The company which owns a cruise ship that was stranded in Belfast for four months is offering disgruntled US voters the chance to “escape” Donald Trump’s presidency by travelling the world for four years.
Villa Vie Residences is seeking to cash in on the recent election result by offering Americans a lengthy stay on-board the Odyssey ship with prices starting at around £127,000 ($160k) per person.
Four ‘Tour La Vie’ deals are on offer to guests who want to visit more than 425 ports in 140 countries and they are overtly marketed at Democrat supporters.
They include the ‘One-Year Escape from Reality’ package, the ‘Two-Year Mid-Term Selection’ and the ‘Three-Year Everywhere but Home’ deal.
Those most worried about what’s in store during President Trump’s term in office are encouraged to select the ‘Four-Year Skip Forward’ by the company’s founder and CEO.
“If you’re looking for an escape… there is no better place than on a ship, right, where you can wake up every day to a new backyard and get everything you need taken care of,” Mikael Petterson said.
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However, Mr Petterson said the firm began working on the savvy marketing campaign before polling day and would have rolled it out regardless of who won.
“It’s not really a political campaign at all,” he insisted.
“It just happened that Trump won and there are more Democrats that are unhappy living in the US now than Republicans.”
Those seeking to escape will be hoping for no repeat of the problems which forced passengers to spend all summer in Belfast.
Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey in Belfast Lough. Pic by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.
Just a few weeks before the election on November the vessel was described as “cursed” by a passenger who complained about not being able to flush the toilets or have a hot shower on the luxury ship.
It had only recently set sail from Belfast Lough after being plagued by issues.
Resident Joe Rhodes, who nicknamed the ship “SS Clusterf***” complained about a string of onboard problems once the round-the-world trip finally began.
“Nothing from the taps, nothing from the showers and — most importantly — no way to flush the toilets. Most residents didn’t realise this — the shutdown happening in the middle of the night — until AFTER they’d made deposits, so to speak,” he wrote on Substack.
“Yep, we awakened to the faint smell of s*** marinating in a hundred unflushed bowls, wafting through the corridors, gently mixing with the ocean breeze.”
In a later update Rhodes confirmed that things were sailing more smoothly as problems were resolved.
However, Mr Petterson said the two swimming pools “needed complete replacement and over $700k of work” before they could operate.
The CEO previously said problems were encountered as a result of being anchored outside in Belfast which meant “forward water tanks were full”.
“We transferred water to the rear overnight where we had to turn off water temporarily. This affected all water including toilets. This lasted ‘til the morning hours where residents did not have water when they woke up in the morning.
“Water was back on in the morning and has since been operational. Residents have been able to enjoy every port since.”