In our rolling coverage of the calamitous cruise ship stuck in port in Belfast for nearly five months, along with its passengers, we’re thrilled to report that she’s finally on her way.
For now.
October 4, 2024
Villa Vie Residences’ three-and-a-half-year cruise has officially begun according to an Instagram Story posted by the company and confirmation a spokesperson for the Odyssey. All going to plan, the ship will spend a day at sea before arriving in Brest, France, late on Friday (GMT+2).
Posts from the ship on social media show guests celebrating with Champagne as they finally make their way out of Northern Ireland waters.
October 2, 2024
Villa Vie departed Belfast around 11:30 p.m. on September 30 after four months of setbacks, only to halt off the Northern Ireland coast again due to “paperwork”
Nearly two days later Villa Vie remains just a few miles into its Odyssey, having dropped anchor in the Belfast Lough waterway. Yesterday Villa Vie CEO Mike Petterson told media that the ship would be leaving for France later in the evening after receiving the appropriate “sign offs.”
But this saga is set to run and run and nothing seems certain.
The ship went through its final sea trials earlier this month and had been waiting for coast guard clearance, which it finally received a few days ago.
September 30, 2024
With about 125 passengers on board, Ville Vie Residences Odyssey has been stuck in Belfast for four months, but the passengers who stuck with it were rewarded with the world’s first residential cruise in a budget price range.
It’s been reported that the ship erupted into applause and cheers as CEO Mikael Peterson delivered the good news to the guests onboard at the start of the week that they were finally underway.
Some passengers spoke with BBC at the scene, such as Lesly Curtis, who’s raring up to get the party started on board.
“The blessing of the delay has really been a lot of us have been here
“I have been here pretty much for four and a half months and we’ve all gotten close. We’ve run all over the place
“I’m going to go to my cabin, be glad to be there, and we’re going to party.”
Another passenger Becky Cressy is thrilled to finally embark, to start off a massive 15 years at sea.
“We are just excited to start this and get going and wave goodbye to Belfast, but you guys have been amazing and we’re going to miss it.
“There’s been really good days, and not-so-good days and just going there and meeting them, having their support, has meant a lot.
“I’m there for 15 years.
“I’ve committed to three and a half [years] to my husband, but let’s see, if we love it, I’ll be on for fifteen.”
Essentially the ship has faced a variety of obstacles as it’s had to upgrade onboard facilities and tweak its engineering to ensure it passes sea trials, but despite the delays, it has managed to do what no other cruise line has been able to do so far. Other companies have advertised and told similar cruises, but have never actually made it to sea.
Most notably, Life At Sea Cruises sold a range of long-term cabins and had a promised departure date that kept getting pushed back, until eventually the cruise was cancelled. Many passengers remain in disputes to recoup their money.
Another failure was Victoria Cruises, who are also still owing thousands of dollars to customers from around the world, having promised a similar dream, of an affordable life at sea.
If Ville Vie can prove to be a success at sea, it could lay the blueprint for a new way of living for those who want to combine work and travel in their life, or try out a non-traditional retirement.
There are many cruisers who take a different route of life at sea, which is taking back-to-back cruises, essentially meaning they book many consecutive cruises. This has the advantage of more flexibility, as well as the guarantee of a reputable company, but requires not only lots of planning and administration but also constant embarking and disembarking.
How much does the cruise cost?
Cruise Passenger has previously calculated that a long-term cabin aboard the cruise can actually work out cheaper than life in Sydney.
Ville Vie comes with a huge range of inclusions, from high-speed internet, shore excursions, creative activities, complimentary alcoholic beverages, healthcare consultations, a range of available restaurants, health and wellness facilities, live entertainment and a lot more.
While exact prices jump up and down, the price for a 15-year cabin previously sat at $151,078, as well as monthly fees of $2643 per person Cruise Passenger’s breakdown showed that life in Sydney can cost upwards of $100 more per day for two people.
Essentially, while 15 years is a grand commitment, those who purchase a cabin will be rewarded with an affordable lifestyle, especially considering the lifestyle of travelling all over the world.
Are there any Australians onboard?
Many Cruise Passenger readers banded together to give support to Frances Paroissien support, an Aussie cruiser who was nervously waiting waited the ship to pass sea trials. Not to mention that Paroissien is already $85,000 out of pocket after putting money towards a different residential ship project that didn’t eventuate.
Paroissien previously spoke with optimism, and her words have proved to ring true.
“I bought a cabin on Villa Vie Odyssey as soon as they had purchased the ship which I will own for the life of the ship which is expected to be 15 years.
“I am convinced that Villa Vie will provide me with accommodation, food, cleaning, laundry, medical attention as well as travelling the world which I anticipate will be much more exciting than sitting in my apartment alone, or being a resident of an aged care facility.”
“I don’t see this as a three-and-a-half-year journey, I see it as a 15-year one.”
Want to take a peek inside the ship?
Steve and Angela Theriac, high school sweethearts turned full-time cruisers have a YouTube channel where they regularly upload content from Odyssey. You can check out their channel for all sorts of updates on what life is like on-board, how the ship looks and what the mood of the ship is after finally setting sail.
Their most recent upload details the ship residents saying their goodbyes to Belfast as they prepared to finally explore the open ocean and live full-time in their cabins.
Like many passengers, the couple made grand sacrifices to set up their new life but remained confident that the ship would set sail, and have also been vindicated in their words.
“We are fully confident the ship will sail, it is just the waiting that is hard. We receive updates on a regular basis. It started months ago with a weekly update, then it switched to twice a week, and now the COO, Kathy Villaba, posts an update daily.”
Steve and Angela will provide a medium for other potential buyers, as well as those interested in following on, to continually see what’s happening onboard.
