The luxury cruise liner stranded in Belfast for four months has finally set sail after three days marooned in Belfast Lough.
But in another twist to the beleaguered round-the-world voyage, passengers were initially under the impression they were taking a detour to Scotland, a reflection of a saga beset by chaotic communication.
“We have just lifted the anchor and sounded the horns about 20 minutes ago and we are on our way to Scotland,” said one passenger, Angie Harsanyi, at about 4.30pm on Thursday.
In a further intrigue, the Marine Traffic website later showed the vessel heading south. The company said, as it has done all week, that it would make a comment “soon”.
By 8pm the Marine Traffic website showed the vessel skirting the Isle of Man, apparently on its original course to Brest in France.
All day the eight-storey Villa Vie Odyssey had gently pivoted on its anchor about a mile from the seaside town of Bangor, just east of Belfast, being overtaken by cargo vessels and Stena ferry ships on their way to Great Britain.
Some of its 125 passengers have spent four months in Belfast after the ship required repairs. They were finally allowed to board on Monday but only got one hour out to sea where they remained anchored until now. The first stop on its original itinerary was Brest in France, with the company blaming “administrative paperwork” for the continuous delays since Monday.
A short video clip posted on social media by one passenger at about 4pm conveyed clear excitement that they were finally setting off on their odyssey. “I’m excited to say we have finally received clearance to leave Belfast after three days sitting in the harbour,” said Victor on his new Dr V World Travel TikTok channel.
To the sound of cheers in the background, he added: “We are finally leaving and in the next 20 minutes we will be leaving and heading over to Scotland.”
Originally the ship was to set sail for France before heading to Portugal and farther south, reaching the Caribbean in April.
Instead of warmer southern climes, Harsanyi said she thought they were initially going north to Great Hunterston near Glasgow, Scotland, for fuel and other supplies and would not be disembarking.
The mood was jubilant on Thursday. Referring to the chief executive of Villa Vie Residences, Mike Petterson, she said: “We were all up in the observation deck and Mike and Kathy [the chief operating officer] came up and they had champagne and food for everyone and we set out with confetti being thrown. Everyone is so happy.”
Harsanyi has more reason than most to be joyous as she got engaged to a fellow passenger, Gian Perroni, while stuck in Belfast.
The revelation that the cruise liner is sailing means the ship has finally received certification to exit Belfast Lough and sail in international waters.
After so much media attention about the delay, the vessel had become a local attraction in Belfast. Dog walkers took selfies from the pier with the ship in the background while pensioners speculated as to the cause of the delay.
“If you had saved up for a trip of a lifetime and ended up stuck in Belfast for four months I wouldn’t be too happy,” one said as she positioned her phone camera to get the best shot.
For days the ship’s owners said only that “paperwork” was the cause of the delay, causing disgruntlement among some passengers.
Kit Cassingham, from Colorado, told the Belfast Telegraph on Thursday that feelings onboard the Odyssey were “mixed” as passengers waited for news. She said some people were “so annoyed” while others were “chatting up a storm”.
The latest delay “really was a surprise. I heard reactions … of everything from ‘god damn it, here we go again’ to ‘let’s go have another drink’.
“People are frustrated when [management] don’t have answers. They can’t say anything other than ‘I don’t have answers’. That gets to be tedious, so they kind of go dark, which makes people annoyed. I’ve had a year of twists and turns and cold stops and fast starts. So to me, this is just more of the same,” she added.
The ship, which is 31 years old, sails under the flag of the Bahamas, which is responsible for ensuring it complies with all regulations. The Bahamas Maritime Authority confirmed it had been dealing with an issue but could not say what that was.
A seasoned private company, DNV, which has been acting for the company in relation to certification, said it could not comment. “I am afraid we don’t provide information on individual customers/vessels,” a spokesperson said.
The Villa Vie Odyssey was originally due to embark on a “perpetual” three-and-a-half-year trip on 30 May. It offers room rentals from 35 to 120 days, or “villas” can be bought at prices ranging from £90,000 to £260,000. Owning a villa onboard guarantees the room for a minimum of 15 years, but the ownership stays valid for the entire operation of the ship.