Passengers who paid more than $99,000 for the three-year cruise have been stranded in Northern Ireland for three months and staying in hotels while they wait for the ship to be repaired.
The Villa Vie Residences Odyssey arrived under its own power at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, but after arriving, the 30-year-old vessel had some mechanical issues, Mikael Pettersson, CEO of Villa Vie Residences, told “Good Morning America.”“
“It took us six weeks to get the rudder stock done and we're working on a few other things now,” Pettersson said, “but overall, I think three months isn't too bad considering the circumstances.”
Pettersson said on his morning show that the Odyssey's new departure date has been set for September 9.
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The U.S. cruise ship Odyssey, operated by Villa Vie Residences, is docked at Harland and Wolff's ship repair facility in the port of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
“It's cold. It's windy. It's wet. It rains a lot,” Holly Hennessy, a passenger from Florida, told the outlet, describing the past three months in Belfast. “We've been moved to different accommodation five times.”
“I thought I could go home, or that a ship would send people to the Canary Islands,” she said, “but then I realized I couldn't go back because I had my cat with me.”
Passengers can stay on the Villa V Odyssey during the day but must head to their hotel rooms in the evening. Villa V Residences has reportedly helped passengers plan trips around Europe during the suspension. But for passengers like Hennessy, who travels with her cat, options are limited.
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The U.S. cruise ship Odyssey, operated by Villa Vie Residences, undergoes repairs at Harland and Wolff's ship facility in the port of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
The cruise advertises visits to 475 destinations in 147 countries. Room rates start at $100,000, with monthly supplemental payments included for a minimum of 15 years, according to the company's website.
Marketing materials targeted at retirees and digital nomads tout an “amazing opportunity to own a home in a floating paradise” complete with a gym, putting green, entertainment facilities, business center, spa and an “experiential culinary center,” according to the Associated Press.
Passengers Johan Bodin and his partner Ranette Kannen, originally from Sweden and the US respectively, had moved from Maui, Hawaii, to spend the next few years aboard the ship, Good Morning America reported. They had been traveling in Europe for the past three months while waiting for the ship to leave port.
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The U.S. cruise ship Odyssey, operated by Villa Vie Residences, is scheduled to depart on a three-year voyage on Friday, August 30, 2024, after undergoing repairs at Harland and Wolff's ship repair facility in the port of Belfast, Northern Ireland. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
“We're here for the long haul, but who knows how we'll feel a year from now,” Bodine told “Good Morning America.” “Hopefully, by the end of next week, we'll be able to say goodbye to Belfast and get off the ship.”
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Kanen plans to run his Arizona-based auto glass business from the boat, according to the Associated Press, and Bodine, a carpenter by trade, runs a YouTube channel documenting the couple's dead-end journey.
“We may be crazy, we may be stupid, we may be naive, we may be persistent,” Bodine said. “I don't know. Label us however you like.”
