, passengers had to start paying for nights “away” after an accumulated company bill of almost two million dollars.
We set sail, or almost. This is how we get to the news from a few hours ago. After a couple of false starts, the cruise was ready to board shortly before 9 pm on Monday to scenes of joy in the terminal, where its passengers had spent hours wondering if they would finally begin the journey of their dreams. Passengers like John Frim commented that they were a little confused by the situationbut “happy to be home” and to have finally slept in his “own bed” on board the ship for the first time.
And yes, the ship did set sail, but, once again, fate forced them to return. Villa Vie Residences chief executive Mikael Petterson said administrative paperwork still needed to be completed before the cruise ship could finally depart on its three-year route around the world. “We still have to finish some paperwork before leaving the Belfast area,” said.
An uncertain ending. Everything indicates that they are very close to being able to leave Belfast, almost touching it with their fingers, a city that, by the way, the passengers already know almost like the locals. But no one dares to say when that moment will be.
The truth is that with each passing day the legend surrounding Mikael Petterson, founder and CEO of Villa Vie, whose previous job was at Life at Sea, also a cruise line, becomes stronger… ended up canceling his plans for a similar trip around the world.
Image | Villa Vie Residences
In Xataka | The largest cruise ship in the world also has the most expensive room: more than 100,000 euros with tips included
In Xataka | The new monster of the seas is now ready: the largest cruise ship in the world has just scheduled its first voyage
Add Comment