Passengers of a cruise ship stranded in Belfast for four months hugged and cheered after they were told they were finally waving bon voyage to the city.
Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey residents gathered at Belfast Harbour’s cruise ship dock from early yesterday afternoon to board.
Many of the 600 passengers were seen celebrating as they boarded the ship, ready to head to the Caribbean.
The Odyssey arrived in Belfast in May and has been stuck ever since as it needed major repairs.
It was supposed to be undertaking the first part of a three-year cruise, but repairs took much longer than expected.
Mike Petterson, chief executive of Villa Vie Residences, was applauded by waiting passengers after telling them the ship was on the way at around 7pm.
Speaking to reporters at the cruise terminal, he said he was “a little stressed” as efforts were made to clear “a few last-minute things”.
The passengers find out they are set to sail on Monday evening
“It’s administrative paperwork. We needed the right person to press the button at the end of the day. It’s been done and we’re putting the vessel in motion right now.
“The harbour master has been in direct contact with the MD.
“We’ve been expecting this outcome for hours.”
He said departure was due at 11.59pm last night — a minute before the terminal closes.
“The good news is that we have complete clearance and we will be out of here very, very, very soon.”
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Asked how would he remember Belfast, he said “your summer is horrible” and “you can’t cook to save your lives, but you do know how to drink”.
The cruise costs passengers up to £27,000 per month. The firm acquired the ship previously owned by Braemar Cruise Ltd for $13m and planned to invest $10m to ensure it was operational and kitted out for guests.
It has now spent double that figure after being besieged by problems, ranging from issues with electricity generators to problems with on-board water distillation systems — even one of the vessel’s four engines was found to have cracked.
The ship is completely residential — to own a cabin with a balcony, you’ll need to fork out over £220,000, alongside monthly fees.
However, some of the stranded passengers made the most of their time in Northern Ireland.
The passengers find out they are set to sail on Monday evening
Kit Cassingham and her friend Dr Richard Namikas decided to walk 70 miles from Belfast to Derry to see as much of the province as possible.
“The people here are so warm and being able to see some of this beautiful countryside outside of Belfast was a real gift,” she said.
Press Eye – Belfast – Northern Ireland – 30th September 2024
Villa Vie ResidencesÕ Odyssey passengers gather at Belfast HarbourÕs cruise ship dock as they wait to board The Villa Vie ResidencesÕ Odyssey.
The Villa Vie ResidencesÕ Odyssey, which docked in Belfast to be outfitted, was scheduled to depart on 30 May but it was held up for repairs, leaving passengers stranded in Belfast.
Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye
Kit and her husband Randy completely uprooted their life and sold their home in Colorado to live on the ship indefinitely, but are now eager for the next step in their journey.
“I’ve loved my time here. It’s a bit sad to leave, but I did sign up for a world cruise,” Kit said.
Other passengers found love during their time in Belfast.
Gian Perroni proposed to Angela Harsanyi after the pair were thrown together during the liner’s stay.
Luxury cruise ship passengers find love while marooned in Belfast
Andy Garrison (75), who said he will be on board for at least three-and-a-half years, said he arrived in Belfast for what he thought was three days in August and ended up here for six weeks.
He said he wanted something to do so he ordered a model of the Titanic — built close to where the Odyssey has been stuck — which he made over three or four days.
Asked if he was worried it could be seen as a bad omen, he said: “No, I’m not. As a matter of fact, I’m going to put this on the wall of my room.”
The Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey docked in Belfast
He said the passengers had been “resilient” in waiting for the repairs to be completed and described them as a “really nice group”.
“I like Belfast a lot, actually. I would stay here and enjoy myself except I’m leaving on a ship,” he said.
“I am so happy to be sailing away, I’m ready to go.
“We stop briefly in Brest, France, and then we go to Spain, we go to Portugal, and we head across the ocean to go to the Bahamas, where we will stay for a while.”
Cyndi Grzybowski (69) from Appling, Georgia, said she had always wanted to see the world and was excited for the voyage to begin.
“My better half passed away three years ago, so this is giving me an opportunity to get off the farm, literally, and see the world, which is something that I have wanted to do,” she told reporters yesterday.
“My son has been so supportive of this because when this opportunity came up, I was really humming and hawing because I’ve been on the farm for 27 years, and he said, ‘mom, the only thing I’ve heard you talk about is going to see the world’.
“We started out as strangers in Southampton and Belfast and now we truly are family.
“We had two amazing parties yesterday with the pedal bikes… and last night at Revolution de Cuba, we had a get-together with fantastic food.
“Thank you all so very much, truly, Belfast has been such a wonderful place. I have so enjoyed every minute here.”